We started our morning as usual with breakfast. We watched the TV as the miners from Chile were pulled out of the collapsed mine.
After breakfast we packed everything up and away we go. Victoria was walking better today. it didn't hurt to go up and down stairs now. I wheeled the luggage 5 long blocks to reach the Skytrain. This one goes to the airport (sweeeeet). so we boarded and away we went. It was a quick 26 minutes.
Customs was long yet easy. We knew we didn't have anything objectionable. We filled out the customs card and checked in. We got our bags tagged in one location, and dropped it off in another. Then we went through security. It took awhile because the lady in front of us had a metal can of chocolate powder mix. Sigh. They they got my bag confused with the guy behind me and thought I had a badge in my bag. but it was his. So we quickly picked up all of our stuff and moved on.
Next was the custom's agent. When we told him about the marathon, he completely warmed up. he asked a bunch of questions, probably quizzing us, but we had all the answers and he let us through.
Finally 1 more check point, the guy who collected our declaration sheet. then he let us through.
Whew.
We waited for the plane and flew home. this flight left 10 minutes late, just like the one that took us to Victoria. But all in all, it was not a bad flight.
My Mom picked us up and headed home. We talked about the trip and how fun and relaxing it was.
Victoria and I enjoyed our trip. It was very relaxing and enjoyable. Everything was so clean. Even the public bathrooms were clean. So it was a change of pace. very little graffiti.
Victoria and I decided that we want to do this again, and this time go to Calgary. I am thinking Calgary and Edmonton will be two places to visit... for hockey games.
Till our next trip!!!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
O Canada, Day 3
A little behind here, but I'll catch up.
We stayed at Hampton Inn in Vancouver. And with it is a complementary breakfast, which Victoria and I took full advantage of. After breakfast, we planned out our day. Actually I spent the night planning out our day. Victoria slept.
We left the hotel room and I quickly spoke to he front desk. She recommended taking the "sky train" to the water front, and taking the sea bus to North Vancouver. Then the bus to Capilano Suspension Bridge and Grouse Mountain.
It was fun taking public Transportation. It's very "amazing race" of us. The Skytrain is like BART, except cleaner and less graffiti. The Sea Bus was a short trip over some water, and then the bus is like the bus, except cleaner and less graffiti. (recognize a pattern here?)
We got to the bridge and it was chilly. but we quickly looked around and realized that all the nature stuff is across the bridge. so we got on and went across. They said the bridge is as high as the neck of the Stature of Liberty. And that it is structured to hold over 100 elephants at one time. We didn't test that. It also talked about how a big tree had fallen on the bridge, but the bridge held on. The problem with cutting the tree and letting it fall is that the bridge would have acted as a slingshot; whoever cut the bridge would have been tossed off. So they had to shave the side of the tree, eventually the tree was light enough to move, and no one was hurt.
We hopped back on the 236 bus and went up to Grouse mountain. The event started with a Sky ride (gondola) up to the top. We walked around and found the bear habitat. 2 orphaned bear cubs were found with their mother dead. so they took in the bears and set them up. They live happily with out too much interference. the sad part is that the bears are deathly scared of cars and trucks that drive by. They RUN from then noise. One of the bear's mothers was killed by a car. so it has some real psychological issues.
We also saw some deer and fawn. they were less than 10 feet from us, grazing in the grass. They didn't care that we were there as long as we didn't disturb them. Very close to nature.
We got even higher, riding a chair lift to the top. It's alot easier to get off without a snowboard attached to your foot.
On the way back down the mountain, we also saw a wolf habitat, that had 2 white-furred wolves. They didn't do much but sit there and stare at the humans.
We headed back to the sea bus, but we were hungry and decided to stop at the local restuarunts. well. I think Boston Pizza was more of a "Chillis" or a "BJ's Brewary" than a local restaurnt. But the food was really good. We had Thai Chicken strips, chicken strips with Thai seasoning. Then we had pizza (of course). all was very good.
