**NOTE: I guess I gotta say that not everything in this blog may be interesting to you. Since I spent my time there catching up with friends, this kinda focuses more on them than the sights.
So a couple weeks ago, during the last few days of my vacation, I took a short trip to Vancouver. I had been meaning to visit Vancouver for a long time now. One of my good friends (let's call her Claire) moved there about 5 years ago and I knew I would visit her one day. Me deciding that day would be last, last weekend... was very much on a whim.
About four weeks ago when I was prepping for Fan Expo, I was wondering what I should do afterwards (it's been kinda a tradition for me that after Fan Expo I would have vacation the following week to recover from Fan Expo). I already had plans on Sept. 9... but then I thought about visiting Claire, and thought this would be the right time to go. I kinda felt that if I didn't go then, it would be a long while before the next time. After double-checking with her availability, I cancelled my Sept. 9 plans (I am sorry! I won't do it again x_x) and bought a plane ticket to Vancouver.
It was my 3rd trip via plane -- but my first trip flying within Canada! Exciting! Haha :)
A random nice view in Vancouver.
Too bad it was so cloudy, lol.
Usually I would have a section outlining exactly what I did and at what time for each day, and I did do that at the beginning, but... well... once I reached Vancouver and met up with Claire and her fiance (let's call him Charlie), I didn't have much time to do it. So I'll pretty much be summarizing each day as best I can. Food places will still be in their own section, though.
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FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 8
**Time woke up: 6:30 AM
Well... even though I woke up really early (my usual waking time on a weekday), let's skip through most of it to when I land in Vancouver. One thing I will say, though, is that I really enjoyed not having to check any luggage for this trip. I didn't even have a carry-on with me. I somehow managed to stuff all my essentials into my purse. Not having to claim any luggage felt pretty nice. The only downside is that I left no room to buy souvenirs. Oh well. Next time I'll bring a larger purse, maybe. :3
It was a 5 hour flight from Toronto to Vancouver, so it was around 3:06 PM when I landed. Vancouver is 3 hours behind Toronto, so it was like going back in the past.
Once I got off the plane, I followed the signs pointing me to the SkyTrain. Before I left Vancouver, Claire recommended that I purchase and load up a Compass Card. It is a reloadable card that can be used on Vancouver transit. Claire recommended that I load up about $20 for the weekend, but I loaded up $40 just to be safe. I figured that any leftover amount could be used for my next visit.
Vending machine to buy or load up a Compass Card.
As of this writing, there is a $6 extra fee when purchasing the card.
When the SkyTrain reached Broadway-City Hall station, I got off. I roamed around for the next hour or so, waiting for my friend to get off work. I was also looking for a convenience store to buy a bottled water, but had no luck. I would find out later from my friend that there aren't too many convenience stores in Vancouver and carrying your own beverage container is encouraged.
Around 6 PM, I met up with Claire and Charlie. We drove further downtown (using a car sharing service) and had dinner at this Vietnamese restaurant (will be covered briefly later on). We talked a lot about our jobs, our duties, and some hardships we had. We also talked a bit about our adventures outside Canada, our current family situations, and other things. It was really fun and really nice! :)
Then we went back to Claire and Charlie's place. I was floored by all the bird plushies -- they were so cute xD. I met their pet budgie and then Claire and Charlie entertained me and watched the Swiss Army Man DVD I brought from Toronto. :)
I went to bed around 12:30 AM.
One of the first things I saw when I walked out of the Broadway-City Hall station.
I really appreciate it since I tend to lose my bearings once I come out from underground.
My good friend (Claire). Hahaha, so adorable :)
Claire's fiance (Charlie). Nice pose :)
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 9
**Time woke up: 6:30 AM
So my alarm woke me up... I didn't mean to wake up so early today. I had set that alarm weeks ago for Fan Expo and I forgot to turn it off afterwards =__=
Claire and Charlie were still asleep (thank goodness they didn't hear the alarm!) so after doing my morning stuffs I quietly played Persona Q, a 3DS game. I still have tons of hours to spend before I clear my "spend 500 hours on Persona, Final Fantasy, or Dragon Quest games" resolution!
Amusing screenshot of Persona Q. I don't think this is a spoiler, lol.
