Vancouver for a day

After our check-in and Rules & Regulations meeting yesterday afternoon, we all gathered for the Bon Voyage dinner.  

Bettina and Johnathan

The Matzah Burrito Bunch

Sister Act II ( a sequel name from Sister Act - when Emily and Elizabeth came together)

Return of the Traveling Wandering Chicks (Kim and Maria)

Silver Surfers:  Natasha and David - Returning post-baby.  They are only going to be with us for 10 days (Thank God so Natasha can get back and mind the office)

Peter Wetherall and his wife Lucy (AKA Indiana Jones.. complete with travel vest)

Also learned that we are not heading out tonight but will be spending a full day scavenging in Vancouver.  Since I've never been here, that was great news.  The party was at a very nice seafood restaurant and there was course after course of amazing food.  I was so stuffed I came straight home and went to bed.  Coma induced by 9:30PM.

Today – Saturday – was a beautiful day:  bright blue skies and cool weather.  Apparently Vancouver is not known for its great weather so every person in the entire city was outside – all day.  Every place was filled with people excited to have a sunny day. Bill opened the leg at 9AM and - scavenger books in hand - we headed out to start the event by renting bikes and riding a 6 mile bike trail along the water front in Stanley Park.  

We stopped to see the Totem Poles (which were waaay larger than you would expect)

And found the “lady in a wetsuit” statue (Scavenge clue:  Find a statue of a woman (Not Mary)

And rested up with hot chocolates at The Teahouse Restaurant (it was a little brisk in the wind on the ride so the hot drinks hit the spot).  

After that, it was on to the Inuksuk (Canadian for a pile of rocks making a cool person-like formation) for a photo op. 

Then we made a rookie move and got horribly lost.  By the time we sorted out of mistake, we were 30+ minutes in the wrong direction and the ride back was mostly uphill.  Bike riding is not my strongest athletic activity… so my legs are burning sore tonight.  By 1PM we had abandoned the bikes and were on foot exploring Chinatown, Gastown and finally the Olympic cauldron (left over from the 2010 Winter Games).  

Spring is here already with tulips and flowers of every description all over the city.  

Punch-line opinion:  Vancouver on a sunny day is awesome.

Tonight we learned that our next destination is Osaka, Japan.  But first… almost 23 hours of traveling.  We’re going through Hong Kong with a healthy lay-over so we’ll all be real “mash up” before we start the Asia leg.  This is the decidedly un-fun part of the trip. Best to hold our noses and get it out of the way now.  No-one in the group has been to Osaka so we're all excited.  Cherry Blossoms... here we come.