After being dropped off at our accommodation in downtown Vancouver we checked in and as per normal had to wait until after 3pm to access our room, so we left our bags in storage and hit the town.

Day 82 – May 23rd.

The taxi ride was only a few minutes from Canada Place and the cruise terminal. I booked this place as close as I could and at the cheapest price $100.76 per night which is not that cheap really when you consider what it is and the location in Vancouver.

“think about what it costs to live somewhere these days”

Our cruise which included all meals and entertainment was comparable at $173.94 per night, that really makes you think about what it costs to live somewhere these days.

Doing the sums here means we have $73.18 per day for food and entertainment, lets leave out the entertainment and consider the costs. Let’s see how it pans out…

HI Hostel International Vancouver

Leaving our bags secure in the locked up room we head out in to a damp Vancouver, lucky for us the rain had stopped and it looked like it might clear up. We make a stop at Starbucks for coffee which cost $7.05

Images from downtown Vancouver

After taking out some cash we continue on down town looking at the buildings and people as we go. Looking in a few shops on the way Moni liked a pink jacket and tried it on but the size was not good and on we went… By now hunger had set in and a lunch fix was required.

In a shopping centre we fancied a burger and tried out A&W burger chain, a fast food joint which was busy, normally a good thing. Our meals came with a soft drink, yeah I know, what are we drinking that for… We opted for the root beer to give that a go.

“it tasted like toothpaste or some sort of dental liquid absolutely disgusting”

As you can see from my reaction it was yummy NOT, it tasted like toothpaste or some sort of dental liquid absolutely disgusting. That’s the first and last time we drink that. Anyway that cost $16.28

Disgusting root beer

After lunch we continued to walk around in and out of a few outdoor shops that might have that pink jacket until we found one and it was a perfect fit, even got a discount for a minor thread pull. With a very happy Moni we continued…

“we did notice was that the streets were very dirty and lined with many homeless people”

What we did notice was that the streets were very dirty and lined with many homeless people, some begging some not, but generally all pretty feral (I did sort out some shirts and trousers which I gave to a group just near to our hostel).

The everpresent filth on the street

The sun started to break through the clouds which really helped lift the look of the city.

We can remember when were here some 20 years ago we thought it was an awesome place which it still is, I guess it’s grown more popular over the years and having spoken to a few locals they explained that after the Olympics and the clean up of the city, the homeless have all moved back in as the climate is the most favourable, not to mention that the government had closed down some of the facilities where they could go and hang out.

Downtown Vancouver in the sunshine

A hot pink car which matched Moni’s new jacket was parked and I had to make the photos below. As you can see the skies becam blue and we enjoyed our walk through downtown Vancouver.

on our way to Canada Place

“We finally made it to Canada Place hoping to see off the cruise ships”

We finally made it to Canada Place hoping to see off the cruise ships, but we were too late they had already left, no dramas we had a walk around. There was some graduation for school or uni students going on which added some colour to the place.

Canada Place was busy with a graduation event, but no ships

You can walk all around the area here along past the restaurants and a lot further, we spot a bike rental shop and enquire, looks like tomorrow we might hire some bikes.

Canada Place panorama

After our exploring we made our way bag to Granville street and our place, only to pass a broken bus shelter glass panel and a couple of police cars aresting young youths…

Canada Place, big blue tear drop,

We decide to call it a day and grab some dinner before heading home for the night. We spotted a sushi place with cheap deals and in we went. There was another choice close by but on reading the advertising thought better of it.

Sushi for dinner

The sushi was tasty and cheap, they had lots of choice as well so we might go back. Sushi cost $12.58

“Let’s take a look at the costs;”

We had $73.18 to spend which would equal the daily requirement of the most recent cruise.

Coffee break $7.05

Burger Lunch $16.28

Sushi dinner $12.58

The total is $35.91 but I’m not going to include the coffee as they cost extra onboard for espresso coffee. So the total spend on meals was $28.86 pretty cheap for today. Leaving $44.32 to spend.

I must add that onboard you can eat as much as you want, and dinner is normaly a four or five course affair, not just a plate of sushi. Oh I forgot to mention, there was no breakfast included in that spend total.

And don’t forget either that cruise total was for a balcony cabin, you can get an inside for half the price, now do the math…