Well, we are testing this new program to use during our Canada / Alaska holiday in two weeks.
Well we are finally here. One more sleep then & I are on our way. Stay tuned.
last minute bag checks then the biggest cup of tea at the airport.
We arrived at Hong Kong airport around 7.30 am Sunday morning,after a restless few hrs sleep on the flight. We booked a hotel for the day so we could shower & rest up before the long leg of the journey later that day. The concierge directed us to the cafe on the ground floor but dad found the club lounge in the hotel so we had a really nice cooked breakfast there & it cost us nothing.
We made our way back to the airport & I scored a pair of noise cancelling earphones as I left my other pair ( not noise cancelling ones ) at home , oops ! 🙄
The flight from Hong Kong to Vancouver was long & very bumpy. The captain apologised several times for the turbulence and he even asked the crew to take their seats on two occasions.
Didn't sleep much on this flight but arrived in Vancouver just after 1 pm. After going through customs & claiming our luggage which was quite a smooth exercise we caught a cab to the hotel in downtown Vancouver.
Dropped our luggage off & walked about 6 blocks into the city centre which was really nice, much like Sydney I thought. I must admit I have never seen so many homeless people in any city so far.
Had lunch & a light dinner in the city then made our way back to the hotel.
We thought that we would get a really good night's sleep as we were both so tired so turned in around 9 pm only to wake up again just before midnight . So now we are emailing & blogging at 1 am 😩. Body clocks all out of whack !!
Today was a very big day. Started with a trip to Hudson Bay, a department store were we looked for a warm jacket for mum. We found one but decided to look further, can't buy from the first store !!!! a trip which took us across town even covering Value Village, a second hand store which mum decided was not for her. During the shopping tour we also went to Gas Town where we saw the first steam clock. Needing refreshments we had lunch in Gas Town overlooking the water. We then decided to go up the Vancouver lookout which has a 360 degrees view 168 metres high, the lift gets there in 40 seconds. Continuing the search for mum's Jacket we finally ended back at Hudson Bay and bought a nice light feather down jacket. Now Hudson Bay is similar to Myer or David Jones with one difference, you can walk your dog through the store. On our way back to the hotel we had dinner at a place called Earle's were we had baked salmon, tasted fantastic. The food has been great but I think it will kill us by the end of the trip. Now absolutely exhausted continued on to the hotel where I decided to check my Apple Watch for the number of steps because literally everything on our bodies hurt. Apparently we did 29,750 which equals 20.94 km.
I've always been keen to do zip lining, so when I discovered they had a zip line at the top of Grouse Mountain in Vancouver I was really excited. We caught a cab to Canada Place where a free shuttle took us to Grouse Mountain. From there we caught the skyride ( cable car to us ) to the top of the mountain where most of the activities are. We saw a lumberjack show complete with 2 lumberjacks competing with each other on different activities. One being a 60 ft tree climb at an amazing speed 🌴. It was all a good laugh. I'm sure the guys cringe at some of the jokes they have to come out with.
Next was the zip line. Unfortunately Glenn's sister Rae wasn't on the 12.30 session but she did find us just as we were about to zip off . The first zip line was just a baby one, to get us used to it. The second one however, was quite steep & very fast. We were warned to get into ' breaking position' which was arms straight in front holding onto the bar, knees up & chin on your chest. Let's just say I had a free chiropractic adjustment & zip line ride all in one ! It comes to such a crashing halt at the end of the second one, you really want to follow all the rules. The views from the top of the mountain are just incredible.
We also seen a short movie about two grizzly bears that were rescued & now live in an enclosed area at Grouse Mountain. We also seen one of the bears in the flesh.
We made our way half way down the mountain to the Capilano Suspension Bridge, which was also quite amazing. The bridge is 140 meters long & it was quite funny but it was swaying & jiggling about so much that everyone on the bridge looked drunk. As usual the views were amazing.
We took the shuttle back to Canada Place where we had dinner at an Italian cafe. Again I can't say enough about the view. From almost everywhere in Vancouver the view is just beautiful.
I think we will sleep well tonight 💤. Tomorrow to are off on our cruise to Alaska.
