Driving western Canada

□ Day 16 (27 Feb) Vancouver (stay)

Today was a completely free day until the evening's farewell party. We spent the whole day seeing the sights of Vancouver. Let me introduce the places the four of us visited.

Right near the Cambie Hostel is Gastown. An old district whose symbol is the steam clock.

The building jutting into the inlet, with four sails as its symbol, is Canada Place. The view from the deck-like area of the buildings along the downtown waterfront and the opposite shore of the inlet is superb.

Robson Street: the main street in the middle of downtown, lined with all kinds of shops. Canadian specialities, brand-name shops; window shopping alone is plenty of fun.

The coast on the south-west side of downtown is called English Bay Beach, and a very beautiful sandy beach stretches along it. There are lawns and promenades, and lots of locals jogging, walking dogs and roller-skating. Go a little way into town and it's a big city of high-rise buildings, but the atmosphere here is calm and pleasant. The sea water is surprisingly clean and clear. Ducks and seabirds gather in flocks and rest on the water. Especially recommended when you're tired of the city atmosphere.

On a small peninsula in False Creek, an inlet south of downtown, is Granville Island, a large shopping area. Lined with markets and food courts, it seemed busy not only with tourists but locals too. The square was full of all kinds of birds, after food. Tear off some bread and give it to them, and the birds all rush at you at once.

City buses are handy for getting around Vancouver. $2.50 to anywhere in the city. Once you buy a ticket, you can transfer freely for 90 minutes. A day pass sells for $9. There are plenty of services and routes, but there are too many stops; they stop almost every block. Maybe not for people in a hurry.

A little way from downtown is the University of British Columbia, the largest university in western Canada, so big it's practically a university town.

Taking the boat called the SeaBus, you can go to the city of North Vancouver, north of Vancouver. The fare is $3.75, and you can ride with a city bus day pass too. Getting off the SeaBus, right beside it is Lonsdale Quay Market, which we failed to reach on day 1. Granville Island had all sorts of shops outdoors, while Lonsdale Quay Market had various shops inside a big building.

In the evening we met up, and before the farewell party we went to the Lookout observation deck in a high-rise called Harbour Centre. It's the fourth-tallest building in Vancouver, with a 360° view. And since it was night, we could see a superb night view. By the way, on this page you can experience the daytime and evening views from the Lookout. (Vancouver Lookout official website)

And then the farewell party, at a brewpub called Steamworks. Our 16 days in Canada felt like they had flown by. At one point we worried we might not be able to get back to Japan, but we had made it safely back to Vancouver, and now we only had to start for home tomorrow. Enjoying delicious local beer brewed at the brewpub and good food, and sharing memories, the Vancouver night wore on.