GCA XIV: Church Hunt, Cafe Hunt, Restaurant Hunt & Finally The End!

Missed the first Sunday mass in Vancouver cause we were in the wilderness. But our second and last Sunday was in the city, so we went searching for a Catholic church. The nearest was St Patrick's Church. Google Maps gave us the run around. Walked the wrong direction and when we asked people on the street about the location of the church, the looked at us like we were crazy. We doubled back and passed by Gene Cafe, spotting Ruven and Beardogg out front. Quickly asked him for directions but he wasn't very sure. He knew there was a church there, but not the name. We had nothing to lose, so we went for it. Turns out it was the correct place and we were just ten minutes late. Most of the congregation was made up of Pinoys. And they even had a special alcove to house Pinoy favourites like Santa Nino and the Black Nazarene. Another interesting thing about St Patrick's was the fact that they had altar girls.



The hunt for the Catholic Church had left us a little tired, so we went to chill at Kafka's for coffee (Ruven had provided us with a gift card). Not long after getting our lattes, we saw Ruven out front with Beardogg. This is how hipsters spend their Sundays -- moving from Cafe to Cafe!





Went shopping at Sport Chek after that. Took KH ages to decide on some outdoor wear. I nearly went bonkers. More fickle than a Libran (that's me!). Randomly chose to have lunch at Thyme to Indulge. Not a very good choice as the waitresses were slow and the interior sauna-like. Thankfully, the poor environment was redeemed by the food. KH's Duck Hash and my mussels in special garlic and onion sauce really hit the spot. Wandered around Main Street next. Many quirky stores around the area. Even found a store that sold factory discards and manufacturing waste as art supplies.











Got our coffee and doughnut fix at the 49th Parallel. They had a successful symbiosis with Lucky's Donuts. I'm no doughnut fan, but Lucky's definitely changed my mind. Didn't stay out any longer as KH was down with the flu. Fed him some meds and got him to bed, while I fiddled with my phone in bed.





When he got up, we went out for a late-ish French dinner at Les Faux Bourgeois. We walked and walked and walked and walked. I thought we were going the wrong way. Spotted the place as I was about to give up. Yay! Sat at the bar (perfect for your hubby to grope your thighs while sharing a glass of red) where we shared a gizzard salad (unconventional but works), duck confit and a lemon and curd dessert. The walk back was easier as we managed to find an easier route. At 11:00 PM, we were all packed up, showered (very important since it was a long, long flight) and Kenji was at the door. Our hosts were out so I just threw in the key wrapped in a hastily-scratched goodbye note after taking a last look at Depencier House.





First things first, we checked in at YVR before heading back to Richmond to meet Andy at Manzo Izakaya for supper (normal dinner time for them actually). Closer to boarding time, they dropped us back at the airport and we said our goodbyes. Would be seeing Kenji again actually closer to Christmas. Would love to visit Vancouver again, money-willing. LOL. Our flight was OK with minimal turbulence. And during the HK leg, we even got mooncakes in the in-flight meal. When we arrived back in KL, I was still in a state of disbelief that our great Canadian adventure was over. Oh well! There's always next time!