Vancouver - Part Three

Woke up and walked over to the Museum of Vancouver.

We wanted to walk over the bridge to get some photos of the view below, it's quite stunning:



Once there we paid admission and found there was three exhibits, one just on shoes which we skipped past:

Another on inner city farming, which also went by quickly, and the final one on the history of Vancouver from 1910-1970.
Here's Medusa getting her hair done:

And we watched this video about how poor Dorothy's life ambition was to get a new kitchen appliance.

We ran into a couple of locals in period costumes:




Back to the hostel to rest and recharge. We went back to Little Sisters and this time one of the women from the movie was working there, Sarah took her photo with her dog, Buddy:

From there a dinner not worth remembering, and off to drag bingo!


What fun! What prizes! What a hot black man who sat beside us that Sarah and I spent the night flirting shamelessly with! He looked like Denzel Washington.
But alas, we didn't get the prize, and we didn't win bingo either.

The main queen's co-host was named "Summer Clearance".
Tomorrow a travel day to Victoria, the weather should be fine!

Vancouver - Part Two

Today started off a bit slower. I think as the days go on we will get slower and slower and get up later and later.
We got up this morning and took our little ferry over to Granville Island for some breakfast.

Sarah had eggs Benedict and I had an English muffin with egg, tomato and cheese which sounds plain but the English muffin was made from scratch, there was a ton of real cheddar cheese and it was just about the best breakfast I've had for a long, long time.
From there we took the bus to the Van Dusen Botanical Gardens. It was kind of cool. Two minutes into a path we saw a coyote. They are really quick and hard to photograph so I was lucky to get this shot.

Also as soon as we walked in we saw a spider's web. It took me a minute to figure out how to photograph it without zooming in on the background but my camera came through. I love my camera.

They had a maze that was actually a little challenging. Here's the entrance:

When I got out I sat and waited for Sarah to emerge, little did I realize I should have brought a packed lunch - it took her a little while.

Some amazing flowers and statues.
Here's a cool monkey statue and what I called the 'middle finger plant' on the right as it looks like a hand giving the finger.

More monkeys:

The plants here are HUGE!:

Some turtles having a sun:

Some people reading:

Part of the rose garden:

From there we walked over to the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre and looked at an exhibit on Canada and the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.
It was professionally done but the Olympic part didn't really interest me. They did have a couple of good ads for the purification of the German race from that period.
This one shows the typical German on the left, and the typical Jew on the right:

This one says that supporting the mentally handicapped will cost each citizen 50,000 Deutschmarks over the course of their lives.

Sarah developed a massive headache so we came back to the hostel to lie down. I thought I'd work on the blog while she napped but soon I was fast asleep too.
We awoke around 5 and headed over to the Vancouver Art Gallery which was admission by donation Tuesdays after 5 pm as they only had two of their four floors open with exhibits. The top floor was something like 'Modern Artists Interpret Emily Carr' with Carr-esque works alongside some of her own originals. I was thinking to myself 'My mom would love this...." but not even photos were allowed.
The second floor was modern eye-witness or something like that. This exhibit included a lot of photographs which I love. One of my favorites was by Philip-Lorca Dicorcia and was taken in the early 90's during a time when there was a lot of scandal in America about what public money was funding what art projects. This artist applied for and got a grant to photograph male prostitutes and pose them in artsy film-style backdrops. They have names like 'Daniel - Florida - $25". It's sheer brilliance and hey, people like me pay taxes too.

From there a quick dinner and then back to the hostel to blog.
It's 11 pm now, Sarah is asleep in the bed above me and one of our neighbors in the room is a really hot guy so it's all good. I'll be off to bed as soon as I post this. Tomorrow is our last full day in Vancouver, we're going to the museum, an Indian restaurant for dinner and drag bingo tomorrow night featuring 'dirty' prizes. I can't wait!

Whistler

Getting up at 6:30 a.m. wasn't as hard as I thought it would be due to the three hour time difference we are still recovering from.
We took the bus to the Greyhound, bought our tickets and were then searched for alcohol and knives. They don't do that on the Toronto Greyhounds but then again no one had their head cut off by a stranger on a Toronto Greyhound bus.
A VERY scenic 2.5 hour ride there through the Rockies was incredible:

And we were there.
Whistler Village is so quaint and very nice with it's urban planning and high class shops. It was also very cold and rainy with snow having fallen on the top of the mountain just this morning. I needed a sweater so the hunt was on - something under $100 and something that actually fit me. I ended up in Roots and got a nice red hoodie that said "Whistler" for about $50.
Here's Sarah and I getting suited up for the zip line:

Notice the look of terror on my face:

Off to the zip line which I can't believe I actually did. Even the little bunny starter hill was freaking me out. The instructors have a trick, they tell you to walk down the steps and they give you the number of steps. So for example for me she said "Walk down 9 steps, then go". So I was like "7... 8... 999999999....." as I went sailing into next week at 100 km an hour.
Here's Sarah on the practice one:

Bunny hill over we got a ride to the top of the mountain and stood in a rain forest ready for our first zip. At this point I was freaking out like no body's business so they stopped to tell us some details of the forest and their conservation programs. From there on to the zip!

