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Published: April 20th 2006
Started the day with great excitement at the thought of seeing pods of Orcas, followed by great disappointment at our breakfast! Our hotel claims they provide a free continental breakfast, and when we checked in they informed us that we would need to collect vouchers; however we didn’t think too much about that at the time. At reception we collected our breakfast vouchers which turned out to be Mc Donald vouchers for a free coffee and muffin!!! Continental breakfast my foot! I guess we will be frequenting the neighbouring Mc D’s.
Liisa nipped in to collect breakfast, orange juice and fruit and fibre muffin, then we made a swift departure and drove to the nearest camera shop 30 minutes away so Gail could buy a new camera lens cover! As Liisa hopped out the car, her wallet fell out in the road in front of a bus barrelling down at great speed. Nimble Liisa managed to swiftly retrieve the wallet and hop out of the way of a bus with a death wish.
It took another 40 minutes to arrive at the little harbour where the Vancouver Whale Watching tour operated from. Parked up, signed away any rights to
Whale Watching Tour
We took the boat on the left. sue should we die and handed over wads of cash for our 4 hour trip. They asked that you bring a packed lunch, so we stopped at a little Mediterranean hole in the wall and picked up spinach pie each then legged it to the boat.
Our journey was on ‘The Explorathor’, a semi-covered zodiac type vessel. It was a smooth journey aided by pretty flat seas. We first spotted bald eagles hanging out on telephone poles, mud flats, and sea walls followed by Californian Harbor Seals hanging out on the sea walls. The trip took us over through the islands in-between Vancouver and Vancouver Island and part way there we were joined by some Dalls Porpoises, swimming along with the zodiac. Our eyes were peeled for sightings of the orcas, but so far none. Next we passed some Harbor Seals relaxing on a tiny rock island before weaving on through the islands. Still no Orcas, but we were treated to a rare glimpse of a river otter swimming through the water and hopping out onto a jetty to pose for the clicking cameras. Then came the huge large Stellar Sea Lions sunbathing on the rocks. This group
Whale Watching Tour
Our first sighting of Bald Eagles! was all males waiting for mating season to begin. When they saw our zodiac, they started barking at us and a few brave ones splashed into the water to get a closer look at us - friend or foe? Alas, still no Orcas - none to be found this day. Instead we were given vouchers for a free whale watching trip at a later date - no expiry.
As we didn’t eat our spinach pie, we returned to the little hole in the wall for the owner to heat it up. Whilst eating, a man came in the shop. I presume he was friends of the owners as he was chatting quite amiably with them. The owner’s wife then began to tell this man about a student of hers that she would like to set him up with. He asked the usual small minded male questions; is she pretty, tall, slim, young, etc. He said her age, 28, was great. Still young, but not old and over 30!!! EXCUSE ME - I’m not old and I’m over 30!!! Anyhow, he was showing great interest and kept rabbiting about how much he wanted to meet her. Now as I had
Whale Watching Tour
California Harbour Seals sunning themselves on the rocks - shaken, not stirred! my back to him, I couldn’t see exactly what this guy looked like, but when I did, I thought he needed putting down! He was well over 40 and not in the least bit attractive in any way shape or form. And here he is talking like he is the best catch in Canada!
Made a swift exit before the nausea of the conversation set in and drove back to Vancouver making a bee line for Stanley Park. A little oasis surrounded by water. Drove around the park, stopping to take pictures, and at Prospect Point as we exited the car, there were four raccoons climbing up the tree in front of us. They were gorgeous!
Next stop Grouse Mountain. Parked the car amongst all the skiers and snowboarders donning their gear and made our way to the sky ride for our six minute trip up to the top. What a fabulous view as we climbed steadily up the mountain overlooking Vancouver! Upon exiting and being jostled by snowboards and skis we came out to the lower slopes, the lookout and restaurants. Had a walk around and viewed a film about the two orphaned grizzlies on the mountain
Whale Watching Tour
Yeah I know I'm cute! now in hibernation, before heading outside in the snow to take some pictures. The snow wasn’t compacted, so walking on it proved rather precarious with our feet sinking down about a foot between each step, and also trying to dodge the flying snowballs from a group of boys having fun.
Before heading home, we returned to Stanley Park to take some night shots of Vancouver. This time the raccoons were more friendly and were scavenging for food. You could get right up to them, and one brave girl was feeding them some nuts. And Didn’t she read the sign - Do NOT Feed Wild Animals? Also the risk of rabies if bitten? At that time of night the park was rather desolate, save for some brave or stupid tourists, down and outs, and unsavory characters. Found a great spot for a fantastic picture, but it looked too dangerous to set up the tripod as we were the only people around. Something didn’t feel right, so we moved on to another spot which seemed a bit safer and made the most of the views as possible. Feeling tired after a long day we headed back to the motel looking out
Whale Watching Tour
Bummer of a birth mark! for the landmark golden arches!
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