Hello Vancouver

Vancouver is a stunningly beautiful city thanks to its location between the mountains and the sea. The vibe in Vancouver is different to the eastern seaboard old-world. It's a Pacific city. My first thought on seeing the modern trends manifest was that the Californian new-agers had moved here.

The Canadian is one of the world's great rail journeys and I had seen marvelous landscapes and met diverse folk. Bear in mind that you can't spend all your time looking out the window, and you miss stretches at night. I wouldn't ride the epic 4466 km again even if free—once suffices. West is the better direction as the best mountainscapes are near the end. But you could also visit the Rockies by taking a tour from Vancouver.

It took me a while to find the bus stop for the service to my hostel what with construction and relocation. The minibus service ran along Pacific Street skirting the harbour. I could understand why Vancouver is a favoured bolt-hole for cashed up Asians seeing the blocks of high-rises with grand views. I was staying at a hostel because everywhere in Canada hotel rooms are expensive. Even Airbnb is expensive.

I checked in and had a late lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant. It was authentic and filling.

I spent the afternoon doing my laundry, another thing not available in most hotels. I went to an op shop and donated my old cold weather jacket. I'm unlikely to need one again in the near future, and also it was necessary because one of the later flights in my itinerary had a bottleneck of 15 kg checked luggage.

One advantage of the hostel location in the West End was nearby Davie Street with lots of eateries.