Hard to believe Christmas is now well and truely over for another year!
While everyone may have had a great Christmas, this year there was no Christmas for me.
I worked right up until Christmas but managed to have Christmas and Boxing Days off before working another 2 days before flying out.
Instead of spending my Christmas day packing, I spent it recovering from a sore forehead above my left eye caused by my violent dementia father as soon as I arrived back home on Christmas eve as he pushed me ( not the first time either) against a wall near a bedroom door. I have had to put up with his violent behaviour and barricading of all entrance/exits to the apartment for many months now. I threatened to call the police on several occasions and all my sister could say was what would they do ? - he has dementia . After Boxing Day he was sent to a respite home which is nowhere near where we live - I wished this had been done sooner. He needed a proper full assessment and treatment for his condition. I have had to lock up every room in the apartment - the bathroom otherwise he would mess it up in the middle of the night. The kitchen as he would lock it from the inside and no one would be able to get in to it. Also all my food has to be locked up in a paddlocked mesh bag in the fridge and containers in the freezer gladwrapped over to prevent him from going through it all, moving , stealing and destroying my food - he would select and remove my most expensive food items from the freezer and defrost all of it leaving the cheaper items of raw food behind. I would often purchase expensive gourmet items of food and be cooking them only to turn my back and find he has selected and eaten the best items of food and left me with the cheapest items of food . I made myself a special birthday breakfast ( second batch of same item he stole and ate) only to turn my back to get something and find my entire birthday breakfast had been destroyed by him. I purchased a third batch of the same item before Christmas watch it like a hawk but it wasn't even the same as the original sample I tasted before purchasing quality and taste wise. Total waste of my time and money!
To make matters worse on Christmas eve , I arrived home to find my beloved stuff possum which is a collectable 25 year old missing from my room. He was to be packed to go away with me and my travel diary missing ( remember the gift voucher I won? This diary was what I purchased with part of it) that contained my entire itinerary. I phoned my sister and found that her kids had hidden the diary in one of my suitcases and taken the possum. I was livid until I discovered what they did to my entire travel diary when I looked inside - they had graffitied on almosr every single page of it. I texted my sister and swore like hell - how could they? My sister apologised but was there anything else they stole? She said that it was only a stuffed animal and that I could always purchase a new diary. 2 irreplaceable items a retired collectable 25 year old stuffed possum and a limited edition travel diary that was part of a prize? How dare she! It was Christmas day - where was I going to purchase a new diary and rewrite its contents? I have to work , pack & leave in 3 days time! So she accused me of other things not even responding to my text requesting me to personally picking up my stuffed possum from her place. Lucky the stuffed possum showed up on Thursday while I was at work but not without my stuff I had started to pack being thrown around - one of my water shoes had been hidden. I spent the entire afternoon on Christmas day placing sticky white pages over the graffitied pages of my travel diary and re - ruling all the lines as well as covering up any scrible that could not be covered up with the white sticky paper. It took me hours! I should have been packing and making myself a Christmas lunch.
I had to leave a lot of stuff behind as I did not have time to pack properly. The only thing I managed to include in my carry on as snacks was my work colleagues large block of Haighs milk chocolate - no time to grab my tim tams or other snack items.
I didn't even have time to empty the rubbish bin before I left but managed to clean the fridge out and wash my clothes.
Saturday 29th December 2018 - Day 1
I am finally leaving Sydney. I had booked a taxi for 8.30 am but had to delay it until 9 am as I was no where near ready to head for the airport. Luckily my flight wasn't until 12.15 pm that day.
Once at the airport the taxi driver was great - tip # 1 Always book RSL Cabs for a taxi to the airport. They are always on time or even a little early and courteous. Never book Silver Service or Taxis Combined if you use them be sure to make 2 bookings as cancellation or no shows are common with them. If you book a RSL cab in advance it guarantees you a cab. I booked mine at least a few days in advance.
Get to the airport a full 3 hours in advance - it takes so long to check in. I checked in online and still had to check in at a concession at the airport then drop my bags off. It took me at least 2 hours to do so - problems with printing bag tags and then you have to go to drop skis and snowboards off at oversized luggage. Main suitcase just on the 23 kg limit per bag, snowboarding bag is always under. You are allowed 2 pieces of checked in luggage each weighing a maximum weight of 23 kg per piece flying Air Canada to North America Economy therefore stuff your helmet goggles ski gloves and ski clothing into your ski bag. Ski boots if they fit into your ski bag not recommended as they get damaged - I always place them inside my main checked in suitcase which is hardcased however a few passengers prefer to check in or carry on a separate boot bag - I find this too risky.
