Cruising Vancouver

After a monstrously decadent seafood meal with all the family members in town, we split up into groups and did a little sightseeing, napping and movie-watching. Since this was my first trip to Vancouver as an adult, and since it was such a beautiful day, I wanted to see some sights.

My parents, an uncle and I went to Stanley Park where we walked around for an hour, admiring the redwood trees, the totem poles and the skin-bearing residents. We then hit the downtown area and made our way through the crowded streets, walking around and window shopping.

It then was time to feed again, so the larger family group re-assembled at a Chinese restaurant. I had the pleasure of sitting next to the newlywed couple and I had to do my best to respond diplomatically to questions from the bride such as, "What did you think of my maid of honor?" and "Did you like my wedding colors?" The colors, by the way, were fuschia and neon orange.

And we capped off the night by visiting the local casino, where we smuggled my 18-year old cousin onto the gambling floor and installed her in front of a slot machine. Uncles and aunts placed bets on the horses (races simulcast from Hong Kong) and others played poker and roulette. Since I have an early flight home tomorrow, I returned to the hotel, but everyone else seems to have their gamble on.