That’s two days of my life I won’t get back

Yep…

I just spent 26 and a half hours in planes and in airport terminals getting home, and lost two days in the process.  The 15th of January just didn’t exist for us.

This is what happens when you fly from Vancouver in Canada to Brisbane Australia, via Shanghai.  The thing is, everywhere way, way overseas is a two-stop run.  We have to break our journey somewhere, like Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Shanghai, Abu Dhabi, and for the sake of managing delays at the originating end, we usually end up with a mid airports stay of five to ten hours.

It all means that when you finally arrive in Australia, you are tired, and look it.  I feel sorry for the Immigration officials who must rarely see people looking good on their arrival.

This time we were fortunate to get back in the morning.  To save being picked up by relatives we arranged for a limousine service, and it worked out well.

I couldn’t say the same for some of the pickup services overseas, but that was more the fault of the travel agent here than anything else.

It only reinforced my thoughts on travel agents, some are excellent, and some are complacent, relying too much on travel wholesalers whose knowledge of the products they sell is appalling.

The original bookings were fine, the agent we used knew her stuff.  But she left and someone else took over, and not so good I’m afraid.

However…

On the whole, it was an incredible expedition, from temperatures of 30 plus celsius to temperatures of -21 degrees Fahrenheit, and rarely above 6 degrees Fahrenheit.

The highlight:  Lake Louise in Canada.  Everyone should see this place in Winter at least once in their lifetime.  Certainly, my wife’s 65th birthday, spent there, was something she will never forget.

And the sleigh ride, in -14 or -15 degrees, well, we might be eligible to be declared stark staring mad, but seeing the frozen waterfall was just another of those magical moments that reinforces why we should be preserving the planet, not trying to destroy it.

But…

We’re back home and glad to be so.

Away for the holidays - New York to Vancouver

The flight from Newark via Air Canada to Vancouver is about 5:30pm so we are slated to be picked up by the limousine about 2:30.

We have to be out of our room by 11am so we decided the day before that on our last day in New York we'd go to the Times Square red lobster.

It gives us about three hours to get there, eat, and get back.

It's always fun packing bags the day you leave, so most of the hard work was done earlier.  This time it's particularly a trial because we have so much stuff to fit into a small space, and weight considerations are always paramount because of the 23kg limit.

Outside is has gone from minus four to minus two in the two hours before we leave the hotel at 11:30, but that's not so much of a problem because we have a long walk from 56th street to 41st street to warm us up.

At least today it's not so cold, as it has been previously.

At Red Lobster it's not difficult to make a decision on what to have, the mix and match special, with Lobster alfredo, filet mignon, and parrot island coconut shrimp, with walts special, though what that will remain a surprise until it is served.

To drink, it was the Blue moon beer, wheat type.

For appetizers, we had scones that are supposedly bread but to me are dipped in garlic butter and baked like a scone. Australian style.  They are absolutely delicious.

There is an expression a one drink screamer and we've got one, but the truth is the drinks are very lethal.  Pure alcohol and ice with a touch of soda.

The meals at this Red Lobster are definitely better than those we had in Vancouver, except for the pasta with lobster I had which was little more than a tasteless congealed mess after it reached the table.  This did not detract from the deliciously cooked and served seafood that accompanied it.

All in all, after such a great lunch and the thought of having to walk ten blocks the decision was unanimous to get a cab which took us back to the hotel by a rather interesting, if not exactly the most direct, route.  I think the driver guessed we were tourists.

We are picked up at the hotel by a driver in a large Toyota which had enough space for 3 passengers and all our bags.  The driver was chatty and being foreign, preferred soccer to the other traditional American sport.  Don't ask me how the conversation turned to sports, but we may have mentioned we went to the ice hockey.

At Newark airport, all I have room for is a glass of burned beer, whatever that means, though it has an odd taste, and a Samuel Adams 76 special which was rather tasty.

Today we are flying in a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with a maximum of 298 passengers in three classes.

It looks very new even though it is about 6 months old.  It has seating of 3 x 3 x 3, and we are in row 19, just behind the premium economy cabin, and the closest to the front of the plane of all the Air Canada flights.

