O'Canada How I Love Thee

photo credit:whoyoucallingaskeptic.wordpress.com

        This past August, I visited Vancouver, BC for 10 days. I drove up with the boyfriend,his parents, and our doggie Chowder. It was a grueling 16 hour drive o__O with several pit stops, but personally I did not feel it was too bad. I really enjoyed the scenic drive and the bonding experience it provided myself and the bf's family. For this is definitely something my family never partook in, so the experience was fascinating to me.  My boyfriend and his family have driven this journey every summer and a couple times during the winter since he was a child. His father is very influenced by the American approach and really enjoys road trips, which I think is cute :]. The bf's mom's side of the family stays up in Vancouver.

oh and this posts is dedicated to the super sweet Jane of click here this is her lovely hometown :]

So here begins the picture narration. 

**WARNING THIS IS A CONTENT HEAVY POST**

       This is on the ride up, we were near Crater Lake and this is babe's poppa, he was napping since he stayed up from the start to make sure bf was driving okay :] 

notice the lovely scenery in the background, the sun rose and it was beautiful.

this is bf driving, I sat in the back to keep Chowder company. Bf's mom gets car sick easily so she has to always sit in the front to insure less nausea.

Crater Lake, one day the bf said we would visit here! Sorry it's very hard to take pictures in a speeding vehicle, still working on utilizing my dslr to it's full potential.

Chowder and "grandpa" funny this is he actually knows who to run to when we say that. At this point Chowder was wide awake and actually happy. Our first trip two years ago was a toughie, the poor door was car sick the whole time -___- 

getting Gas before we cross the border, bf's cousin Jack told us it would be less expensive and better quality.

waiting to cross the border, there was a good 30 minute wait going into Vancouver

Peace Arch, it's a nice little park. I saw people walking around with their dogs. Next time I visit I want to actually step out the car to take a picture. Check out the traffic leaving Canada x___X it was super long.

So we finally arrived at bf's uncle's house around 8ish, 

got settled in had a light dinner and just called it a night. 

DAY ONE: Simple and Short Day

Woke up around 10ish and got ready to meet with bf's other uncle and had dim sum at a restaurant called " Pelican Seafood Restaurant", it was nice the food was pretty good. 

afterwards we went back to the uncle #1's home (where we stayed for our visit)

and walked around the neighborhood with Chowder. Uncle #1's neighborhood is really cute and his and only one other street has these beautiful tall trees that meet that create an almost heart shape design going down the street. I heard a lot of filming occurs in their neighborhood.

Chowder is tired after our nice walk, sitting on the step in front of Uncle #1's home.

Can you tell I love my dog? lol. He's a good subject to photograph. Okay so later that night we had a nice dinner at Uncle #1's house with some of bf's cousins and their families. I thought it would be a nice treat to take bf's nieces and nephew to grab some ice cream, since it was soo hot o__O. 

we walked up to McDonald's since it was the closest dessert available.

i love these kids! they are so intelligent and funny.

We ended the night when we walked back and watched both of bf's cousin's wedding videos while chatting up a storm til 11.

DAY TWO: MONSTER MANWICHES, BLUE BERRIES, PRIME RIB, CREME BRULEE, and PHOTOSHOOT.

he wasn't too happy about the humidity, he does not handle heat well.

The bf and I drove and met up with his cousin Liliane and the girls.

We got into their van and were driven to Richmond, where Lil' said bf had to try their sandwiches.

it didn't look like much of a eatery, but they were busy. It's a mom and pop shop, which I love contributing to and it was a Korean mother and daughter duo handling the front. They were very nice and the food was cooked freshly.

