April 30: Night Flight

Even during the days up to departure, the looming prospect of the trip didn’t feel completely real. I pre-packed almost everything a few days early, then went through a mental list of final checks before heading out of the house on Thursday 30, carry-on on back and check-in in tow. After taking a Skybus to Avalon Airport (and wondering a couple of times if the driver knew how to drive a bus), I had a snack, finished the New Scientist crossword, went through the security routine (after years of flights between Melbourne and New Zealand, it’s now very routine) and flew to Sydney.

No time to linger, as the connecting flight was only two hours later. The first check-in baggage machine there I used went out of order halfway through the process; consequently, the second machine thought I was trying to bring on two bags and wanted to charge me more. Once that was sorted out, I got onto the night flight to Vancouver.
This was my first time on a 787. Three rows of seats! Such wonders! Naturally, I had a middle seat in the middle aisle, so, sandwiched between two other passengers, I hadn’t much opportunity to get up much. Throughout the flight, I regularly tensed and jiggled my legs with DVT on my mind. The meals the crew gave us were very nice, served in little dishes on little trays, with everyone making small, precise movements with their cutlery and keeping their elbows in because the risk of knocking drinks over was obvious. I somehow managed to sit in one place for the better part of 13.5 hours by watching part one of a documentary about Billy Joel, sleeping fitfully, then watching part two before breakfast.

April 30 again: Arrival

Eventually, the windows de-tinted and we could see daylight. As we came in for landing, I got my first glimpse of Vancouver: several tall buildings set against a backdrop of mountains. Being spring, they had only patches of snow on their peaks, but it was still an impressive sight.

Once in the arrival lounge, I only had to wait a few minutes for Richard and Tina to arrive. Richard is an old friend from when I lived in Christchurch during the ‘80s and ‘90s; we attended the same science-fiction club there. He’s lived in Vancouver for several years. His wife Tina is a local.

We drove along large highways and bridges with everyone driving on the wrong side of the road, until we got to the suburb of Delta in Vancouver’s south-east. 

I bought a SIM at a local shop, then Richard and Tina took me to their apartment and showed me the guest bedroom (the spare sofa in their living room). We talked about how our lives had gone over the past several years and a little gossip about their neighbours. My only annoyance was that my new SIM connected to the phone network but seemingly couldn’t send data. 

Still adjusting to local time, I was awake a couple of times during the night. Richard and Tina keep odd hours too, so this didn’t bother them: Richard maintains a website and writes fiction, and sometimes has ideas in the early a.m, and Tina often has to get up early for work.

May 1: Orientation Day

Come the morning, Richard felt it his duty to show me how to use the public transport system. We first went back to the phone shop where I got my SIM. The internet had activated overnight on my phone, but the carrier’s website wouldn’t display correctly on it, so the shop assistant had to finalise my account details from her terminal. (iOS 15 is still supported by Apple, web designers! Grrr!)

Richard and I boarded a bus to Scott Road station and took the Sky Train on the Expo Line into the city. The mountain backdrop still looked impressive, particularly against all the many tall apartment buildings along the way. Instead of overhead power lines, the metro trains here use an electrified rail between the main rails. They’re also completely automatic with no driver; if you don’t get in when the doors start beeping, it won’t wait for you.

Arriving in the city, we walked through several blocks of the city. The “keep right” rule applies to walking too, especially on escalators. Along Granville Street were several old theatres, and “walk of fame” stars for famous British Columbians. The streets are wide and the architecture is a mix of a few olds and various moderns, a bit like if Melbourne’s Docklands had a bit more wear and character.

We eventually circled back to the Waterfront, with its amazing harbour view. Tina was coming to pick us up. She and Richard made several calls as she negotiated traffic trying to find us. (Having seen some of the traffic, I understand her frustration.) Still, we scored two free cans of drink being given away as promos. Before we left, I had a look at one of my intended sights, the Digital Orca. I was surprised to find out it was designed by Douglas Coupland, author of Generation X and Microserfs.

As Tina drove us to South Main, Richard pointed out a couple of dodgy hotels he’d worked at when he’d first arrived in Vancouver, relating some not-quite-legal incidents. At South Main, we had sushi for lunch, then Richard and Tina left for an appointment. I wandered south down Main Street. It’s a more down-to-earth area, full of multiple shops. 

I checked out a few bookshops and record shops, and got a sketchbook from an art shop. I found another intended sight, The Scandalous Tiki Room, but it wasn’t open. The afternoon getting late, I walked through Queen Elizabeth Park (I’d hoped to cut directly through but, naturally, there’s a golf course in the way) and caught trains and bus back to Delta.

Richard maintains a film review site, so has thousands of movies at hand. He and Tina have a routine of watching new ones, while he makes review notes with a specially chosen pen. (I brought him six from Melbourne.) Tonight, the three of us watched Hoppers, the new Pixar movie. It was pleasant enough, not one of their greats. We then got halfway through another movie before Tina started nodding off and we closed for the night.