Thursday, August 26, 2010

Vancouver - Day 4

Day 18 – Monday August 23, 2010 – Vancouver

Kilometres: 0

Time: No riding today

Weather:

Sunny with a few clouds, about 20 C at 10 AM

Sue met me at my hotel room around 10 AM, but we started talking and drinking coffee, so we didn’t get going until almost noon. The weatherman was again wrong with his forecast, as it was another beautiful sunny and warm day. Our destination was my only “must see” while in Vancouver: The Aquarium.

Our first visit was with the three sea otters. All were rescued and for one reason or another would not survive in the wild, nonetheless, I felt sorry for them because they really don’t have much room to swim around. They quickly swim back and worth and really reminded me of large animals pacing back and worth in small cages. Anyway, I didn’t realize who big sea otters are. I would guess that they are about a metre and half long. And they are not all skin and bone either. They are chunky because they need their body fat to keep them warm in the cold sea water.

We quickly stopped by to visit the dolphins and sea lions, both of which had much larger swimming areas than the sea otters.

Our next stop was the three beluga whales. The three are all related and all female. There’s grandma, mother, and a two-year-old daughter, who is still adolescent grey in colour and not yet white. It was close to feeding time and when the trainers came out the whales did a few little tricks for their fishy lunch. They waved to crowd, rolled over, twirled around and in the end gave the kids a good splash or two with a tail. I was happy to see that they didn’t have them doing the silly swimming thought hoops tricks.

Sue and I also went into the tropical area where it was lovely and humid. Macaws, turtles, butterflies, and other birds and creatures inhabited the small area.

Other swimming areas in the aquarium include the sharks (mostly nurse sharks, I believe) mixed in with the ever-graceful stingray. I really felt sorry of the huge octopus that was kept in such a small enclosure. It stick to the glass and at one point propelled itself from one side to the other, but barely had enough room to stretch to its full length. I’ve seen these creatures on TV and know that they can really move when they need or want to. It was really a pity that the Vancouver Aquarium cannot provide a more suitable environment for both the octopus and the sea otters. There must be a way for the public to see the wonderful animals in a much more comfortable way for them.

There was a dolphin show scheduled, but I have seen a number of them through the years and really didn’t want to see another one.

Back in the car we went and off to drive around the various parts of Vancouver. I have seen so much of the city and by this time I was finally starting to get my bearings. After a while we wound up having a late lunch/early dinner at a Greek restaurant in Davies. My visit to Vancouver was coming to close and it was now time to return to the hotel to pack for early morning departure.

I’m really lucky. I have really great family out on the west coast. I found that all of us have so much in common that we could all just talk way forever. (Donna, that’s a hint. We want you over here.) In fact, Sue and I were talking away so much that I invited her into the hotel room while I packed. So we could spend some more time together.

With everything done finally done, except for the packing that has to wait until morning, we went next door to Denny’s for a coffee and a milkshake. By 9 PM, we both knew it was time for one last hug. I was soon on my own after a wonderful time with some truly nice, down to earth, friendly people. I will cherish my memories of my too short of a visit to Vancouver. Thank you for treating me so wonderfully, showing me the sights and making sure I had an exceptional time in Vancouver and with all of you.