Boarding the Island Princess
We started the day by sleeping in and missing breakfast at the hotel (really needed that sleep) so we had breakfast at a coffee shop just down the road. We had a free shuttle arranged for 1:00pm to take us to Canada Place where we went through customs and boarded the ship. Quite an easy process, I thought it would be more of a hassle. Our cabin is fantastic Deck A with a balcony. After dropping our bags off in the cabin we went and had afternoon tea, only to discover the hot food ( which we really wanted) was just around the corner, oh well. I surprised Lyn with a gift book on Alaska I had pre ordered for her then just explored the ship. We had dinner, which was way too much then saw a singing, dancing and comedian show in the evening. We new the next day was an "at sea" day so just slept until we wanted to get up. Great!!
Juneau
We had a great seat at breakfast this morning. Right by the window as we are coming into Juneau. The water was so calm , not a ripple, apart from what the ship was creating. The landscape was so close to our ship after seeing nothing but ocean over the last day. As we approach Juneau, which is the Capitol of Alaska,we start to see houses, roads & even a bridge. We didn't realise just how big this place was. Population about 32,000. We docked around lunch time.
We had a stroll through the town which was really just one street, with shop owners calling out to you trying to get you to come in & buy jewellery. For a minute I thought we were in Asia !
We met the coach at 2 pm which took us to see the Mendenhall Glacier & Nugget Falls in the famous Juneau ice fields. We had a great coach driver that made the trip very interesting & full of fun. Needless to say the scenery is just spectacular. There is very little snow right now , just a little on top of the mountains but they still looked amazing.
We even seen bear prints in the wet sand on the way to the Nugget Falls & the locals say that the bears often come right into town. Sadly we haven't seen any wild bears yet. We then visited the Juneau Rainforest Garden which was also really nice.
We then took a cable car 1750 feet up Mt.Roberts. The view from the top was again, beautiful !
Skagway
Skagway was definitely colder than Juneau. Even the train that took us on our journey through the mountains had a heater in every carriage.
We boarded the train around 7.45 am & started our journey at 8.10 am. We were chugging along nicely when there were a few loud clunks & thuds. The train came to a stop & the driver announced that sometimes the wheels slip on the tracks & that they had to sand the wheels so that they grip. This only took a minute & we were in our way again .
We seen a replica little red caboose that sleeps 6 'uncomfortably' for $35 a night . It has an oil stove for heating & the Yukon river for water. Apparently a lot of hikers book the caboose as accomodation .
On our journey we passed the customs building, some 12 miles before the actual border as the border is in a treacherous area where there were landslides .
We were told to look out for a massive rock with a black cross on it. During the gold rush in the late 1800's this massive rock had come loose rolling down the mountain & landing on top of two railway workers . The rock was so huge that it couldn't be moved & a memorial for the two men was erected on top of the rock in their honour . It still stands today.
We seen some amazing scenery up in the mountains, went thru a couple of tunnels through the mountains then started our journey back the same way we came. We seen quite a few spectacular waterfalls along the way. We were all hoping to see some wildlife but unfortunately, didn't see any.
We will keep looking for those bears, or even a mountain goat ! 🐻🐐
Glacier Bay.
This morning we woke to another spectacular scene outside our balcony . The air was crisp & the sky overcast but the snow capped mountains in the background looked so beautiful.
Chunks of ice floated by the ship in the water & in the distance we could see the first glacier come into view, Marjorie Glacier. This amazing river of ice has receded over the years & I feel very lucky that we got to see it. We were hoping to see some of the ice break off & fall into the water as we were told it is a spectacular sight . To actually hear the sharp crack as a huge piece slides down the glacier & crashes into the water is a sight to behold. We were fortunate to witness this a few times as our cruise ship glided along the icy waters of Glacier Bay. We were also hoping to see a whale & even spent some time sitting out on our balcony in the hope that one would show. Dad managed to see one blow in the distance & our neighbours said that while they were having breakfast in the dining room there was a Humpback in plain view. You just have to be lucky I guess & be in the right place at the right time. We will keep looking.