As we boarded the Seabus, we ran into a kind fellow, Richardo. He was a Jamaican who was visiting his friends. He was slightly lost looking for the Seabus. So we helped him on his way. Victoria compared stories of her trips to Jamaica. He said he had brothers and sisters and he was the middle child. He was the smart one, going to college and investing in insurance. And his dream is to own a shipping dock and live in a penthouse suite near the docks. A nice man. except it was cold for him, Jamaica to Canada.
We arrived back at the hotel, tired and ready for bed. For the next day we were going home.
We stayed at Hampton Inn in Vancouver. And with it is a complementary breakfast, which Victoria and I took full advantage of. After breakfast, we planned out our day. Actually I spent the night planning out our day. Victoria slept.
We left the hotel room and I quickly spoke to he front desk. She recommended taking the "sky train" to the water front, and taking the sea bus to North Vancouver. Then the bus to Capilano Suspension Bridge and Grouse Mountain.
It was fun taking public Transportation. It's very "amazing race" of us. The Skytrain is like BART, except cleaner and less graffiti. The Sea Bus was a short trip over some water, and then the bus is like the bus, except cleaner and less graffiti. (recognize a pattern here?)
We got to the bridge and it was chilly. but we quickly looked around and realized that all the nature stuff is across the bridge. so we got on and went across. They said the bridge is as high as the neck of the Stature of Liberty. And that it is structured to hold over 100 elephants at one time. We didn't test that. It also talked about how a big tree had fallen on the bridge, but the bridge held on. The problem with cutting the tree and letting it fall is that the bridge would have acted as a slingshot; whoever cut the bridge would have been tossed off. So they had to shave the side of the tree, eventually the tree was light enough to move, and no one was hurt.
We hopped back on the 236 bus and went up to Grouse mountain. The event started with a Sky ride (gondola) up to the top. We walked around and found the bear habitat. 2 orphaned bear cubs were found with their mother dead. so they took in the bears and set them up. They live happily with out too much interference. the sad part is that the bears are deathly scared of cars and trucks that drive by. They RUN from then noise. One of the bear's mothers was killed by a car. so it has some real psychological issues.
We also saw some deer and fawn. they were less than 10 feet from us, grazing in the grass. They didn't care that we were there as long as we didn't disturb them. Very close to nature.
We got even higher, riding a chair lift to the top. It's alot easier to get off without a snowboard attached to your foot.
On the way back down the mountain, we also saw a wolf habitat, that had 2 white-furred wolves. They didn't do much but sit there and stare at the humans.
We headed back to the sea bus, but we were hungry and decided to stop at the local restuarunts. well. I think Boston Pizza was more of a "Chillis" or a "BJ's Brewary" than a local restaurnt. But the food was really good. We had Thai Chicken strips, chicken strips with Thai seasoning. Then we had pizza (of course). all was very good.
As we boarded the Seabus, we ran into a kind fellow, Richardo. He was a Jamaican who was visiting his friends. He was slightly lost looking for the Seabus. So we helped him on his way. Victoria compared stories of her trips to Jamaica. He said he had brothers and sisters and he was the middle child. He was the smart one, going to college and investing in insurance. And his dream is to own a shipping dock and live in a penthouse suite near the docks. A nice man. except it was cold for him, Jamaica to Canada.
We arrived back at the hotel, tired and ready for bed. For the next day we were going home.
Monday, October 11, 2010
O Canada Day 3
Day 3 started up with us waking up. Of course. We showered and packed up all of our things. We took it down to the lobby and checked out. We put all our luggage into hotel storage so we can run around town alittle. We ended up going to Breakfast at this little café called “Blue Fox Café” The place was small but the line out side was not.
In addition, as we left the hotel, we ended up with a following. Todd, Emory, Mehal, and Jesi came with us. Then while waiting in line, Rich, Mark, and Illya showed up. Rich left, soon to be replaced with Marc and Courtney. But Marc and Courtney decided to take off anyways. So the 8 of us tried and waited for forever in a line for Breakfast. This place was known to be the best in town. And it did deliver. We ended up split, Victoria and I at one table, and the rest at another. Again, it was small, and everyone was hungry, so we didn’t care.
