Saturday, May 24, 2009--Kota Kinabalu
KK, as Kota Kinabalu is known here, has a Sunday market that is popular. It's not really for tourists, so that makes it better. Many people go to shop for pets, plants, food products, gifts, etc. It is on a street just a couple of blocks from my hotel. I spent the morning wandering the market. Mainly, I just watched the people, since I wasn't interested in buying anything. The children here are so cute; most were dressed up for their day at the market with their finest clothing and had their hair set in place with gel or with pins. I enjoyed watching them admire the toys, interact with the pets, etc. And the parents, of course, loved seeing me admiring their children.
Tourism here is limited. It's off the more followed routes in Asia. That's rather nice. I saw tourists, but the market was not overwhelmed with them the way that some are in places like Thailand. Most that I have seen are young backpackers, and there are many backpacker places with cheap rooms and even dormitory rooms where a bed is bought for an even cheaper price.
I'm staying in my usual small hotel--Pantai Inn. It wasn't my first choice, but the e-mails and the phone calls to the place I wanted didn't work. The phone was answered at Pantai, and that was important since I was arriving here at almost midnight and wanted a reservation in advance. I only made a reservation for two nights, and I am glad, too. It's a nice enough hotel, but there are two problems--a construction site across the street where piling are being pounded into the ground and very small ants in the hotel room. I have already checked with the hotel I wanted, the May Plaza which is nicer, quieter and slightly cheaper and has a room where I can move tomorrow when my reservation at the Pantai has ended.
The temperatures here are HOT!! It's taking a bit of adjustment. But I won't let that hinder my wanderings. I went to a cyber cafe to update the blog, but found it almost as limiting as the experiences in Canada. It was coin-operated, and I found myself having to rush and do less due to the fact that I was running out of the appropriate size of coin. (Today, I am at one with unlimited use--pay at the end--and with nice new keyboards that make typing much easier and less frustrating!) Then I found a place for a late lunch. It was a delicious noodle soup with a coconut juice base. It had shrimp in it. And it had something else that looked suspicious!! I considered it a don't-ask-don't tell ingredient, since it looked suspicious. It was loop-shaped slices of something that was smooth on the outside and somewhat "hairy" on the inside. It wasn't tough like squid, but they may have been what it was, since shrimp were also in the dish. Of course, it could have been slices of intestine, too.
I bought a big bottle of water and returned to the room. Time zone changes plus the fact I had not slept well at the sauna at Inchon meant I was very tired. I went to sleep at 17:30.
Monday, May 25, 2009--KK
Because I went to bed so early, I awoke early--at 4:00. I just lay in bed and read. I am still going through my guidebook to try to decide what to do here. Also, I have started the first of the novels that I brought with me.
By 8:00, I was packed and ready to leave for my new hotel. Checkout at the Pantai was smooth and check-in at the May Plaza was just as smooth. In fact, they jut let me leave my bags at the hotel and start my wanderings for the day with the understanding that I would return and check-in in the afternoon after they had cleaned the rooms where guests were leaving.
I decided to make it one of my walking/exploring days. Because of the heat, I knew I needed to get started early, but that didn't really help. It was already HOT! I walked to the State Museum. Unfortunately, not all the route was on my map, so I made a wrong turn on one street and went out of my way about half a kilometer (quarter mile) before having to turn around and backtrack. By the time I got to the museum, I was thirsty, since there had been no stores along the route selling water. A small restaurant was across the street, so I went there to have Chinese iced tea to refresh myself and to wait for the 10:00 opening of the museum.
Unfortunately, Malaysia has joined the ranks of countries that gouge tourists by having them pay a much greater amount for entry to tourist attractions than locals pay. The museum cost me 7.5 times what locals pay. I've let the museum, my hotel, and the tourist office know that I think that is a problem that will eventually hurt tourism here. The hotel owner seemed surprised at the difference and concerned; he agreed that it would eventually have a negative effect on his business.
I paid the price for the museum, however, since it is about the only thing to see here. It is a nice museum with photographs of the history of KK and the province of Sabah, exhibits of the native costumes of this area, natural history exhibits of the animals and sea life of the area, etc. The the side of the museum is a wonderful Heritage Village that is included in the price. It has examples of the various types of native houses from the province--bamboo houses, long houses, thatched huts, etc. Some are clustered around a lake, and others are built up a hillside. Inside most of the houses are women producing native crafts that are for sale in the museum store.