Engine startup is loud at the lower revolutions with the vibration going through the airframe.  Like all planes, the flaps being extended is very noisy.  All of the vibrations go away when the engines are up to speed.  On take off the engines at max are not as noisy and other planes and relatively quiet.  It will be interesting to see what the landing is like.

In flight when not experiencing turbulence the ride is very smooth and reasonably quiet which is better than the other planes with seeming continuous engine whining and the flow of air past the fuselage.

The seats are comfortable but still just a little small and the middle passenger can be tightly squeezed in if the two either side are larger than normal.  The seats fully recline but the seat back is not completely in your face, and bearable when you recline your own seat.

There are several seats by the toilets that would be terrible on a long distance flight because the passenger inevitably comes very close to the seat when entering and leaving.  As for the toilets, they are larger than any of the other airplanes, and so too, coincidentally, are the windows.

The plane also makes the same amount of noise when it lands so I'm failing to see what's so good about it.  I've also been in an Airbus A350 and those planes are nothing to write home about either.

I suspect the only advantages of having planes is for airlines.  Fewer costs and more sardined passengers.

It's something else I can write off my bucket list.

When we arrive back in Vancouver it's the same reasonably simple process to get through immigration.

Outside our driver is waiting and this time we have an Escalade picking us up. A very large SUV that fits us all and our luggage.

But...

We were lucky because we were supposed to be picked up in a sedan and the baggage would not have fitted which would have involved one of us taking a cab with the extra luggage.

He was in the neighborhood and picked up the call.  His advice, called the service and request a bigger car and pay the difference.  We did.  It was going to cost another 20 dollars.

As for the hotel,  what is it with hotels and late night arrivals.  We get in, the check-in was smooth, we get to the room. Very large with a separate bedroom. But only a sofa bed.

It was not a desirable option, not before 24 hours in relatively squashed plane seats, so it necessitated a change of rooms to one a bit smaller, but a corner room with a reasonable view, and two proper beds.

Late night, need rest, but we have a free breakfast so there will be no tarrying next morning.  We have to be down by 9am being a Sunday.

Besides, we have a mission.  There is a toys are us nearby and it does have the toy we want.  All we need to find is a cab.

Away for the holidays - Shanghai to Brisbane

Every flight is different

I keep saying that but it's true.  The seating logistics can be terrible, especially when airlines take it upon themselves to break up families for whatever reason, and then leave it to the onboard staff to sort out the mess they created.

We have that now, and while it takes a bit of doing, it's all sorted out.

So...

We got into Shanghai airport at about 4:20 pm, and after a long, long, long taxi ride from the runway, we scored a gate, 16.  On one stop, while on our way, everyone thought we'd arrived.

We had not, leading to a whole lot of people having to sit back down again.

Once again we took the wrong way to international transfers, the sign being on the floor, through the checkpoint of the shooting immigration staff, to the self-service transfer point where two out of three failed and had to go to the assisted transfer, then up the escalator to the scanners where everything went through the machine, duty free and all.

From there it was onto the departure gates but our flight was not leaving until 9:00 pm, so at that time, about 5:30, we had no gate.

Time for a walk.  And look for some drinks, which we got at a family mart store where everything was a hell of a lot cheaper, especially water.

After that, it was a matter of finding a cafe or restaurant and try to stay there for as long as possible until we had to go to the departure gate, which by the time we had finished, about 7:30, was 209.

It was difficult to say just how clean the place was, where a few flicks of the wipe over the table to clean it, leaving the odd sticky wet spot.

I had chicken wings which to me were quite hot, and a draft tiger beer.  I think it was Heineken, but you know these inscrutable Chinese, a frog is more often a rattlesnake than a moose.

Suffice to say, snack food costs a fortune, as it does in any other airport in the world.

Yes, once again we have to take a bus to our plane.  I guess it's all part of the fun of flying into and out of Shanghai but it seems odd given the size of the terminal, there are not enough gates for one of its own airlines.  I think I mentioned that the last time.

Added to the privilege of traveling by bus is the mad scramble up the stairs to get on the plane, with the only advantage this time it was not raining.

We are down the back of the plane, so what else is new, but not all the way.  Row 67 is looking good.  When the lights go out there will be a modicum of darkness, and there will not be the continuous sound of flushing toilets.