Next onto security which is getting quicker due to automation but still the dreaded security check - laptops out shoes off ( mine have a metal core through their soles) all liquids and gels out jackets off and drink or throw out all your bottled water. I'm clean but why do I always seem to get pulled aside and swipped? - no drugs or explosives on me!
A sprint to gate 30 only enough time to withdraw AUS$100 from the nearest ATM ( no guarantee it is a bank ATM) and purchase a sandwich 2 bottles of water and a packet of chips for the plane. A quick reorganisation of my carry on stuff. Onto the plane - yes a spare seat between a little boy who was only intetested in drinking sprite and playing with his electronic devices for the entire 14 or so hour journey - more concerning where were his parents - he was far too young to be travelling on his own! There was absolutely no contact with his parents the entire journey. And they told me it was a full plane! I did manage to have a little sleep however the little boy next to the window did not sleep at all - must have been all that Sprite I watched him order and drink!
Meals on board the plane - oh dear . Skip the fruit and salad as it isn't fresh and avoided the minute maid orange juice. I bought my own berries and borocca. Tip # 2 borrocca taken at breakfast does help with jetlag.
Gate 30 on time boarding and surprise the flight arrived in Vancouver about 23 minutes early at gate 50 - a long walk to customs clearance and baggage claim. Which took forever and when my bag did appear on the luggage carousel I could not grab it as it was stacked on top of 2 other suitcases so I asked a gentleman near me for some help - take 2 with some help this time successfully grabbed my main suitcase off the luggage carousel. Onto pick up my awaiting snowboarding bag - at least it was quick to appear. My theory of last in first out for luggage was incorrect!
Luggage on a cart off I head to the taxi rank outside Vancouver International Airport to the HI Downtown Vancouver .
It usually cost CAN$35 from Vancouver Airport to downtown Vancouver. It actually cost me CAN$31 but I gave the taxi driver a $4 Tip ( he didn't deserve it as he would not even take my luggage across the road to where I am staying - other taxi drivers do)
The hostel is extremely quiet this year - where were all the Aussies and Germs? I split my payment into 3 lots . First lot CAN$500 second lot AUS$200 and the balance I came down to pay later. The hostel was quiet for a reason and there will be quite a few unhappy tourists regarding this change implemented which I was unaware of until I went to check in. Ok so I made sure my first booking was no longer then the maximum stay allowed ie 21 days. I also made a second booking for another 6 days a week later after I return from Whistler and fly back to Sydney . I did these bookings online months in advanced and it did not require anything more then a credit card number to secure the bookings - 2 confirmation or reservation numbers received. However when I arrived reception could not see my second booking - reason - you cannot make another booking less then 2 months from your previous booking, their system picks it up. I was asked if I wanted to stay at the other hostel HI Vancouver Central on Granville Street - no way it is horrible there (having stayed there before! ) So I had to wait until I got approval from management but wait they are not in until Monday between 10 am and 6 pm . How inconvenient I have to organise a local sim card renew my YMCA membership, go to the bank and top up my compass card. If I have to wait until Monday so be it.
I was able to check into my room straight away around 9 am by the time I dragged all my luggage up to the 4th floor room 419. I did not do much except sleep most of the day. I wasn't jet lagged I just didn't want to do anything or see anyone (yes I did have a shower upon arrival) My roommate checked in later that day but she went out. It has only been the two of us in the room since the 29th December 2018 which is nice as we both have heaps of luggage!
I paid the balance in CAN$ in advance of this stay and my stay after returning from Whistler pending management approval of my second stay.
I dragged myself to the Independent Supermarket down the road on Davie Street for some basic groceries with my first meal from there of a bowl of hot turkey and vegetable soup with barley. Enough to fill me up and keep me warm for now.
Sunday 30th December 2018 - Day 2
Another do nothing much day except sleep in and chill . Needed a few more groceries if not anything else so ventured down a little further to the IGA on Burrard Street (formally Marketplace ) to purchase a slice of pumpkin pie then a little further still to Wholefoods on Robson Street still mindful of my budget. At Wholefoods I purchase my second takeaway meal Turkey , gravy and vegetables. I was hungry therefore ate the meal seated outside Wholefoods. I continued further down Robson Street to Safeway Supermarket then on the way back to Chocolate Mousse Kitchen and Tim Hortons to find out if I still had any money left on my Tim card for an emergency meal or snack - yep enough credit left for a snack!