On the same grounds is a building with science exhibits and an art gallery with native paintings and weavings. There was no admission charge for it because there has been major water damage from a roof leak. Many of the paintings were stacked against the stairwell walls in the center of the building. It is sad to see the damage--ceiling and lighting fixtures just collapsed. But I saw what I could and appreciated what I did see.
After 3 hours at the museum, I went back across the street to the local restaurant and had lunch. They had a buffet where one chooses a limited number of items. I choose to pay for 4 items and chose the pickled green mango, a leafy green with fish cake, curried chicken, and a chicken dish with a dark sauce. It was served with Chinese tea and rice. Although it was a cold buffet, the food was tasty and good. I ate it all and drank two glasses of the iced tea.
Nearby the museum is the State Mosque, one of the largest and prettiest mosques in Malaysia. It has a wonderful golden dome and a golden turret on top of its tower. I could part of it from the museum, so I walked to it before returning to town.
It was a long, hot walk back into town from there, since it was in the middle of the afternoon. I stopped at a couple of malls buying a 1.5 liter Pepsi Max at one. KK has many failed malls. It's rather sad to see. They do well with the personally-owned kiosks in the middle of the mall, but many of the formal shops are closed and unoccupied. This is a poor region overall, I think.
When I returned, I had walked 26,445 steps. That's a lot in this heat. I was tired. I relaxed in the room and read for a while. Then I went to get a haircut. What a relief it is to have my long hair gone. It was really bothering me, but I had waited to get it cut because I enjoy the experience of getting haircuts in various countries. The man who cut it spoke no English, but he did a good job. With the tip, it was $2.81 U.S.!
Back at the room, I just relaxed and read until I felt I needed to sleep at 21:00.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Back in Asia
Note: I'm so glad to be able to write a decent account on the blog. In Canada there are few cyber cafes because everyone has his/her own computer. I had to rely on the hotel having a computer, and usually they had a 15-minute limit on usage. I was always in a rush. Then Wednesday, I had a big problem. I first got on a computer at the library in Whistler to update the blog. When I tried to post, however, the settings considered it to be an illigal move, and I lost everything I had typed in my 15 minutes. Then at the hotel, I paid for using a computer and it froze up on me when I tried to post. Fortunately, it came to life again before my time was up. But how frustrating!! Now I am in Malaysia suffering the common problem of cyber cafes--a poor keyboard with keys that stick and result in missing letters! I'm sure you can figure it out if a word misses a letter or two. Right?!!
Thursday and Friday, May 21-22--Flying from Vancouver to Seoul
Wes left the hotel room at 5:30 and returned the rental car. I stayed in bed and slept until 8:30. I hadn't slept well all night, though. Partially it was due to a pillow that was too big. But mostly it was due to just the stress of worrying about the long trip today.
Check in at the airport went smoothly. But the women at Air Canada was not happy that I am a U.S. citizen and using a ticket purchased in Thailand without my having residence or a passport for there. She is a real stickler for rules and would have loved to have voided my ticket if she had had the right. No one else has ever complained over the years.
I could only check my bag to Inchon. I'm actually going to Kota Kinabalu. When I purchased my ticket, it included a connecting flight about 3 hours after my arrival here. But Asiana Airlines has changed their flight schedules so that they only fly to KK 4 times per week now. So I have to spend 27 hours in Korea. That means I must pick up my bag and go through immigration. I don't have enough empty space in my passport for those 2 stamps they will insist in putting in there!
____
Although night never came, it is now the next day (due to the International Date Line) and I am in Korea. The flight went well. I had plenty of room, and the plane had an advanced entertainment system which allowed us to watch any movie starting at any time from their menu. I saw four films to pass the time (along with eating 3 meals). I saw Easy Virtue (2 1/2 stars out of 4), Revolutionary Road (4 stars), Wendy and Lucy (2 1/2 stars), and Honey, I'm in Love (2 stars).
We had to fill out a health form and go through a temperature screening at the airport due to H1N1 flu. It reminded me of the SARS days.
I looked for alternatives to spending 27 hours in the terminal. Town is just too far away (50 minutes) to consider going in and out just to sleep. The nearby hotels are too expensive just for a night of sleep. I checked with the airline to see if they have an agreement with a nearby hotel to offer a "distressed passenger" discount, since their schedule change is what caused this mess. They don't. So I decided to stay in the sauna in the airport. They have private rooms and a large common sleeping room. A 24-hour pass is just $16.00 U.S.
