2 May 2019 - In Vancouver

The day didn’t start too well. I had a few things to rearrange in the car and I got down to it just before breakfast at 8 am. What I had to do was in the boot of the car. When I took over the car from Hertz rental I had noted that both the keys were put together on a steel wire which I could not separate. With the result, I had to carry both the keys together all the time. While rearranging the luggage in the boot I had place the key in it and took a while organising the stuff. While I was doing all this breakfast was announced and in a hurry to get to the table I closed the boot and realised, in horror, that all the doors had got automatically locked. And, the keys were in the boot. There was no way I could retrieve them. Even the papers of the rental were inside the car. I was a bit crestfallen that such a thing should have happened. Anyway the challenge had to be met. Over breakfast of scrambled eggs, buns and the tastiest bacon I have ever had I called up Hertz assistance from a number I salvaged online. After many prods to press numbers I got through to an executive. I told her that I had been locked out of the car. The first thing she confirmed was that I was in a safe place and safely parked. After affirming that she asked me for the license plate number and my name. I felt that she didn’t seem to have that on her database just then. A while later she told me that I would be charged CAD 12 for the assistance. I told her that I had paid a premium for on-road assistance and demanded to know why I should pay yet again. She told me, to my utter disappointment, that what I had paid for are premium assists and not for such a thing as being locked out of the car! After I agreed to the charge the executive went offline for what seemed an eternity. Suddenly she resurfaced and asked me to check if the doors were unlocked. When I got to the car, it was. The unlocking had been done online and the executive reiterated that I would be charged for the assistance. A few numbers were punched on a computer and CAD 12 would be my penalty. So much for the on-road assistance premium. Immediately as I retrieved the keys I separated them so that I would not have to carry them together again. The unpleasant experience did not deter me from enjoying the most wonderful breakfast. The eggs and bacon disappeared from the plates and found refuge in a place that would eventually add inches to the waist that was already a waste.

As it was the first time that I was using a left hand drive vehicle and that too the Chevy Impala behemoth I had to be careful about clearance on the right side. During the day I drove over a couple of kerbs and infringed on the lane to my right. I did not have proper view of the front of the car as the seats of the car were too low. Till I got used to the car, I said to myself that I would sacrifice speed and even ignore annoyed drivers. The other problem I encountered was the fuel consumption. The petrol engine was guzzling fuel like a true glutton that she was. I thought a few times about changing the car, but then, I was comfortable to drive and she had enough kilometers on her till the next service.

While planning the expedition I had chalked out the places I wanted to visit while in Vancouver. With some assistance from my aunt, who has been resident in the city for over two decades, I made out the day’s itinerary. Grouse Mountain was to be the first stop. The entry fee is quite steep at CAD 56. I realised, as the day progressed, that the advertised rates are almost always without the taxes, which added a fair bit to the final price one paid. Grouse Mountain is publicised as the ‘Peak of Vancouver’. At over 3800 feet above the Capilano River the high playground is reached by gondolas. As I got to the higher reaches of the mountain the amount of snow increased. At the place where I got off there was about knee high snow. Paths were carefully kept free of snow, but one had to be careful to avoid the slush and water. It has a ski slope that is active in winter, zip lines, shopping places, grizzly centre, sky theatre and many other activities. The Peak supposedly offers smashing views of downtown Vancouver. Thanks to the mist, and almost freezing temperature, the views were not that great this day. The highlight were the couple of playful grizzly bears oblivious to the stares and cameras of visitors, particularly fascinated school children who seemed to be on a study outing. The commentary of a volunteer supplied nuggets of information to the visitors. It was too cold to spend more time exploring the area and, with more swirling mist, I had no hope of enjoying the views of the city and the River below. The gondola that took me to the peak was jam packed with students and other visitors. The gondola was rated to carry 100 passengers. Fortunately, there were fewer passengers on the way back. The only consolation was that the parking was absolutely free. It is quite possible that the same was included in the steep ticket price!

The word Capilano is said to have originated from the word Kia’palano, meaning beautiful river. That was also the name of a great indigenous chief of the region in the early 1800s. The Capilano Suspension Bridge Park was purchased by an enterprising lady entrepreneur in 1983 and turned it into a successful commercial enterprise. Little wonder that the ticket price was steep and so was the parking rate. The Capilano Suspension Bridge across the Capilano River is a 450 feet long link 220 feet above the river. The walk did test even the strong of heart. With so many people on the bridge all at once some could not stomach the sway of the bridge. A few could be seen holding on to the handrails for dear life. The floor of the bridge was fully covered. So one did not see the chasm below. The cedar-scented rainforest air, numerous streams and thick vegetation is an experience. The Treetop adventure has seven suspended footbridges linking massive trees 110 feet above the ground giving awesome views of the forest floor. The Cliffwalk is another superb experience where one walks along a narrow precipice above the River with labyrinthine cantilevered bridges and jaw dropping lookout points. The walk affords awesome views of the canyon and it brought goose bumps on my arms when I read that the bridges are anchored only at 18 points along the cliff. To promote the facility the leaflet that goes with the entry ticket has six points where stamping machines are installed. One gets a ‘certificate’ if all the stamps are secured on the leaflet and handed over at guest relations while exiting. The enthusiasm with which the old and young went about looking for the stamping machines was infectious.

Canada Place is situated on the waterfront of Vancouver and is a massive building with roofs that look like sails. It draws comparison with the Sydney Opera House building. It houses the Vancouver Convention Centre, World Trade Center, the 500 room Pan Pacific Hotel, virtual flight ride of FlyoverCanada and is the main cruise terminal for Alaska. Hovercrafts operate in the vicinity and the locality is studded by tall, glass high rises and superb walkways along the waterfront. An iconic building in the vicinity of Canada Place is the Marine building that has featured in many movies and TV shows because of its Art Deco architecture and lustrous interiors.

A drive through Gastown highlighted the underbelly of the city. With hundreds of homeless and drunk people on the street and brightly painted walls this part of the city is named after 'Gassy' Jack who set up a salon near here in the late 19th century.

Before dinner I requested my aunt to take me to a grocery store from where I could pick up a few things I would require for the ensuing trip. Dinner consisted of chicken bake, potatoes, sautéed veggies and mango.