Tried to get a local sim card for my new entry level Samsung J2 Pro phone straight out of it's box. No idea what to expect as I am use to my top end Samsung Note phone.
OK so Fido did not recommend their prepaid sim card as data is very expensive therefore I went to London Drugs on Robson St who recommended Chatr ( a subsidiary of Fido which is a subsidiary of Rogers) or Public Mobile ( a subsidiary of Telus) - yes everyone is piggybacking off everyone's mobile networks! I decided to go with Public Mobile although both it and Chatr are 3G networks only. Usually I am a Rogers customer and only tried Fido once (never again) which are 4G networks but took another risk this time round. With 8Gb of data included and unlimited mobile and text messaging for 1 month for CAN$56 including taxes what have I got to lose? I'll never never know if I don't give it a go! Unfortunately when trying to activate the sim card it timed out therefore I asked for a refund and will return to try again tomorrow morning. Another day without communication! I was using my Telstra account on global roaming for day 1 of my stay but don't want to do this too often as it cost an extra Aus$10 per day!
Last stop for the day was the YMCA on Burrard Street to renew my membership or at least inquire. Instead I received a 12 day trial pass valid until 10th January 2019 which was the free promo. I decided to come back after the 1st January 2019 as the YMCA usually has a no joining free promo in January.
Monday 31st December 2018 - Day 3
Management has approved of my final stay with no extensions - so they should as I have to fly home and go back to work.
Must do a little more grocery shopping today and head to the bank and retry sim card activation again before the shops close early tonight due to NYE.
First the bank. I had to go to the Scotia Bank 3 times before my account was ok to use! First time my account was overdrawn as the wrong type of account was selected. I was then told the bank did not accept foreign currency therefore I had to walk all the way back to find a foreign currency exchange bureau. Tip #3 - use Charlie's Currency Exhange on Granville Street they give the best rates better then cash rate at the bank - the Germans told me about it!
Done back to the nearest Scotia bank to deposit my cash. Done however I decide to use the ATM and it didn't work so off I go back to the bank before it closed at 3 pm today. My account was not linked properly by the first bank teller who also told me the bank did not accept foreign currency into accounts! Ok now working with a small test withdrawal of CAN$20 - laundry money I will need tomorrow!
Luckily success with the second atrempt at the London Drugs store on Granville with the activation of my Public Mobile sim card.
Onto the YMCA to renew my membership. Not quite ready to join up as the payment dates and January no joining fee promotion has not started yet therefore given a 12 day trial pass which I did not end up using. - sorry can't remember which day I went to the YMCA to receive the free 12 day trial pass.
Skip to the NYE in Vancouver 9 pm fireworks I have uploaded onto Youtube to watch.
The 9 pm kid's fireworks are always better then the midnight ones therefore this year I decided not to walk all the way back to see them. Nor did I do my midnight movie this year as there wasn't much on this year at the Scotia Theatre on Burrard Street. Kid's fireworks lasted exactly 5 minutes this year and the midnight fireworks lasted 10 minutes. Seen one fireworks seen them all - the fireworks in Vancouver cannot compare to the Sydney fireworks!
Happy New Year Everyone! Let's hope 2019 is a better year then my shocking 2018 year.
Tuesday 1st January 2019 - Day 4
Happy New Year or should I say Happy 99th Polar Bear Swim!
Yep I did it again this year - loads of debate on whether this year was the 99th Polar Bear Swim or actually the 100th. It certainly wasn't the 53rd that I was told! Who's bad at maths!
I wore my Aussie flag and it was a quick run in and out - straight to the change rooms.
A bit of pre swim entertainment (refer my short Youtube video uploaded) - the costumes become more flamboyant each year!
Refer my photos on my Facebook page.
On my way back to the HI I stopped off to purchase the KFC Tuesday special of 2 pieces of chicken and a small fries. I ate the meal but used the bones and skin to make up a stock for my chicken and vegetable soup the following day - budget conscious.
Somewhere along the way I also pouches a nice piece of salmon and spinach leaves for a meal using the poaching liquid which had a touch of garlic butter added to it as a base liquid before throwing in the KFC bones and skin, straining it and cooling it.