Spending Update: I spent $824.47 over 11 days for an average of $74.95 per day in Canada. It would have been much more expensive if Wes hd not been sharing costs. Hotels and ferries were the biggest expenses.
Saturday, May 23, 2009--Inchon to Kota Kinabalu
I was up about 5:30 in the sauna, but I went to sleep at 21:00 last night. It's a time adjustment problem. One man snored during part of the night, but generally I slept okay.
After bathing and reading in the sauna and lounge, I went back to the common room at 9:30 and slept another 2 hours. Now I feel much better. Read the TIME 100 edition of TIME magazine, and re-read my guidebook infomation for Sabah, the province I will visit first on Borneo.
The check-in for the flight here went well, too. Airports seem to have solved the problems with lines everywhere. (Maybe not in India yet!!)
The flight to KK was 4 hours and 15 minutes long. I'm TIRED. Got my luggage first, however, and was at my hotel about 35 minutes after landing. Had H1N1 screening again here.
Thursday and Friday, May 21-22--Flying from Vancouver to Seoul
Wes left the hotel room at 5:30 and returned the rental car. I stayed in bed and slept until 8:30. I hadn't slept well all night, though. Partially it was due to a pillow that was too big. But mostly it was due to just the stress of worrying about the long trip today.
Check in at the airport went smoothly. But the women at Air Canada was not happy that I am a U.S. citizen and using a ticket purchased in Thailand without my having residence or a passport for there. She is a real stickler for rules and would have loved to have voided my ticket if she had had the right. No one else has ever complained over the years.
I could only check my bag to Inchon. I'm actually going to Kota Kinabalu. When I purchased my ticket, it included a connecting flight about 3 hours after my arrival here. But Asiana Airlines has changed their flight schedules so that they only fly to KK 4 times per week now. So I have to spend 27 hours in Korea. That means I must pick up my bag and go through immigration. I don't have enough empty space in my passport for those 2 stamps they will insist in putting in there!
____
Although night never came, it is now the next day (due to the International Date Line) and I am in Korea. The flight went well. I had plenty of room, and the plane had an advanced entertainment system which allowed us to watch any movie starting at any time from their menu. I saw four films to pass the time (along with eating 3 meals). I saw Easy Virtue (2 1/2 stars out of 4), Revolutionary Road (4 stars), Wendy and Lucy (2 1/2 stars), and Honey, I'm in Love (2 stars).
We had to fill out a health form and go through a temperature screening at the airport due to H1N1 flu. It reminded me of the SARS days.
I looked for alternatives to spending 27 hours in the terminal. Town is just too far away (50 minutes) to consider going in and out just to sleep. The nearby hotels are too expensive just for a night of sleep. I checked with the airline to see if they have an agreement with a nearby hotel to offer a "distressed passenger" discount, since their schedule change is what caused this mess. They don't. So I decided to stay in the sauna in the airport. They have private rooms and a large common sleeping room. A 24-hour pass is just $16.00 U.S.
Spending Update: I spent $824.47 over 11 days for an average of $74.95 per day in Canada. It would have been much more expensive if Wes hd not been sharing costs. Hotels and ferries were the biggest expenses.
Saturday, May 23, 2009--Inchon to Kota Kinabalu
I was up about 5:30 in the sauna, but I went to sleep at 21:00 last night. It's a time adjustment problem. One man snored during part of the night, but generally I slept okay.
After bathing and reading in the sauna and lounge, I went back to the common room at 9:30 and slept another 2 hours. Now I feel much better. Read the TIME 100 edition of TIME magazine, and re-read my guidebook infomation for Sabah, the province I will visit first on Borneo.
The check-in for the flight here went well, too. Airports seem to have solved the problems with lines everywhere. (Maybe not in India yet!!)
The flight to KK was 4 hours and 15 minutes long. I'm TIRED. Got my luggage first, however, and was at my hotel about 35 minutes after landing. Had H1N1 screening again here.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Exploring Whistler
Tuesday, May 19, 2009--Hope to Lillooet
We drove through mountains in the area of the Canadian Gold Rush today. We made several stops:
Yale--This is a town that was the largest settlement west of Chicago and north of San Francisco during the Gold Rush with 30,000 inhabitants. Today there are 250. There isn't much to the town, but there is a nice long board with photos and a history of the community. The only worthwhile building remaining is a very nice and quaint church.