Having got no sleep in the last flight from Vancouver to Shanghai, there might be s possibility. of getting some now.

This is the last leg of our holiday, and I'm beginning to feel the effects of a lot of traveling.  Climbing up those stairs to get on the plane was hard work, as was the stop-start movements to our seats.

I don't think I could ever be a constant traveler.

Away for the holidays - Vancouver - 4

Staying at Hampton Inn and Suites downtown, whatever that means because it looks like we are in the middle of nowhere.

But, judging by the crowd in the breakfast room, it's a popular hotel.  Of course, it is Sunday morning so this could be the weekend escape people.

Two things I remember about staying in Hampton Inns is firstly the waffles and whipped butter.  It's been five years but nothing has changed, they are as delicious as ever.  The other, its where I discovered vanilla flavored milk for coffee, and it, too, is addictive.

They also used to have flat burgers that were made out of sausage meat which was delicious, but on the first day, they were not on the menu.

Nevertheless, it was still a very yummy breakfast.

After some research into where we might find this pixmi unicorn, it appears that it is available at a 'toys are us' store in one of the suburbs of Vancouver.  So, resuming the quest, we took a taxi to West Broadway, the street the store is located.

A quick search of the store finds where the toys we're looking for are, after asking one of the sales staff, and we find there are at least a dozen of them.  Apparently, they are not as popular in Canada as the might be in America.  Cheaper too, because the exchange rate for Canadian dollars is much better than for American dollars.  Still, 70 dollars for a stuffed toy is a lot of money.

We also get some slime, stuff that our middle granddaughter seems to like playing with.

After shopping we set off down WestBroadway, the way we had come, looking for a taxi to return us to the hotel.  There's no question of walking back to the hotel.

A few hours later we walk to the observation tower, which was not very far from the hotel,

a place where we could get a 360-degree view of the city of Vancouver although it was very difficult to see any of the old buildings because they were hidden by the newer buildings, nor could we see the distant mountains because of the haze.

After leaving the tower we walked down Water Street to see the steam clock and the old world charm of a cobbled street and old buildings

We stopped at the Spaghetti Factory Italian restaurant for dinner and is so popular that we have to wait, 10 minutes to start with.  It doesn't take all that long to order and have the food delivered to the table.  Inside the restaurant, there is an actual cable car but we didn't get to sit in it.

I have steak, rare, mushrooms, and spaghetti with marinara sauce.  No, marinara doesn't mean seafood sauce but a very tasty tomato-based sauce.  The steak was absolutely delicious and extremely tender which made it more difficult to cut with a steak knife.

The write up for the marinara sauce is, 'it tastes so fresh because it is made directly from vine-ripened tomatoes, not from concentrate, packed within 6 hours of harvest.  We combine them with fresh, high-quality ingredients such as caramelised onions, roasted garlic and extra virgin olive oil'.

Oh, and did I mention they have a streetcar right there in the middle of the restaurant

I'm definitely going to try and make this when we get home.

After dinner, we return to the observation tower,  the ticket allowing us to go back more than once, and see the sights at night time.  I can't say it was all that spectacular.

Another day has gone, we are heading home tomorrow.

Away for the holidays - Vancouver - 3

It's always a given that whatever city you stay in unless it's overnight, you go on a tour and see the sights.

Even when you're staying a short distance from the city, you ma look e the effort to catch a train or bus, then get on the hop on hop off tour.  There's always one in just about every city you visit.

Vancouver was no exception.

Except...

We arrived in the rain, went to sleep while the rain came down, woke up to the rain, and a heavy dose of jet lag or perhaps it was more than we had spent 24 and a half hours traveling from Brisbane to Vancouver vis Shanghai.

We had an excellent view out the window of our room looking towards the shopping mall, and the steady fall of rain.

 I felt sorry watching the construction workers on the building site that was the main vista we had to look at.

It could have been worst.  Endless mountains with snow on them.

What to do.  Venture out in the rain and go on the tour, on pop over to the shopping mall and pick up a few boxing day bargains, no, sorry, boxing week bargains.

We have had some experience going on ha op on hop off tours in open-top buses in the rain.  And the last time was not a pleasant experience, even though we learned a valuable lesson, not to stand in front of c as mons and yell 'fire'.  Apparently, that's how Admiral Nelson lost his arm.