Wednesday 2nd January 2019 - Day 5
After renewing my membership today at the YMCA which expires on 6th February ( crazy system with change in billing cycles and membership start and end dates ) , I spent my afternoon in the hot tub and pool there thinking that there was an aquafit class at 5.30 pm but it had been cancelled from the original pool schedule. I went back to the HI and had a hot shower, ate some of my chicken grains and vegetable soup and a sandwich I had prepared earlier then went to bed.
Thursday 3rd January 2019 - Day 6
I went back to the YMCA at around 10 am this morning for my first gentle aquatic class. I sat in the hot tub again and the annual regulars were there but I was wondering if I would see Mr Chatterbox again from last year - I will know who he is as he likes to go around talking to the ladies.
Yep 15 minutes before class starts he makes his way down the stairs of the Mens Plus change rooms heads to the hot tub before heading to the pool to join everyone else taking the aquafit class.
The class is 45 minutes long but you can go as soft or as hard as you like. It is not as easy as it seems there is a lot of balance strength and co ordination involved in the moves. I work out hard and push my body which makes me feel tired when I finish the class therefore I head straight to the hot tub. Shower then back to HI for some lunch.
Somewhere between my grocery shopping adventures I also purchased another takeaway meal from Safeway - stir fried vegetables, stir fried rice noodles, chicken with black beans, curry chicken and fried chilli chicken - the true Cantonese style of cooking I grew up with and not the unidentifiable mainland Chinese cuisine or fusion Chinese cooking that is available today.
I also purchased a loaf of whole wheat bread sliced thickly from Cobs (known as Bakers Delight in Australia). Try the gingerbread scone - seasonal deliciousness probably not available back home!
Friday 4th January 2019 - Day 7
I been on holidays now for a full week but have hardly done anything.
Again I went to a shallow aquatic class at the YMCA today. Some of the moves were really difficult. Again hot tub shower and back to the GI to catch up on my blogging. Almost caught up now.
My Brazilian roommate left early this morning at 6.30 am to head to Whitehorse. The night before she packed intensively as she spent the last 2 days of her holiday in Vancouver shopping. She had 2 large suitcases and a large backpack. Most of the stuff she purchased was for her grandson but she purchased a spiralizer for herself- damn should have packed mine! She carefully weight her largest suitcase . Tip # 4 - I suggested this to her as I didn't want her to get stuck the next morning with all her luggage. In case the lift malfunctions too you don't want to have to lug 2 x 20 kg suit cases down 4 flights of stairs at 6 am in the morning. Therefore pack everything except your carry on and take it all downstairs the night before you are departing to be stored by reception in the luggage storage room. That way you won't have any problems the next morning.
I was surprised that my roommate gave me a small gift last night and wanted to keep in touch on Facebook. Done. My very first new friend for 2019!
Tried to make it out to Stanley Park to see the Bright Lights before it enfs tomortow night around 4 pm but as soon as I stepped out it started to rain again so I purchased a lamb and tabouli pita (once is enough - we use real lamb in Sydney and real tabouli this tasted like reconstituted stuff and why is the hummus red? It is meant to be white. Since when did lamb taste like unidentified sausage meat? and hot sauce too much poured on! Overall 5/10 not worth CAN$10 including a soft drink or water - I took the bottle of water - probably needed to wash the taste out of your mouth!)
It stopped raining so I made a decision to take the bus to Stanley Park to see the Bright Lights and go in the train. I got as far as checking my balance on my Compass card at Burrard Station - gee CAN$3 I better top it up with another CAN$20. I then walk down to West Pender Street and wait for the number 19 bus to Stanley Park. It wasn't long before the bus arrived but as i alighted at Stanley Park it started to rain again but I still purchased a ticket for the next train ride and there was one waiting and no queue ( a different story after I alighted the train and it started to pour with rain) . I didn't mind if it rained a little as it was all undercover on the train. Bargain - the train rides had been discounted to CAN$6.50 per adult. Whilst on the train it started to rain more and more heavily. The lights were still so pretty though accompanied to music.
I didn't do Stanley Park's Bright Lights on my last visit as I went to Le Farge Lake and Van Dusen Gardens instead. This year I will probably give both a miss. Both locations out of town and too difficult to get to.
I have videoed and photographed the lights however because it was raining and this entry level phone is not water proof, the video and photos were all taken on my Note phone.
Apologies.
