Month: July 2024

Day 8: Canada.

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We have just finished our first week in Canada, and it has been very relaxing.

Not a day-by-day like last time, but: Since arriving at Grandma’s home, we have been to the Harbor Quay multiple times. We went to Sproat Lake with my brothers and family. We also got some banking done.

Harbor Quay is a park just off of downtown that has a playground for the kids. It is right next to the straight between Vancouver Island and the Mainland.  So you are looking out over the water from there.

On weekends, there is a “Farmer’s Market ” that sells mostly crafts and jewelry at the Quay. There are also some great Fish & Chip shops, ice cream shops and souvenir shops there.

A short walk from the park, near the harbor itself is a lighthouse you can go in.

I met my younger brother and had a great time talking with him. Then, the next day, he joined us and my older brother to Sproat Lake.

Sproat Lake has a rocky beach, which sucked because no one in my family brought sandals or water socks. But we got to see petraglyphs, and my daughter swam while we snacked and caught up.

Day 3: Canada

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Today has been good, but the last 2 days were an adventure.

On July 1st, we boarded our flight to Incheon, South Korea. But before we could do that, the ticketing agent had difficulty with giving my wife a ticket. She had an ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization ) instead of a standard VISA).

She had to go off with a supervisor and fill out papers manually for them to figure out how to use their computers…

The short flight was fine after that, but when we arrived in Incheon, we had less than an hour to go through security again and board the new plane. We  were rushed and ended near the tail of the line.

Due to this, our carry-on luggage had to be placed in overhead bins half the plane away. This meant no travel neck pillows. There was a lot of turbulence,  and the meals included soup…

I didn’t get any on me, which was great.

The shuttle bus to the airport was very handy, but I had forgotten how fast Canadian drivers are in comparison to Beijing.

June 2nd, we discovered a problem with my bank card, which made breakfast difficult. We ended up paying with our Philippine card because even the Chinese card didn’t work there.

So, first day awakening in Canada, we had to go to the bank. Apparently, because I had been out of the country for so long, my account was marked as deposit only. We got that fixed, or we wouldn’t go anywhere.

The ferry over to the island was relaxing. Our first Uber ride to the ferry was great.

During the ferry ride, I downloaded the app for the taxi company in Nanaimo. I reserved a 6 seater van for taking us to my mother’s home, 2 hours away. They sent a regular car.

So after discussing with the driver,  our situation, they canceled our reservation because apparently they only had 1 van, and it was unavailable..

Just after that driver left, another company’s van pulled up, and the man was very helpful.

Along all of this, the 3 ladies (my wife and daughters ) had been either suffering from or recovering from motion sickness.

Anyway, we are safe and happy in Port Alberni Canada.

Stay tuned for more of our trip.