The ship doesn't dock at Glacier Bay it just slowly glides along doing the occasional 360 deg turn allowing everyone on board the chance to view both sides .
We had dinner booked at Sabertini's on board the ship & had a very special meal ( thank you Budds 😘 ) there, followed by a show which was so enjoyable. I have to say that the performances in the theatre have been outstanding . The singers & dancers ( who double as ship staff during the day ) were so professional & were so talented. They do two shows a night, one at 7.30pm & one at 9.45 pm. There is a different show each night.
All this eating & drinking & sitting around watching shows is bound to turn us into little 🐷🐷. Thank goodness we are doing heaps of walking .
Ketchikan
We watch our ship dock at Ketchikan this morning. We were warned that there was a 98 % chance of rain here but instead we had beautiful sunshine & as long as we rugged up we were quite comfortable. We took a stroll down the Main Street & then met the group taking the Ketchikan Duck Tour. The tour which is like a boat on wheels, takes you through town & then drives into the bay. Again we were hoping to see a whale 🐳 but had no luck . Ketchikan is also famous for black bears but sadly we still haven't sighted one. Ketchikan has the largest number of Native American totem poles in the world & we got to see quite a few of them.
We went back to the cruise ship for lunch & then took a long walk into the town . Most of Ketchikan was built over the water because of the existing rock, making it very difficult to blast. We went to the famous Creek Street where you can literally see hundreds of salmon. The smell wasn't great as there were a lot of dead salmon in the creek too, due to fact that they die once they spawn. We were told that the dead fish are needed as part of the Eco system & therefore are left in the creek for nature to take its course.
We continued on to City Park which is a pretty little park very near town itself & then made our way back to the ship.
Back to Vancouver - 19th ~ 20th
Leaving Ketchikan we sailed overnight to arrive in Vancouver around 6:30am. On the way we managed to see a whale and some seals from the balcony. We spent the evening at the Crooners Bar listening to a guy on the piano with a really fantastic voice, such talent around. In the morning as we had "white 3 tags" we had to disembark at 8:30am. So just enough time for breakfast ( think I pigged out again) and a coffee. It felt a bit sad leaving the ship which had been our home for 7 nights and were just getting to know our way around. No more "anything you can eat meals" or late night entertainment shows. Or pizza and ice cream when you want. Pizza and ice cream was free but you had to pay for the coffee if you wanted one outside of the dining room, and of course I had have one or two. Getting off the ship and going through customs was well organised and soon we were on our way to the Sandman hotel where we left our bags, too early to check in. On foot again we went for another trip around the the shops and one of the big stores, Hudson Bay. They let anyone in, check the photo. Then over to China Town. Not happy Jan !! Paid to get into one part of the Chinese gardens where there wasn't much then found the main part was free where there was more. Sneaky guy at the counter forgot to mention that. Dinner at the food hall then back to the hotel for a rest.
Vancouver
It's Thursday morning, we are missing the numerous breakfast options we had on the cruise ship but decided to go to Moxie's next door to the hotel where we had a really nice dinner last night. Everything on the menu was BIG ! So we went with what we thought might be an average size breakfast. Not so. What arrived was a humongous omelette with chopped bacon & what the menu described as 'aged white cheddar ' except that it was that bright yellow plastic looking cheese that the Americans love😳. It also came with ....you guessed it, half a plate of fried potatoes.
We rolled out of the restaurant to catch our 'hop on hop off bus' which was a great idea as we got to see so much of Vancouver. The ticket lasts for 24 hours & as the first driver of the morning waved us onto the bus like he couldn't be bothered registering the ticket & just wanted to get to the end of his shift, by the time we looked around Gastown we actually gained another hour or so.
We also went back to Canada Place to have a good look around & took a virtual 'Fly Over Canada ' tour, which was really worth doing. We hopped back on the bus & went over to Stanley Park, which is such a beautiful peaceful place. They do have the prettiest trees here in Canada. We spent the rest of the afternoon at the park as there is so much to see. We will be going back to Stanley Park with the tour group on Saturday so we should get to see a bit more.
