Ft. Lauderdale, FL to Vancouver,BC

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With just 2 hrs of sleep in the last 24hrs we were finally ready: Camping + Climbing + photo gear packed without being overweight or oversized which was going to save us extra fees in the long run. We purchased a specialty Cressy Apnea Team freediving bag to maintain the airlines guidelines and wrapped the fins with 7mm wetsuits to protect them.
We acquire extreme sport insurance with "The Atlas International" just in case US$ 250 deductable US$ 500000 deductable totally worth it: US$ 283 for 5 months.
On the carry on we had: photo gear on a backpack that would fit ( Sony Vaio FW560F, two Canon camera bodies, 6 lenses, flash and filters). On a second backpack we had four 500 GB hard drives in a hard case to protect them, 2 iphones that we plan to unlock down the line, 2 ipods, small Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX1, portable GPS and travel documents.
We flew Ft. Lauderdale to Vancouver in WestJet for CAD 315 ea with a 4 hr stop in Toronto which made it a total of 8 hrs plus 3 hr time difference because we were going against the time zones. We were given window sits on the left side of the plane and the sun was right on the window so we couldn't take good photos. The best view was from the right side of the plane.
The cab ride was CAD 33 to our hotel located downtown Vancouver. Cab here are hybrids, so for heavy-packed travellers its something to consider but on the upside its better for the environment. We booked 6 nights at Quality Hotel in Vancouver though Expedia for US$110 a night located in Howe St next to Granville St where all the lounges and pubs are located and walking distance to the harbor.
We dropped off our bags and went for a walk on Granville Street which is filled with tattoo shops, sex shops and outdoor store, what a funny combo. Temperature was a comfy 50F (or 10C). We had some tapas at Deuce Bungalow, a delish Spanglish Cantina which surprised us with a fusion of flavors: mango- guacamole, Roasted Serrano Pepper and Goat Cheese Taquitos and avocado scallops try it out if you are in the area:
http://www.clubzone.com/c/Vancouver/Lounge_Bar/Deuce_Bungalow.html
Now back to the hotel for an early night to recharge the battery so we are ready for another adventure trek tomorrow.

Check the best photos at timezonetraveller

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