Blog, Blog, Blog...back to Vancouver

I obviously have way too much time on my hands. This is my third post of the day. Actually, Himself is in San Bernadino on biz and I can't move my car out of the driveway due to about a dozen guys wandering around my garden, pool and roof. This being L.A., nobody carpooled and they each came with their own wheels. They're putting in a new solar heat thingie so our pool isn't so flippin' cold and we can harness some of the sun's energy, to quote the solar energy proponents of the 70s. I am trying not to focus on the channel dug from the pool, through the garden, around the front steps, through another bit of garden...not to mention the pipes that then run up the side of my house. The channel will be filled in, the pipes will be painted a nice Tuscan mustardy color and I know the garden will reorder itself. Of course there are some practical things I could be doing just now, but since that's not going to happen, I'll blog.

So, back to Vancouver. Before we head off to Vancouver Island, I'll finish Day 2 with a quick reference as to how I almost got mugged. I know not getting mugged is really not a story, but hey...it could have happened. I got off that wonderful Grey Line Bus Tour in Chinatown. It's still raining so the sidewalks aren't exactly bustling with folk. The area also strikes me as being a little seedy. I guess I was just hoping that some of the other folk on the bus would get off with me...but they didn't. I decided I wanted to see the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Gardens. I love visiting gardens in any city at any time and I've never really seen Chinese gardens...Japanese gardens are de riguer on the U.S. West Coast, but not Chinese. Apparently, it's a garden of harmonic contrasts; of yin and yang. This I wanted to experience. What I didn't want to experience was a walled garden with no other visitors, an office that had a cheerful "Back in 20 minutes" sign on the door and three needy-looking homeless guys who were acting suspicious. They were following me. When I stopped, they stopped. When I turned around quickly and looked at them, they looked away. I walked a bit more and then felt like I didn't need to be in a walled garden with one exit and three guys looking for their next fix. So, I turned quickly, they were about 10 feet behind me, and I ran right towards them, sorta swinging my handbag and almost growling. I scared me, and I guess I scared them. Their reflexes weren't quick and before I knew it I was out on a city street and a tour bus pulled up. It wasn't the same tour bus company, but they gave me a lift back to my hotel. I mentioned my little incident and the driver pretty much said Chinatown is best done in pairs, in daylight and...oh...by the way...it borders Vancouver's skid row. I don't know any city where I walk the skid row area, by myself or in pairs.