After a quick breakfast at the hostel I walked across the Granville bridge back over to Granville Island where 'Wild Whales Vancouver' is located. I checked in, signed my life and belongings away, gave them my money, and then headed into the public market for a second coffee and a sandwich to take on the boat.
Drank my coffee overlooking the False Creek and was immediately chatted up by a mom with two small kiddos. On the walk across the bridge two people (males) said "good morning" to me. It's amazing how much attention one gets while alone. I don't think I get this much attention walking around San Francisco though. Maybe I just block it out. I will have to see once I get back.
Anyways, after my coffee I headed back over to WWV to get suited up. They make you wear this space looking jumper suit. It's for the cold and also helps with flotation if you happen to fall into the freezing Pacific. I actually don't think we got to the Pacific. We mainly stayed in the Straits. We were in between Victoria and the San Juan Islands, I know that. Actually I think that's where all the magic happened. On the way to where the whales were sighted very early this morning we saw a seal and a porpoise. Then all of a sudden after close to two hours of mostly water and maneuvering through islands, we arrived. There were several sailboats, yachts, tankers, and other whale watching tours. Near pretty much all of the boats, in between them, around them, EVERYWHERE were Orcas. Or the "Demons from hell" as it so translates. Just 50 years ago we were terrified of these beautiful creatures and it was law to kill them, and now we pay money and spend an entire day just to catch a glimpse. They were so beautiful! I will admit, my eyes got teary. A few times.
Boats aren't allowed to follow the whales or get within 100 yards from them. But there were so many that when our captain would veer left trying to distance us from a set of whales, there would be another set on the other side. Orcas travel in pods, and there are three main ones in the waters that we were in by the San Juan Islands - the J, K, and L pod. Turns out we saw all three pods today, and therefore anywhere from 60-80 orcas! Our guide basically said that he was blown away. They've spent 7 hours before looking to see just two whales. He also said that the last two days they saw lots of whales (not as many as we did though), but that they weren't exhibiting their playful behavior like they were today. Lots of breaching, tail slapping, and even some backdives. So so cool. You could easily tell the difference between the males and females by the shape of the dorsal fins. There were some huge males in those pods. There were also lots of calves. Apparently it takes them a few years to realize that they don't have to stick their heads out of the water in order to breathe. It was fun to see them hopping in and out of the water. When our captain turned the engine off you could hear the blow hole sounds going off all around you. And then they turned on a hydrophone where we could hear all of the sounds they were making in the water. Fascinating. I kick myself now for not thinking to record a bit of the scene.
I could keep going about the whales - but you get the idea. Amazing day. A boat is only allowed to spend 30 minutes watching the whales, so once our time was up we started heading home. Lucky for us the whales happened to be going in the same direction that we were, so we got to watch them for a bit longer.
Then once we left their path we saw two bald eagles. And then two more! Followed by several seals and porpoises. Money well spent, if I do say so myself.
I then got home, said bye to Phil, and headed back out for a bit of exploring. I didn't want to venture too far because I'm pretty tired. This hostel is on Granville, which is a pretty hopping street. A few blocks up they closed the street off for "Viva Vancouver" and a band was performing. Apparently every weekend in the summer they close a few blocks on Granville and do something cool. Then on my loop back towards the hostel I got to watch four cop cars bust a dude in a minivan with lots and lots of drugs. They kept piling bags of weed and some sort of powder onto a roof of one of the cop cars. My guess is he was on his way to sell to the folks enjoying Viva Vancouver.
I was going to eat at a quick and easy spot, but decided to treat myself to a dinner at Sanafir, which is two doors down from the hostel. It was recommended in the guidebook as an international restaurant - kind of a mix between Arabic, Mediterranean, and Indian food. Hands down the best meal I've had in a while. To the point where I'm going to take the time to write them a good review on Yelp. I sat outside and faced the street so I could people watch. A friendly couple chatted me up most of the dinner. We mainly talked about how great the food was, and the similarities and differences between Vancouver and San Francisco.
And now I'm packing up and getting ready for bed. Need to leave the hostel at 3am to catch my 6am flight back to California.
Overall a great trip!
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