So what do you do when you have a whole day to yourself? Well, I thought I would take the buses to a place I hadn't been yet so I started to study the maps...
I had not intended to leave the yellow zone, so that I wouldn't have to pay for more tickets. However, the maps I saw did not indicate so well how far Crescent Beach (A place close to the center bottom of the map!) actually was... So I hopped on a bus to a pretty sounding place, only to realize a few minutes in that I was in for a long drive! I left from the Marine Drive Station.
The weather was cloudy and really cold today, but I thought it would clear up again a bit later on...
Then I headed off on the Sky train to a bigger station with more bus routes available. Saw the logs floating down the river! So cool!
And then jumped on the bus hoping for it to take me to a beach close by! The drive was really beautiful, but I realized something was wrong when we got on the freeway heading in a different direction and there were no more stops along the way! Just cruising in the fast lane! I edged my way to the front of the bus and started fishing for answers with the bus driver. He was very helpful, but basically said that I should just wait it out, and the trip is just over an hour and a half each way! Oops! But we got chatting and I wasn't too worried after that!
It really was beautiful, and the sun was coming out the further we drove from the city...
Reminded me of home...
Red ivy
The destination was this tiny little town called Cresent Beach, which had a few restaurants, a church and a few stores right there, and I had 15 minutes before the bus driver headed back, so I went to see the beach. Turns out that I was only 18 kms from the US Border!
You could make out the city way in the distance! Wouldn't like to miss my bus!!!
Since I hadn't eaten lunch yet, I thought I'd quickly get some hot chocolate and a box of chicken nuggets from the local restaurant and was leisurely sipping my drink and waiting for my food when I saw the bus heading off down the road!!! I freaked out and ran after it, drink spilling all over my hands and burning me, but I didn't care! I couldn't miss it! It pulled over at the end of the road, and, huffing and puffing, I hopped aboard, the bus driver grinning. He gave me tissues to wipe myself down and a key chain from the bus service to make me feel better and we headed off back towards the city. He was a great story teller, and I heard all about his life story and he heard mine! His wife actually was a passenger on his bus for years before he asked her on a date and now they have been married 5 years! So lovely!
Along the way there were thousands and thousands of pumpkin farms, all being harvested because Fall had come!
Ahhh... Back to town, what a relief, but a great experience!
I was invited to dinner by the Lum family, a TMS Alumni who organized the place for me to stay, and so when I got home I had to leave straight away to go and find their house which was only a few minutes walk away from them. So I found out the address, remembered it wrong and then went off to find it! needless to say, I got horribly lost and confused, had no-one's number and no access to email. So I called the hubby who saved the day and got them to come and fetch me! So here I waited until they came...
They took me to a Thai restaurant for dinner and I got to meet them and their four lovely little girls! After we had eaten we all piled into the van and drove me into the city at night and showed me around, and then took me to Stanley Park to get a good view of the city's skyline!
All in all, the day was very tiring but I really enjoy the public transport system and loved how friendly everyone in the town was! When we got home I went to the coffee shop again to upload more pictures and plan the next day's adventures!
I had not intended to leave the yellow zone, so that I wouldn't have to pay for more tickets. However, the maps I saw did not indicate so well how far Crescent Beach (A place close to the center bottom of the map!) actually was... So I hopped on a bus to a pretty sounding place, only to realize a few minutes in that I was in for a long drive! I left from the Marine Drive Station.
The weather was cloudy and really cold today, but I thought it would clear up again a bit later on...
Then I headed off on the Sky train to a bigger station with more bus routes available. Saw the logs floating down the river! So cool!
And then jumped on the bus hoping for it to take me to a beach close by! The drive was really beautiful, but I realized something was wrong when we got on the freeway heading in a different direction and there were no more stops along the way! Just cruising in the fast lane! I edged my way to the front of the bus and started fishing for answers with the bus driver. He was very helpful, but basically said that I should just wait it out, and the trip is just over an hour and a half each way! Oops! But we got chatting and I wasn't too worried after that!
It really was beautiful, and the sun was coming out the further we drove from the city...
Reminded me of home...
Red ivy
The destination was this tiny little town called Cresent Beach, which had a few restaurants, a church and a few stores right there, and I had 15 minutes before the bus driver headed back, so I went to see the beach. Turns out that I was only 18 kms from the US Border!
You could make out the city way in the distance! Wouldn't like to miss my bus!!!
Since I hadn't eaten lunch yet, I thought I'd quickly get some hot chocolate and a box of chicken nuggets from the local restaurant and was leisurely sipping my drink and waiting for my food when I saw the bus heading off down the road!!! I freaked out and ran after it, drink spilling all over my hands and burning me, but I didn't care! I couldn't miss it! It pulled over at the end of the road, and, huffing and puffing, I hopped aboard, the bus driver grinning. He gave me tissues to wipe myself down and a key chain from the bus service to make me feel better and we headed off back towards the city. He was a great story teller, and I heard all about his life story and he heard mine! His wife actually was a passenger on his bus for years before he asked her on a date and now they have been married 5 years! So lovely!
Along the way there were thousands and thousands of pumpkin farms, all being harvested because Fall had come! 
Ahhh... Back to town, what a relief, but a great experience!
I was invited to dinner by the Lum family, a TMS Alumni who organized the place for me to stay, and so when I got home I had to leave straight away to go and find their house which was only a few minutes walk away from them. So I found out the address, remembered it wrong and then went off to find it! needless to say, I got horribly lost and confused, had no-one's number and no access to email. So I called the hubby who saved the day and got them to come and fetch me! So here I waited until they came...
They took me to a Thai restaurant for dinner and I got to meet them and their four lovely little girls! After we had eaten we all piled into the van and drove me into the city at night and showed me around, and then took me to Stanley Park to get a good view of the city's skyline!
All in all, the day was very tiring but I really enjoy the public transport system and loved how friendly everyone in the town was! When we got home I went to the coffee shop again to upload more pictures and plan the next day's adventures!
