Seeing the City with New Eyes

Sometimes familiarity makes us take advantage of what we have. When I was in the Philippines I was always excited to go on excursions to Chinatown, mainly because that was what it was, an excursion. But  here, because I used to work one block away from Chinatown I would be walking up and down Pender street and not realize that my excitement had turned to indifference. I only went out during lunch breaks to do errands or  to buy food and nifty stuff at the International Village Mall that I haven't fully explored the whole of Chinatown or  paused to take in all the details that made up this beautiful place.

Chinatown is a visual delight! I wasn't expecting to see this sight but once I did I couldn't stop being amazed at the simple things you see along the streets that can make anyone's day!

At Main Street Science World Park

Our friend Mae was in town for a visit so we trooped to Chinatown, we were planning to go to the garden but it was already closed. However we discovered a lively event, The Chinatown Night Market which reminded me of the many night markets in the Philippines. The best part of the night market would be the variety of food stalls! Asian food! I was so happy to find takoyaki balls there. My friends and I tried some but  we all agreed that the Takoyaki franchise back home in Pinas tasted better. 

We had the seaweed and cheese sauce. Afterwards we also bought some Japanese cakes filled with Nutella. The taste is reminiscent of fried oreos!

There were still a lot of food stalls we weren't able to try, so I'm saving cash for the next trip to Chinatown!

After our Chinatown adventure we walked on to show Mae the historical Gastown, now a popular tourist spot. While walking, a guy gave us complimentary tickets to a bar. It is amazing what you can get for free in this city. We didn't go though because we were ill-prepared for a night out in a bar.

We decided to eat at Cafe Crepe and ordered their specialties. Sadly the Buffalo wings were phased out temporarily so we had to content ourselves with fries. It was also Mae's birthday that night so the server gave her a free shot, one which she let us drink. Afterwards we decided to get more shots. The server made us a drink called Red Dragon, made of Bacardi 151, some sourpuss and a drop of syrup. He even enjoyed watching us drink it all up, it was very good. Even though it was more than 50%  alcohol we were very much sober. Cafe Crepe is one of the restaurants we frequent because of its delicious food, handsome and very accommodating servers :D you'd be embarrassed not to leave a tip with these guys.

We hung-out until it was almost midnight. Maria was very nervous we'd get home later than that so we ran around downtown looking for Marriot Hotel. After saying goodbye to Mae at her hotel, we ran back to the skytrain station to catch the late ride home.

Sometimes you forget the little things in life that make your life easier i.e the ticket machine :)

At the beautiful Waterfront Station

We were very happy to show Mae around and she found everything so beautiful, we couldn't help but step back and nod in appreciation too. So there you go folks, a day well spent. Seeing the city with new eyes was such a gift. This made me glad because although there are so many cities around the world getting all the hypes and hopes of little girls. Here is one of the most beautiful cities in the world which has the best of both nature and urban life, yet still be as peaceful and quiet as an undiscovered place. Thank you Mae for making us appreciate our new home more and thank you for your wonderful company! Wish you could come visit us again soon!