The girls: C & E, waiting for their food :]

the wanna be poutine we ordered, if I would have known. I've never had poutine so next time we're up there I will definitely need to find a legit spot.

the girls loved it! 

from the picture it may not look that huge but this sandwich was packed with meat!

i think there was like 4 different types of grilled meats in this, presentation may not be that pleasing but the taste was amazing. i only ate 1/4 of this and the bf finished it off. he's a pretty big foodie, so i was surprised when he said he really enjoyed it.

after lunch we proceeded to go blueberry picking. we went down No.6 road, where all these farms were located and they had humongo mansion like homes there! it was a pretty amazing site to see.

we found our farm! $1.50/lb not too bad.  look at all those berries! literally it was like rows and rows for miles of blueberries! i've never done any sort of fruit picking so this was very enjoyable. It was warm, but there was some relief with the clouds hovering overhead. 

we picked and picked and picked.

and picked some more...finally we got tired and headed back. we parted ways until dinner, Lil' returned to prepping the kitchen for the contractor. Bf and I returned to Uncle#1's home to make creme brulee to bring for dessert.

on our way to North Vancouver, where bf's cousin Eileen and family lives. I love how wherever you go you're surrounded by natural beauty and the mountains. My mom says something in chinese about good Fengshiu.

I didn't get a chance to photograph this past batch of creme brulee, but its similar with the exception that I used blueberries and sliced strawberries.

bon apetite! dinner is served, we had: prime rib, rice, scalloped potatoes, fresh caesar salad, teriyaki chicken, shrimp and peppers, scrambled eggs with string beans and pork, and rice. 

the kiddie table, we sat in the nook; while the adults sat in the dining room.

seeing how beautiful the weather was, we went outside after dinner and played capture the flag with the kids.

chowder tagged along as well :]

the kids in the front yard area.  their growing up so fast!

this picture was taken two years prior to the one above. 

aww the siblings :] Louie kids. K,S, & V

then you have the adorable Tam girls. E & C

chowder wanted a picture with his cousin, S.

absolutely beautiful, i love the trees. being in the mountainous area is so secluded, i thought it was scary to be so far from others, but the little neighborhood is so quant and cozy.

the kids and chowder.

we ended up on the drive way trying to shoot. Bf's niece E. is so tall! 

aww the older girls: E.V.K. " Team Heart"

i swear Vancouverans have such long lean and tan legs o__O I wish I could tan.

back inside in the entertainment room we have: Lina and Tommy & George and Liliane.

 I love Eileen's home it's so big yet cozy at the same time :] It's a three story home with a jacuzzi and all.

In the dining room we have bf's parents on the left and Uncle#1 and Aunt#1. Dinner was such an enjoyable experience, and I love hanging out with the kids. We ended the night at Starbucks to use the internet, since Uncle#1's house has none. lol

DAY THREE: FOOT PATROL and EXPLORATION

Bf's parents went to handle some home issues with Uncle#2, so we decided to venture in the nearby area and walked up to Burnaby for lunch.

another unhappy picture because it was too humid. lol

we found this cute little bbq joint in the "Heights" area.

pretty good food and i loved the decor.

the bf created his own massive burger which included: a fried egg, mushrooms, bacon, and grilled onions. the man loves his corn, so he chose corn for his side.

i got the ribs and chicken combo, being asian I got this instead of just bbq chicken because it was like $2.00CAN more.. lol but I barely ate anything and had to pack it to go. Ended up pissing off the bf since he said I wasted food -___-, which he then proceeded to eat later in the day anyways.

so afterwards we were on the hunt for candies, since the restaurant we ate at gave us these delicious little Italian candies. I asked the hostess where I may purchase them and she pointed down the block to a Deli and Store called: Cioffi's

I didn't take any pictures inside, since I already stuck out like a sore thumb. I was the only non-white/ Italian individual in there. -____- but they were nice, the lady that assisted me spoke french, and I said could I get 1/2lb and she said "huh".. lol then I remembered we use a different system so I said can I just get 1/2 of whatever that is. ugh i felt so american and dumb for that, but whatevvs.  This deli is pretty amazing, wide selection of pastas and imports from Europe and what not. They're so big they have two stores!

i thought this was really cute, the little girl on the swing swung back and forth.

on the return walk home, I saw a bunch of these electrical box like things and I loved how they decorate these all around the city. Each one I saw was different. 

back in Uncle#1's neighborhood, see what I mean about the tree's?! it's so picturesque. 

