Vancouver baby!!

I spent 30 hours to be exact in Vancouver and I'm totally happy I did that.

I arrived in Vancouver and felt like I had bee hit by a very big airplane. Note to self - using meditation techniques on a plane to aid in sleep is a VERY bad idea... I woke up when we landed being 2AM my time, but only 11PM Vancouver time, which is early by all standards however I could not open my eyes and literally dragged myself off the airplane to the closest bathroom to give myself a slap awake. But it was totally worth it to experience a new city, and one as beautiful as Vancouver.

 My hosts were absolutely phenomenal though and I was picked up from the airport, whisked home and promptly fell asleep in the most comfortable bed ever. I woke up super early opting to make the most out of my one full day in Vancouver and started off with renting a bicycle to cycle around Stanley Park. 

I choice the bike shop based on the yellow color and the fact that it had a basket in the front. I loved its retro-ness. But I discovered that there are many bike shops that hire out bikes - so if you are keen to hire a bike, head on down W Georgia Street towards the park (Denman street in fact)and you will find many shop as you approach the park.

Helmet on and I was off for the 6 mile cycle around Stanley Park. It took me an hour and a half to do because of my love of photos and taking them so I stopped often. You could also walk the park if you prefer. It was so nice out on my bike that I ended up spending 6 hours on it. 

From the park I made my way to the Granville public market. Please read my post "Granville glory" for more on the market.

Still on my bike, I cycled down to China town. Although there is an official designated area, I was surprised by the massive Chinese influence on the city and how often I saw Chinese sign posted shops in many other parts of the city.

In china town I visited the DR. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, which is the largest official Chinese garden outside of China. It was beautiful and a visit I would recommend. I was lucky enough to visit Vancouver while the cherry blossoms were out and this made the garden that much more beautiful.

By the time I returned my bike, my coccyx were not my biggest fan and I'm sure they'll be saying hi when I cycle across the Golden Gate later today.

Happy to be on foot, I caught a bus up to Grouse Mountain. Public transport is so accessible in Vancouver that the trip up to the Skyride was easy and very pleasant.

It is amazing that with such a relatively warm city like Vancouver, Grouse mountain had loads of snow on and the slopes were still open and being widely used.

The view from the top is incredible and I imagined what it would have been like in a Pocahontas type world with the natives watching colonizers enter their world.

They have a bear sanctuary at the top of Grouse Mountain and is a treat to see two bears having a good old winter sleep. I also saw their wolf sanctuary where 3 retired actors currently live.

If I had a little more time I would definitely have come up the mountain with a snowboard in hand and given the mountain my full attention for a day or two.

I met the youngest most vibrant 64 year old ever who had hiked up the mountain. Current the hikes are closed to the general public, but it sounds like the thing to do if you have a little more time in Vancouver than what I did. However you must be warned - there are loads of bears, coyotes and cougars (not the kind you find at Baron on Main hunting the young man - but actual mountain lions). My new friend was telling me about her run in with a bear and the necessity of wearing bear bells while hiking. This tweaked my interest and I am definitely planning on making my way back to Grouse mountain for a hike during the summer time.
                                   
All in all it was a super jam packed day... And Vancouver currently tops my list of cities I most want to live in / visit again.