Woke up early, at 0600, for the expedited disembarkation which took 10 minutes compared to the 4 hours it took to get on.
Headed to the hotel via a coffee and connected to the wifi. We’d paid $19 USD on the boat for 30 minutes of slow internet, the coffee shop was super fast and free. I managed to download 4.5 gb in about 20 minutes. Back in civilisation.
Got to the hotel but they didn’t have a record of our booking so we had to wait for their reservations department to open. Free wifi again so all good. They found our details and checked in, dropped the bags off and waited for Song’s friends to pick us up. Weather was pleasant, about 17c and sunny, I didn’t need my $20 jacket today.
Went to Song’s friends for lunch (dumplings), they all spoke mandarin so I caught up on some downloaded tv.
Some more of Song’s friends arrived from Seattle, then we went for a walk in Stanley Park. What I didn’t know is that it was a 10km walk around the park that took hours and by the time we got to the restaurant my feet were sore and I was not happy. Mind you, at one stage we saw our old cruise ship leaving for another journey, so took some photos.
The restaurant was very good (The Teahouse in Stanley Park if you are ever in Vancouver). I ordered some sharing plates – stuffed mushrooms, and salt and pepper squid. For main I had halibut with sauteed vegetables, baby boiled potatoes and capers, with sides of french fries and more vegetables. Song had a salad but she was on a different table so didn’t take much notice. I also had a well earned beer, a honey brown lager. I also had dessert, a chocolate thing, in preparation for the hard slog back to the car. A Chinese tradition is that a guest never pays, so Song’s friends picked up the cheque, and I said that if they ever come to Melbourne I’ll make sure we’re out of town.
Headed to the hotel via a coffee and connected to the wifi. We’d paid $19 USD on the boat for 30 minutes of slow internet, the coffee shop was super fast and free. I managed to download 4.5 gb in about 20 minutes. Back in civilisation.
Got to the hotel but they didn’t have a record of our booking so we had to wait for their reservations department to open. Free wifi again so all good. They found our details and checked in, dropped the bags off and waited for Song’s friends to pick us up. Weather was pleasant, about 17c and sunny, I didn’t need my $20 jacket today.
Went to Song’s friends for lunch (dumplings), they all spoke mandarin so I caught up on some downloaded tv.
Some more of Song’s friends arrived from Seattle, then we went for a walk in Stanley Park. What I didn’t know is that it was a 10km walk around the park that took hours and by the time we got to the restaurant my feet were sore and I was not happy. Mind you, at one stage we saw our old cruise ship leaving for another journey, so took some photos.
The restaurant was very good (The Teahouse in Stanley Park if you are ever in Vancouver). I ordered some sharing plates – stuffed mushrooms, and salt and pepper squid. For main I had halibut with sauteed vegetables, baby boiled potatoes and capers, with sides of french fries and more vegetables. Song had a salad but she was on a different table so didn’t take much notice. I also had a well earned beer, a honey brown lager. I also had dessert, a chocolate thing, in preparation for the hard slog back to the car. A Chinese tradition is that a guest never pays, so Song’s friends picked up the cheque, and I said that if they ever come to Melbourne I’ll make sure we’re out of town.
Feet still sore, I was hoping there was a short cut back to the car. Luckily there was, but unluckily Song’s friends got lost in their own city and couldn’t find the way back to the car park. Eventually, with the help of Google maps they managed to locate the car. Went to the hotel and collapsed, legs and feet aching.
I’m having a rest tomorrow, we are driving to Seattle with Song’s other friends, hopefully they know the way.
I’m having a rest tomorrow, we are driving to Seattle with Song’s other friends, hopefully they know the way.