Since we were at a table of 2, we were served, and waited, and finished way before the other table. (sorry). So we were out. We ended up at Running Room, yes another running shop. But this was great. It had a lot of items that we didn’t find in other running stores. We got an Shoe-ID tag, and an LED light that attaches to yoru baseball cap. All for $20. They are hella expensive in other places (so I’m told, I’ve never looked for them.
We walked down to a little sovenier shop and bought a shot glass. Then we ended up at the Bus station. Wew ere told by the concierge that the bus will take us to the Ferry, drive onto the Ferry, then drive to the bus stop in Vancouver. No problem! We bought tickets for the next bus. We walked around alittle more, but thebus leaves at 1:45. It was 1:20. So we rushed back to the hotel and got our luggage and then walked back ot the bus stop. We hopped on and away we went.
1:45 - 2:45 – drive to the docks; This was probably the most relaxing part of the trip. We both fell asleep.
3:00-4:30 – Ride the ferry to Tsawwassen – This sucked. We walked around for like days, looking for a place to sit. People took up 3-4-5 seats for themselves. Other people were seating in the aisle ways. Victoria and I found a spot outside on the top deck. There was an area where the boat blocked the wind and we were nice and cozy there. By 4:20, we worked our way back to the bus because we could miss it if we didn’t.
4:30 TO 5:30 – Ride bus to the Bus Terminal; This was all find and dandy, except for the fact we couldn’t get out when we saw our hotel. We drove by it, but the driver would not let us get our luggage. So we ended up going all the way to the bus station.
5:30-5:50 take taxi to hotel – This was not a positive experience. We got to the terminal and found the taxis. Except there was only 1. And the driver was missing. Soon the driver shows up, and this guy who was 3 people deep jumps into the taxi, with the rest of us looking on, and takes off. (a**hole!!!). I ended up talking to the guy who was ahead of us. We found out we were going to the same area. So we decided to split the taxi. He told him where he was going (Cambie and Pacific) and we were at Robson. Go to our location first. So what does the driver do: Go to his location first. Well that screwed up how we were going to pay. He ended up paying his route. Then we ended up paying for ours. Of coruse it wasn’t easy. First he didn’t know where he was going. Then he did this crazy-ass 20-pt U-turn in an intersection (almost ran over a pedestrian). Then he doesn’t drop us off in the front, he drops us off on the side street. By now we were like, get us out of here! We’ll walk! We paid him (50 cent tip) and went in. Finally we had arrived.
But of course we quickly unpacked and got dressed for the Vancouver Canucks vs Florida Panthers game. I was excited to go see the hockey game, first game of the season. The seats were pretty good. We were behind the goal, and all the action went north-south, rather than east-west. Canucks won the game, but the 2nd period was boring. I wanted to fall asleep. (but I didn’t).
After the game we headed back to the hotel and Victoria soaked in the Jacuzzi tub that is included in our room. Ahh her legs feel so much better.
Now it’s time to crash. We hop tomorrow we can hit up a lot of places. I’m looking for Chinatown and Olympic village areas.
In addition, as we left the hotel, we ended up with a following. Todd, Emory, Mehal, and Jesi came with us. Then while waiting in line, Rich, Mark, and Illya showed up. Rich left, soon to be replaced with Marc and Courtney. But Marc and Courtney decided to take off anyways. So the 8 of us tried and waited for forever in a line for Breakfast. This place was known to be the best in town. And it did deliver. We ended up split, Victoria and I at one table, and the rest at another. Again, it was small, and everyone was hungry, so we didn’t care.
Since we were at a table of 2, we were served, and waited, and finished way before the other table. (sorry). So we were out. We ended up at Running Room, yes another running shop. But this was great. It had a lot of items that we didn’t find in other running stores. We got an Shoe-ID tag, and an LED light that attaches to yoru baseball cap. All for $20. They are hella expensive in other places (so I’m told, I’ve never looked for them.
We walked down to a little sovenier shop and bought a shot glass. Then we ended up at the Bus station. Wew ere told by the concierge that the bus will take us to the Ferry, drive onto the Ferry, then drive to the bus stop in Vancouver. No problem! We bought tickets for the next bus. We walked around alittle more, but thebus leaves at 1:45. It was 1:20. So we rushed back to the hotel and got our luggage and then walked back ot the bus stop. We hopped on and away we went.
