Smores on the beach…well that was the idea – 9 July

Every country seems to have their own “around the fire” treat. The typical one is marshmallows, but ever heard of Smores?

You could guess that Smores get their name from “some more,” so I’m thinking they must be delicious. The way to make them is to roast a marshmallow, then sandwich it between two cookies with chocolate. You then leave it close to the fire as to heat up and melt the chocolate. Your mouth watering yet? April invited some friends over for lunch and we would head to the beach to make Smores after sunset. April also wanted me to try Fireball. It is a cinnamon flavoured drink that literally tastes like the Fireball sweets you used to get a children. Tonight was a night for for trying new things.

As the sun was setting we got some coffee, headed to the beach, collected some firewood and sat around the fire. Note that we hadn’t started drinking yet. So some homeless guy and his dog came to say hello and kind of invited himself to our fire. I didn’t think it a problem as he was friendly. Even before we could get to the Smores or Fireball, two “officials” pitched not identifying themselves. Since I was in a 1st world country, to which I am a foreigner, I though to be friendly and follow the local’s lead. We all got ordered to sit down and provide identification. I only had a copy of my passport. We also got asked about alcohol, which was still sealed, but they had April throw it out into the fire as alcohol is not allowed. If you read the name, don’t you think that a bad idea? Just to prove a point, April only threw a splash onto the fire which obviously turned to flame. The officer didn’t seem to think that far and just gave a childish, sheepish giggle.
So about halfway though, by this time we knew we were getting a fine, but weren’t told for what (or that they were writing out tickets for that matter). I politely asked and was told that “we were lucky and were only getting a fine for being on the beach.” Not the fire or the alcohol, but for being on the beach???? (Apparently a by-law of the city of Surrey) I was a bit confused and asked if I as a foreigner, should know all the by-laws of each town I visit. An adamant “yes” was his reply. I was perplexed by this.

I broke the law (well, by-law) and would just have to take it. So I thought “ok, maybe a $50 fine.” When walking away, I discovered that the fine was for $200!!! How is that lucky? And for being on the beach??? We were all very unhappy about this as each of us got a $200 fine. That’s $1200 for the City of Surry right there! Thinking that Canada must be similar to the USA in some regards, I checked the notice board (everything carries a warning in the USA). Not allowed to cycle, take pets onto the beach or make fires. Nothing about alcohol or being on the beach after dark. By this time I though there is some hope. I would go and contest my fine!

To be continued…

We did go back to April’s house and enjoy the Smores. Unfortunately they didn’t have that smoky taste to them, but they were still great! I still hadn’t tasted Fireball though :( Next time…but in a bar where drinking is legal :)

Sunset with our fire setting the mood. Before the “officials” showed up.

Aquarium day – 8 July

Not all of us can take a holiday. April had to work, so I went to explore Stanley park (at the Western side of Vancouver) on my own. I decided to make the aquarium, in the park, my main attraction for the day. I have heard about the friendliness of Canadians, but was pleasantly surprised when I asked a friendly park employee (attending the gardens) not only gave me directions, but also a map of Stanley park. You have to realise that Stanley park isn’t like The Gardens in Cape Town. It is bigger than Central Park, New York! April told me it takes more than an hour to cycle around the park! Not attempting that today :)

I think this must’ve been summer holiday for the school children as there were lots of people. The advantage of that was that they had “displays” and “performances” scheduled for the visitors. A couple that I caught were the Dolphin show, Raptor meet (informative chat & a bird of prey on display) and Raptor flying display (birds of prey flying, including a Bald Eagle!).

Even though the aquarium is focused around sea animals, they also had some butterflies and frogs. I got the feeling that I was in a concentrated animal area. It wasn’t overwhelming though. Everything was well marked/displayed. As a child, the highlight of this place would’ve been the “interactive” displays where you are allowed to touch the animals. Ok, they were only start fish and anemones but still cool.

April pointed me to a well known cafe to have something to eat. Great food, but on the way there I started getting a weird feeling about the area. I started seeing more “differently” dressed individuals and later spotted more and more homosexual couples. She had sent me into the heart of the gay area! It was funny (kind of) afterwards.

Vancouver is surrounded by two bays, which allows for a couple of ferries. I took one South to Granville Island where there is a market. I got there a bit late, but did manage to witness a great sunset on the ferry. By this time I was ready to chill out after lots of walking.

Better weather in Vancouver – A Haida sculpture outside the aquarium – The Dolphin show – Raptor show & tell. No touching though :(

A Beluga whale – Bald Eagle in flight during the Raptor flying show – Sunset from the ferry

An electric vehicle charging station. Right outside this restaurant’s door. Priority to the environmentally conscious.