Alexandra Bridge--This is a suspension bridge on the old roadway which has been abandoned. It has a nice design and is now part of a park with hiking trails. The bridge was named after Alexandra, the Danish princess who became the queen of England.
Hell's Gate--The whole trip today was through Fraser Canyon. The Fraser River narrows here to its narrowest, and the flow of water is greater than that of Niagara Falls. There is a tourist trap that has been constructed to take people down to the river on a cable car for $17. We just looked from above!
Ashcroft/Casche Creek--We took a side trip which took us into the desert mountains. They were dry, but there were beautiful purple wildflowers blooming on the mountain sides. These two towns were only 4 km apart. They are nice, simple towns, but they are rather poor. It is a tribal area of British Columbia.
Lillooet--This was our stop for the night. It is an okay town in a beautiful setting with a river through it and snow-capped mountains around it. We walked the main street seeing the historical sights. Then we bought food to cook in our room which was an apartment with a full kitchen and two bedrooms.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009--Lillooet to Whistler to Vancouver
We took the back road between Lillooet and Whistler. It was a wonderful twisting and winding road through the mountains which were snow-capped and even had a fresh dusting of snow on the trees at the top to give a lacy look from the roadway. There were beautiful lakes, and it was a very remote area. It was one of the nicest roadways we have taken in terms of scenery.
Whistler will be home to the 2010 Winter Olympics. It is a very new and very nice town. To me, however, it lacks character. Although the buildings are of nice design and of high quality construction, there just seems to be something missing in terms of character. Maybe it's just that there must be some time for them to age.
From Whistler, we followed the Sea to Sky Highway back to Vancouver. It is under construction the whole way so that it will be in shape for the Olympics. It's a beautiful drive, but would be nicer without all the detours that keep one from looking across at the scenery being passed. We stopped in Squamish on the way. It's a commuter town about 30 minutes from Vancouver. Nice, but nothing special.
We just missed the worst of the Vancouver rush hour traffic. That's good, because we had to go through downtown to get to our hotel in the airport area. Still, there were long delays along one part of the roadway.
We had real problems getting gas to fill the tank for returning the rental car tomorrow. The stations are all full service, so the attendants try to work fast. First, we spent all our last Canadian dollars to get rid of them. Then we put gas in with a credit card. When it clicked off, we drove off only to find that the tank still did not register full. The back-flow from the fast pour had caused it to click too early. So we had to return again to get more gas so the tank would be full!!!
There's a Costco just a block from our hotel, so we went there to have dinner and look around. We had nothing special planned for this last evening, because Wes' flight is at 7:00 a.m. tomorrow.
Note: I will be traveling and will not arrive in Malaysia until almost midnight on the 23rd of May (due to the international date line and time eaten up making air connections). Therefore, I cannot be on the computer again until the 24th (or maybe the 25th). Don't be worried about there being no entries.
We drove through mountains in the area of the Canadian Gold Rush today. We made several stops:
Yale--This is a town that was the largest settlement west of Chicago and north of San Francisco during the Gold Rush with 30,000 inhabitants. Today there are 250. There isn't much to the town, but there is a nice long board with photos and a history of the community. The only worthwhile building remaining is a very nice and quaint church.
Alexandra Bridge--This is a suspension bridge on the old roadway which has been abandoned. It has a nice design and is now part of a park with hiking trails. The bridge was named after Alexandra, the Danish princess who became the queen of England.
Hell's Gate--The whole trip today was through Fraser Canyon. The Fraser River narrows here to its narrowest, and the flow of water is greater than that of Niagara Falls. There is a tourist trap that has been constructed to take people down to the river on a cable car for $17. We just looked from above!
Ashcroft/Casche Creek--We took a side trip which took us into the desert mountains. They were dry, but there were beautiful purple wildflowers blooming on the mountain sides. These two towns were only 4 km apart. They are nice, simple towns, but they are rather poor. It is a tribal area of British Columbia.
Lillooet--This was our stop for the night. It is an okay town in a beautiful setting with a river through it and snow-capped mountains around it. We walked the main street seeing the historical sights. Then we bought food to cook in our room which was an apartment with a full kitchen and two bedrooms.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009--Lillooet to Whistler to Vancouver
We took the back road between Lillooet and Whistler. It was a wonderful twisting and winding road through the mountains which were snow-capped and even had a fresh dusting of snow on the trees at the top to give a lacy look from the roadway. There were beautiful lakes, and it was a very remote area. It was one of the nicest roadways we have taken in terms of scenery.