Here are some photos sorry they are a bit late
While everyone may have had a great Christmas, this year there was no Christmas for me.
I worked right up until Christmas but managed to have Christmas and Boxing Days off before working another 2 days before flying out.
Instead of spending my Christmas day packing, I spent it recovering from a sore forehead above my left eye caused by my violent dementia father as soon as I arrived back home on Christmas eve as he pushed me ( not the first time either) against a wall near a bedroom door. I have had to put up with his violent behaviour and barricading of all entrance/exits to the apartment for many months now. I threatened to call the police on several occasions and all my sister could say was what would they do ? - he has dementia . After Boxing Day he was sent to a respite home which is nowhere near where we live - I wished this had been done sooner. He needed a proper full assessment and treatment for his condition. I have had to lock up every room in the apartment - the bathroom otherwise he would mess it up in the middle of the night. The kitchen as he would lock it from the inside and no one would be able to get in to it. Also all my food has to be locked up in a paddlocked mesh bag in the fridge and containers in the freezer gladwrapped over to prevent him from going through it all, moving , stealing and destroying my food - he would select and remove my most expensive food items from the freezer and defrost all of it leaving the cheaper items of raw food behind. I would often purchase expensive gourmet items of food and be cooking them only to turn my back and find he has selected and eaten the best items of food and left me with the cheapest items of food . I made myself a special birthday breakfast ( second batch of same item he stole and ate) only to turn my back to get something and find my entire birthday breakfast had been destroyed by him. I purchased a third batch of the same item before Christmas watch it like a hawk but it wasn't even the same as the original sample I tasted before purchasing quality and taste wise. Total waste of my time and money!
To make matters worse on Christmas eve , I arrived home to find my beloved stuff possum which is a collectable 25 year old missing from my room. He was to be packed to go away with me and my travel diary missing ( remember the gift voucher I won? This diary was what I purchased with part of it) that contained my entire itinerary. I phoned my sister and found that her kids had hidden the diary in one of my suitcases and taken the possum. I was livid until I discovered what they did to my entire travel diary when I looked inside - they had graffitied on almosr every single page of it. I texted my sister and swore like hell - how could they? My sister apologised but was there anything else they stole? She said that it was only a stuffed animal and that I could always purchase a new diary. 2 irreplaceable items a retired collectable 25 year old stuffed possum and a limited edition travel diary that was part of a prize? How dare she! It was Christmas day - where was I going to purchase a new diary and rewrite its contents? I have to work , pack & leave in 3 days time! So she accused me of other things not even responding to my text requesting me to personally picking up my stuffed possum from her place. Lucky the stuffed possum showed up on Thursday while I was at work but not without my stuff I had started to pack being thrown around - one of my water shoes had been hidden. I spent the entire afternoon on Christmas day placing sticky white pages over the graffitied pages of my travel diary and re - ruling all the lines as well as covering up any scrible that could not be covered up with the white sticky paper. It took me hours! I should have been packing and making myself a Christmas lunch.
I had to leave a lot of stuff behind as I did not have time to pack properly. The only thing I managed to include in my carry on as snacks was my work colleagues large block of Haighs milk chocolate - no time to grab my tim tams or other snack items.
I didn't even have time to empty the rubbish bin before I left but managed to clean the fridge out and wash my clothes.
Saturday 29th December 2018 - Day 1
I am finally leaving Sydney. I had booked a taxi for 8.30 am but had to delay it until 9 am as I was no where near ready to head for the airport. Luckily my flight wasn't until 12.15 pm that day.
Once at the airport the taxi driver was great - tip # 1 Always book RSL Cabs for a taxi to the airport. They are always on time or even a little early and courteous. Never book Silver Service or Taxis Combined if you use them be sure to make 2 bookings as cancellation or no shows are common with them. If you book a RSL cab in advance it guarantees you a cab. I booked mine at least a few days in advance.
Get to the airport a full 3 hours in advance - it takes so long to check in. I checked in online and still had to check in at a concession at the airport then drop my bags off. It took me at least 2 hours to do so - problems with printing bag tags and then you have to go to drop skis and snowboards off at oversized luggage. Main suitcase just on the 23 kg limit per bag, snowboarding bag is always under. You are allowed 2 pieces of checked in luggage each weighing a maximum weight of 23 kg per piece flying Air Canada to North America Economy therefore stuff your helmet goggles ski gloves and ski clothing into your ski bag. Ski boots if they fit into your ski bag not recommended as they get damaged - I always place them inside my main checked in suitcase which is hardcased however a few passengers prefer to check in or carry on a separate boot bag - I find this too risky.
