Vancouver RV Travel

Friday | 24 August 2001 | Vancouver, British Columbia: It was sunny this morning and nearly warm! How exciting! Late morning, after DT had run and we had waited around for Fed Ex, we decided to walk over to the finest of Canadian Institutions, White Spot, for a late breakfast. We asked again at the front desk if FedEx had delivered yet and were told "Yes, but they will come back in the afternoon." The manager promised to hold our package when it arrived.

Though you can't compare the culinary talents of the chefs from The Teahouse and White Spot... we had a decent breakfast. We avoided anything with Triple O Sauce, as intriguing as it sounded. (The waitress said it was mayonnaise with pickle relish - and yes, they did serve it on several breakfast entrees.) I found a wonderful open market with gourmet foods just near the RV Park, too. A fun little walk.
 
When we arrived back to Goldie, there was a hang-tag from Fed-Ex! They had tried to leave the package, but there was GST (a national tax on Goods and Services) due. DT phoned the toll-free number of the hang-tag, Fed-Ex phoned the driver and she actually CAME BACK! What wonderful service! My Handyman removed the remaining bits of the old mirror, I held the new mirror in place and he replaced it! Well, sort of. This mirror is the fanciest of mirrors. It is huge, and is divided with a tall upper mirror and a smaller vertical mirror below. Both mirrors move electronically and the mirror is heated. Assuming you attach the wires. All the wires are now wrapped in tape and crammed into the base of the bracket - it can be wired by an "expert" when we get home. But, we are very proud of ourselves - here is the new mirror, a gleaming hunk of $480 metal, plastic and glass, in all its glory.

Mirror, Mirror on the Motorhome

That accomplished it was time for a bit of tourist activity in the sun! We took a sea bus to the Gastown district - avoiding the mirror-eating bridge! It was quite exciting for us - though it is just a usual transit option for the locals. Probably 6 busloads of people can fit on a sea bus. We were treated to great views of the harbor. Three cruise ships were in port and we watched the Celebrity Infinity leave port. We enjoyed walking around the historical district, window shopping and people watching. We had a late lunch/early dinner at a sidewalk cafe while an amazingly diverse example of humanity streamed past our table! People from every country, speaking every language. Old tourists. Young hippies. Homeless. Limousines. Backpackers. Families. Street musicians, artists and vendors. A veggie hotdog stand! Tattoos galore! A German girl in tight green pants. We were happily the most boring people in Gastown today.
 
Lisa phoned to say hello - they had cell service (though a terrible connection) for a few miles, so she phoned to see if we were doing okay. THAT is a switch, isn't it? How nice - she was worried about our mirror and tire. She was having a good time rafting - same route as last year, with more handsome guides - and would be home Saturday morning.
 
We took the sea bus back to North Vancouver and explored the wonderful Lonsdale Quay Market at the sea bus terminal. Commuters can run into this market and grab all the ingredients for a gourmet meal - there are butcher shops, Italian grocers, the freshest of fruits and vegetables - all so perfect they look plastic - bakers, live lobsters and fresh fish of every sort. The Italian grocer had a fabulous assortment of fresh pastas - tortellini and ravioli stuffed with interesting cheeses and herbs, fresh spaghetti and fettuccini and all sorts of marinated vegetables and olives for antipasto - all attractively displayed.
 
When we arrived back to our car, we had a parking ticket! We had to pay $6 to get into the lot, so we couldn't figure how we could get a ticket! We read on the form we received the fine because we had "failed to display our ticket". You can't get IN the garage without a ticket, PLUS it says right on the ticket to get it stamped by a merchant for a $1 refund. Do you have to ask the merchant to follow you to your car with his stamp pad? We are fined $35 dollars. We have seven days to pay. We are not paying. We are fleeing the country as fugitives. If you see men in red coats and jodhpurs hanging around our house, play dumb.
 
I did not exercise today and have walked 7 miles.

RV Park: Capilano RV Park