I went first so I could take a photo of Sarah going and it was all okay until I cleared the trees. We were over a canyon and creek about 300 feet in the air and as I noticed that I had a moment where I felt like screaming but I was already half way across so it seemed silly.
Sarah and I stop zipping long enough for a photo:

Our second zip was the longest (longer than the height of the Eiffel Tower) and there was a photographer there to take photos and charge an arm and a leg. Sarah and my best ones are these:


After that I started thinking of the zip line as a transportation device and it wasn't so bad. On the last one we had the option to go upside down and I did! It was a bit like hanging upside down from the monkey bars, which I knew I could do, except I was going 100 km/hour over a canyon. Fun! At the end I wasn't scared at all and would probably do it again.
Here's another one of Sarah on the line:

Our guides Carrie and Rusty were the best, very patient and encouraging. Rusty was from Australia on a work visa and was very cute and everyone loved his accent. As I was walking up the steps to one of the zip lines my calves started spasming again so I was moving very slowly but he just said it was a small group, and I could take as much time as I needed.
Afterward we got a photo with our guides and everyone looks great in it:

Once off the zip line we headed over to the peak-to-peak gondola ride. I've never wanted to ski but I've always wanted to ride a gondola to the top of a mountain. We rode a special gondola to the top of one mountain and then took the special peak-to-peak to the other mountain peak. Unfortunately by this time it was really raining hard (luckily it didn't pour during our zip trek!) and it was also very cold and foggy plus I think we were actually in a cloud so on the special gondola we couldn't see a thing.
Here's Sarah and I on the gondola:

(She's the one who was freezing to death)

Part of the nothing we could see:

Once back on the ground we headed home.
Of course the weather immediately got beautiful again:


After a quick stop at the hostel we went to a gay-themed, well gay-audienced, show at the J-Lounge and back to sleep.
Overall this was the best day yet and I'm really glad we did it!

Vancouver - Part One

The plane ride was okay, we had to sit in the middle section so no beautiful views of the Rockies but at least Sarah didn't throw up.
Our hostel is amazing, probably the best room I've stayed in. With only 2 bunk beds per room there's loads of privacy and we definitely got our moneys worth, plus it's right in the gay village.
After checking in we went right over to Little Sister's Bookstore. I have been dying to see this every since I saw the documentary about their struggles against Canadian Customs. The store is huge, but they have a lot of different items, not as many books as Glad Day in Toronto but a lot more cards and merchandise. I spent about $100 and was glad to do so. I got a mug that says 'Little Sister's' on it.

Early to bed as it was at 11 p.m. already 2 a.m. Toronto time but then early to rise, I got up about 6:30 ready to start the day but Sarah needed more convincing, she mumbled something like "Sarah go sleep now" and rolled over.
Once up we caught the ferry to Granville Island to their beautiful farmers market for breakfast. It's smaller than the St. Lawrence market but more high class with beautiful foods and breads. An amazing breakfast and then a short bus to the Museum of Anthropology. Sarah and I both didn't know exactly what that word meant but it sounded good.
Outside they had a cool totem pole:


Inside there was lots of cultural art but it was all a bit highbrow, a bit dry. Too short for the $16 entrance fee. I did like these Portuguese figures of Adam, Eve and the Devil "El Diablo".

From there we walked down a mountain trail:

And over to Wreck Beach - one of the most famous nude beaches in the world and a nice hang-out space for the locals.

There was also this sign that said to avoid "staring" and "gawking". What exactly is the difference between the two?

Sarah got a couple of really nice dresses for cheap.
Now to get back we had to climb back up the mountain trail stairs. I thought I was going to die. There were about 4,000 steps straight up, I kept having to stop for breaks. There was a tombstone about halfway up where I assume the last person trying the stairs didn't make it up. I suggested to Sarah "Bury me here!" but no takers.
After an eternity we got to the top of the stairs and I vowed never to return until they built an escalator.
Nearby was a place on the map called 'Totem Park' so we headed over there only to find that's just a name, there is no totem poles. Back to the hostel for a quick recharge and I went to my play and Sarah to her Salsa cruise.
On the walk home I did partake in a magic show on the street:

And we did stop by Sears and I tried on some high heeled shoes for the first time:


