With such a fantastic location and a busy venue, I expected more.
Service was slow, I actually enquired as to whether they had forgotten our meals.
I chose the cocktail the waitress recommended and was highly disappointed. It looked cute but tasted like off cider.
I ordered the special salad of the day – trout with asparagus and greens. There was barely a fillet of trout, just three little morsels and the dressing was over bearing.
Shame, but perhaps I caught them on an off day.
The best way to wake up? Swim out to a pontoon in the middle of Okanagan Lake and jump in!
We woke early, headed to a lakeside cafe fror breakfast and then a swim. Hilariously a boat had driven on top of the pier during the night!
Unfortunately it was my last day in Penticton but we did one of my favourite things! Tubing the channel.
$10 gets you a tube hire and bus back. It takes about 2 hours to float down and is completely relaxing. The current is pretty swift, the river is wide and cute ducks come out of the reeds to greet you.
If I went again, I would bring some rope to tie all the tubes together and a bucket of drinks to get the party going on the way down.
Trip home flew by and before we knew it we were back in Vancouver.
Another Road Trip done, now to plan the next one…
Saturday morning started with breakfast in the Olympic Village and tie shopping for Billy.
Once I was dropped home I scooted over to Carso’s for a catch up and a big walk.
We power walked around Stanley Park for about an hour, getting lost in the Forrest but eventually finding ourselves in Lovers Lane and making the trek back to second beach.
Back along the water front on English Bay, we found a Crepe & Lemonade Food Truck – just what I was craving! Carso and I shared a nutella strawberry crepe with a fresh lemonade. Delicious. I love that there are food trucks all over downtown Vancouver. I’ll have to head to the food Carr fest that’s on at the moment.
Carso and I were going to head out but seeing as she had been ill all week we decided it was probably best she didn’t consume copious alcoholic beverages.
I retired home to chat to my Dad, Blom, Lauren and some others from home. Great to finally have a catch up, between time zones there’s not always convenient time to chat.
I am looking forward to checking out some more Vancouver nightlife soon, I haven’t experienced much at all. It seems to be quite a different scene to what I’m used to. There’s either pubs or clubs. Nothing in between where you can go for a boogie and a chat. Just means I have to keep searching I guess!
After a huge stroll around the beautiful downtown Vancouver area we were craving a cheese and Oliver platter.
Finding Olympia in West End had a plate similar to what we wanted we settled in.
We ordered the feta and olives plate and the tzatziki plate with a cocktail for myself and a Long Island ice tea and Maeghan.
The feta and olives plate was very slap -bang. In that it looked like they’d just chopped up some feta, tomatoes, cucumber and bread then put some olives on it. Only $7 so can’t complain too much I guess.
Tzatziki plate was alright, lots of pita bread. Again only $6.
My Bloody Mary could easily have been a tomato juice and the Long Island ice tea a diet coke.
Average at best!
We drove up to check out Portland for the long weekend. From Vancouver it’s about a 7hour drive so we left at 2pm on Friday to attempt to beat the traffic to the border crossing. Waits can be atrocious but luckily for us it was only about 45mins.
When we arrived at the border they asked us the usual questions – intentions in Portland, how long are you staying etc. We ended up being slapped with an orange sticker on our windscreen which basically means you have to go park so they can interrogate you more. I swear it was only when he saw Billy’s Aussie passport. Kiwi’s would be fine.
They take your car keys and you head inside where they ask you more questions and check your passport out. We had both recently been in the States so our Visa’s were fine.
The rest of the drive was beautiful, with an amazing sunset and Billy being an over efficient DJ – only the best will do!
Our hotel was great, the Marriott Waterfront. Billy went to park the car while I checked in. Guys should always send their girls in solo to check in. I got free wifi for the both of us for the duration of the stay and a water view. Room was large and the bed had heaps of pillows. Very important. They weren’t the best pillows but you could make a good pile out of them.
Saturday morning we were up early to explore the city. We went all along the waterfront, through the farmers market and into the city, stopping for breakfast.
I dragged Billy shopping – although I would call it purchasing. To save his whining I already knew what I wanted so we were in and out of Clinique & MAC in no time. USA is much cheaper than Canada for most products plus there is no tax. Yeww!
Exhausted from the 35 degree heat and 5 hour walk and some bevvies in the sun at a brewery we headed home for a nap.
Sunday was zoo day! Only $20 for the both of us, we spent half the day wandering around looking at the Tigers and monkeys. Crap food, but I don’t expect much at a zoo.
We made it in time to watch my mate Jimmy play in the Portland AFL grand final. Jimmy kicked a bag and we even joined in for their awards giving at the pub afterwards. He’s been living in Oregon for 7months so it was great to catch up with him!
After a few drinks we went to another brewery around the corner for some beers. We had one each and shared a tasting palette of 6, which was only $8. Love America.
Dinner was at Trader Vicks where we shared a Tiki bowl (by share I think I drank 3/4’s and Billy pretended to drink) and had delicious tapas. Poke and coconut shrimp for me, hummus and calamari for Billy.
Half cut we trudged back to the hotel for an early night before the drive back.
On the way to Portland there was a Starbucks at every stop so we presumed it would be the same on the highway back. Little did we know!
We stopped at McD’s for my breaky, I was hungover and hugely in need of some bacon and eggs. Billy wanted to be ‘healthy’ and was after a coffee so we stopped at the Starbucks. Unfortunately a group of about 20 school kids had just gone in so he abandoned that idea instead thinking to get one at the next exit. But there wasn’t one…. For the next 2 hours! I must admit to being slightly amused at first but he was so grumpy by the end even I was hanging out to find it!
Coffee and ‘healthy’ food down we hit the road only to stop at the premium outlet stores. Billy got lots of stuff, I didn’t buy anything. I nearly bought some fudge but saved by waistline the cm’s. Soo much cheaper in USA. The mall is only 2 hours past the border so lots of Vancouver-ites head there for their shopping sprees. Have to be careful though or they can sting you on the border for tax!
Coming back through the border was easy, a few questions and we were through. Only 40kms from there to Vancouver so we were home by 5.30 to celebrate Canada Day!
Checked out Wreck Beach today down by UBC in Vancouver.
I’d heard mixed reports – mainly about everyone being nude and magic mushies being passed around. So I already knew it was a pretty liberal place.
Wreck Beach is unlike anywhere I’ve ever seen. You could almost call it a hippie beach.
Clothes are optional – mainly men are naked, some topless women too but hardly any nude ladies, to the men’s disgust I’m sure.
There’s food tents, run of course by naked people. My coconut was served to me by a machete bearing topless women and my corn on the cob was bbq’d by a scantily (half sarong sort of tied around waist with ‘bits’ hanging out) clad man. By the banter of the two men serving I would also say heavily stoned men.
Others walk around with bags of ‘goods’ weed, weed lollies, magic mushrooms, alcoholic beverages etc. they’re all naked apart from their chilly bins. For those of you who aren’t Kiwi, a chilly bin is an esky or cooler bag.
I remained bikini tied firmly on but couldn’t care less what everyone else was doing. It’s a very liberal place, interesting to check out and a beautiful spot.
Apart from the 480 stairs!! They suck!! Only way in or out of Wreck Beach is via the never-ending stairs. Unless you’re lucky enough to have a boat. I’m glad I bought my inhala with me, that’s for sure!
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