Upon returning to Uncle#1's house, we freshened up and got ready for dinner, got picked up by Lil' and the girls and met up with George at the house. 

While we waited for George, bf and I joined the girls in their sociodramatic play and got involved in Mobil Toys, they're pretty amazing little toys and very detailed. I wish I knew about these when I was a kid!

cute right?!

I thought this was so cool! George's best friend works in advertisement and graphic design stuff. Every year he creates a calendar for his dearest friends and family with custom pictures and detailed events that correlate with pictures within the calendar. He's been making one every year since all the kids were small! This year's team was the girl's rock band. Stewart and George are best friends and so are the wives! Lil' met Kristie(Stew's wife, back when she worked at one of the department stores. I think Lil' and George hooked Stew and Kristie) So the families are very close, and both have two daughters who are also bestfriends! How cute is that?

He did such an amazing job! The background is actually George's downstairs bar and entertainment room.

Rushing to dinner....

We drove to Aberdeen mall, and George decided it would be nice so everyone could pick what they wanted to eat. Sadly when we arrived at the food court area only 1 place was still open. We ordered quickly and waited, there must have been like 10 other people waiting there as well. We ran into bf's parents and cousin Jack, so they joined us for dinner. The mall closed fairly early I think around 7ish.. But we proceeded to eat dinner, and afterwards we split up and returned home with bf's parents. 

*didn't get a chance to take many pictures since everyone was rushing -___-

this is one of the things we ordered, and the only thing I got to photograph since the rest of the food was taking forever. It's blackbean pork ribs with chinese sausage with chinese broccoli. Not bad.

 cute sign I saw on the way down the escalator.

we were suppose to go to Stanley park, but bf was tired. I remember the previous trip we visited, we made it in time for the International Fireworks Competition, it was so awesome. I was so sad to hear we missed it this time, hopefully next visit we will be there earlier and for longer. Our first visit together lasted three weeks!

DAY FOUR: SHORT AND SIMPLE FOODIE VENTURE

Didn't do much, it was just a relaxing day. Had lunch at at restaurant called " Ningtu" it was like Shanghai Dumplings, and Shanghai style food. Not bad, this was the bf's favorite, fried doughy hollowed thing that you stuffed with ground pork.

later in the day we drove to "The Valley Bakery" also in the Heights area and purchased some cookies. I love cookies, seriously like crazy!! I loved how they had such a large variety of cookies.

we were both curious about this spot and decided to purchase wrap. They're called DONAIRS, and we got a beef one. I tipped the man $1.00 CAN and he gave me an extra wrap! Wow talk about nice, they were pretty good! Like a light wrap and the meat was very juicy,flavorful, and went well with the Donair. 

We had another nice dinner at the house and just sat out on the Patio after dinner enjoying the warm breezy night.

DAY FIVE: BOMB JERKY, BUBBLE TEA, RAMEN NOODLES, & NIGHT MARKET

We started the day with a nice homemade lunch at Uncle#1's. Auntie#1 made Mao Ngin Ah which is a Burmese Fish Stew with noodles. It was delicious! You could add many different toppings like: fried garlic, fried onion, boiled egg, cilantro, green onion, Chinese Donut, and such. 

looks pretty bomb right?!

like I said before, the bf loves his eggs -____- his mom said he's going to turn into a egg head. lol

after lunch, Lil' and the girls decided to take us out to get the Best EVER Jerky ever!!! At first I was skeptical, we arrived at the spot and it looked like a whatever shop, and there was no one inside except one lady. It was sold by the 1/2lb so I bought 2lbs to bring home to my parents, unknowing if it would be good. The bf purchased 1lb for himself, he likes his asian jerky. When I was paying the lady was very nice and offered C. a sample. 

BEE KIM EFFIN HENG!!! Seriously I miss it so much >___<

C. with her humongo sample, but seriously how can you not love this face. She's sucha cutie :] Watch out world this pretty girl is going to break some hearts!

