Vancouver, BC: Part IV

Just in case you missed it: Part I, Part II and Part III. 

For the last adventure of our trip to Vancouver, BC the fiance found some hiking trails at Lynn Canyon Park in North Vancouver, so we ventured over there to check them out.

After just a little bit of hiking we came across large steps.

And some incredible water falls.

We also found a suspension bridge that made me feel a bit queasy walking down, because it was definitely rocking back and forth pretty easily…and it was a long way down to the bottom.

We hiked for a little while longer.

Until we found a good spot to sit down and eat lunch.

We made turkey wraps with hummus, cheese and lettuce. I wrapped one in a corn tortilla and the other in a piece of lettuce.

We shared some baby carrots on the side.

After debating about going back to Granville Island to go paddle boarding, we decided we were pretty wiped and wanted to do a little relaxation. We went back to our guest house and enjoyed our last evening in.

We certainly had a wonderful time in Vancouver; we truly lucked out with the weather. It is such a big and beautiful city with plenty of activities and plenty of healthy green foliage. But vacations are never long enough…

Back to bloggin’ about food!

What was the last vacation you went on? Any upcoming vacations planned?

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Vancouver, BC: Part III

The next part of our trip to Vancouver, BC was really the highlight, but be sure to check out the first two recaps if you missed them.

When I was a little girl I used to watch movies over and over and over again, which is quite surprising, because I can hardly stay awake for 10 minutes of a movie these days. Regardless, my favorites to run on repeat were The Little Mermaid, The Land Before Time, My Girl, Uncle Buck, and…Free Willy. Yes, I was obsessed with “Willy” and the Michael Jackson soundtrack that came with it. I dreamed about becoming a marine biologist so I could work with orca (killer) whales because of this movie. I think I almost cried every time I watched it, and I was probably only 10 or 11 years old. As most of you know, I am not a marine biologist, but killer whales still hold a special place in my heart.

After researching things to do on the our trip to Vancouver, BC and coming across whale watching I immediately reminisced of the time in the movie when Willy jumped the barrer to freedom…to Michael Jackson. And when the fiance gave it a “yeah, lets do it!” I was ecstatic. Dream come true. We found Wild Whales on nearby Granville “Island” with guaranteed sightings and made a reservation right away.

Before getting suited up we walked around the public market on the island. The fiance got a few pastries and I had a few bites while we admired the view.

Then we walked around the indoor farmer’s market like market with plenty of gourmet cheeses, meets and fresh produce.

Then it was time to get suited up for our tour.

Believe it or not, but those suits weren’t water proof, so with the rough waters through the straight we got soaked! It was kind of fun though.

After about a 1:30 – 1:45 boat ride we came across the J-Pod.

There was about 15-25 of them that came up and down periodically, and we followed them for about an hour. The pod just had a baby that was only about a month old, which was really neat to see.

Our guide estimated that the male fin was about 6 feet tall.

They were so majestic.

We even got a little tail flip.

With what we think was Mount Baker in the background.

One of the things our guide said that really resonated with me that the pesticides we use in farming is making its way into the killer whales’ food system and therefore being stored in their “blubber”. In conditions where their food supply is low, they draw on their blubber to maintain life, and when that blubber contains concentrated chemicals it can poison them. Think about how much chemicals/pesticides it would take to poison a whale of that size…a lot. She emphasized the importance of eating organic when we can with this point.

Stay tuned for the last and final installment of our trip!

What was your favorite movie growing up? Did it ever become part of reality for you?

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Vancouver, BC: Part II

The next day of our visit to Vancouver, BC we discussed what we wanted to do that day over some oatmeal, eggs and fresh blueberries.

We decided to go to Stanley park, rent some bicycles and cruise around like tourists with a camera and a backpack.

We biked around the perimeter of the park, ate lunch and explored some of the interior paths.

Some of the sights along the way included a bridge to North Vancouver.

A feasting pair of sea lions.

A large ship getting ready to be loaded up with goods.

A lake covered in lilly pads.

After getting our recreation activity out of the way, we ventured over to Chinatown.

We walked around to the fishy smell of the Chinese grocery stores and ate dim sum and buns (baozi) at another hole in the wall. This one, however, did not top my list of amazing.

After a lot of walking and an early dinner we went straight back to our guest house to watch the Olympics and sip more wine.

Have you ever had a Chinese Bun (Baozi) before? What did you think?

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Vancouver, BC: Part I

With graduate school starting soon and limited vacation time, the fiance and I will not be taking off for a traditional honeymoon after our wedding. We plan on taking one in the future, but in the mean time, we took the opportunity to get away and enjoy each other on a “pre-wedding-moon” in Vancouver, BC for a week. We stayed at the cutest little guest house on South Main that was straight out of a dwell magazine.

Before heading to Vancouver, I did some research on “cheap” and “free” things to do in Vancouver. I found a neighborhood market that brought us into the neighborhood of Kitsliano for some exploring.

To start, we took the bus to Kits Point and checked out the downtown Vancouver skyline.

We also admired the water and adjacent mountains. We have beautiful mountains in Colorado that we admire every day, but to see a large body of water next to mountains is a whole different type of beautiful.

Then we went to the Museum of Vancouver to learn about the history of Vancouver, including the history on their large Chinese population, their logging industry and the abundance of neon signs in the 1950s through 1970s.

Afterwards, we walked to Kits beach to snack on some apples and trail mix while getting goosebumps just thinking about those people jumping in the cold, rough water.

On the way we spotted my new office…I WISH!

Then we ventured towards 4th Street to sip some chai before heading to the neighborhood market on 8th and Vine.

When we got to the market, it was literally the smallest neighborhood market…ever. It was no Boulder Farmer’s market. It took us 10 seconds to check out the spread, and then we were off to get some sushi on Burrard Street. Our friends recommended Daikichi Sushi. With a “hole in the wall” appearance and pictures of their menu items displayed in the window, we would have never decided to eat their on our own, but to our surprise it was fantastic and cheap!

We ordered a spicy tuna, salmon, crab and avocado, and a specialty roll with unagi, crab and cucumber, topped with avocado. We also ordered some toro (tuna belly) nigiri as well…talk about melt.in.you.mouth.delicious.

After dinner, we ventured home and kicked up our tired legs (from all the walking) with a bottle of wine on the patio of our guest house.

We lucked out with beautiful weather the entire time we were there. We were able to enjoy the pleasant 70 degree temps with no rain or wind. It was definitely a nice break from the 90+ degree dry days we have been having in Colorado.

Stay tuned for more about our trip!

Have you ever been to Vancouver, BC? What has been your experience with “hole in the wall” sushi joints?

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