that was interesting
Sep. 22nd, 2005 23:59![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
piranhatoday jill and i went to look at the boat, and P was kind enough to also show off goforth, the boat he finished restoring earlier this year. jill now wants to live on a boat. :) she claims i am to boats what typhoid mary was to typhoid.
at 16:00 i dropped her off at amigo airways (wow, that website sucks), since she was taking a seaplane across to vancouver airport (thrill!). she was going to be the only person on that flight. so she joked that i should come with her. and the girl at the counter said "yeah, in about 5 min i can sell you a standby ticket at half price." well. no sooner contemplated than done: a seaplane ride for $25, how could i turn that down? i locked the truck, and we were ready to depart.
it was great. the plane was a well-used piper aztec, 5 or 6-seater twin-engine (hard to tell; the rear seat could seat either two skinny teenagers, or one clone of hefty self). first time in one of those. i hope some of the pictures turned out. now i want to get back into flying, of course (after the boat is done, *snrk*). except it was too short! only 20 minutes. it was amusing to compare with how long this same trip would take in our boat: about 5 hours.
when we arrived at the seaplane terminal, the soft-spoken british pilot gave us directions to the shuttle, and seeing jill nod comprehendingly i didn't mention that i had only understood half of what he said. as it then turned out, jill hadn't grasped much more, and alas our bits and pieces did not miraculously add up to a whole. after ambling around and couldn't find our way through the fence (fences will play overall a role in this day that makes me contemplate carrying a bolt cutter from now on), we finally went into harbour air's terminal, and asked for better directions. which sent us to the south terminal, from which a shuttle was supposed to leave every 30 min for the main terminal, from which another shuttle was going to be offered by one's hotel. we had some 10 min left before the next shuttle was expected, and i went reconnoitering.
which was a good thing. the nice lady i picked at random (hawk air -- send your freight with them!) told me that we should have been given tickets for the shuttle from the seaplane company (we hadn't), and that we couldn't ride the shuttle without. *urm*. "what hotel are you staying at?" quality inn. woops, there are two. the one closer to the airport turns out not to be the "quality inn at the airport". that one is actually a 15 min trip by car away from the airport. the nice lady from hawk air made a second phone call. the quality inn's driver was apparently out of service; we should take a taxi, and they would reimburse us. where are the taxis? "across the bridge". ok. when i get outside, i see no bridge. but a taxi comes around the curve, and jill throws herself in front of it. success!
we get to the quality inn with much instruction from the taxi driver as to how to get back to the airport the next day (maybe he thought the quality inn shuttle driver, or another cab driver wouldn't know it? don't ask me, i am just a hick from the island). jill pays for her room, there is no hassle with the refund for the cab (except they didn't refund her the tip, the cheap bastards), and she proceeds to smuggle me upstairs, cunningly pretending that i am her personal sherpa (the illusion was slightly marred by her dragging the larger suitcase herself).
woops. there is only one bed. it is small. now, we're pals, but we're not that close. there is no couch. i don't feel like renting my own room -- i'd love to spend more time in vancouver but i'd really like to have a change of clothes then, and a toothbrush. though i hear they sell those in vancouver too. for a bit i contemplate staying at a cheaper place, like at the YWCA (which has spiffy facilities and clean single rooms for a mere $59 right downtown, and there are even cheaper hostels than that). but really, i wasn't 100% sure i had filled up the catfood dish; i thought i had, but sometimes i think so and then don't do it. and i was without my laptop -- no net access? *aie*! so i decide to catch the last ferry home from horseshoe bay at 21:00. to do that, i have to catch a bus fairly soon, since we're somewhere in richmond (i think), and it'll take about 1.5 hours to get to west vancouver from there. luckily we are able to get online (though they don't offer free wifi, the cheap bastards), and translink has the best online route finder i've yet seen -- type in origin, destination, and time you want to leave, and it'll give you several choices around that time, complete with route #s, where you need to transfer, and what it costs. that is just excellent.
we have time to consume a beverage before i grab the #8 bus (which happens to leave right at the street corner on which the quality inn is located, SE marine drive @ fraser), and the bar tender makes me something yummy and non-alcoholic (which, i think, turned out to be a virgin pina colada, and it was indeed yummy). we banter a bit, and then it's time to leave. hug goodbye, bus ride. transfer to #257 express downtown, seymour @ W georgia. get to ferry in plenty of time, don't even have to run; the ferry terminal has been remodeled, and the bus stops right in front -- convenient. also, ferry is 30 min late; not so convenient. pace, pace, pace. get on ferry. eat blueberry scone, drink coffee, browse giftshop to look at new tchotchkes, read dorothy dunnett's moroccan traffic. 1.5 hours pass, arrive at departure bay (clearly the pioneers liked to see nanaimo best when leaving).
try to find my way out of ferry terminal. new overlords of parking have put fence all around where one once could just walk out, which i don't find out until i've walked all the way to the end of the parking lot. *grumble*. walk along fence halfway back to terminal until there's opening. walk back on other side of fence, now headed for amigo airways terminal (which is at the end of zorkin road, i know the paramour will want to know!).
and now comes the coup de grace: there is a gate. the gate is locked. i can see my truck. i cannot drive my truck. *sigh*.
back out zorkin road, along the fence, back into the ferry terminal. outside phone booth has no phone book. arrival door is locked. luckily departure door is still open because there is one lonely passenger waiting for her ride that's fashionably late. first phone book has the taxicab page ripped out. second phone book has the taxicab page ripped out. one of my eyebrows is now permanently frozen in the "up" position. third phone has no phone book. last phone has a phone book, and the required page is intact. call cab. cab driver is not weird-in-a-bad-way (i have had experiences), but a good dude, *whew*. $30 later i am home.
