day 105 Reunion!

Another damp start to the day, but I'm up and out early from the dorm, I'm meeting up with Joe from the train! 

Picking up a subway for breakfast I'm linking up buses through downtown and Stanley point a wooded country park and over the Lionsgate bridge, crossing the outlet from Vancouver harbour and up into hills, not paying attention I nearly miss the stop I'm after, quickly scurrying off the bus and I'm early arriving at Capilano suspension bridge park, arriving slightly before Joe I chat with one of rangers here who brought tells me 'the slugs are slugging this morning!' quote of the day!

grabbing a pic later in the day with a cheesy grin as ever!!!

Joe was only about ten minutes behind me and we sit waiting to get in, great to be chatting with train family again! 🥰

Into the park and the bridge is bouncing and swaying over a good 100ft drop! 

beautiful view! 

from the bridge to! 

And we're following a trail into the woods huge evergreens

and pretty water features, it brings to mind my imagined version of Rivendell from the hobbit

passing a herb called skunk cabbage due to its odour I'm a bit surprised when squashing a bit that it's rather minty! Pretty sure skunks aren't!

the trail becomes a sky trail up in the trees pretty high! 

it gets you close to lichens hanging from the branches

before passing under an arch of branches.... Rude not to get a photo!

beyond this we meet a ranger ever passed by a few times, not your average park ranger with plastic surgery, black eyes and heavy makeup it's diversity in full effect!

I'll never understand why people do that! 

Still she was friendly and happy that's all that matters. 

Back over the suspension bridge grabbing a fun photo

we now have the cliff walk, none of the previous high level paths have bothered me, but this gets me properly! Deep breathing gets me through...... And a very firm grip of the hand rail!!

views down into the gorge 

are beautiful, but I'm happy to get off that walk! 

A peaceful and calming water feature where people throw coins to make wishes, I flip a loonie (1 dollar) to make a decision I've been prevaricating over for days, I'm at the edge of the Pacific ..... South or west?

The result is west!! 

If this goes horribly wrong I can blame the loonie!!! 

Food time! Grabbing chicken tenders(fingers apparently!) and chips, feeding the local ravens

beautiful birds! 

Next the gift shop picking up a new day sack in Canadian air force style, before we head on to our next attraction.

12 minutes up the road by bus and we're at the foot of mount Grouse with it's precipitous mountain gondola

These really fly up the mountain, swinging and bouncing through the cloud

really good ride up! And we're above the snow line! 

Coffee and view being the first priorities I try my first previously unheard of sweet cortado coffee..... Best coffee ever! 

Wow!!

Through the snow there are signs pointing to the grizzly habitat..... Yep actual grizzly bears!!! These two are both rescue bears in a small enclosure just out of hibernation.... Got lucky with the timing again! 

one is rather playfully rolling in the snow but it's claws are pretty ferocious looking!!!

walking back to the Gondola through the snow, falling on my arse of course! Before damply descending in the now more sunny day!

views showing Vancouver in its best.

We have an attraction back in town that Veronique and Lou had recommended, so land and water bus quickly transform our surroundings from high mountains to high sky scrapers and the bay

the sail like building on the left is Canada place where going for a ride! 

A virtual 3d ride through the wonders of Canada.... twisting like a rollercoaster with mist like spray at appropriate moments we rotate through gorges, mountains, towns and wilderness I've not touched Canada, no way I can in this visit..... I'll Be back!!

This is a highly recommended attraction!!!!

We wander back through downtown in a rather oblique way to Joe's hotel, she has an hour to pack before catching her plane back east and home.... And similarly to me she's got the chance for adventure having taken 18 months pay as a severance check! 

We're in touch I hope to see where her wanders take her. 

Mine surprisingly briefly, my hostel is only about 20 minutes from her hotel, 

And I'm back after the most full and fun day of my travels so far! 

Thank you Joe!

day 104 Tootling!

I was hoping the Campsie pub(the hostel pub) opened early for breakfast been as it sells breakfasts, but no sign of anything at 9am ..... Not particularly early?

Luckily I found a little breakfast bar on the adjacent corner, 5 builders standing outside was always a good sign! Coffee a breakfast sandwich and I head off, I'm not fully committed to what I'm doing today it's a wander with half arsed intent! 

During the train journey I'd decided to buy a musical instrument to learn! Something simple enough and relevant to Canada, searching online gave me a strong hint at what I'd purchase, a flute more precisely a drone flute.... A wooden two tube flute which gives a drone background noise with a melody on top, these are native Canadian/American instruments carved from wood. 

I found a music store a few blocks away in downtown Vancouver Tom Lees, obvious place to start, Vancouver downtown is pretty small and easy enough to navigate, I get there just as the doors open, hopeful! 

Yes they know of these instruments, no we don't currently have any.... They advise to try a place in Granville Island, with nothing else really planned I carry on! 

Walking south through town passing homeless and drugged up people, Canada does indeed have a problem in the major cities! 

But they're harmless enough, and my route takes me to a little sea bus over False creek

this stretch of tidal waters depth fluctuates by about 20foot if the muscles on the harbour structures are anything to go by!

The bus has the shortest route only about 200 meters across to Granville Island a bohemian shopping zone, with anything from boat tours to boots to musical instruments..... Why else would I be here after all .... And yes there on the shelf is one of the smaller drone flutes you can get which with my traveling size is everything, hand made in British Columbia so it's a local piece, not imported from wherever!

nice comfortable holes are easy to locate so I may do ok with this! 

Mission accomplished.... 

I'm hungry, and what boho area doesn't have restaurants, fish chips and clam chowder with a can of germoline..... Sorry root beer!!

The taste is the same as the ointments smell ..... But ok!

This kind of place will always have artistic sights, unusually here some grain/aggregate vats have had the boho treatment

pretty cute tho! 

There's also an active boat yard with repairs, storage and tours operating out of it

wandering around Granville has taken a good amount of the day, avoiding the worst of a pretty damp monday, so back over the creek on the bus and wandering back through town picking up a bit of food for the next few days.

Back to the hostel pub and burger and beer deal for dinner, I've been pretty hungry after the train ..... Food had been pretty slim pickings! 

Back in the dorm there's a chap with rather odd/disturbed views and lots of willingness to try to push his opinion on you, he's harmless but a bit annoying, I just play his game and occasionally trip him up with a bit of logic..... He claims to be an AI software engineer..... If so We're doomed! 😂

Still not a bad day in all it's weird and wonderful ways!