Part 3 of 7 is my first time in a foreign country. Enjoy!
Monday August 29, 2005 5:30 A.M. It's Morning, Already
We woke up at 5:30 A.M. to make sure we got a ticket for the 8:00 A.M. first ferry to Victoria, British Columbia in Canada. I looked out the window and the rain clouds from yesterday were breaking up. We drove to the port and successfully purchased the ticket. We parked the car and we walked back to the hotel for a continental breakfast. The Bank of America was along the way from the port to the hotel. I tried to withdraw money from the ATM again. The ATM didn't accept my card. What gives, man?!? We arrived at the hotel for breakfast. We watched the news that Hurricane Katrina was scheduled to hit New Orleans Monday evening and oil prices were going up. After breakfast, we walked back down to the port. I took pictures of downtown Port Angeles from a higher point since the hotel was located at a higher elevation. The city was really quiet.
Monday August 29, 2005 8:00 A.M. The M.V. Coho Ferry
Steve and I exchanged American Dollars to Canadian Dollars. The exchange rate at the time was $1.00CAD for every $0.80USA; for example, if I had $10.00CAD, then $10.00CAD is worth $8.00USA.
The M.V. Coho Ferry arrived on time. We drove inside the ferry which has a lower deck for the cars and an upper deck for the passengers. Passengers are not allowed to stay in the cars. The ferry is an old boat with seats, signs, floors, and décor built in the 1950s. The boat still worked, though XD Vending machines provided food, drinks, and newspapers. There was a small café. Passengers can walk along the outside of the boat and seats are provided for people who wanted to watch the ocean view. I both walked outside and sat inside to reduce the chances of me getting sick. Steve read his book on Feudal Japan most of the time. While I was outside, I took a lot of pictures including a rainbow. I used binoculars to view part of the scenery. While I walked around the boat to familiarize my surroundings (which I like to do in new places), I saw lots of lifejackets, inflatable rafts, and other life saving equipment which reminded me of the movie "Titanic."
Monday August 29, 2005 10:00 A.M. Welcome to Canada
My first time in a foreign country. Wow! Unbelievable ^__^ I never thought I visited a foreign country. Ask me five years ago and I said "Never" because of my current life situation careerwise and incomewise.
We drove out of the ferry and lined up to be checked by Canadian Customs. A Canadian Customs Officer checked our passports, inspected our questionnaire cards we were required to complete, and asked questions. The officer cleared us and we were on our way to Downtown Victoria. The purpose of the questions was to make sure we were not suspicious.
We drove around downtown seeing the Legislative Buildings, Empress Hotel, and the heart of downtown. After driving around downtown, we arrived at the hotel to check in. The room included a balcony which we saw Steve's car in the parking lot. I watched the weather report on TV and the temperatures are in Celsius because Canada uses the metric system. LOL! My cell phone also worked, and it appeared under a Canadian carrier. I'm guessing the Canadian carrier is under the Cingular network which is my provider.
Monday August 29, 2005 11:40 A.M. Downtown Victoria
We parked in a parking garage in Downtown Victoria on Yates Street. Different parts of Victoria look like northern Downtown San Jose, parts of San Francisco, and downtown Santa Barbara. The buildings are really not unique, at least to me??!!?? Perhaps I don't know enough architecture to describe any uniqueness in Victoria :-|
For lunch, we ate at Old Vic Fish & Chips on Broad Street. (BTW, the telephone area code is 250.) We ordered the Fish and Chips lunch special which included a can of Coke. The can contained English and French language. In Canada, the official languages are English and French :-O When we left the restaurant, it rained.
Monday August 29, 2005 12:30 P.M. First Used Bookstore
I like to mention that in Victoria, when someone crossed the crosswalk, the cars stopped. I didn't see a car fail to stop when a pedestrian crossed the crosswalk. Unbelievable!!! And Victoria's signal lights are super simple. Each intersection side usually has two signal lights and a Don't Walk signal. Major intersections have two left turn signals for turning left and three signals for going straight and turning right. Victoria has a very simple signal light system.
Our first shop was Russell Books on Fort Street. I purchased a book on the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, a book recommended by Steve, and a fiction book containing 22 short erotic stories <:-O
Throughout the early afternoon, we walked around downtown Victoria visiting shops and window shopping. Steve purchased a James Bond Greatest Hits Used CD at a New & Used CD store on Yates Street. There was one store that was closed that sold old toys in the 1980s. The window displayed the Star Wars Millennium Falcon in the original box, G.I. Joe Headquarters in the original box, and Transformers Starscream Commemorative Series II unopened.
At 2:00 P.M., we visited The Bay Centre on Victoria Eaton Centre, a small, multi-floor, indoor shopping mall. I noticed in the information booth that British Columbia has a government-run lottery like the State of California. Steve ate a quick snack at the food court; in particular, the food court has an A&W which is rare to find in California. I ordered a bottle water. It felt weird paying bottle water with a $2.00CAD coin. After the food court, I purchased an umbrella at Access store because Steve's second umbrella was broken, and I didn't want to use a broken umbrella. Was I glad I purchased an umbrella because at approximately 3:30 P.M., Victoria experienced major thunderstorms.
BTW, Canadian currency from $0.01CAD to $2.00CAD are in coins. $5.00CAD and up are in paper currency.
Monday August 29, 2005 at 5:30 P.M. Dinner Time
We left downtown Victoria and ate at Santiago's Café on Oswego Street for dinner. Steve ordered the Salmon burger and I ordered the Quesadilla. I forgot to tell the waiter to hold the beans. I hate beans :-( Dinner went by really quick and we choose to walk to the legislative buildings at the corner of Government Street and Belleville Street. I took pictures of the building and the surroundings including the Harbour Walkway and James Bay.
Driving back to the hotel, I noticed Victoria has its share of problems like San Jose; for example, there is graffiti and there is homelessness. I saw a homeless shelter. I also saw some commercial development. Nothing big though. We arrived back at the hotel around 7:00 P.M. and we relaxed at the hotel channel surfing and reading books. I started reading the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Very interesting book; unfortunately, for me, the book is hard to read. Steve recommended I read book during my leisure time such that I was in a boring mood.
BTW, Victoria is located on Vancouver Island. To reach the British Columbia mainland, one must use a ferry or airplane. There are no bridges as far as I know.
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