Such a Whaley great time!

 (Tuesday 30 Sept)

What a day…

Granville Island really was a great place. Loads of cool independent and interesting shops plus a big market. If I lived here I think I’d be there a lot! 

We had a great much around for an hour or so - Dan got a new wallet and he also bought me a beautiful jewellery set I’d seen.

We then went for lunch and a beer at Granville Island brewery. We both had the Poutine...yesss, it was GOOD! 

Then time to check in for the boat and get queuing up, and oh yes, we were first in the queue so could get the pick of the seats. Obviously we got up top and front! 

It was very very windy but not really too cold. Thankfully I’d learned from the day before and had a hat ready to save the blow dry happening! However I didn’t dare remove my sunglasses in case my eyelashes blew off!

We saw a family of residential Orcas really quite quickly and followed them for a while. They had a couple of calves with them and they were quite playful trying out jumping up but not really getting too far with it. 

It was so lovely and the guide up at the front with us gave us loads of amazing information on them as this was a pod they were very familiar with. The adults were over 8m long! 

After a while with them, it was decided we should move on and get further out in the hope of finding Humpback whales, which we found two of quite quickly.

Dan and I spotted them spouting water quite a way ahead and we wafted our arms around excitedly telling the crew (which of course they had already spotted 😂). 

It was fabulous to see them and apparently, quite unusually, it was a pair that were whaling around together!! 

We got to see them quite close up and watch them diving and showing us their tails. Just so amazing.

Again we stayed with them for a while, running around the boat so we could get the best view as they moved around! I say running, slow stepping about whilst desperately clinging onto the sides as it was bloody choppy out there! I nearly went for a right quanger and nearly lost my sunglasses overboard... eeek!! 

Ahh, what a joy and a privilege.

When we got close the skipper turned off the engines as they are very conscious of disturbing them and upsetting their sonar messaging. 

From here we then sped off for some time towards a much quieter area surrounded by mountains and forests and some really precarious looking houses dotted through the trees. We came to a little island where there were quite a few harbour seals lazing around and watching us carefully. The woman behind us kindly offered us her binoculars to look at them through and they’re just SO cute!! 

After that we turned round and headed back to Granville Island - we were out for about 4 hours all in and the rain was starting to come in. 

After landing back at the island we headed to Tap and Barrel, Bridges for food and of course beer!! Food was great and we were proper starving by this point. 

There was a very very loud group of 5 people at the side of us getting quite giddy knocking back the pink bubbles. I think they started as a 3 but then the couple next to them just joined in and before we all knew it they were all best of friends! They were funny more often than not (must have been in their late 50s/early 60s) but at times one of them got just too loud in her insistence to be heard!! Someone on another table actually told them to shush up 😂😂.

One of the guys decided to play a game which was he would ask 3 questions of them and they had to answer I turn within 10 seconds each. My ears were a wigging at this point to see what the questions were!

First one was ‘what was the first concert you ever went to..?’ First person couldn’t answer, 2nd said ‘the Beach Boys’ and then it fell apart as they all started discussing the Beach Boys. The quizmaster got fed up and tried to move it on but they were having none of it.

I asked Dan the same and he claimed his was either Queen or Bowie with his Dad. He couldn’t remember which was first.

Mine was bloody Cliff Richard with my parents. Not quite as cool as Dan’s!

Well after food Dan started to fade quite rapidly. Guess the excitement of a 2nd day on a boat was all too much for him so we finished up and headed back. 

Though I got some nice shots back across the water of Vancouver.

Another night in bed before 10pm and barely even tipsy! Such a change for us when we’re away but we’re loving it. Means we’re getting up and at it early and feeling fresh and hangover free… basically what people have been saying to us for years is actually quite a good way forward hahaha! 

Are we finally growing up?!

Last night in Vancouver as next we get the car and leave for Whistler. 

The road trip will commence… yee hah!