What a magnificent Vancouver trip, possibly our best Vancouver trip ever, and Anne and I have been going there nearly every year since 1995.
We always stay at The Westin Bayshore which is at the harbor's edge and for many years, we have been assisted by Rossette Escalambre, the assistant to the general manager, even as general managers come and go.
She assigns us an "89" room in the tower, for from that room, one can see all the marvelous sights of Stanley Park, downtown, the sea wall, the ships and boats arriving and departing, the sea planes taking off and landing on the water, and the rowers crewing.
From our room, we enjoy looking across at North and West Vancouver and Grouse Mountain as well.
Because I am a vegetarian, Rossette also arranges any vegetarian dish I request and each night Anne and I order room service and the dinner table is set up next to the sliding door panorama window so we can watch all the sights.
Each day we walk, including to Robson Street, just south of us, where we shop at Whole Foods Market and a very attractive Safeway Supermarket to buy our favorite breakfast and lunch items, to go with the gelato we buy from one of the shops along the sea wall.
And we act on whim, going wherever we feel like. One of my favorite places is to sit atop the deck of a paddle wheel boat as it cruises the Vancouver Harbor. Or to see so many flowers in bloom in every color of the rainbow in Stanley Park or along the mini-parks next to the sea wall.
But walking through various trails in Stanley Park, such as the one that adjoins the Ted and Mary Greig Rhododendron Garden is always fun, although this year, tucked in among the beautiful plantings were red and black nylon bags and other plastic bags containing the possessions of a homeless person.
This year, Anne and I bought a six pack of strawberry Ensure at the request of a homeless man and he thanked us profusely. Whether in Los Angeles near our home, Vancouver or anyplace else, we always buy food for homeless people or for a food bank to feed those in need, our brethren.
At The Westin Bayshore, on four occasions, I swam laps in their indoor pool and mingled with some of their other guests there. In fact mingling with people wherever I go is a favorite pastime and I look for ways to make their lives a little nicer, even if it is just to be a good listener.
The two most memorable times for me were having breakfast with Rossette and Anne at the hotel restaurant and seeing Te, a maid whose remarkable story of being a boat person escaping Vietnam we had the honor of sharing with readers of our Sane Ramblings Blog last year.
Rossette's family stories always capture my heart and Te, who has been a maid at The Westin Bayshore since January of 1981, captures my imagination.
Dear Reader, if ever you have the good fortune to make such a Vancouver trip as we did this year, I hope you find the peace and joy and close connection with your and our brethren that brought us so much happiness. And may there also be someone as nice as Rossette Escalambre in your life, whether you ever visit Vancouver or not.
Dick
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