We went to Boston Pizza for dinner tonight & together with a lovely fresh salad it was really yummy 🍕🥗 😋 however, as you will see in the photos,one of us still thinks we are on the cruise ship & is currently paying the price for overindulging 😂😂😂
Vancouver 22nd September 2017
Got up late & made our way to brunch. Luckily it's just next door to the hotel. It's called Moxie's & the food is actually very good.
We walked over to the jetty where we caught the False Creek ferry to visit Granville Island for the second time. Granville island is actually quite a nice little place . It's a little like Hillary's, the only difference being it has an amazing fresh foods market. You can buy the freshest fruits & vegetables to any kind of cake or pastry, freshly brewed coffee ( really miss our coffee 😩😩) hot meals large or small & just about anything your heart desires. There are many gift shops & loads of touristy items all at crazy prices.
From Granville Island we walked to a pretty little beachside suburb called Kitsilano (Kitts for short )This place used to be a hippy hangout in the sixties & was compared to San Fransisco. Today it's occupied by a lot of young urban professionals looking for a relaxed lifestyle. The houses are actually quite lovely & you can tell that this area would not be easily affordable . Apparently this is also the birthplace of the famous yoga brand Lululemon ( & no I didn't go in there ). We stopped for a hot drink at some trendy little place. The coffee was ok but the tea which can be very hit & miss here, was dreadful. I asked for English breakfast which most of the cafe's seem to know here but ended up with the most floral, perfumed tea ( possibly Earl Grey ) which I just couldn't drink.
We caught a bus back into town stopped off for dinner & then made our way back to the hotel . Another busy day having walked about 12 km ! We are walking around 10 km a day & just as well with all the food we've been eating !
Vancouver 23rd September 2017
Today our coach picked us up after breakfast ( which we shared, as the meals here are huge !!) & drove us through town. Our tour guid told us that the Canadians, like the Americans love their coffee & there are 14 Starbucks on a 2 km stretch of Granville street which is one of the major streets in town. Speaking of town, he also said that the city of Vancouver stretches for about 60 to 100 kms before we actually get out of the city. The coach then took us over to Stanley Park where we got to take some photos of the Lion's Gate Bridge & other vistas.
We then made our way over to Queen Elizabeth Park which is very pretty & beautifully maintained. Just like Kings Park many couples choose to have their wedding photos taken here. The coach continued on to Granville Island where we decided we would spend the afternoon & find our own way back to town.
We had lunch at the markets & bought some beautiful fresh fruit for later making our way back to town on the Aquabus.
We left Vancouver at 8.30 am fir our trip to Kelowna.
We could see the snow covered Mt Baker which actually lies in Washington State from the highway on our way to Kelowna . So on a clear day the mountain is visible but on cloudy days there is no sign of it.
The city of Vancouver is a very large city & greater Vancouver stretches for about 100 km before you leave the outer limits of the city behind. It's 9.45 and we just passed Chilliwack which is the last city of greater Vancouver.
We made our first stop at a little town called Hope. It was a pretty little place where we stretched our legs & bought some morning tea from the bakery . We stayed for about 1/2 an hr & then carried on along the coquihalla highway. We went through a 'snow shed' which is a rigid snow-supporting structure to protect traffic during an avalanche .
Apparently British Columbia had a long cold winter & it lasted till April/May this year. So of course all the seasons are running a. It late & that's why so far we haven't had really cold weather. Although I think as we get higher up into the mountains like Banff it will start to cool down.
The tour guide kept mentioning these 'big orange sheep ' . We both thought it was quite strange so we kept a lookout for these sheep only to find out he was talking about 'big horned sheep' !! That Canadian accent !!🙄
We stopped in the Nicola Valley for lunch just after 12 pm . The place we stopped at was Merritt. Being in a valley it was actually quite warm compared with Hope that was higher up in the mountains. It was also quite dry so not very green compared with Hope .
We left Merritt at 1.10 pm on our way to Kelowna.
On our way to Kelowna we seen large areas of land that looked dead . The pine beetle killed off a lot of the old forests not the new growth as it is more resilient . Then came the fires which were promptly put out. Then they realised that forest fires are a necessary part of nature which is what the pine beetle was doing in the first place.... making way for new growth.
