Whale of a Good Time


Seal full of salmon
My favourite view of Vancouver was without a doubt, from the water. Bright and early, on my last full day before heading home, my friends and I went down for Granville Island to go on a whale watching tour. The guide was amazing! Very personable, and knowledgable. If you are on the west coast and want to go whale watching, I totally recommend this company!
On of the whales
We headed out at 8:45, on our open boat in search of whales and other wildlife. Our first sighting? A seal, enjoying a salmon breakfast! This was super cool to watch it tear up the salmon to eat!  I knew we would find some seals, but I was not expecting this show! Off we went, continuing our search for whales. We were headed towards some islands, where they felt we had a good chance at spotting whales, and at the very least a lot of cool wildlife, when our boat turned around. We got word of a two orcas being spotted near the harbour, so back we went. What was thought to be two whales, turned out to be three, one being a baby! Watching the whales pop up every once and a while, spouting water as they surfaced was ever cool! They even got fairly close to our boat. Now, these weren't the resident ocras that feast on salmon, and hangout in big pods. These were the ones that go after sea mammals. Ever cool. After spending our allowed time, we started on our way back. Unfortunately, when the boat stops moving, you really start to feel like rock of the ocean. Needless to say I didn't feel great by the time we got going again. Although standing seemed like the last thing I wanted to do, I listened to the guide, took a ginger candy (I hate ginger) and found a spot to stand. Despite my doubts, this worked like a charm, and my stomach settled in no time! Before we headed back to the harbour, we swung by where logging is done, to check out some seals. Turns out the logs make a perfect hangout for them, giving them a spot to laze about and play.
Just hanging out on logs
After arriving back to Granville Island, we decided to wander the market, now that it was in full swing! I got these fabulous looking chocolates, which quite frankly were too pretty to eat, and then of course I forgot to take a picture of them, so I can't even share with you how pretty they were. As Kelsey had a late flight, we still had a lot of time to kill, so naturally we went to a brewery. This one had 40 different craft brews on tap! Including one that, if I remember correctly, was infused with swedish berries. I know that sounds weird, but it was actually pretty good.


 After dropping Kels off at the airport, we headed back to Jack's to call it a night. I was starting my long journey home, and little did I know, it was a longer, more stressful journey than I was anticipating (a little tip, don't lose your wallet when you are 3250 km from home). With only one "small" breakdown, some frantic calls to my parents, and a very helpful cousin, I made it home, so all is well that ends well, I suppose.


TTFN

Alright, so this is my last post for this trip. I have been home about a week, but I figured, better late than never! Thank you for reading along about this unforgettable trip. I will likely be back when my next journey begins.

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