But...

The shopping mall won.

We'd wait and see if the weather improved.  Hang on, isn't Vancouver near Seattle and doesn't it rain the 300 days of the year?

Not holding my breath.


I feel sorry for the construction workers again.  Still raining, still cold, and still no reason to get out of bed.

Day 2 in Vancouver turned out to be the same as day 1.

Hang on, there's a development.

We're on the 16th floor and up at those lofty heights, we can see not only the rain but intermingled with it a few flakes of snow.

Whilst we procrastinate about what we're going to do, the snowflakes increase into small flurries.

Yep, we're off to the mall again and go for a walk in the snow.

On the way back we drop into the Boston Pizza, which has a sports bar and there you can sit, drink, eat, and watch the ice hockey, or whatever sort is going at the time.

Today it's a junior ice hockey tournament, but Canada was not playing.  Just the same, a long cold beer and ice hockey?

I can now cross that off the bucket list.


Day 3, we're going on a great rail journey, well, we are going to get the train to the city and collect the rental car, on the booking form, supposedly a Jeep Grand Cherokee or similar.

Of course, 'or similar' are the words to be feared here because in truth the rental company can throw anything at you, so long as it matches the brief, three people and three large suitcases.

And, you guessed it...

The 'or similar' got us a Fort Flex

Away for the holidays - Vancouver - 2

This morning we wake up to rain.  Or so we thought.  Taking a closer look out the window of our room on the 16th floor, we notice the rain is speckled with snowflakes.  As the morning progressed the snow got harder until there were flurries.

 Later we discover this is called wet snow by the local Vancouverians, and whilst they winge a lot over the endless rain, to them rain is infinitely better than snow.

To us, by the afternoon, it was almost blizzard conditions, with lots of snow.  Then the only thing is that it does not accumulate on most of the ground so there are no drifts to play in.

Because the weather is so dismal we decided not to go into Vancouver to do some sightseeing because the clouds were down to the ground and then the snow set in.

Another interesting fact is that construction workers do not go off the job if it's raining, or worse when it is snowing.  Our room overlooks a new apartment complex under construction and the workers battled on through what seemed like appalling conditions.

At four in the afternoon, the Maple Leafs are playing the Ohio Blue Jackets, in Ohio.  It is a game we expect they will win.  Sparks is the goalkeeper, not Anderson, they're playing back to back games and Anderson's starting tomorrow.

They win, four goals to two.  

Just before darkness falls, about four thirty, the snow stops and there is a little rain, which melts the snow.

Time to go up to the executive lounge to get some snacks and coffee, then sleep because the next day we're taking on the Trans Canada highway from Vancouver to Kamloops.

The forecast is for snow, more snow, and just for a change, more snow.

Away for the holidays - Vancouver - 1

It's raining.  There should be no surprise there.  And cold.  It's late December and well into winter.

Perhaps not as cold as it could be, somewhere between three and four degrees.

We are staying at the Hilton Metrotown, at Burnaby.  Metrotown is also the largest shopping mall in British Columbia.  I agree that it is large and found it a great way to get some exercise after being in and off planes for the previous 24 hours.

The first discovery for the day was a trolley bus, something that I thought didn't exist anymore. 

The second was to discover so many global brands, but how different the products are to what we can get back in Australia.  This is particularly so for cars where we discover that GM-based vehicles and Mazdas are so much better than what is available for us.

The third was to discover it seems we are almost in the heart of Chinatown, where going out an exit on the second floor takes you to a Chinese food court, with all manner of food types, and, it seems, tea bars.  It also explained why, in one supermarket we went in, signs were in both Chinese and English.

Being still tired from the travel, we don't venture further than the mall where we have lunch, for me, the Canadian version of KFC, which seems to defeat the purpose of trying local food.  It seems most of the food that I can see in the food shops does not seem that appetizing.

Later we go out and find a Boston Pizza with a sports bar where we indulge in a 21 ounce Molton on tap, and a lime mojito, while watching the ice hockey on the big and surrounding small screens.  The ice hockey is some world junior championship (but mostly north hemisphere hockey playing nations) and seems as ferocious as the NHL.