Our highest point is 5,700 feet now we descend into the Okanagan Valley.
We arrived in Kelowna to find it was a lot bigger than we thought. It's very beautiful & the lake with the mountains as a backdrop is just a picture !
We spent a hour & a quarter at a winery where there also happened to be an organic festival which was great we had an organic apple & also tried a piece of apple pie & some organic dark chocolate all for free!
We got to Kelowna around 4.45 pm . It is a lot bigger than we thought it would be. Kelowna is a city on lake Okanagan situated in the Okanagan Valley.
We spend the night here & then have a big drive to Banff along the Trans-Canada Highway. It's just under 500 km & should take us just over 5 hrs .
Leaving Kelowna 25th Sept 2017
We left Kelowna at 8.05 am heading to Banff. It's just under 500 km. Our guide just mentioned that Canada has more than 2 million lakes !! Some are really beautiful.
Food is 50% dearer in Canada than in the USA & like the U.S. the price you see doesn't include the tax so just when you think the price isn't too bad it actually increases .( I know some of you know that anyway, it's just for those that don't ).
As we drove thru breathtaking scenery with the beautiful Lake Okanagan in view the guide told us that Arnold Swartzneger owned a house near the lake . All the homes are worth millions of dollars.
Further along our travels,we stopped at Swan Lake for a half hour break to buy tea/coffee or any snacks people want. As we make our ascent we notice the mountains getting greener & higher . They have had 3 months with no rain so the land is quite brown & dry for this time of year .
By twenty passed ten we are joining Trans Canada Highway 1, which will take us all the way to Banff.
We are passing the Shuswap Lake where you can find houseboats, mostly in summer. You can order a pizza or alcohol & a boat will bring it to you at your houseboat .
We will be stopping in Revelstoke for lunch & judging by the scenery, we should be able to get some nice photos.
Leaving Revelstoke at 1.45 pm we continued on up the Trans Canada Highway. The guide tells us that the mountains will look much the same as we've seen but will then start closing in on us .
Well it doesn't take long for that to happen . We have only been travelling for about 10 min when the Trans Canada Hwy has been reduced to two lanes with these humongous mountains rising up on either side. They look magnificent ! Occasionally we get a break in the trees where there is an opening & their beauty is revealed . The clouds are hanging low about 3/4 of the way down the mountain in some areas.
We go thru the Summit Pass at 4,000 ft & we are told that now we will start to drop as we go thru the Beaver Valley passing thru many snow sheds.
All of a sudden, we slowed down to a complete stop. We stayed there for about 20 mins . Apparently they were scaling the mountain . This is something they do regularly, where they scrape & remove any loose rock to make it safe for travellers.
Once we start moving again Tarek our guide tells us we can see the Canadian Rockies ahead & that we will be going through the famous Kicking Horse Pass further along .
We stopped for a short break at Golden about 80 km from Banff.
We leave the Colombian Rockies behind & make our way through the Canadian Rockies . The road is now very windy & the Rockies are rising up like huge sheets of limestone all jaggered & sharp on either side of the highway. Below us on our right runs the Kicking Horse River & in the distance we can see the Kicking Horse Pass
We continue through the Rockies stopping a few times & as we get closer to Banff we see a bridge under construction & it is called a wildlife crossing. This bridge is actually for wild animals so they don't become roadkill . There are several bridges now being built all over the country.
We pass Castle Mountain which is halfway between Banff & Lake Louise.
We are finally in Banff after about 10 hrs on the road including our stops for morning & afternoon tea, lunch & photo opportunities.
I think we will all literally fall into bed tonight 💤💤
Leaving Banff Wednesday 27th September :
An early start this morning. Up at 5.30 am, Bags packed & out at 6.30 . Managed a really quick breakfast at 7 & on the coach by 7.30 to depart. Our elevation at our Banff hotel is abou 5,000 ft & we found out later that at least one of the ladies was being effected by the altitude . Dad & I were fine.
Passed Castle Mountain on the way to Lake Louise . It was originally known as Mt Eisenhower but when president Eisenhower refused to attend a function in honour of naming the mountain because he had a golf game to attend the people were angry & changed the name of the mountain back to Castle Mountain.
