There's no place like home

Last day in Vancouver, last day away from home but need to make the day count since I wasn't flying out until 11.40pm.

Got on the Big Bus, a hop on hop off bus that gives you commentary as driving along. I was a bit chilly to start with and the outside seats of the bus were wet to begin the day so looks like the company isn't that organised.

The bus drove through the "ritzy" area of Vancouver (Westend) and I thought it was going to tour through Stanley Park too but I misread the fineprint and apparently they only do that in their peak summer season!


I got off the bus at the Vancouver Aquarium and the displays and animals were excellent. I was lucky to catch the talks on the dolphins, otters, seals & sea lions and the beluga whales! All good.

Got back on the bus as it toured around much of the city (didn't do the Art Gallery loop since there was a demonstration on there [something about capitalism]) and took the bus down to Granville Island. This is a market type of neighbourhood with lots of arts shops and organisations as well as general tourist shops and also a fresh food market. It has a really nice atmosphere.

I decided to take a normal city bus back into the centre of Vancouver because I wasn't sure of the frequency of the Big Bus (They were coming at half hour intervals, but I wouldn't know whether I'd just missed one or if one was due any minute)

Got off the bus at Gastown (Named after "Gassy" Jack Deighton [I hate to think how he got THAT name] who established the areas first saloon [read Pub]) and looked around. There are a lot of tourist kinds of shops here and I'd noticed on my bus tour earlier that there was a shop that sold Waffles and Maple Syrup and I had still not had that yet and was about to leave. Did a little shopping, waffles were very nice and then started walking in the general direction of my hotel.

On the way, Walked down Robson Road to kill some time as it was 6.00pm and I wasn't being picked up from the hotel until 8.30pm. I also noticed a Safeway (Like Coles & Woolies) store on Robson and was still to get Jenn's Turtles (haven't seen them anywhere yet, no not real turtles, they are chocolates [Jenn and turtles in the one sentence, of course they're chocolates!). Found turtles (Yay!) and made my way back to the hotel via a stop for dinner.

This has been a really long trip but has been an incredible experience. Wish Jenn had come, but I reckon I'll have more luck next time. I'll be so glad to be home surrounded by family and with everything familiar. I've seen some excellent things and enjoyed avery minute, but at the end of it all, those we care about are those we want to be with and have around us.

Yes Dorothy, there's no place like home, but not in Kansas. The places I've been have been so different in many ways to home but in my humble opinion, we are very lucky to live where we are and to enjoy the lifestyle we lead. The glittering jewel that is Sydney can not be surpassed and in our humble little hamlet of Bonnyrigg we have all that we could want or could need.