quiet Beijing hutong morning
Before flying back to Canada, I had a few days in Beijing staying in a lovely small courtyard hotel in the Drum and Bell district again. Because of a strong rain the night before, the air was actually quite pleasant and the sky was blue that morning!
Beijing rush hour hutong style
The hutongs (the traditional alleys of Beijing) have their own busy-ness but it is not like the regular traffic jams of the larger streets. Everything is at a smaller scale – even the vehicles.
Vancouver reflections on the way out of harbour
…and after a flight of 12 hours and one night’s sleep, the seemingly surreal beauty of Vancouver, British Columbia as we cruised slowly out of the harbour. (It is great to have a friend with a boat!)
feeling fine
Although the winds were too light at this point to actually sail, the day was beautiful and enjoying the scenery from the shade cast by the sail cover was just about perfect… the word “awesome” got slightly but justifiably overused during these few days 🙂
sunset in the Gulf Islands
Sunset the first evening after managing to prepare a pretty delicious meal in the galley – or maybe sailing makes you hungry 😉
view from hiking trail
Pirates Cove Marine Provincial Park had some nice hiking around and through the point of an island.
otter
Yay! Wildlife!!
sculpted landscape
Fantastical rock forms…
tidal pool
Fascinating tidal pools… the very first one I saw had the most diverse inhabitants.
view from shore
There she is, still afloat!
Nanaimo Harbour
A beautiful day in Nanaimo…
back to Vancouver
Strong winds made for a quick trip back to Vancouver and sadly the end of an amazing trip.
photos (cc) 2013 Hilary Farmer
except #4 (c) 2013 TJ Radcliffe
