While Vancouver 2018 was more of an exploratory and short trip, my 2019 Spring Break Vancover trip was a a very social bonding experience while living in downtown Vancouver. It was a stereotypical roadtrip situation - I drove us all to Vancouver, which also tested my own ability drive for long periods of time without giving up. By driving instead of going by Greyhound, we also had more freedom in where and when we wanted to stop. For example, we stopped in Richmond on the way to Vancouver in order to have the dim sum there (which apparently is some of the best. I'll say that it was very good but I don't have enough experience to say that it was one of the best).
We were there on a similar time schedule to the 2018 t. We started Saturday morning, and headed back Monday. Once again I was in charge of the AirBNB, and this time we stayed downtown to minimize the necessity of driving. One of the days there was given to Stanley Park, as it had been last time. It was a good place to explore and a way to continue to be active while having fun and messing around with one another. We went to the same bike rental place and took almost the same path - went the wrong way momentarily but figured it out eventually. Other than Stanley Park, our plans were more free form. One night we explored downtown and then played some games back at the AirBNB. On another we went barhopping just to explore the area. We started with dinner at Cactus Club Cafe and ended the night at Earls. It was a chill time of walking the streets downtown and being able to sit and talk until late. |
This trip we also had a far worse experience than we had had in the first. I include this because it was my first experience of the kind and taught me about being calm (or at least seeming calm) in a stressful situation. Three of us (Yuji, Charles, and I) had gone rockclimbing at the Hive bouldering gym in Vancouver due to its renown and proximity. Unfortunately, Charles, while attempted a dynamic move, dislocated his shoulder and we rushed (slowly and steadily so as not to jar it) to an emergency room. It was a long hour of seeing him in pain and not being able to do anything about it while hearing that his finger were becoming numb. Perhaps that is what finally allowed him to see the doctor - possible nerve damage. Or perhaps they decided that the person sitting and waiting, walking hunched over, and in constant, visible pain should see a doctor. Whatever the reason, when he finally did, the doctor was able to put the shoulder back in almost instantaneously. It was a relief, for all of us, and, it was faster than the same injury took at a hospital in Seattle about a month later. Both trips taught me that it is important to be calm but, if I was feeling petty, I would say that the ER taught me that triage, while effective, means you get to see the people you care about in pain for a long time.
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