1:45 - 2:45 – drive to the docks; This was probably the most relaxing part of the trip. We both fell asleep.
3:00-4:30 – Ride the ferry to Tsawwassen – This sucked. We walked around for like days, looking for a place to sit. People took up 3-4-5 seats for themselves. Other people were seating in the aisle ways. Victoria and I found a spot outside on the top deck. There was an area where the boat blocked the wind and we were nice and cozy there. By 4:20, we worked our way back to the bus because we could miss it if we didn’t.
4:30 TO 5:30 – Ride bus to the Bus Terminal; This was all find and dandy, except for the fact we couldn’t get out when we saw our hotel. We drove by it, but the driver would not let us get our luggage. So we ended up going all the way to the bus station.
5:30-5:50 take taxi to hotel – This was not a positive experience. We got to the terminal and found the taxis. Except there was only 1. And the driver was missing. Soon the driver shows up, and this guy who was 3 people deep jumps into the taxi, with the rest of us looking on, and takes off. (a**hole!!!). I ended up talking to the guy who was ahead of us. We found out we were going to the same area. So we decided to split the taxi. He told him where he was going (Cambie and Pacific) and we were at Robson. Go to our location first. So what does the driver do: Go to his location first. Well that screwed up how we were going to pay. He ended up paying his route. Then we ended up paying for ours. Of coruse it wasn’t easy. First he didn’t know where he was going. Then he did this crazy-ass 20-pt U-turn in an intersection (almost ran over a pedestrian). Then he doesn’t drop us off in the front, he drops us off on the side street. By now we were like, get us out of here! We’ll walk! We paid him (50 cent tip) and went in. Finally we had arrived.
But of course we quickly unpacked and got dressed for the Vancouver Canucks vs Florida Panthers game. I was excited to go see the hockey game, first game of the season. The seats were pretty good. We were behind the goal, and all the action went north-south, rather than east-west. Canucks won the game, but the 2nd period was boring. I wanted to fall asleep. (but I didn’t).
After the game we headed back to the hotel and Victoria soaked in the Jacuzzi tub that is included in our room. Ahh her legs feel so much better.
Now it’s time to crash. We hop tomorrow we can hit up a lot of places. I’m looking for Chinatown and Olympic village areas.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
O Canada, Day 2
We work up early... Ok Victoria woke up early and got ready for her run. I assume she showered, dressed and prepped all her equipment. I woke up at 7:30, and realized we had to leave at 8:10. so I rushed. I mean I had to check my Fantasy Football teams too.
We went down to the lobby and met up with all the other full marathoners. The 1/2 marathoners had left already. They checked in and took a few pictures. The team walked over to the starting line. Victoria Pim and Ron (Pim's significant other) had to finish some other things first. And then we were off. The finish/start line was a mad house! Craziness, people going everywhere.
The countdown began and I ended up being the guy that carried everything. Well I wasn't running so I did.
I went back to the room and hung out for 4 hours. then rushed back out to the finish line. I saw alot of the teammates come rushing through... Todd, Rich, Mike, Pete, Robin and of course Victoria.
Victoria finished and broke down when she finished. She completed it in 4:46, which is on par with her personal record (PR). However, she really wanted to break her PR. But still she did very well. many of the runners were on par, but not breaking their records. But she still did a great job, and so did the entire team.
After the race, Victoria and I went back to the room. She immeadiately started filling up the tub with water and ordered me to 1) get ice, 2) go to 7-11 and get food. I randomly picked floor #10 and there was plenty of ice. I came back down with 2 trashcans of ice. And Victoria was already ready, sitting in the tub. I poured it in and she felt relaxed.
Then off I went to 7-11, again, which is the most I’ve ever been to a 7-11. I got her a turkey sandwich and a Choclate milk. I got myself a hotdog! Hahaha.
When I got back, she was in her PJs waiting for the food. It held her over for dinner. Se slept and watched some of the football games with me.