We arrive at Lake Louise & it is just breathtaking !! It's only a small lake but it's beauty makes up for its size. It is so blue that it actually looks fake ! Apparently it is the silt brought to the lake by the melt-waters from the surrounding Glaciers.
You can see the sheer face of Mt. Victoria covered in snow as you look across Lake Louise. We spend an hour and a bit there taking endless photos because it's so beautiful you just can't stop.
We were then taken to Peyto Lake which again is the bluest blue you will ever see & stands 6,100 ft above sea level. it was named after the pioneer mountain guide Bill Peyto.
We head off at 10.45 to the
Icefield parkland , where we will take the Ice Explorer onto the Glacier.
We arrive at the Athabasca Glacier & after a quick lunch we climb on the bus that takes us to the Ice Explorer . From there we climb onto the Ice Explorer driven by Paige Chisholm a young 23 yr old who did an absolutely excellent job not only driving the bus but giving us a commentary as we chugged along very slowly . It was a very shot distance but as we had a very steep decent & would eventually be driving on ice we had to go very slow. The drive which was about 400 meters, took us 20 min !! We were all allowed off the bus to spend 20 min walking on the Glacier . It was really quite amazing !
We could see Mount Edith Cavell as we are coming into Jasper. All snow covered peaks & looking beautiful .
On the way to The hotel in Jasper those of us going on the raft on the Athabasca River were dropped off at the river. There were 16 of us. We were suited up with our life jackets & got on the big orange rubber raft. The ride was way calmer than I expected . In fact, I was hoping for a few more bumps . Anyway we lucked out in that we didn't get wet. We were taken back to the hotel, unpacked then headed off to dinner in the hotel restaurant which was very nice. It was a really long & very full day but filled with beautiful sights everywhere we looked. It was an early night for both of us.
Thursday 28th September 2017
Today we had a bit of a sleep in as both of us were up through the night. After breakfast we decided to go into town for a look around. Jasper is a really pretty little town & although it was a very crisp morning, ( 5 deg ) it was sunny & just beautiful to wander around the quaint little shops.
I think Jasper is our favourite so far.
After lunch we walked back to the hotel which wasn't too far but but now the weather had warmed up & we were quite hot. The sun that we were so happy to bask in just a few short hours ago was sending us in search of some shade.
We had booked a nature walk down the Maligne Canyon . It was a guided walk with a very knowledgeable young lady who showed us some amazing sights. The walk went for just under 3 kms & was mostly down hill. It was quite spectacular & amazing how cold it got the lower we went into the canyon.
Another great day with so much to see in this beautiful country.
Leaving Sun Peaks . Saturday 30th Sept :
We left Sun Peaks at 8 am after a very poor breakfast. The only choice was a continental breakfast which would have been fine except there was only bread, a few sweet pastries,fresh fruit & some very runny yoghurt for $12.50 !
The trip today is about 360 km, & we are heading to Whistler.
Apparently the entire trip today is through bear country ... so fingers crossed 🤞
We stopped to take some photos of the Sth Thompson River with the beautiful mountains as the backdrop. Terek said we are heading into 'cowboy country'. He set the scene by playing some lovely western music. I must admit it felt like we were on the set of a western movie.
We stop at Hat Creek Ranch where they make the best sausage rolls EVER !! & that's from someone who hates sausage ! Perhaps it had something to do with missing a good breakfast .
After morning tea we head into the Marble Canyon named because of the beautiful mix of colour you see on the sides of the mountains.
We pass a limestone quarry & another pretty lake .
We pass the canyon where the movie River Wild with Merryl Streep was filmed & pass the Fraser river deep in the canyon .
We stop for lunch in Lilooett, a pretty little town and has a population of about two & a half thousand people. The supermarket in town had everything you could want for lunch. From a slice of pizza to other hot savoury items, salads, cakes you name they have it & the good thing is there is a microwave, & throw away plates that you could heat anything up that you like. You can even use the 'washrooms ' 🚽out the back of the supermarket, unheard of in Australia .
