Helicopter Take-Off in Vancouver

Vancouver might well be the most spectacularly located metropolis and I was recently lucky enough to have a bird's eyeview of the city from inside a HeliJet helicopter.

While the video doesn't come close to showing off the views, it does provide a sneak peak of what you can expect on a helicopter flight above Vancouver.

At this point, I might as well mention a pet peeve of mine: People who take window seats and then don't look out the window!

Just Another Day

Jasper to Vancouver by Train

With the continuous delays in the arrival of my train in Jasper, I was growing more and more disappointed that I would miss out on the best part of the train trip to Vancouver.  So by the time, the VIA Rail train left the Jasper Station after 1 a.m., there was very little to see of the Rocky Mountains but I must admit that passing through the mountains under a clear sky and a full moon had a certain mystique to it as I gazed out from my private cabin.

Luckily, all was not lost and the train's delay provided the opportunity to view the scenery that would normally be missed over the course of the train's journey through the night...

While the Rockies may be the star attraction of The Canadian's journey across Canada, the landscape west of them is interestingly diverse and spectacular. Hope you enjoyed my brief diary of my Easter weekend train trip!

All Aboard to Jasper

After spending the day in Vancouver, it was time to head to the train station to catch VIA Rail's The Canadian train and start my journey through the Canadian Rockies to Jasper, Alberta.

There's no point of showing up at the station too early as there is really nothing to do there. The WiFi wasn't operational that evening and there were a few suspicious characters lurking about. While the train station looks impressive, you'll soon notice upon closer inspection that it's past its prime and could use some rejuvenation.

After being redirected back and forth between counters, OMG, it was time to board the train

and before long, the train was on its way to Jasper! Choo choo!

Happy Endings in Gastown

More fun in Gastown!

Too bad the train was departing at 8:30!

Don't Talk to Strangers

Walking through Gastown, I came across a little reminder of what Mom used to always say...

but I think the reasons were a bit different...

or maybe not!

Yaletown Mommy

A friend told me various stories about his days in Yaletown and the people that call this Vancouver neighbourhood home. Now I'm not usually one to condone stereotypes but I just had to giggle when I saw this stylish woman smoking a cigarette while pushing a baby stroller on the edge of Yaletown.

They just happened to be the first people I saw in deserted Yaletown that Good Friday afternoon, and the scenario seemed to fit the stereotype quite well.

Vancouver - Victoria Ferry

Before I could start my train trip through the Canadian Rockies, I had to get to the mainland.

Other than grabbing a hold of some driftwood or swimming across the strait, the most economical way to get between Vancouver and Victoria is by ferry.

But the ferry doesn't really take you from Vancouver to Victoria since the ferry terminal on the mainland (Vancouver) side is located in Tsawwassen while the Vancouver Island terminal is at Swartz Bay. This isn't a major inconvenience if you're travelling by car but if you're on foot or bicycle, you'll have to account for the travel time from downtown to the ferry terminal. While not ideal, public transit is available on both sides to assist you with your travels. 

The poster below summarizes the available ground transportation options from the Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay terminals:

From the above options, BC Transit is the cheapest route but it's also the slowest, especially to get to Victoria, unless you're lucky enough to get on an express bus, but even then, there's still the time it takes for everyone to board the bus. Ideally, BC Ferries would offer passengers the option to pre-pay public transit fares which would help speed up the bus-boarding process. 

The ultimate solution would be a downtown to downtown ferry service but until that happens, these options are available to make your trip a bit more bearable if air transportation isn't in your budget.  

Enjoy your mini-cruise!

Victoria - Vancouver by Air

Sure, you can use a major commercial airliner to fly you between Vancouver and Victoria, but first you have to get yourself out to the airport, wait in line-ups at the ticket counter and security checkpoints, fly, wait for your luggage, and then finally drive into downtown. Not very convenient if you ask me!

Luckily, there are other ways to get to Victoria from Vancouver and vice-versa and I was lucky enough to try two of them this week.

First off, there's the seaplane (also known as a floatplane) where you take off from one city harbour and land in the other. Downtown to downtown in about 30 minutes. There's nothing like taking off and landing in the water....
Pretty sweet all in all...
Though leg room can be lacking for taller folks (at least on the Harbour Air seaplane I took).

Then, there's the helicopter. How often can you say that you flew in a helicopter?!?  Oh yes, this is very cool and yes, it provides a different flight experience. The sound of the rotor becomes very repetitive after a while so be sure to take advantage of the complementary ear plugs after you take off and experience the sound firsthand. Some people may be lulled to sleep by the helicopter's motion and sounds but maybe that's just the result of capping off a hard day's work. There's a bit more legroom than on the seaplane but the HeliJet takes an extra 5 minutes or so and lands in the James Bay area so it's a bit further of a walk to the downtown core.

In either case, the views are spectacular as you fly above the two cities and islands.

Nevertheless, both modes of transportation are very viable options to go between Vancouver and Victoria, and depending on your time and budget, it would be silly not to consider them as very convenient means to travel between the two cities in a novel way.