Dibbo's and Trotty Trips

Day 1 - Friday 12/5

Leaving at 11.15 this morning - had a big night - Had 2 unexpected visitors
last night (Mel and Al) - so a few beers, scotch and red wines were had.
Met Lynne and Glenn at the airport. Had a few pre flight drinks with Ashley
and Matthew (Lynne and Glenn's daughter and grandson). Off to Brisbane to
connect with our international flight. Got to the International terminal in
plenty of time - to the Qantas lounge for a few drinks. We are flying Air
Pacific (Fiji) - first stop in Fiji - 3 hour flight. To the Qantas lounge
for another few drinks - we are the only ones in the lounge. We have
brought FTC with us on our travels as well. Stop over in Fiji is 1 and a
half hours - not sure what the local time is - but its dark outside. Back
on plane for trip to Honolulu - about 4 hours. Watched a couple of movies.
What a run around here - out of our terminal onto a bus to another - down
some stairs to immigation and customs - up some others and around corners -
No signs - then back outside and bus back to where we started from. Back on
our plane at 7am local time and its still Friday as we passed the
international date line. Next stop Vancouver - 5 hour trip - watched
another 2 movies. No beers on this leg - except just before they shut
the bar 30 minutes before landing. Arrived in Vancouver at 5.30pm local time
- easy through customs/Immigration and taxi to our hotel in city - Patricia
Inn - this is situatd on one of the main streets that go through the city
centre - however its about a 10 minute walk out. In the brochure it
decribes it as being in a "colourful" area of the City. Well here in
Vancouver they have the richest and poorest postcodes in Canada - out hotel
in the middle of the poorest. There are drug addicts, drunks, beggars, etc
everywhere however, its not too bad walking down the street - just the odd
person asking for change - nothing aggressive. The rooms here only cost
$100 for a triple and the best thing is that it has its own Pub - Pats Pub.
So we dropped our bags off in the room and straight down to sample the local
beer in Pats Pub. Lynne got a Peach cider and me and Dibbo (Glenn) had some
local draught beers - not bad - some are 8% - the one we drank the most -
Molson Black Label is 5%. We then walked down to Gastown and had a look
around before having dinner at a place called - "The Spagetti Factory" - not
bad - had mussels, clam chowder and crumbed mixed vegies. Got a taxi back
to the hotel (it doesn't get dark here until about 10.00pm) and back to Pats
Pub - met the Bar Manager Brett - nice bloke - he used to have a girlfriend
in Australia. Had a few drinks and listened to 3 young local bands (they
only have about 20 minutes on stage each) - well the first ones were absolute
crap - they only played one song (if you could call it that) - but it went
for 20 minutes - it was that bad that Brett was about to pull the plug on
them. All it was was noise - it sounded like all 5 of them were playing
something different. Good laugh. Lynne has discovered a drink she loves -
its 7% Vodka based lemonade - Mikes Hard Lemonade. Up to bed and asleep just
after midnight - a long day - we have basically been awake for 36 hours.

Saturday 13/5

Lynne and Dibbo up at 6.30 - me 7.00 - picked up for our city tour at8.45. Actually got started at 9.30 and went to 1.30. Drove around and showed us
Gastown, Chinatown (which is only a block away from where our hotel is),
Stanley Park and Granville Island. A few stops along the way for photos.
Our last top at Granville Island was for lunch at the markets - the tour
leader said "you can have a leisurely lunch here - but be back on the bus in 20 minutes". We got them to drop us off at Gastown and went to the Storyeum - OK - you go underground and they tell you (acted out and song) about the history of Vancouver and British Colombia. Took just over an hour - for
this and the tour before we used our Vancouver Smart card - cost about $100 each but you get to all these things for free - works out cheaper. We then walked to Chinatown and had a look at a traditional Chinese Garden. Then
walked through more of Chinatown back to the hotel - heaps of sidewalk
shops/markets - some good stuff - flattened chickens, Dried Lizards on
sticks, roasted pigs, chooks and ducks. A few drinks at Pats Pub and then
we walked down the street for Fish and Chips - Halibat and Salmon - not bad.
Back down to pub for a few. The bar closes at 11.00 - Brett the bar manager
shouted us a few drinks after the 11.00 close. Dibbo back to room about
11.30, Lynne snuck off at around 12.30 and I stumbled in at around 3.00am.
Brett shouted drinks the whole time and then he wanted to play pool - we
played 3 games and I think I only potted aout 5 balls in total. I took the
drink that Lynne had left with me - they had left the door open - but I woke
them anyway. Fell into bed. And out of it twice!!!