Whistler will be home to the 2010 Winter Olympics. It is a very new and very nice town. To me, however, it lacks character. Although the buildings are of nice design and of high quality construction, there just seems to be something missing in terms of character. Maybe it's just that there must be some time for them to age.
From Whistler, we followed the Sea to Sky Highway back to Vancouver. It is under construction the whole way so that it will be in shape for the Olympics. It's a beautiful drive, but would be nicer without all the detours that keep one from looking across at the scenery being passed. We stopped in Squamish on the way. It's a commuter town about 30 minutes from Vancouver. Nice, but nothing special.
We just missed the worst of the Vancouver rush hour traffic. That's good, because we had to go through downtown to get to our hotel in the airport area. Still, there were long delays along one part of the roadway.
We had real problems getting gas to fill the tank for returning the rental car tomorrow. The stations are all full service, so the attendants try to work fast. First, we spent all our last Canadian dollars to get rid of them. Then we put gas in with a credit card. When it clicked off, we drove off only to find that the tank still did not register full. The back-flow from the fast pour had caused it to click too early. So we had to return again to get more gas so the tank would be full!!!
There's a Costco just a block from our hotel, so we went there to have dinner and look around. We had nothing special planned for this last evening, because Wes' flight is at 7:00 a.m. tomorrow.
Note: I will be traveling and will not arrive in Malaysia until almost midnight on the 23rd of May (due to the international date line and time eaten up making air connections). Therefore, I cannot be on the computer again until the 24th (or maybe the 25th). Don't be worried about there being no entries.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Exploring Vancouver Island
Friday, May 15, 2009--Victoria to Port Alberni
We drove out of Victoria to explore part of the island north from there. We made several brief stops. In Duncan, we stopped to see the totem poles that are scattered around the downtown area. In Chemainus, we walked the downtown area to see the murals it is famous for. Both were nice small towns.
One of the fun stops was in Coombs. It is a small village that became popular when some hippies built a foodstore with grass on the roof and put goats up there to eat the grass. The highway sign says, "See goats on the roof." The store is fascinating for such a rural area. It has lots of groumet foods and is somewhat of a combination of Sun Harvest and Trader Joe's.
Our stop for the night was Port Alberni. It's a rather depressed community in the middle of the island, but several things were happening--a cinema had films, a theater was having a play festival, a rugby match was being held between two neighboring teams. Wes and I went to the park and watched the rugby match until it started to get dark.
Saturday, May 16, 2009--Port Alberni to the West Coast with a Return to the East Coast and a Ferry Trip
The other day was the LONG walking day. Today was the LONG driving day. We headed westward from Port Alberni to see Tofino and Ucluelet on the west coast. This area is known for the rugged seaside and for trails along it. We went to a market in Tofino, wandered around the town, took a tour of their quaint church, etc. Then we went to Ucluelet which we liked better. There was a wonderful trail through the rain forest and along the seaside. Also, we thought that the waterfront here was prettier than that in Tofino.
From there, we drove all the way across the island to Courtney, knowing that the last ferry of the night for the mainland would leave at 19:15. We went by the tourist office and got them to help us get a reservation for the night across on the mainland. Then we went to a park to see the end of their Highland Games competition. There was a massed bagpipe band playing when we arrived--probably 125 bagpipers playing together. It was exciting. Then we watched the pole tossing event which ended the competition for the day.
The ferry took us back to the mainland. We bought sandwiches at a supermarket to eat on it for our dinner. We were exhausted after reaching the other side, and just checked into our motel and went to bed.
Sunday, May 17, 2009--Powel River to Burnaby
We had stayed in a motel in the Powel River area overnight. The coast from there to Vancouver is known as the Sunshine Coast, and we had a wonderful day of sunshine for driving it. It took most of the day because of two ferries we had to take. Each of them really slowed us down. Also, the timing of the ferries made it difficult for us to be able to stop and explore along the way. Anyway, the drive was anti-climactic for us--not really what we expected. I guess we thought it would be somewhat like the Bir Sur drive in California. Here, however, we mainly saw trees. There were no dramatic mountains, and there were seldom views of the water.
We drove across Vancouver and checked into a hotel in Burnaby so we would be on the eastern side of town for our departure tomorrow. We went to a nearby park and walked a trail that took us through a wetlands area with lots of birds.
