November 8, 2008

Well....it's official....I am the luckiest person I know!!

It seems that all other parts of Vancouver are still experiencing torrential rains today with one exception....Richmond is cloudy but not a drop of rain in sight. I have to say, "Thanks pop" I knew you had some influence over the parking situation but....jeez the weather too? It's amazing what a raised eyebrow and a strategic wink can do!!

I'm checked into the Fairmont at the Airport and it is yummy :) good suggestion John! And while I'm thanking folks....thanks JoAnne for suggesting all those years ago, when we were down for a BCACEA meeting, that I sign up for the Fairmont Presidents Club - in addition to the express check in I just enjoyed...I also have free access to the internet so I can do this update on the blog.

It was a leisurely sleep in morning but I was a little anxious when I woke to find my jeans (the only pair of long pants I have for the trip) still soaking wet from an unexpected but necessary washing in the bathroom sink the night before. What was I thinking?? I had no need for nerves on that front though because - I am, after all, the luckiest person ever :) I went to the lobby of the Ramada in Richmond where I met Marina, an immigrant from Greece 18 years ago, housekeeping supervisor, and breakfast host, who immediately upon being asked for advice on where I could find a dryer nearby.....sent me back to my room to bring her my jeans so she could take them down to their hotel dryer which would mean they could be dry by the time I finished my complimentary breakfast :) Breakfast was good, the price was really good, Marina's company was very pleasant, and before I knew it I had warm dry jeans folded and in my lap.

That set the tone for the rest of my day :) About a block from the hotel, in the Richmond Mall, I found a salon where they had time to take me right then for a hair cut. Heidi, an immigrant from Iran 28 years ago, gave me a great cut and I feel like a million bucks having finally gotten that much overdue cut.

My walk back to the hotel was perfect.....blue peeking through the clouds, that damp Vancouver feel in air, everything clean from the previous day's rain, colourful leaves of all shapes and sizes decorating the sidewalk underfoot, and a spring in my step knowing that I was almost en route to the airport for my flight at 6:30 tomorrow morning.

The staff at the Ramada had taken great care of my bags while I was out and my timing was perfect! The minute I walked back into the hotel lobby the shuttle driver announced I could go right then if I'd like....so I collected my bags and hopped into my private shuttle with another friendly driver who had arrived in Canada 32 years previously as a small child from India.

Vancouver is such a wonderfully cosmopolotin city! In addition to the people I've already mentioned, the front desk staff in the Ramada were from Asia and the Caribbean, the masses in the mall where I found the hair salon were a mosaic of heritage, the restaurants I passed as I walked along the road represented cuisine and culture from around the globe and it's all right where we live - we are very fortunate!

I'm going to spend some time this afternoon checking that my packing is okay (ie: that there isn't anything in my carry on bags that will cause a delay), wander down the airport to find the Alaska check in area and have a bite to eat for dinner before coming back to my luxurious bathroom for a bubble bath in my gigantic soaker tub and an early night in preparation for a very early wake up call. I have to be down at the airline check in by 4:30 a.m. so spending the extra $$ to be able to stay just steps away from that check in counter was a really good idea John!

I'll say Adios for now - the next time I write, I'll be in Troncones :) Hasta luego....
L