Awoke very, very early and hit the gym. I forgot that I had ordered a wake-up call ... and when I got back to my room, worried security was waiting for me! I felt rather idiotic.
Then dear Jill (hockey mom & gorgeous human being) arrived for 8 am ... and we cycled .. i.e. bicycled in the brrrr cold ... to Stanley Park ... which, although really only 7 minutes away, took around an hour. We stopped off to be filmed enjoying the amazing views of Vancouver city & the mountain and the Ocean .. and and ....The Park itself is full of colour ... and totem poles ... I will explain more about that on Friday.
From there we went to the Vancouver Aquarium ... for one of the most perfect hours of my life. With two adorable ladies - Katie & Marina - I got to play and cuddle and tickle 2 beluga whales ... when you watch the Vancouver show you will see what made me so happy. I also got to feed Milo the sea otter ... who is just gorgeous. Sometimes my job - although the best in the world - is kind of lonely BUT you know, an hour with "creatures" makes up for it in a HUGE way!
From there we went to Granville Island. A little boat ferried me across to one of Vancouver's most famous landmarks - where food & drink are the main attractions. Forget maple syrup, birch syrup is THE thing to have! The fruit & veg was so big, I am sure it MUST be radioactive.
From there it was a visit to Masa-San at The Artisan SakeMaker - the ONLY sake winery in Canada. The process using rice, water and yeast is VERY authentic ... and I had a superb time learning all about the way sake is made and of course sampling some of it!
From there it was off to Tojo - the "home" of the BC Roll. Tojo is a Japanese chef who created the California Roll and now the BC roll ... on the show you will see how it is made and the ingredients ... but I had a go too and I didn't poison any of Tojo's friends who turned up for a munch! We stayed on for an awesome sushi, sashimi and sake dinner! THANK YOU Tojo ...
The thread of the day is our fixer Tom Ryan - undoubtedly the best guide we have ever had on any of the shows! Bravo Tom!
The diary is short today ... I am off to bed ... I have a VERY VERY early start... will explain more tomorrow!
WHAT happy dreams I will have tonight!
Song of the Day: the sweetest girl - madness
Weather: hmm .. changeable ...
milo ...
tojo ... THE man
qila ...
marina (!)
gorgeous qila and lovely katie
me & qila
hockey mom & me - getting ready for a bike ride!
