Vancouver, Canada
This trip was planned relatively last-minute. My friend joined the Distinctive Voyages program, and she wanted to do a sailing with me to understand the process. This was the sailing that worked with our schedule, was available to host, and the flights weren’t too expensive. Flight options are more limited when you book closer to travel. I ended up booking two one-way tickets to get the best price. I also booked an 11:59pm flight because it was significantly less than the daytime option. This also gave me a chance to see more of Vancouver.
All the money I saved on my flight went to book a tour in Vancouver. I found a post-cruise tour that picks me up from the cruise terminal, holds my luggage for the duration of the tour, and drops me off at the airport. It is also a full-day tour so I will see a lot too!
I meet the representative of the tour in the lobby of the cruise terminal. I need to go upstairs and then walk to the lobby where I find the tour reps. It was exactly as described. I check-in about an hour early and then go back into the cruise terminal for a maple latte. I’m pretty sure they forgot the maple because it tasted like a normal latte. I come back at 10:30am as instructed for my 11am tour. It looks like I’m on the only one. They walk me to the bus and there are others already onboard. This tour picks up from several locations and I am one of the last pick-up locations.
We’re on our way to a salmon hatchery, but encounter traffic. Instead of sitting in it, our driver takes a turn and we take the scenic route through Stanley Park. The park has large pine trees and is beautiful. We eventually arrive at the salmon hatchery and it’s much less impressive than the one in Juneau. After visiting the facility, we go on a short hike through the rainforest. This was worth it. The fresh air feels different on the west coast. The trees are bigger. The pine smells are bigger. My lungs feel nurtured. This is forest bathing at its finest.
The next stop is the Capilano Suspension Bridge. This is a major tourist attraction in Vancouver and it feels like it. We have to wait in a long line to cross the bridge. I’m expecting to walk the bridge, take pictures on the other side, and walk back. It sort of feels like a tourist trap until I step onto the bridge. The bridge is super high. The bridge sways big time. My smile has grown large. It’s a lot of fun to walk across this bridge!
There is a lot on the other side as well. Trails that take you between trees on more bridges, platforms, and stairs. It feels like you are a kid hanging out in treehouses. There are also nature trails. I sort of got lost over here and I’m glad I did. There was a part where you could see an owl and a falcon up close. We have 90 minutes at this place and time is ticking quickly. I focus on finding the main bridge and I experience it once more.
There is also a cliff walk with a hiking trail that takes you next to a cliff. This whole experience is definitely not for anyone afraid of heights. This cliff walk seems worse to me for heights. Luckily, this isn’t a fear for me, but there was a lady near me who was having a tough time. The walkways are narrow and you feel like you’re walking through the sky. It’s really cool!
I’m at the bus five minutes early and then we’re off to our next destination: Grouse Mountain. My expectations for Grouse Mountain are similar to the bridge. Ride it up, look at the view, and ride it down. There is so much to see here as well. We’re given a map when we arrive and a ticket to take the gondola up and back down. I think it’s a little silly that we need it to come down, but apparently some people hike this up and have a ticket only for the way down. There are shows up here, but first I need lunch. There is too much to do so I don’t want to stop for lunch. Instead, I buy a corn on the cob from a food truck. Then, I walk to the owl show. Diego is giving a presentation about owls and he’s holding an owl the whole time. I could spend all day watching this owl. Its big yellow eyes are gorgeous. The talk was interesting as well.
I see there is a lumberjack show and it looks like it is further up the mountain. I see a chairlift and begin heading towards it. Along the way, there is a bear!! It’s super close and I see that it is behind an electric fence. We’ve camped in Canada in a campsite within an electric fence. I learned that a determined bear can go through them. This feels too close. But it is so cute!
I take the chairlift up and I’m on it by myself. I’ve been on so many chairlifts because I used to snowboard. I don’t know if it’s riding it by myself or riding it without snow underneath, but it felt terrifying. I’m happy to be off of this thing and contemplate walking down. I check out the view points. We’re really high! Also, the lumberjack show is not up here. I’m not walking down. A line for the way down has formed so I ride down with a family from Seattle. The father asks me if I’ve ever seen the movie Frozen. Immediately I’m thinking of Anna and Elsa frozen and then think how out of place the question is. He sees the confusion on my face and says not that one. The one about a chairlift. I know exactly what movie he’s talking about and surprised he knows it. It’s a 2010 movie about people being stuck on a chairlift. I’m curious, have you seen this movie?
I see the end of the lumberjack show and decide on another snack. There is another food truck serving ice cream so I get a small cup. Our time here has gone quickly and I could have spent so much more time exploring. There is a mountain coaster up here, zip lining, ropes course, and more shows that I didn’t see. The cool thing about this destination is that there is a free shuttle from Canada Place which is where the cruise terminal is. This is a cool destination to visit while you are in Vancouver!
The driver drops all the other passengers off at their respective hotels and I’m the last one. I’m the only one going to the airport. I arrive in the airport and go to the washroom. I change outfits, floss my teeth because of the corn, re-apply deodorant, and brush my teeth. It’s a redeye flight so I’m sort of preparing to sleep. The airport is empty so it’s easy to check my luggage and go through security. I also go through US immigration here which is so easy. They scan my face and that’s it.
There is a lounge here and I spend my remaining free time hanging out here. I have a plate of steamed veggies, mashed potatoes, and salad for dinner and two glasses of Chardonnay. The lounge also has showers which I wish I knew about sooner. I would have used them had I known about them. It was hot in Vancouver today!
The flight to Chicago is uneventful. I go back and forth between sleeping and losing circulation in my hand. We arrive to Chicago a few minutes early, but we don’t get to the gate until later. My next flight is already delayed which is a relief because I had a silly 36-minute connection which I generally do not recommend.
Our next flight leaves about 45-minutes late. We were delayed because the toilet wasn’t working properly. It turns out someone flushed a bottle down it and jammed it. I slept on this flight as well. Overall a good travel experience. I much prefer American Airlines to United Airlines.
