My Last whole day in Vancouver

It felt different when I woke up.. no Gitta and nobody in the room. I wanted to stay under the covers coz my left knee was aching but forced myself to get up. It was may last whole day in Vancouver so I'd better explore as much as I can.

Gastown

I decided to go back to Gastown for day shots. I went down Richards Street and found my way back where we went the other day.

Majority of the shots of Gastown includes the well known clock operated by a low-pressure steam heating network in downtown. Right in front of it is the Starbucks cafe, where I had a chat with 2 local artists hanging out. Bruce Morrisseau Bruce's artworks and Edgar Allan Rossetti Edgar's artworks

They were both down to earth artists and so easy to talk to. Bruce was lovely and even showed me a lot of his artworks that were published in children's books. We walked to the art shop next door and there he showed me a few of those. I love knowing people who are so humble and proud of their artworks, inspired by their heritage and culture. As much as I wanted to take photos of them, I let them be. 


Granville Island

I didn't really know what to expect about Granville Island. Gitts did talk about it a lot too, as well as  
Kitsilano Beach. So I went down to the waterfront and walked up a little bit to catch bus #50. I decided to buy a day pass ($9.75) so I can go around couple of times.

Market

It is located just across downtown Vancouver and beneath the Granville Street Bridge. I got off the bus and was greeted by the big sign "Granville Island". A public market gives life to the island but there's a lot to explore though. :)

I found myself a small thai place to buy my first meal for the day. I still am not used to the big servings, but because I didn't have dinner nor breakfast, I finished it all the way. I found myself sitting outside, serenaded by singer songwriter Babe Cole. A semi circle was formed and people from everywhere sat there enjoying the sunshine and the background music. I loved the atmosphere. Sailboats were just floating around and kids were running after seagulls. Art galleries, craft studios, small shops and the Granville Brewing Company can be found around the vicinity.


Kitsilano

artwork in Vanier Park

Kitsilano or as they all call as "Kits" was named after the Squamish chief August Jack Khatsalano. Squamish is the indigenous located in British Columbia.

Along my way, I walked with a bunch of students who were accompanied by their teacher. I couldn't help but smile while listening to their conversation. The kid said "Congratulations" to their teacher after asking questions about her engagement. Then they asked when the wedding was. August 30, she said. So cute. They sounded so matured talking to their teacher like that. :)

I followed the coastline and savored in the vibe. A lot of joggers ran around and some couples were walking
the dog. Around the corner and across the water was Sunset Beach, where I was supposed to capture sunset shots the other day. There located was a silvert artwork with its humungous design decorating the horizons. It was a lovely day so I stopped for a while and took some photography shots as well.

There were a few things I wanted to check out in Kitsilano. The Maritime Museum and the H.R. Macmillan Space Centre. But because it was around 4 pm, I could only do one. So I decided to check out the Maritime Museum instead



Vancouver Maritime Museum 

Located in Vanier Park is the Vancouver Maritime Museum. I rushed in and paid the entrance fee and rushed off to get on board St.Roch. 


Excerpt from research : 
Roch is a Royal Canadian Mounted Police schooner, the first ship to completely circumnavigate North America, and the second sailing vessel to complete a voyage through the Northwest Passage. It was the first ship to complete the Northwest Passage in the direction west to east, going the same route that Amundsen on the sailing vessel Gjøa went east to west, 38 years earlier. The ship was most often captained by Henry Larsen.

I explored further and went through the Tattoo displays and the explanation of the different tattoo art on sailors body parts. I didn't realize that these all meant something most especially back in the days. I always had the thinking that for them it was just a show of manliness. There in the museum they've explained what each symbolizes. I was warned earlier due to the sensitive materials displayed. When I finished looking at the tattoo photos I didn't find a single bit of it offending. Maybe it's because I've always liked tattoos and the art of it. I know a lot of people find it taboo. The word tattoo originated from the Samoan word "tatau".

I moved on to the pirates section and finally to the miniature of the different ships. There in its grandeur stood
the miniature of the Empress of Japan. This served as the vessel connecting West Canada to the Asian Regions. It was eventually named to Empress of Scotland. Eventually it was used as a war ship during the World War II.

I then decided to head back to the hostel to drop off the bag and get the guitar. I was off for the night to explore the open mic scene of Vancouver. I tried to get a quick nap at the hostel because of a splitting headache. Ended up drinking a beer (after gulping 2 tablets of Panado)... not sure if that helped at all. 


<sup>I think it is but worth mentioning that through the span of my reads whilst my exploration in Vancouver, there's been a huge emphasis on the "Great Depression". This has me reading more and further understanding what happened. 

The Great Depression apparently happened on the 29th of October, 1929, right before the start of World war II. This is attributed to the sudden crash of the U.S. stock market. Researching further on discusses on the management of interest rates and also the realization of an early onset of recession or perhaps a far more worse situation. 

This then had me further on reading on the Great Recession of 2009. It seems history repeating itself, but at least has been tagged as the "Lesser Depression". But isn't there a pattern???? and the source of this all, seems to be all the same. <sigh></sup>