The Vain Traveler goes to Canada
Like what i have previously shared when i applied my tourist canada visa, we have finally pushed through with this road trip. Yay!
Here is a more comprehensive guide for those who wants to explore Vancouver via US land border adventure.
About Vancouver
"With its scenic views, mild climate, and friendly people, Vancouver is known around the world as one of the best places to live and is a popular tourist attraction.
Vancouver is also one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities in Canada with 52% of the population speaking a first language other than English.
Vancouver has been host to many international conferences and events, including the 2010 Winter Olympics and 2010 Winter Paralympics."
Washington,USA to Vancouver,Canada via car
My brother and his family lives in Marysville, Washington and it took us 2 hours to reach the US border. Luckily, the border wait was only 15 minutes. When it was our turn to hand out our passports, The border patrol asked us some questions such as how long was our stay, purpose of our trip, what were our professions and what was our relationship to each other. hehe. The Boyfriend answered most of the questions. After which the border patrol handed us back our passport and i discovered i had a stamp in my passport where as The Boyfriend had none since he used his american passport. Inggit sha. haha!
This link will help you check ahead of time for any delays in traveling to Canada.
This link will help you check ahead of time for any delays in traveling to Canada.
The USA/Canada border experience
after passing through the border, it took as another hour to reach downtown Vancouver. Prior reaching to downtown, we passed by south Granville which reminded me of south melbourne in Australia. I was already liking vancouver. hehe.
Out of Topic: While i was writing this entry, i googled vancouver and melbourne and i found an interesting website about these two (plus portland) which made me realize how similar they are based on my personal travel experience.
Out of Topic: While i was writing this entry, i googled vancouver and melbourne and i found an interesting website about these two (plus portland) which made me realize how similar they are based on my personal travel experience.
Around downtown Vancouver via walk/car
We actually didn't have any detailed itinerary for this trip which was surprisingly fine with me given that i am so OC with new places. Anyway, thankfully, we had a free wifi at our hotel room, thus, we researched some possible places to visit after checking in. We likewise inquired at the hotel concierge recommendations for dining and sight seeing.
That said, we decided to walk around on our first day and night since we planned on staying within the downtown on our first day and to use the car on the following day.
night walk from hotel to other side of town for late dinner
Vancouver,Canada to Washington,USA via car
As much as we wanted to stay longer in Vancouver, we were catching an afternoon flight from Seattle back to LA. We checked out around 10 am and went straight back to the border. We were surprised that border wait was 45 minutes. I almost had a panic attack because i still hadn't finished packing my things at my brother's house plus i wanted to cuddle my babydolls a little bit longer before going back to california. Thankfully we got back at Marysville just in time for late lunch, cuddling with my nieces and last minute packing.
This link can help you check ahead of time for any delays.
This link can help you check ahead of time for any delays.
Bye Canada
ACCOMMODATION
We researched well for a hotel in Vancouver that was within our budget until we finally decided to book at St. Regis. Initially, we only planned on staying for one night BUT The Boyfriend thought one night was not enough to explore Vancouver plus he was enjoying his St. Regis experience on our first day that he decided we extend another night. His spontaneity sometimes has its advantages. hahaha!
St. Regis room rate was 149 CAD + 22% tax per night. Parking rate was 31.6 CAD (including tax) per day. According to The Boyfriend, we had a nice currency exchange (US$) on that trip. Yay for that!
PROs
- great hotel location
- friendly, personalize and accommodating receptionists and hotel staff
- comfy bed and clean bathroom
- great view from room (we got the upper most floor corner room)
- Philosophy toiletries
- free wifi
- complimentary chocolate and Fuji water
- Complimentary breakfast
- parking was located at the building next door, a bit of a walk plus expensive parking rate
- small TV
I think this hotel experience was The Boyfriend's highlight of this trip. hahaha! He can't get over how personalize the service was.
To share more of our adventure, here are the stories plus photos of our 3 day getaway.