With lunch taken care of, we make our way up the mountain towards Whistler.
We drive thru Pemberton which is about 1/2 an hr before we get to Whistler . The price of houses in Whistler are in the millions & unaffordable to most people.
We get to Whistler by 3.30 pm
& the weather is overcast with a little patches of blue sky here & there. The forecast for tomorrow is fine 🤞
As we drive into Whistler we see The Green Lake. It's named that, because of its pretty green colour. On the edge of the lake & in the surrounding mountains, you can see million dollar homes.
We get to the village at 3.30 pm & I can definitely say that everyone was glad to be off the bus. The weather isn't too bad. It's cold but it's ok once you are rugged up & best of all , it isn't raining !
We check into our rooms relaxed, caught up on the blog then set off for dinner. Most of the places in Whistler, are run by 'Aussie kids'
They all have badges with their name & what part of the world they come from. We seen quite a few from Perth.
It's been another long day & we will be glad to fall into bed tonight.
A day at Whistler : Sunday 1st October 2017
Today is our second & our last day at Whistler .
The weather is cold outside but the sunshine is promising a beautiful day.
We started with a continental breakfast at the hotel & then made our way over to where the gondolas are. We booked the tour called 'Peak To Peak' where you catch the cable car from the base of Whistler. We chose the car with the glass bottom along with several of our tour members but was disappointed when we discovered that the glass section was only a small section in the middle of the cable car which was fenced off. So you could see the bottom but couldn't stand on a glass floor, which we all looked forward to doing.
Anyway, the view again was indescribable ! To see the tops of the mountains all covered in snow & to look down over the village of Whistler . It was a beautiful sight !
It took a good half hour just to get to the top of Whistler . Then we changed gondolas & rode from Whistler to Blackcomb mountains which took 11 min (4.4 kms).
It was freezing cold up the top with an icy wind blowing but we managed to stay outside for a while & took lots of photos. The view from the top as you can imagine is spectacular . Then it was into the cafe for a hot cuppa & a yummy pastry .
A few people on the gondola including dad said they seen a bear in the distance, ( a tiny black dot on the slopes ) but unfortunately I didn't.
Back down again in the village it was lunch time so after lunch we went for a walk around The Lost Lake. It was about a 15 min walk to the lake & then we walked all the way around & back to the village.
Sadly again, no bears !! We thought there may have been a sighting as we were walking through the forest (on a path of course )but I guess with all the activity like cyclists, joggers, people walking their dogs & people like us just going for a walk there was good chance the bears would stay hidden.
We bumped into a couple from our coach tour at The Lost Lake & we walked back to the village together.
It's been a lovely day, crisp but sunny & very interesting.
Leaving Whistler & heading to Victoria Island. 2nd October 2017
We leave Whistler at 7.30 am & make our way to Vancouver to catch the ferry to Victoria Island .
It doesn't take long to come to the built up areas of outer Vancouver . We pass by more beautiful scenery. Mountains & lakes everywhere we turn. We pass Furry Creek Lake . Imagine having these beautiful mountains & this amazing lake you can easily access from the city ! We then pass Horseshoe Bay, which is west Vancouver another beauty & all this is just on the way to the ferry.
We arrive in Swartz Bay at about 1.20 pm . We board the coach & head for the city of Victoria , which is about a 40 min drive.
Our tour for the day is The Butchart Gardens. We are told these gardens are beautiful but you have to see it to believe it. They are so beautiful , I bet everyone wished their gardens looked like that. Immaculate lawns, so many colourful beds of different flowers, a Japanese garden, an Italian garden, hanging baskets in full bloom it just goes on & on. We spent two hrs there & ended the afternoon with a yummy ice cream.
We were then driven around the city so our guide Tarek could show us a few highlights as to where the best restaurants & shops are as well as museums & other tourist spots.
On arrival at our hotel ( Royal Scot Hotel )we were greeted by a Scotsman playing the bagpipes which was a very nice welcome.
Fishermans Wharf was one of the suggestions so we thought we'd try it out for dinner. It was a really good choice.
Tomorrow we will check out the city & some sights.