Fly away home.
So I've combined the last two days into one bumper issue. Decided it was easier that way, plus you guys could do with a days rest. Let's see if I get this done before they start boarding...
Tuesday.
Today was supposed to be a quiet day spent mostly on a bus. I did go on the bus tour, but between the walk to the pick up point, the walking on the tour and the walk home, I managed 20,000 steps. I have 4 days off before going back to work when I get home and I swear I'm not even going to leave my apartment for at least 2 of those days.
The tour today was up to Horseshoe Bay (pretty enough, didn't need half an hour though), Shannon falls, the sea to sky gondola and then the Britannia mine on the way home. The tour guide was a wealth of Canadian facts. Did you know that four Britain's could fit inside British Columbia? Or that Canadian elections happen every 5 years, but they can call them at any time and there are no term limits for prime ministers? Or that Vancouver was originally called Granville? Or that Vancouver metro area is made up of 27 cities? Actually it might have been 24. My favorite bit of local information he told us was that Vancouver has the highest gas prices in Canada, with all the taxes that are added to it. He said it was so expensive (still cheaper than NZ by my rough calculations) that he was getting really frustrated and was considering getting an electric car. I had to laugh to myself, that was probably part of the point of the taxes.
The other interesting thing I learned about Vancouver was from Matt. He told me that all of Vancouver runs on government owned renewable hyrdo power. And it's cheap. How cool is that. Anyway, pictures.
The tour was organised well as we had a couple of hours at the top of the gondola. I filled it easily and if I'd had more time, and my legs were less sore I could have happily done more trails. If I ever come back this way I might try the climb which you can do to the top (instead of the gondola). Apparently it's longer but not as tough as the grind.
My seat partner on the bus was a very quiet, initially very serious faced German girl. Seeing her gave me a bit of insight into what I must look like from the outside when travelling alone. I also chatted to a couple from New Hampshire in front who said they wanted to come to NZ and had a friend out here, but were daunted by the flight which is understandable. Us kiwi's forget that you don't have to fly for 12+ hours to get to another country. There was also a family from Illinois beside me, parents and two boys. At one point on the journey home the mother said "tell me your high your low and your funny for today" to her sons. My funny for the day was definitely them. The kids were a great spark of chatter on the journey.
The top of the sea to sky gondola was spectacular. Highly recommend if you come to this part of the world. It had views out over Squamish and the fjord. One thing about Canada though, even on a clear sunny day like today it still looks hazy. I started with the trail that the guide Mr Danny (as the kids called him) had recommended called the Panoramic trail. An easy path, though longer than the 20 minutes he quoted. Though maybe my legs were working slower today. It wandered through some pretty forest and then dropped you out with this great view over the town, water and mountains. I also did the suspension bridge that was up there a couple of times. A suspension bridge where you could actually get a picture without 100 people on it.
The Britannia mine was pretty cool. The mine was a Copper mine open from 1900 to 1974 and had a town which apparently had it's own fire service, medical staff, teachers etc. We went on a tour that goes through one of the old service tunnels, hard hats and all. I was a little worried I'd feel claustrophobic under there, but the tunnel was pretty big so it wasn't a problem. She said near the beginning that there were going to be 3 loud noises on the tour. First was a diamond drill, second was a mucker machine (machine for picking up exploded ore) and the third was the whistle outside. The whistle was the loudest. They also turned off all the lights at one point to demonstrate what it would have been like for miners back in the day. There was light at one end of the tunnel, but the other was pitch black. The first source of light they showed off was a candle. This was the point I knew there was no chance I would have been a miner. Not that I'd thought I could be before that. Then a carbide lamp which was pretty cool, though she had some technical difficulties. The final part of the tour was a new part they're just trailing before it officially opens in June. It was probably the best part. They took us into the old Mill building and there was a full on production with a video of a guy talking through what happened in the Mill, with lights going off in parts of the building showing each part. Then at the end they demonstrated how loud the building would have been back when functioning by replicating each of the machines, adding in one after the other. As they said, it would have been very strange for the people in the town when the mill was closed and the noise stopped and the lights went out. My description doesn't do it justice, but it was very well done.
Back down to Vancouver it was time for a quick hunt for a couple of things in shops (fruitless) then dinner at one of the places recommended by Nat. The only one that I got to unfortunately, but I'm glad I made it to at least one, a Thai place in downtown. It was good, though she forgot my drink till I reminded her, which was actually handy as I'd forgotten to add rice so it gave me a chance to do that. I need the fuel at the moment.