Sunday 14/5

Up at 7.00 - all not feeling that well. Got a taxi to Granville Island and walked around the shops and markets and had something to eat. Then we got a taxi to the harbour to get our 90 minute Harbour Cruise. Not bad - saw a sealion. Back to town and we picked up our rental car from Budget - a Nissan Maxima. Dibbo first to drive - the other side of the road to us -got back to the hotel safely. Up to room and watched TV for a while until we
ventured once again to the pub. Too late for meals - we had 2 beers - Lynne 1 of Mikes Lemonades. Walked down through Chinatown to find something open - all closed up as its Mothers day - found 1 open - had a good meal. Back to hotel and had another few drinks and back up to room - asleep by 11.00.

Monday 15/5
Today we are driving to Victoria and Vancouver Island - Dibbo driving. Away at 7.30 to try to catch the 9.00am ferry - made it just in time $66 for the 3 of us and car - one way. Takes about 90 minutes for the crossing 90 off and nice drive to Butchart Gardens - over 100 years old. $21 each to get in - want to be bloody good. Well it was pretty amazing - colour everywhere. It used to be an old cement factory and quarry. We spent about 90 minutes walking around. Back in car for the short drive to Victoria. Nice city - walked around and had lunch at a local pub. Down at the marina are the yachts from the "Around the World Race" we had a yarn to one of the Australians on the Western Australian boat - they are coming first at the moment. They leave here go through the Panama canal - up the East coast of USA and then across to the finsih in England. Back in car for the drive to Namania to catch the ferry back to mainland. This time we land at Horseshoe bay North of Vancouver. Another 90 minute trip - off the ferry and headed for Vancouver - we stopped off at Grouse Mountain for a look - took the gondala to the top - still heaps of snow/ice about - I got some strange looks in my short and thongs (flip flops - not the other kind of thong). Saw 2 orphaned Grizzly Bears - they have been here in an enclosure for the last 2 years - pretty big now - 1 is a coastal bear and other from inland. Saw a video about them and then came back down and back to hotel around 10.00 - We have had great weather - blue skies, sunny and around 20 degrees. Went to bar for
a few nightcaps - Brett wanted to shout us more free drinks - we decided we
had had enough around 11.30 - up to bed. We still haven't worked out the
tipping here - at the bar some do some don't.

Tuesday 16/5

Off into the mountains today - left around 7.30 - me driving. Great drive along the coast road (called the Sea to Sky highway) to Whistler - still a
lot of snow/ice on the tops of the mountains and about half way down the ski
slopes. Stopped at a few places for photos. Then we drove through Pemberton, Lillooet, Lytton/Spencers Bridge/Lower Nicola/Merritt to Penticton on the shores of Lake Okanagan. Great drive - snow covered mountain peaks, Glacial rivers - sky blue water and even some desert country. Got into town just after 5 and found our hotel (for the next 3 days) - its right on the Lake foreshore - Motel Crown - $75/night for a double room unit. We found a Safeways and a grog shop - we stocked up on the essentials. Back to motel and a short walk down the road to Salty's bar - had a few drinks and decided to have dinner here - not bad I had Spag Marinana the others shared 4 entrees. Back to room for a few drinks, played cards and watched some TV - all the places here have about 60 different channels. To bed just after midnight.

