VANCOUVER DIARY PART1

Vancouver is really bursting at its seams now a days..at least until after the end of the Winter olympics. At the airport, there is always a batch of baggage toting tourists; some arriving, some departing..A special train ( called Canada Line ) was constructed so the passengers would take the train conveniently without the hassle of driving or taking the bus...While waiting for my reception committee, I went up the observatory deck of the Vanc. airport. It has a panoramic view of the take off runways. The building is sound proof, so you could hardly hear the sound of jet engines, but you could see through the glass panes, each plane line up, wait for their turn, then they would go about 180 degrees, and in a split second, you would see them soar up like a rocket ship..Children love watching the iron birds defy the law of gravity and inspite of their bulk, size and weight, they are able to soar like kites up the blue yonder!!...

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My flight yesterday was not a direct one, thus I was able to save a few bucks..:) The first ( and only ) stopver was at Edmonton International. When we arrived into its air space, the fog was so thick. There were a few planes ahead of us waiting for the order from the control tower to make a landing. Thus I noticed the plane making circles because the misty afternoon sun keeps rotating around us (!)and you can not see anything in front of you..I know below and above us, some planes are doing the same and I was hoping they ( including ours ) will not run out of gas..!Anyways, after a while our plane started to make its roaring descent ( you could almost hear all passengers heaving sighs of relief ). When I passed through the gates to check my connecting flight, many of the boards there (posted in red letters ) flight delayed. Passengers were calling their friends waiting for them in their destinations about the delay..It set back arrival times for as long as two hours and I had to text my reception committee in Vancouver so they won't be coming to the airport ahead of time.The weather in Edmonton at that time was so cold.Vancouver, on the other hand, ( which was just an hour and 15 mins away already)had a weather so balmy and spring like..When the plane made its descent into Vancouver International ( YVR ), one could see the mountains looking like small mounds of chocolate hills capped with vanilla ice cream. One of them must be Whistler's Mountain which is the hub of the Olympic's outdoor events...

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Your posts are like shots of adrenalin on a battered and weary board; a much awaited downpour on a cracked and parched land. Your vivid and picturesque descriptions are a feast for the mind’s eye; your metaphors, crisp and precise. Even the most ordinary subject by your pen becomes a literary piece. They are a much welcome respite from the postings of late which - if not rash and run of the mill - are uninspired, malicious or confrontational. The AMB is, of course, not a literary venue but it does not prevent anyone from posting well-crafted and sensible messages. Thanks for setting the standard. Your postings reflect well on our beloved town and paint Asinganians as educated and urbane. Congratulations.

---Asinganiantoo

Visiting a new city ( Philippines or Vancouver ) gives me the shot of adrenalin which every writer, published or unpublished, need in order to keep his creative juices flowing..Allow me to continue my updates, esp. the experiences I had yesterday being a "newcomer" in the sense that I was one because Vancouver being the host of this world class event became a "new" place, and the unwary tourist could be trapped..Well, I had a few hours to kill while waiting for my reception commitee. I had a backpack which I could carry around the huge YVR which in day time, looks like a city by itself.But I have also this 25 kilo suitcase which carry clothes, books and other cumbersome but necessary stuff. I saw a baggage depository. For 5 $, you can leave your suitcase with them up to 11:00 pm ( the time they close). Now I said to myself I can go downtown and come back to the airport to pick it up before 11:00 pm.So I thought.But when I proceeded to the Canada Line entrance which promised 25 mins ride in order to reach downtown, I asked this elderly volunteer who acted as an Information Officer to new arrivals at the airport.."How much is the fare or ticket going to downtown?" I asked. "It is $8.25, sir", she said with a smile. I did not smile back because I remember that the last time I was in Van, the fare was only 1.75 $ for Seniors.."How come it is so expensive? It was only 1.75 a few months back?" I feel my BP starting to rise.."Well sir, this is what we were told and we are just followwing what they told us during the training sessions.." I really do not want to argue with her, so I just left, went around the YVR with my backpack, and that is when I saw the escalator going up the observatory...Hours later, when my "sundo" arrived, I asked her: "Did the ticket fares from the airport changed to 8.25 from 1$ something?" "Are you crazy?" she answered.."It is the same! I got here using the 2$ tickets!" Then I related the incident re: the elderly volunteer.."Okay," I said, "she is beside the baggage depository and you talk with her.." So we went to the baggage depository counter while she talked with the lady in question. I did not hear their conversation. ..As we walked towards the gate of the Canada Line, I asked her: "So what did she say?.." "She does not know or she pretends she does not know about the old fares..She said that was she was she was told to say to tourists..."."Mamma Mia", I said.." "If a newly arrived tourist comes in, asked the same question I did, he would be duped into buying the same, paying $8 plus for something he can buy in reality for 2$!.." I calculated mentally how many would fall into the "trap". In a big city there is one sucker born ( or made) every minute..When we reached the Canada Line gate, she gave me my ticket costing $1.75 if you buy a booklet of 10. We went straight into the skytrain whose last stop is the YVR. There was NOBODY who inspected the tickets. One can just board the train without any ticket at all, but if you are caught without one ( during the days before the Olympics ) you will be fined with a hefty sum. As the train crammed with passengers went by smoothly I asked my companion why there are no ticket inspectors. She said.." There are soooo many people now that they just quit doing that tedious job. Because most of the time, the trains are packed like big sardine cans.."