Moving on

Unfortunately none of the party had much sleep - a combination of stuffiness and street noise as we attempted to alleviate the former by opening the terrace door.  We breakfasted on leftover croissant and jam (from the RV supplies) and then attempted to cram all belongings into the bags.  The party was not in the best of moods departing the hotel but at least we did not have to search for a taxi as there was a complimentary shuttle bus.

We staggered into the departure area with the bags - no trolleys available!  Having checked on-line the previous evening and paid for checked in bags, tempers were not improved when we found we had to enter information all over again!  Dropping off the baggage we further discovered that two of the party could go via the express security line whilst the other poor member was forced to discard items of clothing before entering some sort of scanning area and rejoin the party.  We fortified ourselves with some excellent, but huge, coffees before making our way to the gate for boarding.  The plane was tiny - just two abreast - unfortunately slight injury was sustained to a party member's head whilst being seated.  An uneventful and straightforward flight for nearly 2hrs - broken only by drinks and nibbles.  One member of the party tried the coffee which even the stewardess was doubtful about.

Further cracking of the head was unfortunately sustained upon leaving the plane where we joined hundreds of travellers - mostly from China it seemed - in a huge crocodile through security with bags being left then moved across queues to avoid being carried - sure British security would not tolerate that!  Eventually through, we realised that one member of the party had to have certain purchases examined and hopefully approved before the party could formally enter Canada!!  This involved some degree of unpacking of bags with breath held that this did no cause a full explosion of articles!  Finally with entry approved, sustenance was required in the form of a ciabatta each, before getting a taxi to our hotel.

First impressions were not the best as the automatic doors opened outwards - one needed to be quick to avoid being clonked!  Then steps up into a lobby that had seen better days!  The room, however, was fine with all requirements so baggage was dumped (mostly all over the floor), valuables stowed (mostly) and the party ventured out to see the recommended sights.  Unfortunately half way down the rather seedy street (dubious drug addicts, transvestites etc) one member of the party realised she had not stowed all her valuables and had to race back to the hotel to do so!!

Order restored, we made our way to the ferry to catch the very short water bus to Granville Island where we spent a very enjoyable time in the numerous shops and the food hall.  This is a bit like Borough Market in London with all sorts of delicacies - including doughnuts holes in numerous flavours - cinnamon, chocolate and sugar raised  being sampled, plus a punnet of mixed fruit - raspberries, strawberries, grapes plus a few local delicacies kiwi berries, kumquats and some rather odd items that looked like tiny pears (and did not taste the best).  Fortified we set off back across the harbour to find a taxi to the Chinese Garden near Chinatown and Gastown.

After some negotiating we were asked to return in a short while for a reduced entry so decided to see what Gastown had to offer.  Our navigator seemed to have chosen all the streets Trip Advisor followers advises not to try!  We were horrified at the sheer number of homeless and general down and out people just lining the streets begging, lurching around the pavements and roads with the ever-present stench of wee.  We were understandably anxious to leave this area and after wandering about for some time, and not seeing anything worth the effort, we made our way back to the garden for an altogether more peaceful and delightful view of the garden with the added bonus of a display of artifacts from the Peking Opera Company including the most exquisitely embroidered clothes and exotic masks.

Anxious to avoid the dodgy streets, we tried to find somewhere to eat in Chinatown (should have read the reviews before we tried) but found nowhere - it was seedy and run down - not at all like ours in London.  We abandoned the idea of chinese for dinner and found the Old Spaghetti Factory where an excellent meal was had including mushroom ravioli, generous steak and fries and thai style linguine - with bread, appetisers of soup or salad plus ice-cream and coffee - all included.  Taxis were easy to come by so we were soon back at the hotel for Charlotte to check in for her flight home.   We managed to get the room to a comfortable level in both noise and coolness before falling into welcome beds.