Next onto security which is getting quicker due to automation but still the dreaded security check - laptops out shoes off ( mine have a metal core through their soles) all liquids and gels out jackets off and drink or throw out all your bottled water. I'm clean but why do I always seem to get pulled aside and swipped? - no drugs or explosives on me!
A sprint to gate 30 only enough time to withdraw AUS$100 from the nearest ATM ( no guarantee it is a bank ATM) and purchase a sandwich 2 bottles of water and a packet of chips for the plane. A quick reorganisation of my carry on stuff. Onto the plane - yes a spare seat between a little boy who was only intetested in drinking sprite and playing with his electronic devices for the entire 14 or so hour journey - more concerning where were his parents - he was far too young to be travelling on his own! There was absolutely no contact with his parents the entire journey. And they told me it was a full plane! I did manage to have a little sleep however the little boy next to the window did not sleep at all - must have been all that Sprite I watched him order and drink!
Meals on board the plane - oh dear . Skip the fruit and salad as it isn't fresh and avoided the minute maid orange juice. I bought my own berries and borocca. Tip # 2 borrocca taken at breakfast does help with jetlag.
Gate 30 on time boarding and surprise the flight arrived in Vancouver about 23 minutes early at gate 50 - a long walk to customs clearance and baggage claim. Which took forever and when my bag did appear on the luggage carousel I could not grab it as it was stacked on top of 2 other suitcases so I asked a gentleman near me for some help - take 2 with some help this time successfully grabbed my main suitcase off the luggage carousel. Onto pick up my awaiting snowboarding bag - at least it was quick to appear. My theory of last in first out for luggage was incorrect!
Luggage on a cart off I head to the taxi rank outside Vancouver International Airport to the HI Downtown Vancouver .
It usually cost CAN$35 from Vancouver Airport to downtown Vancouver. It actually cost me CAN$31 but I gave the taxi driver a $4 Tip ( he didn't deserve it as he would not even take my luggage across the road to where I am staying - other taxi drivers do)
The hostel is extremely quiet this year - where were all the Aussies and Germs? I split my payment into 3 lots . First lot CAN$500 second lot AUS$200 and the balance I came down to pay later. The hostel was quiet for a reason and there will be quite a few unhappy tourists regarding this change implemented which I was unaware of until I went to check in. Ok so I made sure my first booking was no longer then the maximum stay allowed ie 21 days. I also made a second booking for another 6 days a week later after I return from Whistler and fly back to Sydney . I did these bookings online months in advanced and it did not require anything more then a credit card number to secure the bookings - 2 confirmation or reservation numbers received. However when I arrived reception could not see my second booking - reason - you cannot make another booking less then 2 months from your previous booking, their system picks it up. I was asked if I wanted to stay at the other hostel HI Vancouver Central on Granville Street - no way it is horrible there (having stayed there before! ) So I had to wait until I got approval from management but wait they are not in until Monday between 10 am and 6 pm . How inconvenient I have to organise a local sim card renew my YMCA membership, go to the bank and top up my compass card. If I have to wait until Monday so be it.
I was able to check into my room straight away around 9 am by the time I dragged all my luggage up to the 4th floor room 419. I did not do much except sleep most of the day. I wasn't jet lagged I just didn't want to do anything or see anyone (yes I did have a shower upon arrival) My roommate checked in later that day but she went out. It has only been the two of us in the room since the 29th December 2018 which is nice as we both have heaps of luggage!
I paid the balance in CAN$ in advance of this stay and my stay after returning from Whistler pending management approval of my second stay.
I dragged myself to the Independent Supermarket down the road on Davie Street for some basic groceries with my first meal from there of a bowl of hot turkey and vegetable soup with barley. Enough to fill me up and keep me warm for now.
Sunday 30th December 2018 - Day 2
Another do nothing much day except sleep in and chill . Needed a few more groceries if not anything else so ventured down a little further to the IGA on Burrard Street (formally Marketplace ) to purchase a slice of pumpkin pie then a little further still to Wholefoods on Robson Street still mindful of my budget. At Wholefoods I purchase my second takeaway meal Turkey , gravy and vegetables. I was hungry therefore ate the meal seated outside Wholefoods. I continued further down Robson Street to Safeway Supermarket then on the way back to Chocolate Mousse Kitchen and Tim Hortons to find out if I still had any money left on my Tim card for an emergency meal or snack - yep enough credit left for a snack!