But it does raise a question, why isn't there a female NHL?  I guess this wasn't the time to canvass opinions in the bar.

Something else we discover is that alcohol is relatively cheap, and get a case of Molten Canadian ale, Bacardi Black label, and maple flavored whiskey, for about a third of what it would cost at home.  Of course, it must be cheaper than firewood in keeping Canadians warm in the dead of winter.

We didn't try the pizza, which kind of defeated the purpose of going there.

Meanwhile back at the room, we find the local ice hockey channel, and then to make sure we get to see the Maple Leafs, plug in the computer so that we can test it.  Good to go.  

That's tomorrow, tonight we watching the Vancouver Canucks.

Away for the holidays - Brisbane to Vancouver - 3

So....

Our flight to Vancouver's departure gate is 213.  It is down on the ground floor which means we will be taking a bus to the plane.  With all the gates they have at this airport, I'm surprised they could find one for China's own airline.

But, it's back on the bus, and basically, it's a free for all at the gate then once you're off the bus.  Of course, it's still raining and there we are, forced to walk up steps with everyone crowding each other to get out of the rain and the staff aboard trying to make sure everyone has a boarding pass

It doesn't work very well when families get separated at the first person had the boarding passes.

Also...

Airlines should never let the passengers see the external state if the plane.  Whilst it might be mechanically sound, and the interior looks like it's been recently refurbished, the outside looked very dirty and unkempt, not giving a very good first impression.  The proof, of course, will be when we land safely.

However...

Taking off was not as smooth or quiet as the last plane, and there were a lot of creaks and groans through the fuselage which I tried very hard to ignore.  I suspect this plane has different engines and technology to the other, particularly when it comes to the wing tips.  This plane is definitely an older model of the A330.

The flight leaves at 23:55 so after dinner, a chicken and noodle concoction that tasted fine, and lashing of watermelon, the impression I got it was time for sleep.

It might because they turned off all the lights.

Sleeping on planes is something few people can do, particularly if you are in economy.  Seats do not recline very far and I don't think the human body was designed to sleep sitting up and relatively contorted position.

Fortunately for me, I seem to have a knack of falling asleep in my chair while writing, which doesn't say much if it's putting me to sleep, and after reclining my seat wriggling about to find a comfortable position, over the next six hours I manage to get some fitful sleep.

This flight hasn't seemed to take as long as one expects of 9 or 10 hours in the air.  It might be because we are about an hour or early due to some astonishing rail winds, up to 350kph, on the fact, the seats are relatively comfortable and the seat pitch is definitely more than the usual 31 inches.  I mean there's a good six inches between my knees and the next seat, where they are usually touching it.

Breakfast has come and gone, it may have been appealing if I'd been more hungry but I was still full from three tubs of watermelon last night, and another three this time.

Vancouver beckons.

Getting off the plane and getting through customs and immigration presented no difficulties, and then there is only one problem, no inbound duty-free, and we are told it is one of the few airports that doesn't have it.

So much for not buying it in either Brisbane or Shanghai, but perhaps the prices will be low enough to obviate that issue.

Not to worry...

Next, we exit the customs area and out into Canada, looking for the limousine to take us to the hotel.  Usually, as you exit the customs area there are a group of drivers waiting.  As our plane landed about an hour earlier than usual sometime there is a problem.  Not this time.  He's there waiting.

We walk out into the cold night air, and it's not very far.  And imagine the surprise when we discover we have a stretch limousine.  With party lights and dark windows, we didn't get to see much of Vancouver between the airport and hotel.

We are staying at the Hilton Metrotown in Burnaby, about 20 minutes from downtown as they call the city center here.  It didn't take all that long, which was probably a good thing, because we were all very tired.

Away for the Holidays - Brisbane to Vancouver - 2

Every flight is different.

Particularly when we arrive in Shanghai, the halfway point of our journey to Vancouver.

Landing, on time, and a little scary because of the rain and wet runway, the plane feels like it is slipping and sliding everywhere until we slowed down to taxi speed.

This is where it all gets a little weird.

We taxied, and taxied and taxied, all the time getting further and further away from the terminal building.  10 minutes and then a further 10, past what looked like a plane graveyard, until we reached the end of the airport.

Then we turned into a bay, the last one, and stopped.

