Around Vancouver

I had quite a bit of time in Vancouver, so I explored a bit on my own and also with Patrick and family.

We went to Stanley Park.

Any Star Wars fan should understand why I had to photograph this boat out of the many going in and out of Vancouver:

We went to the aquarium, where India delighted in the behaviour of the sea otters and watched the beluga swim past.

I stayed a few nights in the ivy-covered Sylvia Hotel on English Bay, with amazing views of the sunsets.

We took a little harbour boat, The Spirit of Ned, out to Granville Island for a bit of a wander in the market.

Whenever I visit a city you'll often find me photographing the architecture. There were some good ones here.

I'd like to thank Legendary Noodle Patrick for looking after me, and also to Tanu and India as well - it seems India now has a new friend, Fluffy, and a new love of sea otters! I didn't get to see any wild sea otters in Canada, but I think it's probably more important that more people see them than I see more.

Island Trip

Then I went off on a backpacker bus to Tofino and Victoria with the Moose travel network. I had a great view of the luggage rack.

First stop once we got off the boat was a small lake for a little swim and a jump around. There was a lot of jumping around on this trip.

We got to the hostel in Tofino, enjoyed the view, made dinner, then sat round a campfire until late.

Then I went bear watching. The highlight was seeing a mother with three cubs plodding along the shore, turning over rocks looking for food. We saw a few other bears and some bald eagles.

After that I went for a wander down to the beach to watch the surfers and take some pictures in the haze.

The best hostels always have a friendly cat around. This one was no exception.

It was Karaoke night. Chris the driver showed us the local bar with the sticky floor and the interesting locals. The guys mostly played pool while the girls sang woo-woo-woo-wee. Chris sang "Save a horse, ride a cowboy".

Next day we stopped to look at and play with some large trees. There was a lot more jumping going on, and some gymnastics.

We had ice-cream at a place where goats live on the roof. There are road signs to "Goats On The Roof".

I've been to Victoria before, so I didn't take a lot of pictures. I went for a walk along the harbour wall and did a bit of rockpooling, finding anemones, barnacles, crabs and a few fish. Also, a human-powered sundial where you stand in the right spot so your head shows the time.

The hostel in Victoria was very laid-back.

On the boat to Vancouver, the three Mandys posed on the deck.