Tried to get a local sim card for my new entry level Samsung J2 Pro phone straight out of it's box. No idea what to expect as I am use to my top end Samsung Note phone.
OK so Fido did not recommend their prepaid sim card as data is very expensive therefore I went to London Drugs on Robson St who recommended Chatr ( a subsidiary of Fido which is a subsidiary of Rogers) or Public Mobile ( a subsidiary of Telus) - yes everyone is piggybacking off everyone's mobile networks! I decided to go with Public Mobile although both it and Chatr are 3G networks only. Usually I am a Rogers customer and only tried Fido once (never again) which are 4G networks but took another risk this time round. With 8Gb of data included and unlimited mobile and text messaging for 1 month for CAN$56 including taxes what have I got to lose? I'll never never know if I don't give it a go! Unfortunately when trying to activate the sim card it timed out therefore I asked for a refund and will return to try again tomorrow morning. Another day without communication! I was using my Telstra account on global roaming for day 1 of my stay but don't want to do this too often as it cost an extra Aus$10 per day!
Last stop for the day was the YMCA on Burrard Street to renew my membership or at least inquire. Instead I received a 12 day trial pass valid until 10th January 2019 which was the free promo. I decided to come back after the 1st January 2019 as the YMCA usually has a no joining free promo in January.
Monday 31st December 2018 - Day 3
Management has approved of my final stay with no extensions - so they should as I have to fly home and go back to work.
Must do a little more grocery shopping today and head to the bank and retry sim card activation again before the shops close early tonight due to NYE.
First the bank. I had to go to the Scotia Bank 3 times before my account was ok to use! First time my account was overdrawn as the wrong type of account was selected. I was then told the bank did not accept foreign currency therefore I had to walk all the way back to find a foreign currency exchange bureau. Tip #3 - use Charlie's Currency Exhange on Granville Street they give the best rates better then cash rate at the bank - the Germans told me about it!
Done back to the nearest Scotia bank to deposit my cash. Done however I decide to use the ATM and it didn't work so off I go back to the bank before it closed at 3 pm today. My account was not linked properly by the first bank teller who also told me the bank did not accept foreign currency into accounts! Ok now working with a small test withdrawal of CAN$20 - laundry money I will need tomorrow!
Luckily success with the second atrempt at the London Drugs store on Granville with the activation of my Public Mobile sim card.
Onto the YMCA to renew my membership. Not quite ready to join up as the payment dates and January no joining fee promotion has not started yet therefore given a 12 day trial pass which I did not end up using. - sorry can't remember which day I went to the YMCA to receive the free 12 day trial pass.
Skip to the NYE in Vancouver 9 pm fireworks I have uploaded onto Youtube to watch.
The 9 pm kid's fireworks are always better then the midnight ones therefore this year I decided not to walk all the way back to see them. Nor did I do my midnight movie this year as there wasn't much on this year at the Scotia Theatre on Burrard Street. Kid's fireworks lasted exactly 5 minutes this year and the midnight fireworks lasted 10 minutes. Seen one fireworks seen them all - the fireworks in Vancouver cannot compare to the Sydney fireworks!
Happy New Year Everyone! Let's hope 2019 is a better year then my shocking 2018 year.
Tuesday 1st January 2019 - Day 4
Happy New Year or should I say Happy 99th Polar Bear Swim!
Yep I did it again this year - loads of debate on whether this year was the 99th Polar Bear Swim or actually the 100th. It certainly wasn't the 53rd that I was told! Who's bad at maths!
I wore my Aussie flag and it was a quick run in and out - straight to the change rooms.
A bit of pre swim entertainment (refer my short Youtube video uploaded) - the costumes become more flamboyant each year!
Refer my photos on my Facebook page.
On my way back to the HI I stopped off to purchase the KFC Tuesday special of 2 pieces of chicken and a small fries. I ate the meal but used the bones and skin to make up a stock for my chicken and vegetable soup the following day - budget conscious.
Somewhere along the way I also pouches a nice piece of salmon and spinach leaves for a meal using the poaching liquid which had a touch of garlic butter added to it as a base liquid before throwing in the KFC bones and skin, straining it and cooling it.