We were on our way to get some delicious Bubble Tea, I love it :] and According to Steward this place is one of the best! It's called "Green Leaf Bubble Tea".

on the walk from the car in search of this unknown bubble tea spot. seriously we walked back and forth up the block and we still didn't see it, originally Stew told LIl' it just says bubble tea in big letters. Alot of stores said bubble tea -___-, but finally we found the spot and it's a simple little shop that has weekly specials for $2.00!

WE finally found it!

look how happy they were :]

talk about selection!

we got the Specials which were: Strawberry and Vanilla Ice Cream, there was also passionfruit but none of us chose that. 

the bubbles were freshly brewed and the drinks were delish! I got one for the bf's mom, since i know how much she loves mango :] * my eyes looks especially chinky in this pic
-___-

later that evening we met back up with bf's parents and drove to dinner at "Parker Place"

the bf has the ribeye and ramen special

i had the chicken special like the girls. and everyone had the special beef special.

the bf finishing both mine and the girls' bowl of noodles! he's a hungry hungry man

the food was pretty good, the broth was simple and wholesome. the owner was very nice and even helped us snap pictures with the mascot.

with George& Family.

babe's parents have a solo, since they were in the WC.

OFF to the Richmond Night Market we Go!

we got VIP free parking right at the front entrance, since George knew the person helping run the event :]

the nice people who hooked it up with George & Family

C. with her balloon :]

what i love about Vancouver is how their able to get so many fresh 

and awesome imports!

pretty busy on a Friday night

look a badass Chowder, we called it Chowder's Canadian cousin

phone cases galore!! HK.

these wooden carved statues blew out incense smoke, really cool

the bf really wanted one, but luckily i talked him out of it.

these were so cute, they felt like real buns and had little faces on them.

these two were so cute, they got a booth and had a sign that said " Wanna Talk?"

 

busy busy busy

tehe, the girls being silly with their dad

it was mucky hot -___- no bueno on the oily looking skin

of course we weren't going to leave without trying out the different night foods!

duck roll & bf's fave sui mai

shaved ice  and takoyaki

these were soo good, everyone loved them! we had four: lemon pepper, seaweed, sour cream and onion, and ranch.
we ended the night with some more walking around and finally left around midnight.

DAY SIX: GROUSE MOUNTAIN &
 Chinatown Night Market

We started our day a bit late, had a light lunch and headed up to Grouse Mountain.

We received passes from George since his family has season passes, they received complimentary Gondola ride passes. If we did not have his passes it would have been 45.00 /person.

babe a bit tired and bf's poppa. 

beaver tails!                                              enjoying his icee stick

 
bf's mommy                            beaver tails!

how courteous                                         the line for the ski lift

 

hehe babe's mom is so cute :]

up we go...

hello nice people :]

the view was absolutely breath taking!

babe and the nice people we sat with, they are locals. i wish i would have double checked his email spelling, i took pictures for them and wish i could've given them to him :[

babe and his momma wanted to do this, but then they found out it was $235- for the experience. lol

going back down.

smile.. geez

herro there.

ouuu take off!

we all were beary happy ^___^

going back down to the base of the mountain.

refreshing...

After a nice afternoon up at Grouse Grind, we returned home and had a wonderful home cooked meal at Uncle#1's and he decided to take us to the Chinatown Night Market. 

babe's fave of the night

little custard and nutella filled cakes.

chowder tagged along as well, he was looking at the nutella cakes. he's sucha beggar ;o)

i got these, they're so cute! the bigfoot looking one is my favorite.

i am now on the hunt for a larger doll size version of him :]

DAY SEVEN: WHITE CLIFF PARK, HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIL', & Dinner at The Golden Swan

began the day very early and headed out to the picnic, when we arrived there were no more picnic benches. booo... so we laid out blankets and Uncle#1 brough foldable chairs, lol.

chowder and grandpa

the girls 

Uncle#1 being silly

beautiful Lil' prepping our salad

Tom grabbing a snack

Auntie #1

picture of everyone who attended the picnic.

Burmese Food, Chinese Food, and Bahn Mi. what a interesting combo. We also had desserts ;]

preparing the kite :]

babe, niece E, and Auntie#1's brother. Babe's niece is only 11 and look how tall she is! Must be the Vancouver water o__O

yay! with proper instruction the girls were able to get the kite up for a bit

ouuu look how serene it looks 

George getting his video camera out.

