Who would have thought that I would have to chance to go back to Vancouver after only a little over 2 months? The first thing I did was to walk around downtown area and look for the Fairmont Pacific Rim, the hotel where Glee star Cory Monteith died due to an accidental drug overdose.

The best part of the trip was taking the seaplane ride to Victoria Island. The ride was pretty scary at first but as soon as we took off, it was surprisingly smooth. I guess we were blessed with a beautiful weather that day. The sun was up and the temperature was very tolerable. The view from the seaplane was unbelievable.

We had a couple of hours to kill. There was a dragonboat competition that day but we decided to walk around and explore the island. The buildings were very old and the architecture very European.





Unfortunately, we had to catch the 530pm flight so we didn't have time to go to the amazing Bushart Garden. We figured that's going to be part of the itinerary on our next trip.

Our last day in Vancouver was quite eventful. Where do I begin.

An old friend of mine was nice enough to show me around. We haven't seen each other for more than a decade so it was kind of awkward at first. She and her husband showed me around. First stop was the store of one of the ladies on 'The Real Housewives of Vancouver'. (Yep, it's a shame but I do watch every housewives show from the US and Canada.) It was so surreal seeing Jody Claman's store after seeing it in several episodes of the show. The store was closed and it looked like they changed the name too. I took one photo then we took off.













Our next stop was the Vancouver Lookout, a restaurant with a revolving floor that gives you awesome views of the city. Their freaking salmon was good.

Then we walked around downtown Vancouver. We went to Gastown which is the old Vancouver. The   buildings do look very old. I took a picture with the iconic steam-powered clock and a few other stuff.

They also showed me the sketchy places in the city. I cannot believe that we found a weed cafe on the street. I also found out that the government funds the needles of drug addicts. They are also asked to stay in only a specific part of the city. The reason? It's better to have them inject themselves with clean needles rather than go around the city and spread diseases like HIV. Wow. I was stunned when I heard this. Can someone please confirm if this is true?

I was extremely fortunate to be a part of business trip to Vancouver, Canada. It was very short yet very memorable. I'll tell you why in a separate post. First, I have to say, I love the weather in Vancouver! The temperature was quite okay (16-18 degrees Celcius during the day, up to 9 degrees at night). I mean, it's bearable for someone who lives in a tropical country.

We flew with Philippine Airlines. The plane was packed and for a 12-hour flight, that was terrible. I was a bit disappointed because I was expecting more legroom but hey, we flew on economy class so I can't complain. I didn't get to sleep. I had a few catnaps though. I was so uncomfortable the entire flight and I was kinda pissed because I got the aisle instead of the window. Bummer. Thank God for my iPad. It managed to keep me insane for 12 freaking hours. It's my first time to fly out of Asia so I am not used to this type of long haul flight.

As soon as we landed, our very gracious tour guide and friend took us to Granville Island. It's funny because a few weeks before our trip, I was watching a group of drunken women on 'The Real Housewives of Vancouver'. The episode featured someone's birthday at Granville Island. It was pretty surreal seeing the actual place.

Then we went to the massive Stanley Park. It's one of THE biggest parks I've seen in my life. The Vancouver Aquarium was there and so were the popular Totem Poles. I gasped at the sight of shirtless men jogging as if the temperature was in the 30's (Celsius). And they were complaining that it's too hot!

We also went to another part of the park which is Prospect Point. I was so amazed by the colorful flowers. Like a little child in the candy store, my eyes were wide open and my camera was clicking for almost an hour until my battery gave up.

It was a great first day. Our hotel was okay. Food was great. Vancouver, I am in love with you.

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