Vancouver : Winter Wonderland

Ep.30

“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” - Mae West.

YVR – Vancouver, Canada.

16^th-18^th January 2012.

Me @ treetops adventure

It’s the coldest time in the winter and I got a perfect flight for this time of the year, Vancouver, where winter Olympic takes place. The weather forecast said that it should be snowing already by the time I arrived. What again? Snow? Yes! I finally able to see other wonders of God’s creations, icicles and snowflakes. I was so happy, but also worry. Why? The winter memory of Frankfurt (0-4°C) made me worry on how would it be in Vancouver, which (the forecast says around -2°C to 0°C in the city and -18°C on the mountain. Well, worry wont get you anywhere. Let’s just be there first and think about it later.

where to go and how?

It was a 13-hour flight from HK to Vancouver. Kay gave me a hint days before regarding the flight. She said, by the time you arrived hotel, you’ll feel disoriented, because the area and environment around the hotel is more or less like HK. Why? All Cantonese speakers ma?? (*HK style*). Yes. It seems that the hotel provided for us was in the area of Chinatown, or as I may say, there are a lot of HK people migrated to Vancouver during the hand over period of HK from England to China. I finally arrived in Vancouver around 2 pm, and as soon as we came out from the airport, it was winter wonderland! Snow covers all of the ground and trees. It was white and pleasant for my eyes. Even though Vancouver has a 16 hours time difference from HK, I was too excited that I couldn’t even took a nap on my way to the hotel.

black on white

As soon as I got internet connection, messaged my boyfriend, I logged in my facebook, and found out that it was Candy’s last day in Vancouver (she left me a message and gave me her room number). She wasn’t at her room at that time, so I decide to go out by myself. Just around the area, to grab myself some food (are you sure?). it seemed that the hotel was holding the winter Olympic exhibition by that time. 
There were hundreds of winter sports companies opened their booths and showing their latest collections of winter sports’ apparels and equipments. The weather is not as bad as I thought. I asked the concierge, which direction is shopping center and he gave me his instruction. It was easy, just a few minutes walk and I reached the mall already. It was quite a big one. I strolled around from shop to shop and finally spend most of my time in Bath & Bodyworks, I bought a lot (I mean it!). I even spent most of the allowance there, until I got a 30% off voucher for my next visit. The lady might think that I would love to soak myself in the body splash or what. Haha!

i'm equal to a 9 y/o red cedar tree

I grabbed myself a carton of chocolate milk (must) and some sandwich and bread (got a microwave inside the room). By the time I arrived back in my room, Candy was already in her room as well, so I went to her room, which occurred to be located in another tower, and as it was 16^th of the month, and it was our first swap-able roster, we jammed our roster together and discussed about this and that. Candy was looking for JFK flight to visit her bf, while I was looking for SYD flight to visit my brother. We were so determined to do our swap and my body can’t lie anymore. I fell slept at Candy’s room for at least an hour full! And she took a picture of my piggy pose! After I woke up, I went back to my room and gave my body a well rest for the rest of the day.

Brrr!

The next day, I was charged up enough to do a little adventure. I browsed about the Capilano Suspension bridge and Grouse Mountain, the most possible two. I double checked with the concierge about how to get myself to those places. Lucky I asked! He said the admission would be free if I just show them my crew ID. I rushed back to my room and grab my ID. One thing he asked me, “are you sure to go out in this weather, madam? Especially to the snow mountain?”. Yes. The snow is falling outside and the weather was not so nice. But am I gonna stay in my room doing nothing? No way! I will be dead out of bored if I forced to do so. I was confident enough that I put enough thermal layers under my winter coat. I walked to the nearest train station and bought a 2 zone train tickets (CAD 2.5) and board the train together with students (it was still early in the morning, around 8 am. It was just like Kay said, all Chinese talked in Cantonese. Just few foreigner and local people. Haha.

posing in the snow

According to what I have browsed and what the concierge explained, I have to go to Canada Place and there, I could get on the shuttle bus to the Capilano and Grouse Mountain. I got myself out of the train station and lost of direction. I didn’t know which way is which way. I walked by following my instinct and I reached an intersection. O wow! I stopped, looked down on my map and out of nowhere, an old man came to me and asked, “Are you lost? Where would you like to go?” Miracle! I told him where I wanted to go and it was on the wrong direction. I thanked him and walked back. The snow was getting fiercer that I could no longer see any other pedestrian on the streets. People might think that I was a crazy enough to walk in the middle of heavy snow. Was it cold? Give it a guess then. I wont tell.

