12 Days of Family Road Trip: Part 6

 July 30

Activities: Capilano Suspension Bridge, meeting an old friend

After spending so much money in the US, it was hard to believe I had to spend another $197 to visit the rainforest at the Capilano Suspension Bridge.


The last time I visited this place was probably more than two decades ago if not three. I couldn't recall if it had many forest boardwalks, Treetop Adventures, or souvenir shops back then. Regardless, I was surprised this was such a popular tourist landmark where you needed to pick a time slot for your visit when purchasing the ticket. Indeed, there were a lot of visitors. I'm so glad I found a parking spot. 


The lineup to walk on the suspension bridge was long. Good thing there were staff controlling the bridge's traffic or else I feared the bridge could break.

 


It was worth the wait. We got to see these tall, magnificent trees in a rainforest.

    



This tree's diameter was six times my son's tip-to-tip arm span.  


We spent much of the day exploring the area. My kids even finished the scavenger hunt activities.




It was enjoyable to walk above ground






If I lived in Vancouver, I would definitely get an annual pass so that I could come visit often.


Later that day, we met with my old friend, Andy. I used to volunteer with him while studying at the University of Alberta.



Of course, we had to end the day with ice cream. 

Rain or Shine Ice Cream

'
Mural Beside the Ice Cream Shop 

July 31

Activities: Meeting a friend for lunch, Terra Nova Adventure Play Environment, Aberdeen Mall

This was the last day we explored the Vancouver area before heading back to Calgary, and I was super excited to meet with my friend Charmane, who I hadn't seen for 13 years. 


She booked a table at the 1931 Gallery Bistro in downtown Vancouver, While parking was tricky, it was a lovely, fancy place to have lunch. The weather was sunny, and we got to eat at the patio.





Excellent Thick Salmon Burger 😋

The time to catch up with my long-lost friends was short and precious. Who knows when we meet again! 

After lunch, I took Charmane's advice to bring the kids to Terra Nova Adventure Play Environment. It may sound odd to spend time at a playground during vacation, but hey, kids need to enjoy it, too! 

While my kids were playing in the park with other kids, I walked around and explored the surroundings. 


To complete our Vancouver tour as a 'true' Chinese, we went to the Aberdeen Center. Notably, Diso was renamed to Oomomo. Unfortunately, everything was so expensive we ended up mostly window shopping. I supposed it was a good thing because I didn't want more stuff in the house.  



As much as I wanted to save money, we got to have sushi before leaving Vancouver.

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Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada

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