The Accidental Tourist - Part Two

I won't bore you with border details, no food, finding a cab and getting to the condominium in Vancouver. Just suffice it to say that it was somewhat of a continuation of our South of the Border adventure. We now had another person in the mix - at least via text - and that started us on our next adventure as Accidental Tourists.


While we were heading past the crossing from the US to Canada, I received a message from Jeremy's agent, Tara, who had been having her own travel experiences trying to get out of a snowy New York, missing a flight and then changing to a plane that started her on her own "AT" adventure. While she was sitting in the Toronto airport, she started wildly texting me in cryptic question format, something she is usually prone to do. After playing an iPhone version of 20 questions, Tara told us that she had tickets for all of us to Opening Ceremonies. This had not been on our radar for the trip because Opening Ceremonies tickets started at $550 and went up to $1700 each. The event started at 6:30. Our bus was to arrive at 5PM; Tara was to arrive at Vancouver airport approximately the same time. 


Fast forward past getting into the condo, dropping bags, getting a quick orientation on the European EVERYTHING in the apartment (more on that later, too) and heading out into the cold and rain in search of BC Place, Tara and the elusive Opening Ceremony tickets.

Finding Tara in a crush of people, protestors, police and the occasional pimps and prostitutes that frequent the seedier sides of Vancouver back alleys surrounding BC Place, reminded me of Where's Waldo Meets the Three Stooges and Hugo from Looney Tunes ("Which way did he go, George? Which way did he go?") Our cell phones were getting as worn out as our patience. It is cold. It is raining. This gigantic building called BC Place is totally fenced off with no visible entrance. Every street we try to go down to access it is blocked off by police who tell us we have to go, "two more blocks down." We have had no real food since 7:30 AM. Tempers are short and nostrils are flaring. The only thing I can think of is warmth, a glass of wine, a hot shower and bed. Who needs to go to Opening Ceremonies anyway?


How wrong I was...