Vancouver backdrop
06/19/2008
- got up (arose from our slumbers via BHness) much later than planned and lazed around the room watching Canadian politics on TV
- ate a bit to tide us over until Hon's opens at 11
- walked down Robson, circuited back by the hotel and into a gem shop where we saw two beautiful globes of Chrysocolla, a turquoise and teal mix of unusual color, we will discuss it over dim sum at Hon's
- BH's favorite refrain at home is, "I wanna get dim sum at Ocean Palace." To which I reply, "Great, find a buddy and go." To which he pouts because he wants to go with me, and I don't like to watch him eat. At Ocean Palace I can eat broccoli and dessert dim sum ... they don't sell anything else vegetarian. So I don't enjoy the place much, anymore. I ate my last piece of shrimp at this place, not because it was bad but because I became vegetarian shortly thereafter. It hits BH where it hurts, his stomach, that we finally found a good dim sum restaurant in Houston and by our third visit, I could not enjoy the experience as well.
- Not so at Hon's where their veggie menu has 15 dim sum options.
- We had: steamed carrot dough dumplings, taro root dumplings, vegetarian spring rolls, tri-mushroom bean curd skin rolls, and veggie prawn pockets.
- back to hotel and catch a Vancouver Tour bus which goes all over the city
- hop off at the Aquarium, I feel that their observation tanks are (for the most part) too small, and most of their money has gone to their tropical greenhouse exhibit; so I can say that I wasn't impressed by either the size nor the exhibits (though the sea otters were really neat, I've never seen them so close), and I've seen tropical greenhouse exhibits ad nauseum, so I wasn't impressed or amazed; however, if you've never been to an aquarium or a greenhouse exhibit, it is worthwhile
- travel the trolley circuit to Gastown and the "steam clock" that was not working, BH was disappointed
- As we were still recovering from severe cases of flatus gluteus (a LONG trolley trip) we chose to walk back to the hotel, grab a bubble tea snack on the way (BH had chrysanthemum green and I had mango green - Mm, tasty), check in with the mothers' (took a bunch of minutes off the cards), and rest
- our evening exursion consists of stopping by the first gem shop, again, to stare longingly at the Chrysocolla sphere in the window (we've left empty-handed twice); and going back to Hon's for dinner (BH has been imagining the won ton soup all day - and he doesn't even order it - amazing); BH and I shared sweet corn soup, and he had scallops and almonds in a shredded potato nest (the 'nest' being fairly tasteless according to him, "think shredded starch packing material" he remarks) and my entree was mixed faux meat with veggies and fried bean curd skin ... we could have fed four people with that much food
- traipse to other restaurants in the immediate area for breakfast options tomorrow: there's Greek, Italian, and Korean BBQ nearby
- We are disappointed with Vancouver's downtown region, it just is not interesting and the city is quite spread out, in a somewhat Houston-like way
- I'm also tired of the street people/vagrant/panhandler mob fest occurring, it's not that we are bereft of such at home, it's just that I don't spend enough time walking around the area to encounter them: I've heard about my hair, been offered magazines, had a simple request for change from a woman trying to 'help' me buy SkyTrain tickets, and a guy begging for drink (he wasn't hungry, just thirsty ... yeah, I bet)
- I'm also sick unto death by the cigar and cigarette smoke, it gets into everything, ruining my hair and clothes, I don't understand how smoker's can take the smell
- another bubble tea visit, BH gets ginger, and I get Red Bean Paste slush ... more tasty goodness
- room, tv (more of the Canadian political circus, not that we have have any high moral ground to stand on regarding political cirusi), and more rest for our evening hours
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