Exploring Vancouver – 7 July

For some reason, probably me not listening properly, I thought that April lived in Vancouver. Actually she lives south of Vancouver in a suburb (technically a different town), which is about an hour trip by public transport. So going into Vancouver isn’t done every day just for fun :) It actually isn’t that far, but being used to having buildings around you the whole way (like most trips in South America) it felt far the first time.

As you can see by the pictures, the weather didn’t play along. This didn’t deter us though :) We headed to the cruise liner terminal, apparently the biggest one in the world. There is an interesting mix of businesses and shops at the water’s front. Gastown is one of the main areas that visitors go to in Vancouver. And it is apparent in the feeling of the place. Red brick sidewalks (pavements) and all the buildings have a retro feel to them. I would say that Gastown is the most inviting area in Vancouver. Probably the most expensive too :) And no major North American city is complete without a Chinatown. April had a surprise in stall though. Coconut buns can only be purchased from a Chinese bakery. Not expensive, but REALLY good. Mmmm.

April knows how people try to only show you the good side to their city. She was intent on showing me all the sides. Good and bad. So we headed to East Hastings where most of the vagrants and druggies hang out. To try to stop the spread of diseases, the government had controversially set up mini-clinics where you could get clean needles, syringes and even a place to “shoot up.” They say that the government doesn’t condone drug usage, but just wants to ensure the safety of the citizens. Definitely one way of looking at it, even if all the tax paying citizens don’t necessarily agree.

We ended the day off by taking a ferry to North Vancouver, just because we can :) North Vancouver is not known as the best place to live. I guess this is according to local Vancouverites. By this time the weather had cleared up and we got a great view of the city.

 

 
There are many trees in central Vancouver – Classic yellow cab – Orca statue made from Lego!

  
Float planes are typical Canadian as most of Canada is unreachable by road – The ferry terminal. Big enough?

 
Canada is very environmentally conscious. Electric busses are just one example. – Famous steam powered clock in Gastown

The narrowest shop in the world! (Guinness world record) – April at play with Vancouver in the background

Tim Burton’s

As Starbucks is to the USA, Tim Hortons is to Canada. In stead of Bagels, you get Donuts. All kinds. A type that was unknown to me was “Tim-bits.” These are little flavoured donut balls, about the size of a golf ball. Might sound weird, but delicious!

So Tim Hortons has gotten a couple of nick names. The most popular being “Timmy Ho’s.” Jip, sounds like Timmy is a prostitute :) In my slightly sick state, I got the name wrong and thought of Tim Burton the actor. And so, “Tim Burton’s” was born :) This name stuck! At least as an inside joke.

 
Taking in the culture at Timmy Ho’s

First outing in Canada: Gulf of Georgia – 6 July

Feeling better after my bout of flu and flea bites, April took me out introduce me to Canada. It started with some shopping…at my request. Who would’ve thought :) I was in need of some new underwear though. I won’t bore you with the details (since this might be a bit of an over share).

April started the “tour” just right. We went to White Rock beach for some coffee and cupcakes at a nice little shop, known for its cupcakes. There were quite a lot of people out so I started my “cultural assimilation” by watching them. What I mean by this is that I try to figure out the people’s culture wherever I go. Understanding people makes a visit so much more rewarding. Seeing how people do things helps with this. The first big difference I found was with the dining culture. You don’t pay for coffee refills! Oh I cashed in on this one, after I was a bit apprehensive on asking for a refill :) Getting the check (asking for the bill) doesn’t take long at all. If you time the server (not called a waitress here), the check is in front of you in less than 30 seconds! Nice to be in a place where the service is good.

We took a walk down the beach, which is very sheltered. So lots of families at play along the dried sand. Very chilled. Nice. And no visit to North America is complete without seeing some classic American cars. White Rock didn’t disappoint.

Hopping into Petunia, April’s faithful car, we headed to the Gulf of Georgia. The Gulf of Georgia was build around the fishing industry and also canning. Fishing is still done here, but on as a large scale. So they have converted the old buildings into a museum. Pretty cool as it just looks like a couple of vintage buildings. What was really interesting is finding out that the Japanese flocked here in the hey day. Not just as cheap labour, which they were exploited for, but they also brought a wealth of fishing knowledge. Unfortunately this didn’t stop them from getting the short end of the racism stick. Many of the buildings were in surprisingly good shape and we were able to have a look at the inside of an original Japanese residence.

Our bellies full of fish & chips, we took a walk around. After South America, everything felt SO big. I have heard many travellers talking about culture shock. Something I didn’t think I had experienced until now. All this space definitely had a calming effect on me. And now I understand why cars are so key to the culture. Everything is far apart.

A photo I forgot to add. Looking out the window fly to Vancouver – April in a chipper mood

Coffee and cupcakes. Yum – White Rock beach front – April & Petunia

   
Fishing vessels at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery – Out lunch spot – I can understand the graffiti! Very sharp :)