Capilano Suspension Bridge

As I arrived at the Canada Place, I found no shuttle bus indication at all, no sign post, no nothing. I asked the lady in the information desk and she told me the bus would be there in about 15 minutes. I could either wait inside the building, as the bus will also visible, or outside in the snow. I thought I was damaged my brain and decided to wait outside in the snow. I waited for 15 minutes and the bus was finally there. I was the only one who got on the bus. The driver asked me, “are you sure you wanna go up there in this kind of weather?” I answered him, “yes, positive.” I was the only one in the bus (the driver was a nice cute guy, that keep talking to me about Canada), until there were another couple board the bus. So, in the end, there were three of us and the driver. He drove us up to the mountain, passed the Stanley park and over the bridge and finally we arrived at Capilano Suspension Bridge. Grouse Mountain was only 5 minutes walk from there but it was closed that day. Well, that’s okay!

this is my winter wonderland

I was blessed enough that the snow has been stopped and all we got left was sunny clear sky, clear of wind as well. I passed the entrance and wonder there were literally only three of us there as a visitor. I introduced myself to the couple, wondered if I may join their group, and they were just nice people that they let me join the crowd. They came from San Fransisco and they’re gonna fly back home in that very evening. We chatted all the way, while we stopped here and there taking each other pictures and more pictures. The view was just awesome. I couldn’t feel any cold there. I guessed was super excited that I ignore all of my senses. The scenery was inexplicable epic! It was like in the Narnia I, the snow covered all of the surfaces and I lost in counting how many times I said “OMG” and countless time I just touch and poke the snow.

on the bridge

We explored the suspension bridge itself, the tree top adventure, and the cliff walk. Originally built in 1889, Capilano Suspension Bridge stretches 450 feet (137m) across and 230 feet (70m) above Capilano River. The hanging bridge will shake whenever you move on it. Scary? No! Exciting. I jumped several time on it and let my childish side came to surface. The view from over the bridge was just winter wonderland for me. I took me minutes to take my eyes away from it. I don’t usually take pictures without me in it, but this kind of scenery deserves to be taken just the way it is, without me in it. We continue our little adventure to the treetops adventure.

frozen pond

Treetops Adventure, seven suspension bridges through the evergreens taking you up to 100 feet (30m) above the forest floor, offers a unique squirrel's eye perspective of the forest. There, I could see some trees engraved to compare our height as a human being to certain types of trees. I could also see, for the first time in my life a pond, which was turned into ice, frozen, due to the weather. I even grabbed a handful of snow and shaped it as a snowball. I couldn’t stop myself acting like a kid in that kind of situation. I wouldn’t say that I’m that grown up yet, coz sometimes, grown up people couldn’t enjoy the fun of an adventure, they’re just too serious (now I sounds like Peterpan, who want to be a kid eternally). Next, we continue our little adventure to the Cliffwalk.

cliffwalk

Cliffwalk is a cantilevered walkway clinging to the granite cliff high above Capilano Canyon. On the side of the canyon I could see soft snow and icicles formed already. I dare not to touch it, afraid to ruin its beauty. I just took some pictures of it. It was there when my camera finally reached its tolerance to the weather. It caught a cold. Well, it seemed that due to the cold weather some part inside the camera was just froze and the lens couldn’t came in. It was stuck. Immediate action was taking the memory card and battery out (I don’t want to risks all the picture in the memory card, it was too precious). Back up camera? iPhone. My camera problem wouldn’t ruin my mood. 

Snowflakes

We continued our adventure. Stopped here and there awed by the nature. Our watch indicated that it was almost time to go, it was 2 pm already, we were supposed to be on our bus back to the Canada Place at 3 pm. We walked back to the entrance (where the exit was) and stopped at the souvenir shop. Finished with our shopping, we bought ourselves a cup of hot chocolate and sat for a while waiting for the bus. We chatted a bit, than I found out that one of them works for Facebook (wow! I know someone from facebook) and they also travels the world. We exchanged our facebook account and they even invited me whenever I got my SFO flight. They were just a perfect couple. Well, you will never know when you will get new acquaintances. It could be anywhere in any circumstances.

Totem Park

We bid farewell as the driver dropped them off at the place they hopped onto the bus, and he also dropped me of the Canada Place. I strolled around the area for a while to found myself in Gastown, got into sort of shopping mall and I remembered that I chatted with my bf last night and I need to buy more Bath & Bodyworks. I rushed to the train station and made my journey back. I remember that the shopping mall near the hotel would only open until 6 pm. As soon as I got off the train, I head to the shopping center near the hotel. I bought another 2 big bags of Bath & Bodyworks, used my discount voucher and get another 2 discount vouchers for my next visit. Satisfied with my shopping bags, I grabbed myself a decent sandwich dinner and got back to the hotel.

friendly mr.grizzlie

The next morning, I got to operate back to HK. I got down to get a quick breakfast and packed all my shopping items into my suitcases (oh! It became as heavy as my sins). The flight back from Vancouver was tough! 13 hours of Bombay flight, if I may said. I couldn’t even sit for a while and keep answering the call lights again and again and again. Reached HK, I slept like a dead pig! Vancouver gave me a winter wonderland. I am sure that I’ve seen Vancouver in its best time. Next time I visit you I will make sure I learn how to ski!

“Do not make any assumption and prejudice about anything. Experience it first, than you may comment.” – Me.