Day Twenty Three

Another big cross-country trip. A nice lady at Air Canada decided not to charge us for one of our three bags because the baggage fees would have been too much. Air Canada isn't the most efficient airline. The plane was full and the boarding check-in was so slow, as was the in-flight service. That's what happens when there is no real competition.

We had a tasteless breakfast at Tim Horton's (a cross between Maccas and Subway) located at the airport and then a 40 minute flight from Quebec to Montreal on a Dash 8 -100 which is smaller than the previous one we flew in on. I think it holds about 40 passengers. I had the middle seat on row 10, which doesn't sound that unusual but row 10 is the last row and the plane has only one middle seat. So I was stuck at the back with my legs stretched into the aisle. At least Karen was seated towards the front.

The flight to Vancouver takes an epic 5 hours. Although there are in-flight movies there are no new releases (well, they may be for Canada) and you had to pay for earphones. No joking the person in front was watching the original Frankenstein with Boris Karloff.

Given it was such a long flight you'd think they would be free. (The other night we heard a waitress say that Quebec has the highest consumer tax rate in Canada at 15%. In other words, if you buy something add another 15% onto the bill. It's the same with tipping: 15% is the suggested amount.) Anyhooo...

A 30 minute taxi ride into the city and we arrived at the Four Seasons Hotel. Compared to our Quebec room, this room is huge. The hotel is located in the centre of Vancouver and next to a shopping centre filled with the usual brands, and a food court. We had an early dinner at the food court and have settled in for a quiet night. The staff have already turned our beds down for the night....not sure when the hot cocoa will arrive.

We've booked a couple of tours for Friday and Saturday but the weather is supposed to be a bit damp. We may have to break out the wet weather gear. Stay tuned!