DAY TWO - 22 April
Awake bright and early. Jed's starting to get a little frantic considering the phone calls he's making to window repair companies are quoting him between $900-$1200. Insurance is a no go as they've only got 3rd party; and now we need to check out of the hotel, get some brekky and get Corrie to the Bus station so he can head back to Whistler in time for work that eve.
We hit a little cafe for breakfast and whilst reading a menu a bum finds this the best opportunity to come on over, offer his story and see if we're sympathetic enough to donate him a few of our dollars. At this point, us girls are pretty incredulous so just stare at him speechless. Jed however tells him to 'Fuck off mate. We're trying to have breakfast here. You're being really inappropriate' and send the bum on his way. They have no boundaries.
Another drive down Hastings Street and sirens sound - we're being pulled over by the police, windows are all blocked by visors and we have a smashed window which my SLR is hanging out of taking photos of the homeless. Jed gets out of the car and is asked to hop back in the vehicle. They come over and look in the back then ask how many bodies are back there on the bed. We reply that there are 3. They ask the story on the smashed window and ignore that we are not following the road rules by lying in the back a van unbelted.
They end up being extremely lovely and very helpful in the ways of where to park the vehicle safely. We get off without any fines.
We drop Rachel & Corrie at the train station and the 3 left make our way to Granville Island - a tiny wee lil village (not REALLY an island) that is just cute as a button - whilst we wait for a call from the window repair man. There are markets that are jam packed with the freshest produce, meats, dairy, flowers, tea, coffee, sweeties so it is a real feast for the eyes and tempting on the nose! Jed couldn't resist himself some Cola Balls just like Grandma used to have (even though they looked like sinkers) whilst Georgia and I settled on a nice mature chai latte. What toffis!
RING RING!! Call from the window man. We meet, greet then follow him to a quiet street where he can work for an hour or so on the window. We settle on the footpath of the industrial area we're in, I wander off to find some suitably sized pebbles for a game of knuckles.... just like when we were younger! Georgia takes out the game in leaps and bounds, i come up behind a close second whilst Jed struggles to get his big hands nimble. By the end of the tournament, the window is fixed and we're on our way to the BEAUTIFUL Stanley park for a stroll along the waterfront and around to Beaver Lake.
I could have stayed by Beaver Lake for the entire day. The amount of wildlife and serenity spread a gigantic smile across my face. I saw my first Raccoon, handfed my first squirrel, saw heaps of heron, mallards, turtles - thankfully, no bear or coyote though as getting out of this area safely if you happened to see one would have been a bit difficult. We also met a rather intelligent; I want to say 'bum' but he may have just been a stinky hippy. He was extremely friendly, very knowledgable on his fauna, flora, marijuana and mushrooms! Once he realised I was from Australia, well, he dove straight into Nimbin speak and educating me on the different ways to grow your own crops, where in Vancouver you could find good crops and where I might find some awesome shrooms if after the feeling of death without actually dying. Hmmmm.... let's just say, I listened, I learned; if you take too many mushrooms and smoke crop loads of weed you end up homeless on a pushbike with verbal diahorrea trying to make friends with strangers in the bush.
We leave the beautiful park going via the marina, totem poles and all you can eat sushi for just $13.95 to meet up with Whistlerites Josh and Myles who I'd planned a stay in the city with for a few nights as a fare-le-well to my 2 favey drinking buddies before they headed of to Toronto respectively.
Checked into our hotels, stop off at the liquor store and set off on another night on the town. First Stop - Wineo's for $1.50 beers. Absolutely revolting but cheap right?! Myles is on the prowl. He's unsuccessful in his first attempt to pull a giant. Next attempt - score! But she wants to go to some strip club. We manage to sway her to come to our ROXY with us. Another live band, it's a Tuesday night and like the previous night, it's a busy little buzz in there! J & G are ripping up the dance floor, Myles is sweet talking his Vancouver chicky whilst Josh and I are cleaning up in our very own pool tournament with too tight T-shirt toting men. We're coming down to the deciding match when a girl decides she wants to go me because I'm 'cheating' on the fouls. I tell her I'm from Australia and 'mean no harm mate! No worries!' to which she decides to start ranting and crying - half her friends console her, half come over to me to tell me that she's just really drunk and I should ignore her. This I do and forfeit the match to head home instead. Alot of the homeless hang out the front of clubs in the hope of catching unaware drunkards willing to hand over their cash. Alot of the homeless, as pointed out by Georgia, also have an eye for me and ask me for hugs instead of change. I politely decline and conclude that they think I too am a bum as I am still wearing, for the second day and night in a row, the same 'tracky dacks' and snow jacket. I probably smell too. It's time to go shopping!
Canada's Flag
Map of Canada