Wednesday 2nd January 2019 - Day 5
After renewing my membership today at the YMCA which expires on 6th February ( crazy system with change in billing cycles and membership start and end dates ) , I spent my afternoon in the hot tub and pool there thinking that there was an aquafit class at 5.30 pm but it had been cancelled from the original pool schedule. I went back to the HI and had a hot shower, ate some of my chicken grains and vegetable soup and a sandwich I had prepared earlier then went to bed.
Thursday 3rd January 2019 - Day 6
I went back to the YMCA at around 10 am this morning for my first gentle aquatic class. I sat in the hot tub again and the annual regulars were there but I was wondering if I would see Mr Chatterbox again from last year - I will know who he is as he likes to go around talking to the ladies.
Yep 15 minutes before class starts he makes his way down the stairs of the Mens Plus change rooms heads to the hot tub before heading to the pool to join everyone else taking the aquafit class.
The class is 45 minutes long but you can go as soft or as hard as you like. It is not as easy as it seems there is a lot of balance strength and co ordination involved in the moves. I work out hard and push my body which makes me feel tired when I finish the class therefore I head straight to the hot tub. Shower then back to HI for some lunch.
Somewhere between my grocery shopping adventures I also purchased another takeaway meal from Safeway - stir fried vegetables, stir fried rice noodles, chicken with black beans, curry chicken and fried chilli chicken - the true Cantonese style of cooking I grew up with and not the unidentifiable mainland Chinese cuisine or fusion Chinese cooking that is available today.
I also purchased a loaf of whole wheat bread sliced thickly from Cobs (known as Bakers Delight in Australia). Try the gingerbread scone - seasonal deliciousness probably not available back home!
Friday 4th January 2019 - Day 7
I been on holidays now for a full week but have hardly done anything.
Again I went to a shallow aquatic class at the YMCA today. Some of the moves were really difficult. Again hot tub shower and back to the GI to catch up on my blogging. Almost caught up now.
My Brazilian roommate left early this morning at 6.30 am to head to Whitehorse. The night before she packed intensively as she spent the last 2 days of her holiday in Vancouver shopping. She had 2 large suitcases and a large backpack. Most of the stuff she purchased was for her grandson but she purchased a spiralizer for herself- damn should have packed mine! She carefully weight her largest suitcase . Tip # 4 - I suggested this to her as I didn't want her to get stuck the next morning with all her luggage. In case the lift malfunctions too you don't want to have to lug 2 x 20 kg suit cases down 4 flights of stairs at 6 am in the morning. Therefore pack everything except your carry on and take it all downstairs the night before you are departing to be stored by reception in the luggage storage room. That way you won't have any problems the next morning.
I was surprised that my roommate gave me a small gift last night and wanted to keep in touch on Facebook. Done. My very first new friend for 2019!
Tried to make it out to Stanley Park to see the Bright Lights before it enfs tomortow night around 4 pm but as soon as I stepped out it started to rain again so I purchased a lamb and tabouli pita (once is enough - we use real lamb in Sydney and real tabouli this tasted like reconstituted stuff and why is the hummus red? It is meant to be white. Since when did lamb taste like unidentified sausage meat? and hot sauce too much poured on! Overall 5/10 not worth CAN$10 including a soft drink or water - I took the bottle of water - probably needed to wash the taste out of your mouth!)
It stopped raining so I made a decision to take the bus to Stanley Park to see the Bright Lights and go in the train. I got as far as checking my balance on my Compass card at Burrard Station - gee CAN$3 I better top it up with another CAN$20. I then walk down to West Pender Street and wait for the number 19 bus to Stanley Park. It wasn't long before the bus arrived but as i alighted at Stanley Park it started to rain again but I still purchased a ticket for the next train ride and there was one waiting and no queue ( a different story after I alighted the train and it started to pour with rain) . I didn't mind if it rained a little as it was all undercover on the train. Bargain - the train rides had been discounted to CAN$6.50 per adult. Whilst on the train it started to rain more and more heavily. The lights were still so pretty though accompanied to music.
I didn't do Stanley Park's Bright Lights on my last visit as I went to Le Farge Lake and Van Dusen Gardens instead. This year I will probably give both a miss. Both locations out of town and too difficult to get to.
I have videoed and photographed the lights however because it was raining and this entry level phone is not water proof, the video and photos were all taken on my Note phone.
Apologies.
Here are some photos sorry they are a bit late