Now I'm back at the Airbnb making sure everything is packed or ready to be packed and checking my bag will actually close. I have a second bag I'll take on the plane, but I'd rather not carry it around with me all day. It also costs per item to store stuff at the airport, so I'm trying to get everything down to one bag for the day. It's going to be a tight fit, and my suitcase is going to weigh a ton.
Final day.
So I did manage to squeeze everything down to one bag. Which made it interesting when they asked to search the bag before they stored it. The girl started to close it and I just said "I'll do that, it's a thing". Took some careful zip pulling to get it closed. Worth it though, they would have charged me double to store the carry on item.
I'm glad I dropped my bags here in the morning. Coming back on the train and peak hour they were packed. It would have been a nightmare with a large suitcase.
Bag dropped I set off for the Museum of Archaeology. I'd picked up a day pass on the way to the airport and it as the best thing. The trip to the airport would have been $8 alone, the day trip was $10. It also has this great loop hole that if you get one in town you don't pay the airport additional fee (tip for travellers). The museum was good, however when standing staring at one lot of First Nations artifacts I suddenly realised I was planning my chores when I get home. That about shows you where my head is at. Vancouver has suffered a bit being at the end of my trip and being full on walking wise. I'm low on energy and funds and my nose is pointed towards home. I'll have to come back one day to finish up the things I didn't get to or that I only half paid attention too.
After the museum I trekked back (by bus, not foot) to Granville Island. The markets there were smaller than Toronto, but in my opinion better. I grabbed lunch, a couple of odds and ends, then wandered alongside the island on a pathway for a bit. The weather had been supposed to clear up at 12, but it was still pretty cloudy so a bit chilly and grey.
It cleared up beautifully while I was in the Police museum. Yes I went to the Police museum, are you really surprised? It didn't do one thing I hoped, explain the division between the Mounties and the local cops. It was also smaller than I expected, but I got to walk through an old morgue and look at a murdered farmers skull so that was weird.
A few more odds and ends sorted and I sat outside the gallery (didn't go in, it was closing in 45 minutes) and enjoyed the sun for a bit. Seemed better sitting in the sun than the airport.
Now I'm here, frantically typing so that I can get this done and uploaded before boarding in 15 minutes.
Tuesday.
Today was supposed to be a quiet day spent mostly on a bus. I did go on the bus tour, but between the walk to the pick up point, the walking on the tour and the walk home, I managed 20,000 steps. I have 4 days off before going back to work when I get home and I swear I'm not even going to leave my apartment for at least 2 of those days.
The tour today was up to Horseshoe Bay (pretty enough, didn't need half an hour though), Shannon falls, the sea to sky gondola and then the Britannia mine on the way home. The tour guide was a wealth of Canadian facts. Did you know that four Britain's could fit inside British Columbia? Or that Canadian elections happen every 5 years, but they can call them at any time and there are no term limits for prime ministers? Or that Vancouver was originally called Granville? Or that Vancouver metro area is made up of 27 cities? Actually it might have been 24. My favorite bit of local information he told us was that Vancouver has the highest gas prices in Canada, with all the taxes that are added to it. He said it was so expensive (still cheaper than NZ by my rough calculations) that he was getting really frustrated and was considering getting an electric car. I had to laugh to myself, that was probably part of the point of the taxes.
The other interesting thing I learned about Vancouver was from Matt. He told me that all of Vancouver runs on government owned renewable hyrdo power. And it's cheap. How cool is that. Anyway, pictures.
Horseshoe bay
Canadian graffiti.
Shannon falls. Four times higher than Niagara falls apparently.
My seat partner on the bus was a very quiet, initially very serious faced German girl. Seeing her gave me a bit of insight into what I must look like from the outside when travelling alone. I also chatted to a couple from New Hampshire in front who said they wanted to come to NZ and had a friend out here, but were daunted by the flight which is understandable. Us kiwi's forget that you don't have to fly for 12+ hours to get to another country. There was also a family from Illinois beside me, parents and two boys. At one point on the journey home the mother said "tell me your high your low and your funny for today" to her sons. My funny for the day was definitely them. The kids were a great spark of chatter on the journey.
The top of the sea to sky gondola was spectacular. Highly recommend if you come to this part of the world. It had views out over Squamish and the fjord. One thing about Canada though, even on a clear sunny day like today it still looks hazy. I started with the trail that the guide Mr Danny (as the kids called him) had recommended called the Panoramic trail. An easy path, though longer than the 20 minutes he quoted. Though maybe my legs were working slower today. It wandered through some pretty forest and then dropped you out with this great view over the town, water and mountains. I also did the suspension bridge that was up there a couple of times. A suspension bridge where you could actually get a picture without 100 people on it.
