Vancouver

STOP, I saw Kibble on sale back there . . .

We were looking forward to arriving in Vancouver, because it meant we could spend some time visiting our friends, and we were looking forward to a break from the RV, as we were invited to stay with them at their apartment, overlooking Vancouver Harbour. The  RV is a nice comfortable “home away from home”, but it is still small, so a chance for a real bed, a real bathroom, and a bit of extra room (their apartment is a “Vancouver” apartment), was a welcome treat.

We have visited Vancouver a number of times, and always enjoy this vibrant Canadian city, and always look forward to seeing what the city has to offer. One thing that Vancouver had lots of is some of the best “people watching” in the country. Spending time sitting in the many outdoor sidewalk cafes around Vancouver, and you definitely see evidence of Southern California’s eccentricity creeping north into BC.

The first night in Vancouver, we were walking back to the skytrain after a fabulous meal at the Alibi Room in Gastown, and in a group of people walking towards us was a young woman casually walking along completely topless. She was just walking down the street chatting with friends, but had decided not to wear any shirt. She wasn’t flaunting her toplessness, she was just out walking. I might have missed her except for my propensity for “people watching” - Regis completely missed her.

There are lots of homeless in Vancouver, as would be expected of a city with a warm relatively pleasant climate, but they certainly have adapted a different attitude towards the “homeless” here. A news story in the paper this morning tells of a fellow who has been banned from a local community. The people having “homes” there report that he doesn’t meet the minimum standards for “their ’homeless’”, who know how they are expected to act, and are therefor allowed to be “homeless” there. Huhhhhhhhhh????

There was the guy with the long white snake this morning, another guy all dressed on orange - shoes, socks, suit, everything. There was the woman completely covered with paint or tattoos, sitting in the coffee shop as if this was perfectly normal. There was always someone interesting to see whenever we went out to explore the city. Oh, and it wasn’t only the people - there were two dogs riding along with their owners on motorcycles.

We really enjoyed our time in Vancouver, and it’s interesting and eccentric people certainly adds to the city’s charm.