well. that was fun. i should do it again some time. tomorrow i get to figure out how to get back to my truck for less than $30.
good night!
at 16:00 i dropped her off at amigo airways (wow, that website sucks), since she was taking a seaplane across to vancouver airport (thrill!). she was going to be the only person on that flight. so she joked that i should come with her. and the girl at the counter said "yeah, in about 5 min i can sell you a standby ticket at half price." well. no sooner contemplated than done: a seaplane ride for $25, how could i turn that down? i locked the truck, and we were ready to depart.
it was great. the plane was a well-used piper aztec, 5 or 6-seater twin-engine (hard to tell; the rear seat could seat either two skinny teenagers, or one clone of hefty self). first time in one of those. i hope some of the pictures turned out. now i want to get back into flying, of course (after the boat is done, *snrk*). except it was too short! only 20 minutes. it was amusing to compare with how long this same trip would take in our boat: about 5 hours.
when we arrived at the seaplane terminal, the soft-spoken british pilot gave us directions to the shuttle, and seeing jill nod comprehendingly i didn't mention that i had only understood half of what he said. as it then turned out, jill hadn't grasped much more, and alas our bits and pieces did not miraculously add up to a whole. after ambling around and couldn't find our way through the fence (fences will play overall a role in this day that makes me contemplate carrying a bolt cutter from now on), we finally went into harbour air's terminal, and asked for better directions. which sent us to the south terminal, from which a shuttle was supposed to leave every 30 min for the main terminal, from which another shuttle was going to be offered by one's hotel. we had some 10 min left before the next shuttle was expected, and i went reconnoitering.
which was a good thing. the nice lady i picked at random (hawk air -- send your freight with them!) told me that we should have been given tickets for the shuttle from the seaplane company (we hadn't), and that we couldn't ride the shuttle without. *urm*. "what hotel are you staying at?" quality inn. woops, there are two. the one closer to the airport turns out not to be the "quality inn at the airport". that one is actually a 15 min trip by car away from the airport. the nice lady from hawk air made a second phone call. the quality inn's driver was apparently out of service; we should take a taxi, and they would reimburse us. where are the taxis? "across the bridge". ok. when i get outside, i see no bridge. but a taxi comes around the curve, and jill throws herself in front of it. success!
we get to the quality inn with much instruction from the taxi driver as to how to get back to the airport the next day (maybe he thought the quality inn shuttle driver, or another cab driver wouldn't know it? don't ask me, i am just a hick from the island). jill pays for her room, there is no hassle with the refund for the cab (except they didn't refund her the tip, the cheap bastards), and she proceeds to smuggle me upstairs, cunningly pretending that i am her personal sherpa (the illusion was slightly marred by her dragging the larger suitcase herself).
woops. there is only one bed. it is small. now, we're pals, but we're not that close. there is no couch. i don't feel like renting my own room -- i'd love to spend more time in vancouver but i'd really like to have a change of clothes then, and a toothbrush. though i hear they sell those in vancouver too. for a bit i contemplate staying at a cheaper place, like at the YWCA (which has spiffy facilities and clean single rooms for a mere $59 right downtown, and there are even cheaper hostels than that). but really, i wasn't 100% sure i had filled up the catfood dish; i thought i had, but sometimes i think so and then don't do it. and i was without my laptop -- no net access? *aie*! so i decide to catch the last ferry home from horseshoe bay at 21:00. to do that, i have to catch a bus fairly soon, since we're somewhere in richmond (i think), and it'll take about 1.5 hours to get to west vancouver from there. luckily we are able to get online (though they don't offer free wifi, the cheap bastards), and translink has the best online route finder i've yet seen -- type in origin, destination, and time you want to leave, and it'll give you several choices around that time, complete with route #s, where you need to transfer, and what it costs. that is just excellent.
we have time to consume a beverage before i grab the #8 bus (which happens to leave right at the street corner on which the quality inn is located, SE marine drive @ fraser), and the bar tender makes me something yummy and non-alcoholic (which, i think, turned out to be a virgin pina colada, and it was indeed yummy). we banter a bit, and then it's time to leave. hug goodbye, bus ride. transfer to #257 express downtown, seymour @ W georgia. get to ferry in plenty of time, don't even have to run; the ferry terminal has been remodeled, and the bus stops right in front -- convenient. also, ferry is 30 min late; not so convenient. pace, pace, pace. get on ferry. eat blueberry scone, drink coffee, browse giftshop to look at new tchotchkes, read dorothy dunnett's moroccan traffic. 1.5 hours pass, arrive at departure bay (clearly the pioneers liked to see nanaimo best when leaving).
try to find my way out of ferry terminal. new overlords of parking have put fence all around where one once could just walk out, which i don't find out until i've walked all the way to the end of the parking lot. *grumble*. walk along fence halfway back to terminal until there's opening. walk back on other side of fence, now headed for amigo airways terminal (which is at the end of zorkin road, i know the paramour will want to know!).
and now comes the coup de grace: there is a gate. the gate is locked. i can see my truck. i cannot drive my truck. *sigh*.
back out zorkin road, along the fence, back into the ferry terminal. outside phone booth has no phone book. arrival door is locked. luckily departure door is still open because there is one lonely passenger waiting for her ride that's fashionably late. first phone book has the taxicab page ripped out. second phone book has the taxicab page ripped out. one of my eyebrows is now permanently frozen in the "up" position. third phone has no phone book. last phone has a phone book, and the required page is intact. call cab. cab driver is not weird-in-a-bad-way (i have had experiences), but a good dude, *whew*. $30 later i am home.
well. that was fun. i should do it again some time. tomorrow i get to figure out how to get back to my truck for less than $30.
good night!