Day 1
Since we didn't have any idea where to park when we reach the hotel, we have decided to park on a nearby parking lot and walked to the hotel to check in and inquire about their parking. We were advised that we can get the access card upon checking in and we can park any time we wanted. Moreover, we inquired for a nearby restaurant recommendation for late lunch. We wanted something local so the receptionist suggested Cactus Club Cafe and gave the directions on how to reach the restaurant. It was a short walk but was able to take some photos on our way.
When we reached the restaurant, i was amazed how massive the restaurant was. We then entered and requested for a table. Luckily we were given a table right away. I must say of all the restaurants we've dined, this was my favorite. Besides the ambiance, we thoroughly enjoyed our meal.
Food ordered: beef carpaccio, spaghetti and kobe meatballs, bengal chicken curry
After our sumptuous late lunch, we walked a bit around to see more of the city.
We then walked back to the car to move to the hotel's parking space and settled in our hotel room to rest.
Since we have found out that our arrival was boxing day, we went to Pacific Centre Mall to look for sale finds. moreover, since we finally decided to extend our stay, shopping for winter clothes was imperative as i only brought an overnight set of clothes. I was able to hoard some winter stuff on sale. yay for that!
It's Boxing day!
The Boyfriend likewise tried Tim Hortons coffee, a widely known coffee chain in Canada. According to The Boyfriend, he found the coffee just fine. Nothing fancy he said.
For dinner, we thought of checking out Phnom Penh, a cambodian - vietnamese fusion restaurant. We checked google map and it was a 30 minute walk from the hotel. We wanted to see more of vancouver at night so we decided to walk going there.
We didn't pass the opportunity to take some photos enroute to the restaurant. As for the weather, it was friggin cold but bearable.
photo ops at night!
We were surprised how packed the restaurant was. We waited roughly 1 hour to be seated and once we got our seats, we immediately gave our food order. Oh man, we ordered a lot. Good for 4 people. hahaha!
The Boyfriend enjoyed trying out cambodian dishes. I am not new with cambodian cuisine but I did like their dishes. Cheap BUT yummy!
the chubs chubs! haha!
It was safe walking around from that side of town back to our hotel. we were just hesistant as we were the only ones walking in that direction.
the long walk
Day 2
We left hotel for stanley park around 10 am. It was just a short drive. After we parked, we figured we'll just discover the place by foot.
wet winter in stanley park
one of the places we discovered while walking around stanley park was Vancouver Aquarium. I was soooooo giddy as The Boyfriend knows how i absolutely love aquariums. He calls it my "happy place". I thought we could stay for only like 2 hours but we actually stayed for almost 4 hours. This aquarium is one of my favorites aquarium to date.
Vancouver aquarium is a nonprofit organization and the largest aquarium in Canada. This aquarium is no longer capturing animals. Instead they focus on the rehabilitation and breeding of the animals in the aquarium.
well, hello there!
The aquarium has a dolphin show which was actually nice because not only the dolphins were nice to watch but they also shared information about the dolphin's lives in the aquarium. Very informative dolphin show.
hello Hana and Helen!
one of the highlights of my vancouver aquarium experience would be the beluga whales! It was my first time to see beluga whales and i was completely mesmerized at the entire show.
hello aurora and qila!
after our vancouver aquarium adventure, we ventured out to Stanley Park and walk around to see more of the park. we have reached as far as the other side of the park overlooking the bay. I must say this was the favorite part of my vancouver stay. I have this on going affair with parks and stanley park was sooo nice. Even if it was winter, everything looked nice. I kept on telling The Boyfriend that it would be awesome to have a picnic at stanley park during the spring season.
after our nice stroll in the park, it was time for us to buy some souvenirs, specifically the maple syrup. We went to Maple Delights store in Gastown for some maple flavored treats. Too bad I wasn't able to take some photos.