It was around 9-ish when Claire and Charlie woke up. After a bit of sleepy hellos, they started making breakfast. I helped slice an apple -- scary! Hahaha... I could explain myself... but I'm not going to. I also got my first burn mark -- my arm accidentally touched the edge of the toaster oven door. I guess I was pretty lucky to have avoided getting a burn mark for so long.
When breakfast was ready, we ate and watched an episode of One Punch Man. I'm gonna have to watch the rest of the series some day. :)
Breakfast. It was yummy! :)
There was a plate of bacon strips behind the jam jar.
Then we putted around for a while, partly waiting for the weather to stop its light drizzle. Claire and Charlie let their budgie out of the cage. The budgie was really cute, perching on our fingers and whatnot. Whenever Claire led the budgie close to my shoulder, the budgie would hop on and then play with my hair. It was a nice and tickly experience!
Me (with my face greyed out) and their budgie nesting by my hair.
Whenever he brushed my neck, trying to get more hair,
I couldn't stop giggling -- it tickled so much!
When the rain lessened a bit, we headed out. At this point, I don't remember every place we went to and how we got there. We drove a bit, we walked a lot, and we took the bus two times. I just followed Claire and Charlie around. They were my tour guides. Though it really didn't matter what we checked out -- as long as we were hanging out. :)
We went to Lucky's Doughnuts for a bit (will cover briefly later). Then we went to Gastown to see the steam clock. I really like the old design for it. Then we walked around for a long while and ended up in an area with boats. The view was really nice. Then we saw the olympic torch. Then we walked around a lot. We ended up at the entrance to China Town (I think), and we took a look at Yokoyaya, a shop with tons of items from Japan. I wish there was one in Toronto! I am so jealous, hahaha.
After all that roaming around and sightseeing, we hopped on a bus to our next destination.
Steam clock in Gastown. It sticks out like a sore thumb.
Very cool and amusing, lol.
The Olympic torch (not lit, of course).
A Salvador Dali clock statue.
That person looked like she was trying to restore it.
Not 100% sure if that was what she was doing, though.
The entrance gate to Chinatown.
The label says "Aerodynamic Forms in Space".
It seems out of place, haha.
Our next point was the front of Stanley Park as we were meeting another friend (let's call him Geoff). He moved to Vancouver recently after years upon years of years of schooling (lots of schooling for lots of years! lol). I figured he'd be too busy to meet up, so I didn't think of contacting him. Good thing Claire did. It turned out he was free after all.
When Geoff showed up, we went towards Stanley Park's Seawall Path. From there we walked along the path, drinking in the lovely cloudy view, and talking a lot about random nerdy things. Video games (particularly FFXIV)... horror movies (particularly the new IT movie and the difference between North American horror and Japanese horror)... anime (I have to put Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works on my to-watch list)... We even talked about Dragon Ball Z Kai! So nostalgic. I felt like I was back in high school in the anime club xD
Every now and then, Claire would have us pose while Charlie would take a picture with her polaroid instant camera. She wanted each of us to have a picture as a souvenir. She's so sweet ^-^
As we walked farther, we noticed some small rock constructs. I was so amused at them, pointing every so often. Eventually we passed a section that had tons of rock constructs. Charlie made a comment, saying something along the lines of it'd be funny if they were actually rows and rows of penile-shaped constructs. Too bad I didn't take a picture of them.
Some small rock constructs along the Seawall Path.
We saw a lot more as we walked further.
Siwash rock. Supposedly a very well-known landmark along the Seawall Path.
I wonder how many people have tried climbing it?
My photo souvenir. Charlie took the picture.
I think it's blurry / small enough that nobody can make out our features, haha.
Can you guess who I am? :)
Hint: I am not the pretty one nor the smart-looking one.
Getting close to 7 PM, we cut through Stanley Park to a bus stop. It's a good thing, too, because my feet were getting tired at that point, haha.
The next thing was something I was looking forward to: dinner at Guu! Aside from visiting Claire (and then hanging with Geoff), eating at Guu was pretty much the only thing on my to-do in Vancouver. I really wanted to try it and compare it to Guu in Toronto (which is now called Kinka Izakaya). Unfortunately the reservations Geoff made didn't go through :( It just means I have to come back another time another time! ^_^
We ended up eating at Hokkaido Ramen Santouka (will cover briefly later), which was a nice alternative. A couple conversations I will remember (conversations may be paraphrased):
---Conversation #1---
Claire: If you could dye your hair any colour, what would it be?