At 6:00, we headed down to the afterparty. Much to our surprise, there wasn’t any beef. There was some pasta and curry chicken and salmon. But Victoria really wants a hamburger. Simone (TNT manager) announced that the after party is going to “the Sticky Wicket”. I found out, it was a bar and grill. And they have hamburgers. So after getting a jacket from the room, we headed over there. And sure enough the kitchen was still open. She ordered a Sticky Wicket Burger with fries. Simone saw that and was all “What are you doing?” and Victoria replies, “I need meat!”
We had a great night of dancing and drinking and relaxing. As someone said, “everyone was so tired, but when you get some alcohol in them, they are all Dancing Fools! Coach Tim was hilarious. He enjoyed him self a lot. When we decided togo back to the hotel, he realized we were waiting for him to make sure he got home safe. He takes off out the door and starts running back to the hotel. Of course no one was going to chase him; they were all tired. That left me to go chase him down to make sure he didn’t get lost. When I caught up with him (not too far), he was still beaming of today’s events. He said that everyone finished; 50 out of 50. Usually you get someone who doesn’t know what they are doing, and doesn’t finish on time. But everyone finished in the time limit. He was so proud of this season’s team. He has really enjoyed this season.
He got back to the hotel in 1 piece and I waited for the rest of the group I was with.
And with that, Victoria and I went back to our rooms for the night.
We went down to the lobby and met up with all the other full marathoners. The 1/2 marathoners had left already. They checked in and took a few pictures. The team walked over to the starting line. Victoria Pim and Ron (Pim's significant other) had to finish some other things first. And then we were off. The finish/start line was a mad house! Craziness, people going everywhere.
The countdown began and I ended up being the guy that carried everything. Well I wasn't running so I did.
I went back to the room and hung out for 4 hours. then rushed back out to the finish line. I saw alot of the teammates come rushing through... Todd, Rich, Mike, Pete, Robin and of course Victoria.
Victoria finished and broke down when she finished. She completed it in 4:46, which is on par with her personal record (PR). However, she really wanted to break her PR. But still she did very well. many of the runners were on par, but not breaking their records. But she still did a great job, and so did the entire team.
After the race, Victoria and I went back to the room. She immeadiately started filling up the tub with water and ordered me to 1) get ice, 2) go to 7-11 and get food. I randomly picked floor #10 and there was plenty of ice. I came back down with 2 trashcans of ice. And Victoria was already ready, sitting in the tub. I poured it in and she felt relaxed.
Then off I went to 7-11, again, which is the most I’ve ever been to a 7-11. I got her a turkey sandwich and a Choclate milk. I got myself a hotdog! Hahaha.
When I got back, she was in her PJs waiting for the food. It held her over for dinner. Se slept and watched some of the football games with me.
At 6:00, we headed down to the afterparty. Much to our surprise, there wasn’t any beef. There was some pasta and curry chicken and salmon. But Victoria really wants a hamburger. Simone (TNT manager) announced that the after party is going to “the Sticky Wicket”. I found out, it was a bar and grill. And they have hamburgers. So after getting a jacket from the room, we headed over there. And sure enough the kitchen was still open. She ordered a Sticky Wicket Burger with fries. Simone saw that and was all “What are you doing?” and Victoria replies, “I need meat!”
We had a great night of dancing and drinking and relaxing. As someone said, “everyone was so tired, but when you get some alcohol in them, they are all Dancing Fools! Coach Tim was hilarious. He enjoyed him self a lot. When we decided togo back to the hotel, he realized we were waiting for him to make sure he got home safe. He takes off out the door and starts running back to the hotel. Of course no one was going to chase him; they were all tired. That left me to go chase him down to make sure he didn’t get lost. When I caught up with him (not too far), he was still beaming of today’s events. He said that everyone finished; 50 out of 50. Usually you get someone who doesn’t know what they are doing, and doesn’t finish on time. But everyone finished in the time limit. He was so proud of this season’s team. He has really enjoyed this season.
He got back to the hotel in 1 piece and I waited for the rest of the group I was with.
And with that, Victoria and I went back to our rooms for the night.
