The diarist will be calling upon two guest writers in this entry, in order to relate the experiences of the various groups, which set off to explore Vancouver on our first full day in the city.
The previous evening, management utilised some local knowledge to warn the team about a particular area of the city, which was to be avoided, due to it being a nexus for drug use and other crime. Perhaps inspired by this, when researching unusual and less touristy museums, the diarist stumbled upon the Vancouver Police Museum, which he and another member of the team opted to visit.
Following a caffeine injection at the Starbucks by our hotel, we headed to another area of the city, in search of the Police Museum. Upon arrival, we noticed a large number of individuals in the street, enjoying or having enjoyed slightly less legal injections of their own. It was at this point that the diarist realised the Police Museum was located exactly in the area, which the team had been warned to avoid. Undeterred, we continued to the museum, which is located in the city’s old morgue. The museum presents a fascinating history of police and crime in Vancouver, complete with grizzly relics from some of the city’s most notorious murders. The diarist was amused to note that, sharing his visit to the museum was a group of quite young children, on a school trip. Evidently (and perhaps reassuringly?), the Canadian education system does not believe in heavy-handed censorship. Once the diarist had recovered his appetite, he lunched in central Vancouver, before retiring to his room to relax, later heading out to dinner with the Captain and some other members of the team.
Enter, Graham Nelson. As the team split into buses based on their group preferences, vehicle #2 headed down to Granville Market. Here, one can find a cornucopia of goods, sometimes overpriced and often hard sold, but not open all hours. The market is set on the old dockyards of the island, just to the south of downtown Vancouver and, whilst most of the industry is long gone (except the concrete works!), it has managed to retain all of its pioneer era charms. These meticulously maintained corrugated tin buildings now house art galleries, groceries and tourist activities and the outside spaces are full of the smell of the sea and the sounds of buskers.
The mizzle-based weather had curtailed many groups’ plans but, since the cloud had lifted a little, the bus then moved on to the impressive Stanley Park. Deciding against horse drawn carriage and bike rental, the team circumnavigated the park in their van, stopping off to enjoy the totem poles, the skyline views, Lions Gate Bridge and, most importantly, the pitch and putt. DC seemed set upon using the course as a warm up for the upcoming visit to Furry Creek and even more set upon victory with his teammate Jon, until Charles Dickenson proved himself with a handicap, busting back nine, including the only birdie of the day!
And now to James Mehta. Vehicle #1, piloted by James Mehta, and containing Rory, Matt, Ellie, and Ian, set off for Vancouver Island, via the ferry from Tsawwassen to Victoria. This ninety-minute journey cruised between rocky islands, many uninhabited, but across some beautiful sailing grounds. A splendid seafood lunch was enjoyed overlooking the harbour, where ferries, water taxis and even seaplanes traversed the congested waterway. Again, the map belies the scale of the landscape to untutored tourists, and Vancouver Island is probably about the size of England and Wales. A seventy-mile drive up to the northern ferry port of Nanaimo was extended to include stops in pretty towns and villages, nestling in secluded bays. A variety of totem poles, ancient steam locos, murals, and the largest hockey stick in the world were on the itinerary, as well as the opportunity to dip a toe in the Pacific Ocean. A late ferry crossing, this time of two hours, got the exhausted sightseers back to the hotel too late for last orders, and with just enough fuel to make it to the airport.
Lollipop awards (Day 13):
Good – James Mehta, for piloting vehicle #1 on the lengthy trip to Vancouver Island and back.
Bad – Ian Ashworth, for sitting on Rory MacLeod’s sunglasses (we are told not deliberately) and shattering them.