Anyway, we also went to some souvenir shops for the usual key chain, ref magnets thingamajigs. Our last stop for the pasalubong shopping was Rogers' Chocolates. Coincidentally, while we were at the shop, a group of tourist in an apparent vancouver tour entered the shop and their tourist guide gave a short history of rogers' chocolates. we were lucky enough to overhear the story too. Instant feeling part of a tour group. wehehehe.
We asked the sales attendant what was their best seller chocolate that we could try. She suggested the famous victoria creams. I found it too chocolatey. The Boyfriend is a chocolate lover so he devoured it like there was no tomorrow.
chocolate as part of Canada history
After we finished our errands, we discussed where to have our dinner. He wanted to try the indian restaurant, Vij's Restaurant, that Anthony Bourdain visited in his No Reservations show. And after getting lost a couple of times, we finally found the restaurant. There was long queue outside the door prior to opening of the restaurant. Moreover, after getting inside the restaurant, it took us another hour wait to be seated. They do have a lounge area where in you can have a glass of wine while waiting for your table. Free appetizers were offered while waiting.
after a long wait, we were given a table at the corner of the restaurant. I let The Boyfriend order the food for us since indian cuisine is his forte. All i asked was a not so spicy dish for me. haha!
bad lightning of food. boo!
I have completely forgotten to list down the dishes we ordered. haha! The only remarkable dish i have tasted was the lamb popsicles. Anyway, The Boyfriend being an indian cuisine afficionado, gave me reasons why he doesn't want to go back to this restaurant: 1) it's overrated and expensive, 2) The owner walked around, greeted and chit chatted with everyone except for him (hahaha!) and 3) not indian authentic enough. He felt like there was already a western fusion in the dishes. These were his opinions and since I was never a fan of indian cuisine, I found the entire experience just okay.
Moving forward, we wanted to explore more areas of downtown vancouver so we went back to gastown. Gastown is a national historic site of Vancouver that has become today's hip and fashionable side of the city. Numerous clubs, pubs and restaurants can be found here along with other unique boutiques and professional offices.
We didn't stay much here. we just walked around for bit then went back to the car to continue exploring downtown vancouver at night.
gastown at night
Our last stop was Robson Street. Robson Street is Vancouver's most famous shopping street. It has plenty of restaurant and store choices. Since we parked there late at night, almost all stores were closed. We just walked around til we reach Breka Bakery and Cafe, a 24 hour bakery and coffee place. We had our midnight snack, coffee and tiramisu cake before going back to hotel.
robson street
Day 3
On our last day, we had our breakfast and checked out around 10 am to catch our late afternoon flight from Seattle to LA. We were sad that we were leaving but it was time for us to go home.
#OOTD
I have prepared myself well for this winter trip. I made sure i had enough layers to keep myself warm. Fortunately, this was one of my best winter seasons i have experienced. It was so cold i loved it. haha! I incorporated some colors into my winter outfits which turned out alright.
green coat: rumah mode | scarf: old pashmina | beanie: promod | teal turtle neck (inner): forever 21 | gray pants: forever 21 | boots: aldo | purse: kate spade
green coat: rumah mode | infinity scarf: aldo | pink skirt: HM | boots: aldo | purse: late spade
Last Thoughts about Vancouver
I love this city! I love how simple but vibrant city it is. I have this on going love affair with parks and of course my undying devotion to aquariums, which i think made a good impact on my impression towards Vancouver. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to stanley park and vancouver aquarium.
Anyway, The boyfriend and I were discussing on our way back to Seattle if Vancouver was worth returning to. He said one trip was enough for him. I, on the other hand, would really like to go back if an opportunity comes. I want to see stanley park on a spring season. I've heard another park, Queen Elizabeth park was worth visiting to. And i want to explore more around vancouver downtown and nearby towns. Well, obviously i want a lot. haha!
All i can say now is that applying that canadian visa and pushing through with this trip were worth it. Really really worth it.
Toodles!
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