The good news is that BC received some rain. Bad news is that it was still raining when we left so we never really got to see the Mountains in their full glory. We still had an amazing time though exploring the beautiful city!

Saturday 7 August 2010:

Vancouver is a city of bridges. Massive bridges connecting central Vancouver with it's surrounds. We drove over the Iron Workers Memorial Bridge to get to North Vancouver and the Capilano Suspension Bridge. The Capilano Suspension bridge gave us a glimpse of how amazing the Mountains must be close up. The bridge is suspended approximately 70m above the valley and was originally built using hemp rope in 1889. Today's bridge uses 2" steel cables making it strong enough to support two fully-loaded 747s! That doesn't do much for stability though. When Steph and I crossed with the hoards of other tourists it was swaying and the light rain didn't do much to calm the nerves but the scenery truly is breathtaking. The bridge is about 150m long and takes you into a forest of cedar, Douglas-fir and hemlock. Quite different to NZ bush. There are a number of walks to take through the forest and one of them is the Treetops Adventure. The 200m long walk is made up of a series of cable bridges between platforms that reach 10 stories high. Great fun in slippery jandals!

We were also lucky enough to see the Great Horned Owl. The owl was part of a rehabilitation program and was accompanied by it's handler. It surely is a magnificent bird of pray!

The rest of our Saturday we spent shopping at the largest mall in BC -Metropolis at Metrotown. There is approximately 450 shops and 8500 parking spaces. The mall was swarming with people! Similar to what Christmas shopping is like in NZ but only it's not Christmas, it's just that busy!

Since it was still rainy and a bit wet we finished the day off with a movie at a cineplex close to Nikki's. Dinner for shmucks. It is a totally funny film and definitely worth seeing!

Sunday 8 August 2010:

(Gelukkige Verjaarsdag Mamma!! Ek hoop Mams het 'n baie lekker dag gehad en dat die ander twee Marais jou darm bederf het! Baie lief vir jou!! xox)

Our last day in Canada! Vegas tonight!!

Nikki made us yummy pancakes with maple syrup for breakfast while we crammed all our belongings into our packs! Can't believe I have so much stuff already!! I'm going to have to cull soon and we are not even at day number 10!

On the way to the airport we took a shortcut but missed a turn off and ended up going over Fraser Bridge (cover picture). What an engineering feat that must have been. It is incredible to see. After backtracking our steps and crossing the bridge again we ended up at the airport. All too soon we had to say goodbye to Nikki!

Thanks Nikki for being our personal tour guide, driving us around and looking after us so well! We had an amazing time in Vancouver.

Now I have a few words of wisdom for you! Never attempt to go through US customs with a full bladder. The check points and queues are endless. First you queue to check in. Then you queue to check your luggage where they take a photo of your bag to match it to your passport and boarding pass. After that you queue to go through security check and pretty much completely strip as you walk trough the detectors. When you are redressed you head through to the next queue where you clear another security check. They take a photo (no smiling) and fingerprints of both hands. When the bulletproof-vested security officer is sure you are not a risk to the all important US of A she squiggles on your customs card and sends you through to the last queue where you hand the squiggled customs form to another security officer and then, and only then can you find a loo!! Oh and when you have completed all the above checks you are practically in the USA. All passengers traveling to the States have there own boarding lounge and under no circumstances are you allowed to leave. This was a bit tricky as Steph and I forgot to mail our postcards home until we were inside this cheery prison and there are no mailboxes. They sell postcards but no way of sending them while technically still in Canada. Luckily a very friendly flight attendant offered to mail them for us when she knocked off.

The flight to Las Vegas was amazing and we were able to see all the dazzling city lights as the pilot circled the city. It truly is in the middle of the desert. Mujave desert to be precise. The trip from the airport was an eye opener!! It feels like we're in the middle of a movie set. The lights, casinos and hotels are just overwhelming.

Luck was on our side for one night. Due to a stuff up with our booking at the hotel they upgraded us to a deluxe apartment for the two nights before we join contiki. Whooohoooo! Vegas in style baby ;-)