everyone's a critic

funny story i need to tell before i forget. we got to vancouver last wednesday evening and decided to try out a local restaurant. we really didn't have any place in mind so we decided to walk down to the harbor area to see what we could find. we found a nice restaurant with a heated patio but unfortunately the view was obstructed by an awning. after we placed our orders, aaron decided to walk over to snap a photo of the distant mountains. unfortunately all he had was his camera phone and it didn't do the view any justice. after he returned, i decided to see if my phone could get a better snapshot. so i grabbed my phone and headed over.

as i was walking over, a man approached me. "do you speak english?" he looked pretty normal so i told him "yes."

"you have a fabulous haircut."

"thanks." i replied.

then he starts telling me this huge sob story about living in door ways and being stuck in vancouver for a week without any cash. i was a little taken aback. i told him i didn't have any cash, which i didn't, and proceeded to turn my pockets inside out to illustrate the fact.

"you can give me the change from parking."

"huh? i'm not parked, i'm just going to take a picture."

"oh, thanks anyways."

i just thought it was funny he commented on my haircut. i probably would have given him change if i had it, feed me compliments and i'll feed you cash!

throwing the peace

we're home, phew! it always feels like you need a vacation after taking a vacation. especially one jam-packed with a lot of walking and site-seeing. jamie and i hit up chinatown friday. (although pretty much all of vancouver can be considered asiatown. apparently it's a mecca for migrating asians.) we planned on getting bikes but the weather dictated otherwise. we ended up doing a little shopping and looking for a few more caches. i think urban caching is an acquired taste, both aaron and jamie didn't like it too much. but we managed to find a few.

you went all the way to canada and all you bought was japanese candy? yes. i'm a sucker for pocky sticks. i ended up getting strawberry, milk and blueberry flavors. i also got japanese gum, taffy and chocolate. and yes, that's all i bought while on vacation. i did introduce aaron to the kinder egg this trip too. i managed to score a few while waiting at the airport. so we ventured over to the asian and european side of confectionary delight this trip. i can't believe i wrote a whole paragraph about candy! and boy is it making me hungry. :)

saturday aaron and i hit up the capilano suspension bridge. we were a little worried about the weather, but in the end it turned out to be the nicest day of our trip. we were able the navigate using only public transportation and didn't have a single hiccup with our trip. we also hiked through stanley park, and of course, looked for a few more caches. i combined photos from washington and vancouver for your viewing pleasure.

my mom is notorious for throwing the peace sign when taking photos. we ended up doing a homage to her. hence the photos and the title. apparently it's not only a mom thing but an asian thing. we noticed quite a few taking photos and throwing the peace sign. i guess it's no different than me throwing the devil horns and sticking out my tongue. but i had to post, it's just too funny. while i'm at it i'll go ahead and post the cherry blossom photos i took while in d.c. a few weeks ago.

meet george jetson

i don't know why but vancouver reminds me of the jetsons. probably all the glass skyscrapers crammed in such a small area. you can actually see how compact the city is when you come over the bridge. it's a bit overwhelming. don't get me wrong, there's urban sprawl and the city goes on for miles. but the actual island is pretty much back to back high rises. the complete opposite to what i'm used to.

jamie and i did a lot of walking yesterday. we looked for some urban caches and checked out some of the sites. i think today, if the weather is agreeable, we'll rent bikes. our feet will be happy about that decision. better get ready for the day.