Journey to the West II
Journey to the West is the travelogue I’m writing for my recent trip to the West Coast with Wan, which chronicles our adventures on the road. Enjoy!
Capilano Suspension Bridge
Following Uncle Jimmy’s suggestions, Wan and I took the SeaBus across to North Vancouver for a view of downtown Vancouver skyline; we were quickly bored after snapping some photos since most of the stores were not open until 10 in the morning. Then we recalled seeing Capilano Suspension Bridge in one of the brochures Uncle Jimmy lent us last night, and with a little help from our guidebook realised that it was just a few kilometres away from the ferry terminal. Not wanting to waste our Translink tickets, which were valid on a time-basis, we hopped onto a bus and headed for the bridge.
I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the admission price: $12.50 to walk on a wobbly bridge? I could hear the staff sharpening their knives, ready to carve every ounce of fat off gullible tourists like myself. Visitors were offer an alternative method of payment though: you can enter for free if you deposit at least 3 canned foods in the charity bin; this would’ve saved us a couple of dollars. Good deeds do pay off.
It turned out Capilano Suspension Bridge is the oldest tourist attraction in Vancouver; built in 1898, the bridge is 135-metre long and 69-metre above Capilano River. I was quite surprised there was no sign indicating the maximum number of people that can be on the bridge at any one time; perhaps the management doesn’t expect many visitors with such a high admission price.
Kids were bouncing up and down like they always do on suspension bridges, which was quite annoying as I tried to steady my hands for a good shot. The 8-hectare Capilano Park is very kid-friendly, which might explain why there were so many kids running around; panels with interactive displays and fun facts were set up around the park to educate children about the floral and fauna of the West Coast rain forest.
Stanley Park
Stanley Park was next on our itinerary after a sumptuous sushi lunch; it was highly recommended by all my Vancouver friends and I was looking forward to seeing what makes it so great. North America’s third largest urban park didn't disappoint.
While I would’ve preferred to walk, the only way we could cover a 400-hectare park in 2 hours and still get close to nature was by cycling. The bike shops were undercutting one another and we thought $3.50 an hour was a good deal; only after we returned our bikes did we realise there was a Korean guy renting out bikes for $2 an hour just around the corner.
This reminded me of a scene in Taxi, when it showed a Korean switching places with another Korean who was sleeping in the trunk so they could drive the taxi 24 hours a day using a single license. While the scene was probably an exaggeration, it shows how hardworking Koreans are and the kind of competition they pose to the existing market players. Hence it should come as no surprise that South Korea was able to turn its economy around within a short time even though it was one of the hardest hit countries during the Asian financial crisis in 1997.
The scenery at Stanley Park was beautiful and I really enjoyed its tranquility. Stanley Park is said to be teeming with wildlife, but we didn’t see many animals around since we followed the bike route along the Stanley Park Seawall and didn’t venture into the rainforest. We witnessed a beautiful sunset over the horizon near the Lions Gate Bridge and had a good view of West Vancouver where the rich people dwell, which is connected to downtown Vancouver by the bridge.
The houses at West Vancouver didn’t look very spectacular from afar; perhaps wealthy folks don’t mind staying in ordinary houses, as long as they live near one another and can easily congregate together to compare the performances of their stocks over high tea.