As usual, everyone is out of their seats and emptying the overhead bins.  The same mad scuffle for positions in the aisle, making way for others in their group and making it difficult for anyone else to get their bags out of the bins.

All to no avail.

We are informed over the planes PA system that no one is going anywhere, that we should all sit down again because two passengers are apparently sick and the quarantine people need to check them before the plane is cleared for passengers to deplane.

Yep.  And for the next twenty minutes, we can all speculate whether we are all going to be locked up and miss our onward connections.  Looking for the tents and people in hazmat suits.  It certainly explains why we were sent to the furthest part of the airport.  If it was a contagious disease, it was the best place for it.

So we wait.

And then all of a sudden we're disembarking into the pouring rain and onto buses.  Yes, no gate, no air bridge, but buses.  It takes all of fifteen minutes to get to the drop off point, being thrown around, even at the low speed we were traveling.

It's fine though.  We have hours to spare before we get our next flight.  A cup of coffee, a cake, and a glass of beer, we're ready for the next leg, after a long walk, a gander in a few of the expensive so-called duty free stores, trying to find some cheap confectionary, look in a pharmacy that has no pharmaceuticals, and at last finding the Chinese equivalent to seven eleven where everything is cheaper.

I didn't check the price of similar goods on Australia, but I'm told it is the first duty-free store we've been to that had Bacardi Black Label.  If we cannot get it in Canada when we leave then we'll be calling in on the way home.

Cigarettes too are very cheap, and by the carton, roughly the same price as a packet of 30, around $35 Australia,  but the problem is we can only bring back one pack of 20.  Ideal if you are going somewhere more sympathetic to smokers, no much good for us.

Good thing then I don't smoke.

Something else to note...

The four-hour stopover didn't seem like four hours, not like in some airports when it seems like time had stood still.  Perhaps the leisurely wait at the 'Coffee and cates' cafe, the long walk down the length of the terminal building and back, and then the sorting of the onboard bags made the time fly.

Away for the holidays - Brisbane to Vancouver - 1

There's no doubt about it, traveling is stressful.  Usually, we have someone take us to the airport, but the last time we orders a chauffeur service and it was so good, we did the same this time.

One good thing, or bad depending on your attitude to hanging around airports, is that they get you to the airport with plenty of time to get what needs to be done, then get an overly expensive coffee and sandwich while you de-stress before getting on the plane.

Of course, if the departure is delayed then the stress levels start to ramp up again, but for us this time, so far the plane will be leaving on time.

Also, this time, it is a first to be flying China Eastern Airlines, but not the first time in an Airbus A330-200, specifically an A332.  The plane took on passengers very quickly and what seemed to be a much more organized manner.

Then, without much fuss, we're pushing back, and on our way.  Unusual for Brisbane airport where long taxiing to the start of the runway is normal we seemed to be on the runway the moment we left the stand.  Equally unusual, we left on time.

Something I didn't realize about the A330 is it has the same characteristics as the A380 in that there is not a lot of noise when it takes off, that is from inside the plane.  Perhaps that was what was so surprising about the take-off, no exceeding loud howl from the engines ramping up to take off.  Of course, if you are down the back of the plane it is noisier, if not noisier than most small jet takeoffs.

Inside the front, the take off to cruising speed was very smooth, and in flight, equally so, and so far, four hours into the flight, there's been no real turbulence.

As for seating in Economy, we are in a two-four-two arrangement and I'm sitting in an aisle seat down the right side of the plane, facing forward.  I'm not sure what the seat pitch is but it is almost enough to not make you feel like a sardine when the seat in front is reclined, but I can assure you the passenger will feel the full effect if I have to get out of my seat, and I will not be sorry if I wake them.

The seat itself is reasonably comfortable, but I doubt sleeping in it would leave me in any shape at the other end, especially when I have difficulty sitting for any length of time.  With old age comes the usual back problems and airline seats and bad backs are a bad combination.

For entertainment, which I rarely use, there is a large screen, and I have it on the flight tracker and follow the plane.  Of course, you sometimes get fixated on the time to destination, which on long flights can seem like an eternity.

What I hate especially about these timers is that before you go to asleep or nod off depending on how much of a light a sleeper you are, it says 12 hours 45 minutes, and when you wake up bleary-eyed, it says 12 hours and 25 minutes.