O Canada, Day 1 - Addendum; Hockey Country
I forgot to mention... if you didn't know, hockey is BIG here in Canada. It was funny, we went to the bar to watch the MLB playoffs... DENIED. it's hockey season baby.
I wore my Sharks jersey through Victoria. And a few locals complimented me and showed support. It's hockey country baby.
It's also funny, in customs, the security agent started telling us what the score was and giving us updates. Also Funny, the bartender in the bar started talking hockey with me too.
Maybe I should have been Canadian.
I wore my Sharks jersey through Victoria. And a few locals complimented me and showed support. It's hockey country baby.
It's also funny, in customs, the security agent started telling us what the score was and giving us updates. Also Funny, the bartender in the bar started talking hockey with me too.
Maybe I should have been Canadian.
O Canada, Day 1
Victoria and I are off to Canada for the Royal Victoria Marathon and some rest and relaxation. Team and Training has been a major part of our lives. It brought us together, and it's taken us to Canada.
We were out of the house by 8AM. Jerry drove us to SFO. It was pretty easy going through security. Nothing out of the ordinary. Take your computer out, take your shoes off, take all metal off of you (change and belt).
The plane ride was broken into alot of segments. Get on the plane. wait 10 minutes to leave (10 minutes late). Flight for 1 1/2 hours. Then it felt like another 10 minutes driving to the terminal. Depart and through customs. Then the shuttle to the Hotel, which felt like another 30 minutes. Finally arrived and checked in.
Go to the room, and htere were 2 full beds. Let me just say that it is small compared to our bed.
We went off to the Marathon Expo and it was a mad house. Lots of people picking up their bibs and then their shirt. then into the convention. Craziness. Lots of vendors promoting their products and other races. the New balance shopping area was where victoria found her "Run Faster, Victoria" shirt.
We rested for about an hour, then headed down to the TnT pasta party. All the food was really good. i was able to try everything, while Victoria was cautious of what foods to put in her before this run.
Afterward, we went to the hotel bar, where a bunch of us took over the lounge. But we were all cautious... no one (except me) can drink before the run. We told the bartender "don't worry, we will spend alot tomorrow after the run." everyone had an enjoyable talk, sipping their H2O. After everyone left, Victoria and I walked out of the bar and Victoria goes "EEEEEEEE!!!!!" I look over and a little 4 legged creatures takes off running! Yes sir, a mouse had an eye to eye contact with Victoria. Good thing it was just as scared as her. And she didn't go sprinting off.
We returned to our room and prepared for bed. We were to bed early. Rest for the Marathoners as tomorrow is the big day.
We were out of the house by 8AM. Jerry drove us to SFO. It was pretty easy going through security. Nothing out of the ordinary. Take your computer out, take your shoes off, take all metal off of you (change and belt).
The plane ride was broken into alot of segments. Get on the plane. wait 10 minutes to leave (10 minutes late). Flight for 1 1/2 hours. Then it felt like another 10 minutes driving to the terminal. Depart and through customs. Then the shuttle to the Hotel, which felt like another 30 minutes. Finally arrived and checked in.
Go to the room, and htere were 2 full beds. Let me just say that it is small compared to our bed.
We went off to the Marathon Expo and it was a mad house. Lots of people picking up their bibs and then their shirt. then into the convention. Craziness. Lots of vendors promoting their products and other races. the New balance shopping area was where victoria found her "Run Faster, Victoria" shirt.
We rested for about an hour, then headed down to the TnT pasta party. All the food was really good. i was able to try everything, while Victoria was cautious of what foods to put in her before this run.
Afterward, we went to the hotel bar, where a bunch of us took over the lounge. But we were all cautious... no one (except me) can drink before the run. We told the bartender "don't worry, we will spend alot tomorrow after the run." everyone had an enjoyable talk, sipping their H2O. After everyone left, Victoria and I walked out of the bar and Victoria goes "EEEEEEEE!!!!!" I look over and a little 4 legged creatures takes off running! Yes sir, a mouse had an eye to eye contact with Victoria. Good thing it was just as scared as her. And she didn't go sprinting off.
We returned to our room and prepared for bed. We were to bed early. Rest for the Marathoners as tomorrow is the big day.
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