Geoff: *thinks a little* Navy blue. It's my favourite colour.
Claire: *looks at me* What about you?
Me: Hmmmmm... *thinks a little* Really, really dark purple.
Geoff: Like Joker's purple?
Me: No... I want my hair to look black, but when the sun hits it, the shine will be purple.
Geoff: You should do it! :)
Me: *turns to Claire* How about you?
Claire: I'd dye it a deep green colour.
Geoff: What kind of green is that?
Claire: Ummm... *thinks a little*
Me: Would it be that green? *points to one of the green veggies in her ramen*
Claire: Yes.
Geoff: You should do it! :)
---Conversation #2---
Claire: If you could be any animal, what would you be?
Geoff: I can't answer that, because I don't like animals.
Me: How about a mythical animal?
Geoff: *thinks a little* You know a friend once asked if I would prefer a unicorn or a flaming horse. I said a flaming horse. Because the horse is always on fire, it'd burn off any smells. You see -- I thought about it!
Me: *laughing, super amused by the line of thinking*
After ramen, we went next door for dessert (will cover briefly later). And the random conversations ensued.
Geoff shared a story about an art assignment in Grade 9. The assignment was to create / construct something where two vertical wires would be the base / support -- the wires had to stay standing up. So for his assignment, he stuffed a large bag, aiming to create a chocobo. The only problem was that the body got so large that it was hard to make the vertical wires stay standing. So amusing and awesome. I can totally relate -- getting excited whenever I was able to give an anime or video game spin to an assignment :)
At some point Claire gave me a crazy compliment, saying today was a special day because I was here in Vancouver. I was going to lightly dismiss it as I usually do with compliments, but... then I stopped, and said "Thanks...", smiling warmly and sheepishly. I guess I kinda needed to hear those words. Thank youuuuu! ^-^
Nearing 9 PM, we started walking towards home. Along the way we popped into a shop that had a bunch of Japanese candies and snacks. Ohhh, I'm so jealous! Geoff saw a Doraemon-shaped container and got excited. He told us earlier that when he was young he had a Doraemon alarm clock that would play the anime's theme song. Seeing all the snacks really made me wanna go back to Japan. I should have bought something to snack on the flight back to Toronto, but I didn't think about it. x(
When it came time to say our good-byes (nuuu... I didn't want the day to be over! haha T_T), Claire gave Geoff a hug. Then Geoff looked at me and I did a small wave, smiling. Then I was wondering why his arm was out in a curved shape, thinking, Does he want a fancy high five? After a bit of time, I realized that Geoff had his arm out for a one-armed hug. When I realized it, I hugged him -- with both my arms, mwa ha ha ha. Unless one of my arms is carrying a lot of stuff, I prefer hugging with both arms. *sigh* Another embarrassing moment for me... not recognizing right away a one-armed hug. x_x
Back at Claire and Charlie's place, Claire and I had a long heart-to-heart conversation, talking about things that have troubled / bothered us over the past few years. Though it sucked that we faced such hardships, it was nice that we got to get them out in the open.
Then Claire and Charlie's budgie hopped on my shoulder and buried himself deep in my hair, nuzzling my neck. I couldn't stop giggling.
I went to bed around 1-ish AM.
Proof that we were standing in front of Guu.
Next time... hahaha :)
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 10
**Time woke up: 6:30 AM
This day is gonna be a really brief summary. I pretty much just spent the next hour and a half getting ready to leave. My flight was at 11:15 AM and I didn't want to miss it. It was great traveling to Vancouver 'cuz I would be 3 hours behind once I land. Going from Vancouver to Toronto though... well... I'd be jumping 3 hours ahead.
Claire and I hugged a bunch of times. It was a really nice time -- these memories will stay with me always ^_^~~~ <3
The flight back home was smooth. My flight left at 11:15 AM, and I landed in Toronto at 7:45 PM. The flight was 4 hours long... how did the day go by so fast?! Hahaha.
