Buchan Hotel Vancouver

We all packed up this morning and headed back in the pouring rain. Brad and Annie, Carrie and Ross headed back to Seattle/Tacoma and Erin, Brian and I to Vancouver. When we arrived in Vancouver we drove around to see several of the Olympic sights the most notable being the Richmond Olympic Oval where the speed skating will be held. It was having an open house for the public. It was very interesting to see the immensity of the place.

... took the bus into the city which was a cinch. The public transportation in Vancouver is great and all of the staff that we encountered were exceedingly pleasant and helpful. We got off the bus near the waterfront where a friendly local girl on her way to work had suggested and walked up and down the streets asking about cheap places to stay. The first ...

... my favourite place was. It is really hard to choose one, so here are the things I liked and disliked about each place. Hong Kong Likes - easy transportation - Stanley and Repulse Bay - All the buildings - People (very helpful) - Food (Dim Sum baby!) - Shopping (great malls ...

... about a 15 minute walk, we reached the oldest part of Vancouver, Gastown (named after sea captain "Gassy Jack" Deighton who in 1867 told millworkers that he'll sell them whisky if they built him a saloon). We wandered around some of the shops and art stores. Then decided to check out Chinatown which was only about a couple of blocks or so away.

We started heading away from Gastown but quickly found ourselves in very unfamiliar and dodgy territory. The next block ...

... a tour of the library. Not wanting to sound ungrateful for the offer we said yes, kind of wondering what we had got ourselves into with a library tour of all things - how exciting a library tour on our trip to Vancouver. Much to our surprise he spent about 10 minutes showing us some different areas of the library and telling us a bit about the architecture and why it was built the way it was and why it had the shape it had, etc, etc - it was actually ...

... in order. We stayed at the Comfort Inn Downtown and were very pleased. They upgraded us to their suite, which was very nice with a flat screen TV and, more appealingly, an electric fireplace - very nice on that chilly, unpleasant day! (I soooo want one of these in my home now!) They also included a continential buffet that featured a make-your-own-waffle station - yum!

... all after getting followed around relentlessly by a junkie trying to "help us", having a stranger offer to "get rid of" Jonathan for me so we could hang out, and sloshing around in the rain. We locate a buzzer, finally, push it and viola! Nothing happens. So is the way of the stoner.

Meanwhile back at the hostel, Cass tells us where we can go have drinks in an unassuming metal bar. The bar tender there is uber funny (and by funny I mean my mouth ...

... the Quebec debate is still reigning here as a recent report discovered that only 50% of Montrealites use French as their first language, and only 80% of Quebecites use French as their first language. And now their dismantling some French immersion programs in primary schools ... there are a few unhappy Quebec campers! I deliberately did no advance preperation for my time in Vancouver - I did not want to be influenced by reading material about what to expect or do. And so upon arrival ...

... confounds and resounds inside my head. It's a long freaking way, a sometimes tedious continuum of tar and endless little white lines. Boy, I was crunching km's today I tell ya...It was like I was compressing time itself. I'm tired, but I feel like a champ. A carbon footprinting Yeti of a champ, but a champ no less. Now I'm feeling a bit desperate and hungry, so I think I'll mosy over to the Houston Pizza and build my own pizza.