Panorama view
A woodpecker has been here. Didn't see one unfortunately.
The Britannia mine was pretty cool. The mine was a Copper mine open from 1900 to 1974 and had a town which apparently had it's own fire service, medical staff, teachers etc. We went on a tour that goes through one of the old service tunnels, hard hats and all. I was a little worried I'd feel claustrophobic under there, but the tunnel was pretty big so it wasn't a problem. She said near the beginning that there were going to be 3 loud noises on the tour. First was a diamond drill, second was a mucker machine (machine for picking up exploded ore) and the third was the whistle outside. The whistle was the loudest. They also turned off all the lights at one point to demonstrate what it would have been like for miners back in the day. There was light at one end of the tunnel, but the other was pitch black. The first source of light they showed off was a candle. This was the point I knew there was no chance I would have been a miner. Not that I'd thought I could be before that. Then a carbide lamp which was pretty cool, though she had some technical difficulties. The final part of the tour was a new part they're just trailing before it officially opens in June. It was probably the best part. They took us into the old Mill building and there was a full on production with a video of a guy talking through what happened in the Mill, with lights going off in parts of the building showing each part. Then at the end they demonstrated how loud the building would have been back when functioning by replicating each of the machines, adding in one after the other. As they said, it would have been very strange for the people in the town when the mill was closed and the noise stopped and the lights went out. My description doesn't do it justice, but it was very well done.
Inside the mill. Apparently it was an engineering feat in it's day, with gravity doing part of the work as the rocks went through each stage of the process.
Back down to Vancouver it was time for a quick hunt for a couple of things in shops (fruitless) then dinner at one of the places recommended by Nat. The only one that I got to unfortunately, but I'm glad I made it to at least one, a Thai place in downtown. It was good, though she forgot my drink till I reminded her, which was actually handy as I'd forgotten to add rice so it gave me a chance to do that. I need the fuel at the moment.
Now I'm back at the Airbnb making sure everything is packed or ready to be packed and checking my bag will actually close. I have a second bag I'll take on the plane, but I'd rather not carry it around with me all day. It also costs per item to store stuff at the airport, so I'm trying to get everything down to one bag for the day. It's going to be a tight fit, and my suitcase is going to weigh a ton.
Final day.
So I did manage to squeeze everything down to one bag. Which made it interesting when they asked to search the bag before they stored it. The girl started to close it and I just said "I'll do that, it's a thing". Took some careful zip pulling to get it closed. Worth it though, they would have charged me double to store the carry on item.
I'm glad I dropped my bags here in the morning. Coming back on the train and peak hour they were packed. It would have been a nightmare with a large suitcase.
Bag dropped I set off for the Museum of Archaeology. I'd picked up a day pass on the way to the airport and it as the best thing. The trip to the airport would have been $8 alone, the day trip was $10. It also has this great loop hole that if you get one in town you don't pay the airport additional fee (tip for travellers). The museum was good, however when standing staring at one lot of First Nations artifacts I suddenly realised I was planning my chores when I get home. That about shows you where my head is at. Vancouver has suffered a bit being at the end of my trip and being full on walking wise. I'm low on energy and funds and my nose is pointed towards home. I'll have to come back one day to finish up the things I didn't get to or that I only half paid attention too.
This guy was my favorite. He's a seal. Check out that happy face!
Puppets!
The museum is in the uni campus, which from the section I saw is pretty gorgeous.
After the museum I trekked back (by bus, not foot) to Granville Island. The markets there were smaller than Toronto, but in my opinion better. I grabbed lunch, a couple of odds and ends, then wandered alongside the island on a pathway for a bit. The weather had been supposed to clear up at 12, but it was still pretty cloudy so a bit chilly and grey.
Raptor guy (I think the same guy Sean from grouse mountain) doing his other day job, using falcons to scare away birds.
Check out that fruit. I was sad I was getting on a plane today. Next time I'm hitting up the markets earlier and getting me some berries.
Canadian goose ducklings are getting bigger.
It cleared up beautifully while I was in the Police museum. Yes I went to the Police museum, are you really surprised? It didn't do one thing I hoped, explain the division between the Mounties and the local cops. It was also smaller than I expected, but I got to walk through an old morgue and look at a murdered farmers skull so that was weird.
Also one photo of the beautiful bay window in the room I stayed in.
A few more odds and ends sorted and I sat outside the gallery (didn't go in, it was closing in 45 minutes) and enjoyed the sun for a bit. Seemed better sitting in the sun than the airport.
Now I'm here, frantically typing so that I can get this done and uploaded before boarding in 15 minutes.
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