babyblog

BC Velly Nice!

We decided to take a quick weekend getaway up to BC seeing as it's the last w/e we have before becoming homeowners with shit loads of renovating to do. It's only an hour and a half to Vancouver from here.

Experienced our first non-Canada-permit-holding border crossing, which was very different to the Buffalo entry point where we had previously mostly just sailed through without having to show any documentation. This time we handed over 3 British Passports and 1 Canadian (Harry's, hoping it'd make life easier) but the humourless border guard made us pull over to the immigration office where they frowned at us for 10 mins and finally allowed us entry when they realised we weren't as dodgy as the 2 Chinese people behind us who tried to make a run for it and set sirens ablazing.

The landscape very strangely changes as soon as you cross over. It goes from picturesque tree covered hilly and populated beauty, to Ontario style barren bleak industrial-ish looking flatness (Mountains on the horizon mind you!). However, within a short period of time you're in Vancouver which is extremely beautiful, vibrant, lively and picturesque. We liked it ALOT. We parked up by the harbour, walked a little, had lunch, and then ended up renting bikes and doing a 10k ride around a bike trail along a coastal peninsula. G and D had a tandem which D absolutely loved, and I had H in a trailer behind mine which he loved too! It was very hot but great fun, a lovely way to spend the early afternoon.

Hotel time - swam in the pool, had dinner, watched Star Wars, went to sleep.

Sunday morning - up early and across to Vancouver Island on the ferry from Tsawassen (or , as Dylan read it, Tissawissawissen). A car ferry very similar to the Dover-Calais type boats, takes an hour and a half. Noted the majority of passengers on the ferry were Chinese. We drove off and down to Victoria which was cutesie although I didn't think it was anything like as stunning as Vancouver. We had lunch and walked around the harbour - wished we had time for a Whale Watching expedition but that will have to wait for another free weekend , then drove around a scenic coastal road stopping at a beach for the boys to have a splash in the water. Caught the 4pm ferry back (once more full of Chinese people!).

Border crossing back to USA was unlike any border crossing to the USA I have ever had before 'off you go' without so much as a blink of an eye! Such is the power of the work permit.

In conclusion. BC is mostly populated by Chinese people, and there aren't many Tim Hortons ( I commented on this to G and he said there are so many in Ontario because there's nothing else to do there (lol)). Vancouver is beautiful and I will definitely go back soon. It's an easy trip from here provided the borders are not busy (can be extremely so).... tip from Britpack to use the Truck/Commercial Vehicle entry point very valuable!