Birthday Lady and her husband

sunny and loving it!

Tara (Jack's gf), myself, and babe's momma

jack and tara

Uncle#1 & Auntie#1

since we had no table, they had to improvise how to cut the watermelon. 

pictured: jack, auntie#1,tom,&lina(tom's gf)

chowder resting on grandpa after a long walk

the girls and on testing the water and collecting kelp for our "seaweed soup"

off to dinner later that evening...

The Guest of Honor

yay! Jaelyn, bf's youngest niece makes an appearence. Calvin his cousin is usually working so its hard for them to make a trip. They just returned from Victoria 30mins before dinner.

she's only three, and is very articulate!

Jaelyn and daddy :]

the flowers were from her as a gift for Lil'

we returned to Uncle#1's for cake cutting, this is Lil's bday cake.

ended the night with some quality conversation and hang out

DAY EIGHT: T&T Market and Dinner at GRIFFIN'S Restaurant

So we hear George and Eileen's family rave and rant about this restaurants prime rib and the kids scream in excitement over the dessert buffet.  After a brunch meal, the bf and i along with his momma made a quick pit stop to Metropolis at Metrotown. Let me just tell you I think this mall is so amazing! It's humongo and has just about everything you could want in it! We specifically went so we could go to T&T, it's beautiful and has everything you could want and more specifically asian groceries,snacks,foods, and an extensive bakery,hot deli, prepped foods!

we have stuff like this in the states, but I never felt it could compare to T&T.

The bf's mom picked up some rice rolls since they are her favorite for our trip home.

we then headed over to the Canadian Superstore and grabbed several canisters of Ketchup Chips, which by the way are my favvv :P and headed back to get ready for dinner.

our dinner reservations was for 4pm... which i though was a bit early, but the hostess insisted that it was the only time available to situate such a large party. i thought i uploaded pics of this event to my facebook, but i guess i did not. 

these pictures are from my iphone:

the caramel brulee was pretty good, but i think i can make better ;]

DAY NINE: OUR LAST DAY- CHINATOWN,

 QUEEN ELIZABETH PARK, & HOUSE OF WINGS

On our last day, we woke up and went out for dim sum at Fraiser Seafood Court.

This place looks pretty janky from the downstairs, but when you go up to the actual tea house/restaurant it's fairly clean and nicely decorated. Uncle#1 said, his kids don't come here anymore because they go to more expensive restaurants. He said there's nothing wrong with the place and the eats were cheap, I agree it was not bad at all.

after dim sum, we headed to Chinatown for some last minute browsing

L: the boyfriend being silly as always

R: the mural was very pretty so i asked to have my picture taken with it :]

Afterwards we headed to Queen Elizabeth Park to look at the beautiful flowers, I always like roaming around there. Such detail and color the whole park displays. This time there were children splashing and running around in the fountain area.

to end the beautiful day, we were invited to dinner by Tommy

everybody at the House of Wings

look at the variety of flavors!

C. with her Ice Tea, when the drink came everyone thought 

they gave her an alcoholic drink.

we ordered 50 wings to sample several flavors, my favorite was the honey garlic.
we had: cajun, thai, honey garlic, jerk honey bbq, and szechuan.

my delicious honey garlic glazed burger with sweet potato fries ;]

mac n' cheese                   regular burger

babe had the philly cheesesteak which he said was so so.

finally after dinner, we made one last stop to visit Tom's new condo.

we hung out a bit and finally said our see ya laters...

All in all my trip was short but sweet. I look forward to my next visit, there's always an adventure to be found in this beautiful city.

HALLELUJAH I finally finished a post -____- i seriously don't know how you bloggers are so dedicated and can crank these out like crazy. Let's pray I make another one soon, alot of birthdays this weekend and pictures to be taken! Until the next post may you all have a wonderful weekend and be safe.

-Shirley

       We originally planned on staying with his cousin, but their family is renovating