Chapter 8 – Vancouver
Having only been in to Vancouver once to explore the downtown area and Dan raced us through on that particular expedition, we really wanted to – HAD too – go back to do some proper sight seeing. So we found some day passes which allowed us to bus and sky train and sea bus our way around the whole of Vancouver for only $9 each. We had planned this long adventure with many places to visit and we hadn’t really figured out the public transit system just yet. Fortunately we had gotten a head start and were able to make it to our first stop quickly. Metro town – the shopping mall similar to Gateway only with no ocean view. As many know, Ang really enjoys shopping and I really enjoy Ang being happy which shopping makes her and so I allow it. In the end though, it was just too much mall for us and so we decided to leave and begin the rest of our Vancouver tour.
Our next official stop was a place I had really been eying out and had twisted Ang’s arm so that we could go visit it. Dr. Sun Yat Sen’s Chinese Gardens was an ethnic park created by and for the Chinese community of Vancouver by this Dr. what we hadn’t realized on our entrance into the gardens was that directly across from us was a park which had a fairly similar view and was free. Though we did have to pay for our experience, I would say that it was worth it being that we got some cultural of Vancouver with some really cool pics of a different garden style. After spending enough time winding around passageways and through Chinese buildings we ended up near the Vancouver lookout tower and decided that the weather permitted us some magical views of this great city. We were not disappointed. After climbing the elevator shaft up 30 or so stories we climbed out on the lookout floor and were bombarded with picturesque views of this magnificent city. I am not a real city lover as Johannesburg has worn me down, but Vancouver had a different appeal to it. The exceptionally good news with this detour and experience was that we could use the pass for the whole day and so we were able to return at dusk to take some night shots of downtown as well. Something I probably wouldn’t try in Joburg!
In between the two tower events we boarded some buses around downtown to go and find the UBC botanical gardens which we had thought could be a great sight. Unfortunately, we both had no idea how far and how HUGE the university is taking us nearly 1 hour and 15 minutes just to get there and once there feeling rather foolish with no map or directions boarding a bus to take us somewhere else. Ang was upset that we hadn’t done something greater at UBC but I just had to escape the clutches of another university and find the tranquility of the Bloedel gardens – our last stop for this adventure. Boarding another bus and driving further in directions we had never been before, we arrived at the Queen Elizabeth Park where the Bloedel conservatory is. Of course, we managed to arrive 30 minutes late and so didn’t even get to view the wonderful tropical plants found inside this shapely dome. But what a view!!!
The only other experience matching this expedition was our first trip on our own downtown when Carl managed to drop us off at the surrey sky train and we headed in all the way to Canada place and Gas town. These are just two of the great sights to be seen downtown. Gas town was absolutely beautiful with these old buildings and this real small town feel with the cobble stone pathways and the steam clock tower. We enjoyed visiting the small shops down there and finding bargain touristy buys for treasured memories. Robson Street was our next stop allowing Ang’s shopping bug to explode as we visited numerous shops in this big radius of downtown. For me the intricacy and beauty of the building with churches and old style décor was more of the wonder and experience. We managed somehow to find another truly Canadian road downtown called Granville which was my type of road. It is the musical area of downtown with many rock shops and punk styled looks and Irish pubs. One such shop we were told we had to visit by Corbin & Dan was Value Vintage. Having spoken of his fascination with Value Village he told us of the vintage store which sells people’s old trendy clothes and accessories at a really marked up price. Oh ja, and with St. Patrick’s day coming up around the corner, this area was booming with drunk and disorderly peeps all dressed up in green.
And so ended the exploring of downtown Vancouver but that was not the end of our tour of this part of Canada. Read our next installment sooon.
Having only been in to Vancouver once to explore the downtown area and Dan raced us through on that particular expedition, we really wanted to – HAD too – go back to do some proper sight seeing. So we found some day passes which allowed us to bus and sky train and sea bus our way around the whole of Vancouver for only $9 each. We had planned this long adventure with many places to visit and we hadn’t really figured out the public transit system just yet. Fortunately we had gotten a head start and were able to make it to our first stop quickly. Metro town – the shopping mall similar to Gateway only with no ocean view. As many know, Ang really enjoys shopping and I really enjoy Ang being happy which shopping makes her and so I allow it. In the end though, it was just too much mall for us and so we decided to leave and begin the rest of our Vancouver tour.
Our next official stop was a place I had really been eying out and had twisted Ang’s arm so that we could go visit it. Dr. Sun Yat Sen’s Chinese Gardens was an ethnic park created by and for the Chinese community of Vancouver by this Dr. what we hadn’t realized on our entrance into the gardens was that directly across from us was a park which had a fairly similar view and was free. Though we did have to pay for our experience, I would say that it was worth it being that we got some cultural of Vancouver with some really cool pics of a different garden style. After spending enough time winding around passageways and through Chinese buildings we ended up near the Vancouver lookout tower and decided that the weather permitted us some magical views of this great city. We were not disappointed. After climbing the elevator shaft up 30 or so stories we climbed out on the lookout floor and were bombarded with picturesque views of this magnificent city. I am not a real city lover as Johannesburg has worn me down, but Vancouver had a different appeal to it. The exceptionally good news with this detour and experience was that we could use the pass for the whole day and so we were able to return at dusk to take some night shots of downtown as well. Something I probably wouldn’t try in Joburg!
In between the two tower events we boarded some buses around downtown to go and find the UBC botanical gardens which we had thought could be a great sight. Unfortunately, we both had no idea how far and how HUGE the university is taking us nearly 1 hour and 15 minutes just to get there and once there feeling rather foolish with no map or directions boarding a bus to take us somewhere else. Ang was upset that we hadn’t done something greater at UBC but I just had to escape the clutches of another university and find the tranquility of the Bloedel gardens – our last stop for this adventure. Boarding another bus and driving further in directions we had never been before, we arrived at the Queen Elizabeth Park where the Bloedel conservatory is. Of course, we managed to arrive 30 minutes late and so didn’t even get to view the wonderful tropical plants found inside this shapely dome. But what a view!!!
The only other experience matching this expedition was our first trip on our own downtown when Carl managed to drop us off at the surrey sky train and we headed in all the way to Canada place and Gas town. These are just two of the great sights to be seen downtown. Gas town was absolutely beautiful with these old buildings and this real small town feel with the cobble stone pathways and the steam clock tower. We enjoyed visiting the small shops down there and finding bargain touristy buys for treasured memories. Robson Street was our next stop allowing Ang’s shopping bug to explode as we visited numerous shops in this big radius of downtown. For me the intricacy and beauty of the building with churches and old style décor was more of the wonder and experience. We managed somehow to find another truly Canadian road downtown called Granville which was my type of road. It is the musical area of downtown with many rock shops and punk styled looks and Irish pubs. One such shop we were told we had to visit by Corbin & Dan was Value Vintage. Having spoken of his fascination with Value Village he told us of the vintage store which sells people’s old trendy clothes and accessories at a really marked up price. Oh ja, and with St. Patrick’s day coming up around the corner, this area was booming with drunk and disorderly peeps all dressed up in green.
And so ended the exploring of downtown Vancouver but that was not the end of our tour of this part of Canada. Read our next installment sooon.
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