Vancouver

 

 

 

 

 

We are collected by Wyatt and Adrienne for our tour of Vancouver starting with the Totem poles. These are not religious artifacts but more coats of arms of the First Nations. They feature grizzly bears, ravens, and snakes, often with two heads, whales, frogs and thunder birds. One includes a reference to a tribe whose men committed mass suicide to save their women and children who had been captured by an enemy tribe. Wyatt provides a continuous stream of information and humour. Stanly park is 15 Km in circumference. It is a rain forest of greater density than the Amazon. Canada produces 60% of the atmosphere's oxygen and has a huge % of the world's fresh water. In the bay are two floating petrol stations to refuel the boats and sea planes. There used to be three but there is a canon that is used to signal the turning of the tide and some students filled the barrel with garbage. It must have been heavy garbage because at the turn of the tide the cannon sank the shell filling station. Canada is the second biggest country in the world but has only 30 million residents. The UK would fit into British Columbia 4 times. On the opposite side of the park is the highest point overlooking the entrance to the harbour, an excellent spot for more canons. Two were placed here in an era when it was feared the Spaniards, Japanese or Americans would invade. Nobody did but the canons remained manned until one day when a fishing boat was a little dilatory in identifying itself. Keen for a break in the years of inactivity the gun crew decided to fire a warning shot across its bows but in the process sank a tanker moored nearby. Kings Bridge is a piece of economic genius. The Guinness family bought up all the land north of the water which surrounds Vancouver then got the guy who built the Golden Gate to build a replica for $6millon. The land suddenly had development potential and the family were very choosy about who they sold it to si it became very exclusive. They made $20 million in bridge tolls then sold the bridge to the city. The land which they still own on the North Side has a current market value of $75 million

Gas Town is a cobbled area named after gassy Jack. A founding character who realised that what the emerging Vancouver needed was alcohol. So he started several breweries and opened a saloon. The city never looked back and Jack's statue stands atop a brandy barrel at the site of his original saloon. This area of the town is still heated by steam and the system has interesting safety valves. The one in Water Street is in the form of a clock which vents steam on the quarter hour through whistles which are tuned to produce the Westminster Chimes. We eat at the Old Spaghetti House where for a couple of extra dollars you get to keep the pint mug in which they serve locally brewed beer. Meg shakes her head in despair at the transportation problem this presents. After deciding we do not have time to visit the Storyum we head for Canada Place which is Vancouver's answer to the Sydney Opera house. Being built like a tall ship under full sail. It houses a collection of shops, galleries and a theatre.

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