Sun Peaks

We were told its best to stop at Kamloops on the way to Jasper. Since I booked most of our travel online though Hotwire, I got a 5 star resort in SunPeaks, the Delta Sun Peaks resort. It’s about half an hour from Kamloops but since Kamloops didn’t look to enticing, we decided to check it out. (It has been a beautiful drive so far. The mountains change all the time. Sometimes it is so lush and green but at other time it looks like the desert. )
When we entered our rooms there was a strange odor. I was about to ask for a different room but we realized when we walked out the door that that was the smell of the resort. Not sure yet if it is chlorine or water or mold….. Anyway, we headed out, after a salad at the bar, for a walk. The featured band in the courtyard was performing Abba, in full gear and all the guest and their kids were dancing about. We followed our ears… some good rock and roll but there were signs posted everywhere that said private party. We tried to crash the wedding but managed to get ourselves promptly kicked out. We opted for the bar across the way that had big screen TV’s with girls wrestling in goo. Did get a good tip on a hike to a waterfall. Looking forward to the morning.
Okay...the hike tip was worth it. Here are some pics of the waterfall, the mist on our faces was just what we needed to wake up for the long drive ahead.

Whistler

Whistler is a very pretty place, lots of outdoor activities. Had a great time watching everyone coming down the mountain on bikes. We discovered Lost Lake and did a few hikes in Lost Lake Park. It seems everyone who live here heads to the lake on sunny days. Unfortunately, due to the heavy snow, the trails heading down from the gondola were closed. We had great lunches on outdoor terraces and an awesome dinner at Araxi the night before we left. The menu had just changed and everything looked so good I decided on 3 small plates. Each was delicious, a steak tartar, seafood ceviche, and a dungeness crab roll, Raf had a perfectly prepared ribeye.

En Route to Whistler

Just realized that our favorite scifi shows are filmed here. Keep running into Battlestar Galactica actors in restaurants and on the street. Had a great lunch at Glowbal Satay Bar and headed to Whistler. It seem our first day in each city is rainy and cold. Then…the sun comes out and everything sparkles. We are told by everyone that we bring the Miami weather. No problem, plenty of pubs showing the soccer match for those rainy days.
Sunny pictures to follow.

Vancouver

We're really starting to like this place. The more we see the more we want to come back. Had an awesome Indian dinner at Vij's last night. Thanks Camille and Jonathan for the tip. Here are some pics of Grouse Mountain and Stanley Park.









Off to Whistler in the morning. Night.

Victoria

We are on the Ferry headed back to Vancouver from Victoria. Have some time so I will try to catch you up if I can take my eyes off the breathtaking scenery for a few moments. First, it is worth mentioning how efficient the system is here. It takes about 5 minutes to get everyone and their cars onboard. The water, the trees, the sail boats and kayaks, the big fat, seagulls, ohh there’s a huge buffet and a lounge,,,, okay I’m back.
Highlights: The center of downtown, the Inner Harbour, Empress Hotel… We walked that area the first day when we arrived. For dinner we made a reservation at Il Terrazzo, a local restaurant, on a great tip from a fellow blackjack player we met at a table in Vegas. We heard the portions were quite large and since we wanted to try it all we shared several courses. Delicious antipasti with portabella mushroom in a focaccia crumb and herb crust, oven baked with garlic butter, prosciutto, sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts, sliced and tossed with baby spinach, crispy capers and balsamic vinegar (unique and very good) then a RISOTTO VERDURA with roasted shallots, peas,
artichoke hearts, char-grilled radicchio and crumbled goat cheese(need to recreate that one), and for dessert, Dijon crusted rack of premium Australian lamb with roasted shallots, rosemary and demi-glace served with roasted potatoes and seasonal vegetables ooh la la.
Next day headed to Butchart Gardens, one of the most beautiful gardens in the world. It has a variety of wonders such as a rose garden, sunken garden, Japanese moss garden and an Italian garden. We really could have spent the whole day here but still so much to do. --- What a gem. Our original plan was to have afternoon tea at the Empress but we sort of got caught up with a friendly seal. We were headed downtown and stopped for these incredible noodles at the Noodle Box, ingenious concept that would do very well in Miami. Next stopped for fish and chips at a floating restaurant on the docks. That’s when the cutest seal popped his head out of the water and we just couldn’t bear to leave. Come to think of it, we couldn’t bear putting one more thing in our stomachs either. Guess we just need to keep walking…
Finished with the scenic drive, which we sort of did by accident. Discovered many beautiful neighborhoods that we could live in.

Vancouver

Day One: Getting used to the pace here has taken us a few days. Everything seems much slower. At least slower than NY, Miami and most places we usually go on vacation. Actually, it’s probably just what we need to get us into mountain mode.
Leave it to us, however to find the happening places in any city. We managed to cover a lot of ground in 3 days on foot. Our hotel is centrally located and when we arrived after having gotten up at 3 am, and traveling for what seemed like hours, we opted for a walk on Robson Street and Chinese fast food at Hon’s. Sun sets at 9:30.
Day Two: Wednesday morning we were ready to explore. After walking through Yaletown we headed to False Creek and jumped on an aqua bus to Granville Island. If I lived here it would have to be close to this market. Truly a foodie’s paradise, everything from home made stocks at the “Stock Market”, to the freshest looking produce can be found here. A great Sockeye salmon lunch with a great view and we were fueled up for a long walk through Vanier Park and over Burrard bridge to the hotel.
Japanese Izakayas have opened all over Robson Street and we began our evening sampling Japanese tapas, beers, sakes and shozous at Hapa Izakaya. The tunes were pumping (the owner selects and puts the tracks together himself). *Need to hit this place again when we get back from Victoria. We ended up in an Irish pub off Granville (can you tell I’m with Raf) listened to some live music before heading back.
Day Three: We started the day with a light workout and 20 minutes in the steam room before heading out to China Town. We had heard it was 2nd in size to San Francisco but when we got there is seemed very deserted. No people yelling at tourists in the streets, no Gucci, Prada, watches, DVD… no fish markets spilling out over the sidewalks, didn’t seem like Chinatown at all. We were in for another surprise on the way to Gastown. People had warned us to stay away from Hastings street and although we did not seek it out intentionally, we had to cross it to get to our destination. Now, we have traveled extensively, been in many rough neighborhoods, but have never seen anything like this before. The sidewalks were packed with strung out people and flies. We passed through clouds of every kind of smoke. Okay, I’ll stop although that image is etched in my mind forever. It really was sad.
Passed through Gastown, took a pic with Gassy Jack and saw the last Steam Clock. We walked on the pier and watched the seaplanes landing with the beautiful mountains in the background until the rain started again. We walked through Pacific Center on the way back to change for dinner.
Tonight, we started in Yaletown at the Yaletown Brew Pub. Chose a seat outside to people watch and sample some of the brews. In search of another kewl place, we found George (not Bush) but George Ultra Lounge. The smell of mint permeated the bar, which was set up more like a kitchen than a bar. Those bartenders in Miami who complain about making mojitos all night should check this place out. The labor-intensive concoctions all looked so good and fresh I wanted to try them all. *Another place to come back to. Lol
(Pics are not as good as usual. It’s been cloudy and there is construction everywhere!)
On our way to Victoria this morning…wish you all were with us!

Change

It's time for a new adventure and a time for change. We decided on a new look for out blog that would better suit this travel adventure. Let us know what you think.

To read previous blog (China and Mediterranean) go to www.adventures-abroad.blogspot.com