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FOOD PLACES
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CAMBIE VIETNAMESE RESTAURANT
Contact: (604) 872-3455 **according to Google Maps**
Website: None that I know of
Type(s) of Cuisine: Vietnamese
Specialty (if any): None that I know of
Price Range (for a main dish): Low-Mid
Restaurant Size: Very small
Recommend? Standard
Brief Impression
It was okay. The service was really good in the beginning and then partway through it kinda became non-existent. We had to bug another server to order our desserts. I'd say this is okay to check out if you feel like having Vietnamese food and have nowhere better to go.
What I Ate / Drank ...
My main dish (picture below) -- I forgot the name of this dish. It was okay. Quite standard for Vietnamese food.
Chocolate Pear -- This is chocolate ice cream shaped like a pear dipped in chocolate coating. It was not bad.
Mango Delight -- This is vanilla ice cream with mango filling. I think I liked this the best.
This was my main meal. It was okay.
Chocolate pear!
The mango delight. The mango center was yummy.
LUCKY'S DOUGHNUTS
Specialty (if any): Donuts
Price Range (for a main dish): Mid (one donut is about $3)
Restaurant Size: Small
Recommend? Yes
It's very clean and crowded. Supposedly the donuts are freshly made, and I must say -- the donuts I tried were really delicious. I really wanted to check this place out because Charlie mentioned the day before that one of Lucky's seasonal donuts was the mango passionfruit. At the word "mango", my ears perked up and I just had to try one. Unfortunately they didn't have any when we got there. :(
Next time for sure!
If you feel like treating yourself to something soft and sweet, this place comes highly recommended :)
Yummy donuts! We got the maple pecan, strawberry, and traditional chocolate flavours.
The yummiest of the three was the maple pecan.
Very, very good!
HOKKAIDO RAMEN SANTOUKA
Specialty (if any): Ramen
Price Range (for a main dish): Medium (approx. $15 for ramen)
Restaurant Size: Medium
Recommend? Yes!
So this was a nice alternative to Guu. The atmosphere was typical of a ramen joint -- warm, busy, and loud. The food was really good, and the service was decent from what I remember.
Miso ramen. Very yummy.
I don't have a picture of this, but Geoff ordered a plate and shared it with us.
I'm usually not a fan of gyoza, but this was very nicely done.
I like that the sign says "Probably the BEST" instead of just saying "The BEST".
I can respect its honesty. :)
SNOWY VILLAGE
Specialty (if any): Bingsoo (Korean shaved ice) and taiyaki
Price Range (for a main dish): Low-Mid?
Restaurant Size: Small
Recommend? Yes
This place I'd recommend for a group. The bingsoo they serve practically encourages sharing -- they are just very large.
If you find just yourself there, they also serve croissant taiyaki, which can be eaten by one person.
Strawberry bingsoo. You see how large it is compared to the spoons?
It quite good! I'm so glad we were sharing it, lol.
Random thought: I see an evil smiley face in the bingsoo, lol.
Croissant taiyaki. They had several flavours available that
I have never seen in a taiyaki before. It was 3 for $10, so we got
the red bean, nutella, and pizza-flavoured ones.
Then we split each one into four pieces.
It was Geoff's first time eating taiyaki.
The red bean was my favourite. Even though I chose the pizza-flavoured one,
I found it a little bit too cheesy, though it was still okay.
It reminded me of a fried pizza pop.
And that's Vancouver! One thing that I really like about Vancouver is the slower pace. I feel I can relax a bit, even though I could be walking around for hours. I will also say that sharing my time with friends really made the trip so much more awesome and totally worth it. There is no doubt that I will go back again -- hopefully for longer next time. And the next time I go... Guu won't escape from my clutches! Hahaha.
Here is a breakdown of my spending in Vancouver. I was lucky that Claire covered for a lot of my foods... which I will repay the next time ;)
UP express tickets (roundtrip): $24.70
Plane ticket (roundtrip): $964.83
Compass card: $46
Total foods (airport snacks / water, Sat. dinner): $29.95
Total spending in Vancouver: $1,065.48.
Thanks for reading! If you read to the end you are amazing! :)
As always, feel free to comment on anything.
Anywho, thanks again and have a good weekend! :)