And then you can't go back to sleep.

Let's see how this goes.

Ok, so that was a prophetic statement I just made because the PA system just announced that we are experiencing some turbulence.  The plane as I suspected has ridden it well.

Plaudits, so far, to Airbus.

There are numerous areas where we fly through varying degrees of turbulence but for the best part of the flight, it is very smooth.  Somewhere around 3 hours and 20 minutes to go, I drift off for short nap and when I wake up, it was only for about 50 minutes.

Looking at the flight map it seems very odd because we seem to be heading anywhere but Shanghai.  I guess we'll have to wait and see where we finish up.  At the moment we are over the South China Sea, so let's hope President Trump doesn't decide to take on the Chinese navy while we are up here.

We survive, today.

The Trials of Traveling - Planning Sightseeing - Vancouver, again

I know, I promised to move on to Toronto, and will very soon, but I realized after I wrapped up the last post, that I hadn't dealt with transportation.

Not everyone can afford private cars or taxis.

We'll be staying at the Hilton Vancouver Metrotown in Burnaby.  From the web, I have discovered it is 20 minutes by Sky Train to Vancouver, and it is not far from Metropolis at Metrotown British Columbia's largest shopping center.

So what is the Sky Train?  

My research tells me this is one of the oldest and longest automated driverless light rapid transit systems in the world and will be something to look forward to, feeding my fascination for traveling all or forms of transport like trains, planes, buses, trams, and ferries.

Our stop is on the Expo Line, and no doubt we will be using it more than once.  It is useful that we will be able to purchase daily passes and they are not expensive.

There is also a SeaBus that goes from Waterfront Station to Lonsdale Quay for a scenic crossing of Burrard Inlet by sea.  Of course, in Winter, we'll have to be on the lookout for stray icebergs!

There are other ferries, but it is likely, in Winter, these might not be running.

And just to add to an already burgeoning tourist list, The Vancouver Police Museum, mainly because it is in the old Toronto Mourgue, no, I'm not that morbid, but I suspect it may be a prop for Murdoch Mysteries, and False Creek, for shopping and food, notably Popina Canteen, and may be accessible by sea ferry.

There's a lot more I found via Lonely Planet so it will be a hard choice when we get there.

The next post will be about Toronto.

I promise!

The trials of traveling - Planning sightseeing - Vancouver

We will be heading off to Canada on Boxing Day via Shanghai.  It should be interesting because I've never been to Shanghai, or Vancouver for that matter.

We won't get further than the international transit area of the airport so it will be either a long four hours or a very short four hours depending on what we find there.

I just had a read about the restaurants in Terminal 1, and it seems that the consensus is bad except for two or three and that the prices are very expensive.  So much for having some traditional Chinese food.

What does it say about a country if the most viable food is from Burger King?  I think reports like 'Worst Nightmare', and 'Almost Poor' tend to send a feeling of dread through you.

But onto Vancouver, if we survive the stopover...

Stanley Park, 400 hectares of rainforest, mountains, coastline and a seawall.  OK, a lot of walking involved, and this might be problematic.  Totem poles and the hollow tree might be interesting.

Robson Square, a public plaza where among other things is the Vancouver Art Gallery.  I've seen the Louvre, the London Art Gallery, and we're going to Moma in New York so this might be one too many this trip

Grouse Mountain, I have to say I love a Gondola ride, and we've been on a few around the world, and the best was in Switzerland.  This appears to give excellent views of Vancouver city, provided it's not snowing or low cloud, and,. no, I will not be doing the 2,830 step walk.

Vancouver Lookout, well, we're suckers for a lookout, especially from a tall building or tower, like New York, Seattle, Toronto, and Auckland, and even the odd Ferris wheel like the London Eye.  This one is on the 55th floor of the Harbour Centre Building and has 360-degree views.

And then there is the trusty Hop On Hop Off tour that every city has, and the one I'm looking at now has two routes, the city route, and the park route, with a collective 29 stops.  This is generally the best bay to see a city, and well worth looking into.

In winter there are no harbor tours, so we'll just be looking at the water from land.

It seems I have some homework to do.

Next time, I'll be looking for things to do in Toronto.