Wednesday 17/5

I woke up just after 10 - Lynne and Glenn had already been up for hours and
had 2 walks and a drive before I got out of bed - my room is as dark as a
cave - good for sleeping in - Lynne and Glenns gets the morning sun - which
Lynne tells me rises just after 5.00am. Today its wineries day - we went to
the Visitors Info centre and we got the run down on which ones make reds.
We went to about 6 in total and bought 4 bottles. No one had Shiraz - but
some weren't too bad. A few we went to were closed and one had run out of
Reds - we didn't stay. We tried a few wineries further south as well and
had a picnic lunch in a park beside Lake Skaha. Back to the motel via
Wallmart and supermarket to get dinner for tonight. Dibbo cooking beef rack
ribs with mashed potato, garlic mushrooms and zuchini. Sat outside on our
patio having a few drinks - it got up to 35 degrees today - dry heat so not
too bad. Went down to the lake and walked in a few feet - bloody cold - icy
in fact - But there are people swimming - must be mad. Back to room and
dinner - great cooked to perfection. Had a few more drinks - Lynne off to
bed - Dibbo and myself had a game of crib - I beat him - first time in about
50 games. to bed around 1.00am. Good day.

Thursday 18/5

Up at 9.00 and down to drop off laundry. Back to motel and a short walk down the beach to an old Paddle Steamer - the SS Sicamous - now a museum.Not bad - built in 1914 and retired in 1937. Its now restored and looks great. Then off to play golf - St Andrews - after we had paid we discovered that its only a 9 hole course - still a great course - plenty on water and hardly any bunkers. Lynne shot the same score for both 9's, Glenn had a good
first 9 and the second he was about 8 shots worse. I had a shocker on the first 9 - 56 - but then had a complete turn around and got a 43. Cost about $170 all up - for the 18 holes, 2 golf carts and 3 sets of clubs. The course is set in a narrow valley - heaps of private homes surround the course. Back to motel via the supermarket and grog shop. Dibbo cooking
again tonight - Chicken Fajita's. Went next door to bar/restaurant - Ceili's for a few evening drinks overlooking the lake and then back to sample Glenn's dinner - YUM!!!. Watched TV and playd some more cards - to bed early. Another great day.

Friday 19/5

Up and had breakfast at Ceili's $6 for bacon, eggs, toast and hash browns.
Off to collect laundry and away for the drive back to Vancouver - we have to
have the rental car back by 5.00pm. Lovely drive back through the
mountains ( how would you know Trotty - you were sleeping ). I started driving - but I got too tired and Lynne took over. Saw 2 Black bears on the side of the road. Drove through Hope and had a look at the chainsaw carvings and then to Fort Langley - had another picnic
lunch and then for a look around the fort. Not too bad - spent about an hour looking around. Back in car for the short drive into Vancouver - we left at 3.30 for the 35km drive. the traffic going the other way was bumper
to bumper - its a long weekend this weekend with Monday being a public holiday - Victoria Day. We had a hold up for about 30 minutes on one section of the road.
Eventually back to the Patricia hotel at 4.30 - Glenn off to fill up the car - me and Lynne organise room and luggage. Glenn back and into town for the drop off - got there right on 5.00. No probs with the car - we then spent an hour or so looking around Granville street - walked back through Chinatown back to hotel (we couldn't find a cab). Back to room to organise ourselves and then down to Pats Pub for dinner and a few drinks. I had Pulled Pork for dinner - great. Brett in the bar and having a day off - he keeps shouting us beers. We were also joined by Darrell - who is the owners son - then he started shouting us drinks. We eventually got to shout them some. We gave them each a stubby cooler. Friday night is band night again - they didn't disappoint - the first one was crap the next were OK - they also sold CDs - I got 5 songs for $5 and Lynne got a Tshirt and CD for $15. Brett was trying to talk us into going out on the town with him. Fortunely, he had a few too many and wandered off to bed. Us to bed around midnight.

Saturday 20/5

I woke at 10.00 - Lynne and Glenn had been awake for a while. Packed our
bags and downstairs to do this message. Glenn and Lynne walked into town to
get our digital photos put on a CD. Our 7 night cruise to Alaska starts at
4.30pm today - so we will be going down there around 2. (in about 30
minutes).

Until the next time (probably in about a week) Bye for now

Trotty, Glenn and Lynne

PS New photos to come soon cannot load them while on the ship

Contest: During this trip you will note an acroynm FTC. Who ever can decipher the meaning of FTC will be the lucky recipient of a fabulous prize. If you can actually identify FTC you will be the lucky camper and get the booby prize. Please leave your answer in the comments section. Ashley no cheating or giving any hints.