On hindsight, I would suggest that visitors to British Columbia should go to Vancouver and when they go to Vancouver Island should restrict themselves to Victoria and the drive westward from Victoria to Port Renfro to see the wild coastal area. Then they should drive back toward Victoria and take the ferry back to Vancouver. I would suggest skipping the rest of Vancouver Island and skipping the Sunshine Coast north of Vancouver Island. The rest of the time in B.C. would be better spent visiting the mountainous area and the wine growing district north and east of Vancouver.
Monday, May 18, 2009--Burnaby to Hope
We left Burnaby and headed for Fort Langley as our first stop. What a great choice that was. When we arrived, they were setting up for their May Day (also known as Victoria Day) Parade. The town is a quaint town. We walked among the parade entries seeing them as they lined up. Then we walked through the quaint town. A band was playing in front of the Town Hall, so we stayed there and listened to the music and watched the people until the parade arrived. There was a HUGE crowd. And the parade was a long one with old cars, horses, old tractors, floats, bagpipe bands, marching bands, live music bands on floats, dancers, acrobats, Renaissance Festival people, people dressed as pioneers, scouts, etc. It couldn't have been better.
We were also lucky that the fort was open for free today. Along with many of the other parade watchers, we went there. They had Maypoles up and had the children performing Maypole dances. They had people in appropriate costumes demonstrating barrel making, blacksmithing, etc. We toured the old fort buildings. We saw a young boy find a piece of gold as he panned in a slouth. It was fun.
We drove over back roads continuing eastward. We stopped at a park. We went into a tea room. Eventually we arrived at Hope and got a room for the night. We hiked a trail that followed an old railroad route and had lots of tunnels. We walked the downtown area seeing the statues made from logs using chainsaws.
Overall, it was one of our better days on the trip. Tomorrow, we will head up into the mountains.
We drove out of Victoria to explore part of the island north from there. We made several brief stops. In Duncan, we stopped to see the totem poles that are scattered around the downtown area. In Chemainus, we walked the downtown area to see the murals it is famous for. Both were nice small towns.
One of the fun stops was in Coombs. It is a small village that became popular when some hippies built a foodstore with grass on the roof and put goats up there to eat the grass. The highway sign says, "See goats on the roof." The store is fascinating for such a rural area. It has lots of groumet foods and is somewhat of a combination of Sun Harvest and Trader Joe's.
Our stop for the night was Port Alberni. It's a rather depressed community in the middle of the island, but several things were happening--a cinema had films, a theater was having a play festival, a rugby match was being held between two neighboring teams. Wes and I went to the park and watched the rugby match until it started to get dark.
Saturday, May 16, 2009--Port Alberni to the West Coast with a Return to the East Coast and a Ferry Trip
The other day was the LONG walking day. Today was the LONG driving day. We headed westward from Port Alberni to see Tofino and Ucluelet on the west coast. This area is known for the rugged seaside and for trails along it. We went to a market in Tofino, wandered around the town, took a tour of their quaint church, etc. Then we went to Ucluelet which we liked better. There was a wonderful trail through the rain forest and along the seaside. Also, we thought that the waterfront here was prettier than that in Tofino.
From there, we drove all the way across the island to Courtney, knowing that the last ferry of the night for the mainland would leave at 19:15. We went by the tourist office and got them to help us get a reservation for the night across on the mainland. Then we went to a park to see the end of their Highland Games competition. There was a massed bagpipe band playing when we arrived--probably 125 bagpipers playing together. It was exciting. Then we watched the pole tossing event which ended the competition for the day.
The ferry took us back to the mainland. We bought sandwiches at a supermarket to eat on it for our dinner. We were exhausted after reaching the other side, and just checked into our motel and went to bed.
Sunday, May 17, 2009--Powel River to Burnaby
We had stayed in a motel in the Powel River area overnight. The coast from there to Vancouver is known as the Sunshine Coast, and we had a wonderful day of sunshine for driving it. It took most of the day because of two ferries we had to take. Each of them really slowed us down. Also, the timing of the ferries made it difficult for us to be able to stop and explore along the way. Anyway, the drive was anti-climactic for us--not really what we expected. I guess we thought it would be somewhat like the Bir Sur drive in California. Here, however, we mainly saw trees. There were no dramatic mountains, and there were seldom views of the water.
We drove across Vancouver and checked into a hotel in Burnaby so we would be on the eastern side of town for our departure tomorrow. We went to a nearby park and walked a trail that took us through a wetlands area with lots of birds.