It was quite fun, I want a pair.... but I couldn't seem to be able to find a size 12....
The play was 'Brighton Beach Memories' by Neil Simon who also wrote 'The Odd Couple'. Amazing staging and a pheonominal lead made it a good evening, despite the fact that the entire audience was over 80. I asked one elderly lady at the intermission "What do you think of it?" and she said "Too slow, boring" so I called her an old goat under my breath.
The play was over 2.5 hours, a little too long, and while waiting for the bus back I thought I might be mugged by the roving gangs but all in all a good night.
I'll let Sarah tell you about her cruise:
I took a cab to the boarding dock. There were a lot of people waiting in line to board the boat. The majority of the group were Latinos, but there were some couples and a few bridal parties. The boat was packed, and it was really hard to find a seat at first, especially because I was by myself and everyone else seemed to be in groups. I soon made friends with one of the bridal parties. They were a lovely group of girls, very sweet and friendly. At about 10:30, we had our free salsa lesson. At first we were taught the steps individually, but then we had to find a partner to dance with. A 60 year old man asked if I would like to be his partner, and of course I said yes. Neither of us were very good, but eventually we got the steps down. We even did a dip! Honestly, I was just happy that I didn't step on his toes. Someone was snapping photos of us from behind, I think it may have been his wife. Not too sure why she didn't want to dance with him. The music was great, and there were some pretty impressive dancers on the dance floor. The cruise was about 3 hours in total, I was sad when it finally came to an end. I'm really glad I went...I got to dress up, and had an amazing time!
Here's Sarah getting home from her big night:

Woke up on Sunday and we went to Stanley Park. It took us a few wrong turns getting there but we met a helpful cute boy to walk with and saw a cat on the way. I think I'm the cat whisperer - I see them wherever I go.

We hitched a ride on the trolley and rode around the park. It's 10% bigger than Central Park in NYC. It was a hop on-hop off and our first stop was a scenic lookout with a million dollar view and some sulphur piles in the background.

A bite of lunch and back on the trolley. They kept saying we would see raccoons as there were tons of them in the park but I didn't see a one. Sarah mentioned she was terrified of them as her friend was ravished by one or something so I guess it was for the best.

We did see a blue heron, a mouse, and a sealion popped it's head out of the water to say hello as we were walking past. A wild sealion - that was like the coolest thing ever. The park was also filled with 'racist' squirrels - our crazy drunken guide was telling us they imported grey squirrels from Central Park and now the American grey squirrels always fight with the Canadian black ones. She said they were all racist - I don't think grey squirrels are a race.
Here's us inside a tree:

Another view of the bridge:

Off to the aquarium which was pretty cool. Standing outside were some performers including the best animal balloon artist I've ever seen:

And there were two others, this face paint lady that spent the whole time painting her own face and Scuba Steve who was a clown who stood on his head the whole time with scuba flippers on his feet saying things like "I can't get back up!" and equally hilarious jokes.
We caught a couple shows, the beluga show was amazing, they are the cutest animals:

Following that the river sea-lion show foreshadowing our encounter with the sea-lion later.

Jellyfish are always cool:

This sign could have a couple meanings:

There was also a rain forest area with some parrots:

Sarah in the gift shop:

When we got out Sarah decided to climb a tree:

From there off to the totem poles in the park. Quite spectacular if fewer than I thought there might be.

Back home at the hostel we were really exhausted from walking all day but no time for that! Also, much to Sarah's chagrin, no time for dinner. We had to get to the Vancouver Lookout before sunset to take photos of the city at night and during the daylight times.
We took the bus there as we were still exhausted. I've been looking for running shoes but the only ones I've seen were over $100 and I'm trying not to spend all my money before Labour Day.
Once there we walked around for a couple minutes, took a couple photos:

I ran into the bathroom. As soon as I sit down I hear the fire alarm go off. Assuming this must be some kind of Candid Camera joke, I don't react immediately but after a couple minutes realize we need to evacuate.
This meant going down over 70 flights of stairs, a daunting task at most times but after the steps at Wreck Beach and walking in Stanley Park for 10 hours my calves were killing me, it felt like someone was punching me in the back of the leg with every step - good times!
Sarah and I ended up going down the stairs with the stragglers, 6 old ladies and a woman carrying her toddler. We made it eventually, long after the alarm had stopped. It was the type of building where once you started going down none of the doors would open until the bottom.
We were waiting in line at the bottom and they started letting people back up. Two minutes later the alarm starts going off again and I said "If we had gone up there, would we have to walk down all the stairs AGAIN?" and when she said we would I asked for a refund. Get my scissor 'cause I'll cut a bitch before I go down those stairs again.
Money in hand we walked over to Gas town, featuring a steam powered clock.

There was an amazing souvenir shop there run by this amazing Indian couple so we shopped and talked for about an hour. I thought there would be way more crappy souvenir shops here than there are - or at least that we've found.
A bus back to the hostel and we were all set to go the next morning at 6:30 a.m. to Whistler!