I also need to get more basic provisions in for my existence of living in a van. In one of the shops I found a torch that would be essential. I put it in the shopping basket with the batteries it required. When I got to the till I was most impressed with the lady who served me. She pointed out that this model couldn't be opened to insert the batteries. I examined it, and true to her word the whole thing had been glued together. How daft! She was a Ukrainian lady, with a ready smile, who kept apologising because of her English. Can't be any worse than mine I thought. She found me a suitable replacement. How kind and honest.
I returned to my room to deal with some emails, and then thought I'd drive over to North Vancouver to get a feel for what it was like over there. It would be a useful exercise too since the following morning I would have to drive that way to get to the Sunshine Coast, and I needed to have a feel for the time involved in traversing the city. Whilst over there I tried to work my way higher up the slopes of Grouse Mountain to try and get a view of downtown Vancouver across the inlet. However the suburbs in North Vancouver were totally different to their southern counterparts, which were sprawling random collections of shops, coffee houses, eating establishments and small businesses. North Vancouver suburbs were almost forest like, trees and shrubs everywhere. As for my view across the inlet, all I could see was trees. This was a south facing district, so people must have paid a premium to live there. In my drive I came across a secondary school that was disgorging its scholars after their hard day of learning. It amused me to note that, like their British counterparts, they all casually trundled home without coats in the pouring down rain.
Lions Gate Bridge leading to North Vancouver |
Another Raccoon |
Mounties Aren't What They Used to Be |
The pub also offered beers from all around the world. The British representatives were: Guinness, Newcastle Brown Ale, Speckled Hen and Fullers London Pride. The barman couldn't give me an explanation as to why the foreign beers were the same price as the local beers. I didn't stay long since I knew I wanted to be up at 5am to get one of the early ferries along the Sunshine Coast. Walking through the rain back to the hotel, I reflected a little on Vancouver. Its people seem a little reserved, but are easy to talk to once the ice is broken, and they were a kind and courteous bunch. They were nearly all fitness fanatics; all shapes, sizes and ages out jogging, cycling or roller blading. The city itself really grew on me. A cosy, intimate city, unassuming but plenty going on in the different compact districts. I could easily live here, probably more preferable than Seattle or San Francisco.