On hindsight, I would suggest that visitors to British Columbia should go to Vancouver and when they go to Vancouver Island should restrict themselves to Victoria and the drive westward from Victoria to Port Renfro to see the wild coastal area. Then they should drive back toward Victoria and take the ferry back to Vancouver. I would suggest skipping the rest of Vancouver Island and skipping the Sunshine Coast north of Vancouver Island. The rest of the time in B.C. would be better spent visiting the mountainous area and the wine growing district north and east of Vancouver.
Monday, May 18, 2009--Burnaby to Hope
We left Burnaby and headed for Fort Langley as our first stop. What a great choice that was. When we arrived, they were setting up for their May Day (also known as Victoria Day) Parade. The town is a quaint town. We walked among the parade entries seeing them as they lined up. Then we walked through the quaint town. A band was playing in front of the Town Hall, so we stayed there and listened to the music and watched the people until the parade arrived. There was a HUGE crowd. And the parade was a long one with old cars, horses, old tractors, floats, bagpipe bands, marching bands, live music bands on floats, dancers, acrobats, Renaissance Festival people, people dressed as pioneers, scouts, etc. It couldn't have been better.
We were also lucky that the fort was open for free today. Along with many of the other parade watchers, we went there. They had Maypoles up and had the children performing Maypole dances. They had people in appropriate costumes demonstrating barrel making, blacksmithing, etc. We toured the old fort buildings. We saw a young boy find a piece of gold as he panned in a slouth. It was fun.
We drove over back roads continuing eastward. We stopped at a park. We went into a tea room. Eventually we arrived at Hope and got a room for the night. We hiked a trail that followed an old railroad route and had lots of tunnels. We walked the downtown area seeing the statues made from logs using chainsaws.
Overall, it was one of our better days on the trip. Tomorrow, we will head up into the mountains.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Sunny Day in Victoria
Thursday, May 14, 2009--Victoria, BC
The sun was out all day, so we were on the go exploring the city. We walked a total of 32,345 steps!
We started the day at the British Columbia Museum which the guidebook highly recommended. There was a special exhibit of items loaned from the British Museum that traced the history of mankind throughout the ages. All the items on display were excellent representations of the arts and crafts of the various peoples. We spent two hours seeing that. Because our ticket was good for the whole day, we came and went taking a lunch break to explore part of town and to eat in a Chinatown restaurant. Among the other exhibits at the museum that were especially nice were the ones about the native peoples, the ones showing the development of the various areas of commerce after the arrival of westerners, the natural history exhibits of animals (including a wooly mammouth), etc. We also saw a film at the Imax theater about a man from Morocco who left on a pilgrimage to Mecca and ended up traveling all over the world before returning home 30 years later. His name was Ibn Battuta.
We took a tour of the provincial capitol after leaving the museum, a very nice building that has been restored within recent years so that it looks new. Then we walked across the street to tour the Empress Hotel which was designed by the same architect.
Many of our steps were put on by two outings from the downtown area. One was northward to an area with the governor's home, an art gallery, and a home that is like a castle. The other was to the Fishermen's Wharf area with small stands selling seafood and piers lined with very nice houseboats.
The sun was out all day, so we were on the go exploring the city. We walked a total of 32,345 steps!
We started the day at the British Columbia Museum which the guidebook highly recommended. There was a special exhibit of items loaned from the British Museum that traced the history of mankind throughout the ages. All the items on display were excellent representations of the arts and crafts of the various peoples. We spent two hours seeing that. Because our ticket was good for the whole day, we came and went taking a lunch break to explore part of town and to eat in a Chinatown restaurant. Among the other exhibits at the museum that were especially nice were the ones about the native peoples, the ones showing the development of the various areas of commerce after the arrival of westerners, the natural history exhibits of animals (including a wooly mammouth), etc. We also saw a film at the Imax theater about a man from Morocco who left on a pilgrimage to Mecca and ended up traveling all over the world before returning home 30 years later. His name was Ibn Battuta.
We took a tour of the provincial capitol after leaving the museum, a very nice building that has been restored within recent years so that it looks new. Then we walked across the street to tour the Empress Hotel which was designed by the same architect.
Many of our steps were put on by two outings from the downtown area. One was northward to an area with the governor's home, an art gallery, and a home that is like a castle. The other was to the Fishermen's Wharf area with small stands selling seafood and piers lined with very nice houseboats.
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