The next day, it was pouring. 

M was not feeling her usual self (possibly wine induced) so we thought a pick me up at Salt Spring Island Ales would really help. We arrived at the sign that said “Spring Island Ales this way, open from 12 – 5PM daily) at around 11AM… So, we stopped at Fulford Harbour and explored the southern part of the island a bit, because we knew it would be another while before we would come back this way. Picked up a turkey sausage roll from the Salt Spring Mercantile (more on this at the end…).

12PM sharp:

Very friendly bar tender, told us about the offerings of the day. They had a sweet winter ale that was only available on tap. Earl Grey IPA was sharp. The others were drinkable. I would buy this again, if I saw it on the shelves and felt like a specialty IPA. The seasonal pour tasted very organic and not like beer at all, and it was really just for the gimmicks that we tried it. The flight cost about $8.50. We spent about 30 minutes here, and took the advice of the bartender to hit up Salt Spring Cheese Company…

View from brewery entrance. It’s tucked in the middle of a grove of trees.

What a feast… Samples of their cheeses, different jams and jellies, all along the bar:

H was in heaven. We picked up some of the truffle cheese and a jar of the Pear and Ginger jam, as well as Onion and Thyme jam from Salt Spring Kitchen.

There was still time leftover before our ferry reservation, so… one more stop at the cider place. I don’t like cider, so don’t ask me about it. There was a cute pooch there by the name of Penny.



So back to the turkey sausage roll from the grocery store right next to the Fulford harbour:



This place is amazing. The pastry was so fluffy I could die, the sausage filling was so flavourful… They had other pastries, but once you walk in, all you can smell is this mix of butter and meat. I still wouldn’t ride the ferry for 3 hours for this, or any of the above places, but it’s nice to know that it’s there, for the times that you want a quick get away from life.



Return to Day 1 on Salt Spring
Return to Day 1.5 on Salt Spring

After 10 minutes of driving from the beach (it probably wouldn’t take more than an hour to drive around the entire island), we reached Vesuvius. We didn’t know the name of the restaurant, but from the institutions in the “town”, Seaside Restaurant was probably the only place to grab a bite. Oysters, fish and chips (halibut), and clam chowder:



Tasted extra good, after all the fails with the clams. The chowder had huge chunks of clam, the fish was fresh and had good meat to batter ratio, and we were ready to keep going. For a little place on a tiny island, the food was better than good. If they set up shop on the mainland, I might go again, but it’s still not worth the 3 hour ferry ride.



1:00PM: Mt. Erskine

Trail is a bit steep, but the fairy doors are worth it.

More info on this trail: https://saltspringmarket.com/hiking-on-salt-spring-island/mt-erskine-from-juniper/

Side note: S8 came out today. I dropped my S7 from the seat of H’s 4Runner (now known as Big Bertha), while I was getting out of the car, and it tumbled to hard cement ground. A couple side scratches, no cracks. Faith restored in Samsung.


Return to Day 1 on Salt Spring
Go to Day 2 on Salt Spring

Weekend getaway to Salt Spring Island with M+P and H last weekend. H recently purchased a 4runner, 2nd hand through Craigslist, so we drove down to the ferries after work on Friday. After a 3 hour ferry ride, and a 15 minute drive to St. Mary’s Lake Resort, we unpacked and just went straight to bed. The next day would be a long one, at least I hope I had instilled that expectation in everybody, because there were so many things we wanted to do!

7:27AM - I was adamant about catching the sunrise.

We made breakfast:

We tried to go to the Saturday Farmer’s Market, but they were still setting up the tents and because it was still early in the season, a lot of the vendors were not attending yet. We left shortly after that and bought groceries at the Thrifty’s instead.

10:30AM - P was adamant about digging for clams, so we set off for a beach that apparently was safe for clamming. He found the advisory online, through some government website:

We sat here for about an hour, I think… Got bored. I wandered off.



This is literally somebody’s backyard. The houses are right off the beach, and one of the neighbors actually came out to chat with his. He had recently purchased one of the properties lining the beach, and the struggles he had with bidding for it. Real estate market is still a war zone. Anyways, he recommended we find some fish and chips in Vesuvius.
 

It started to pour, but it quickly passed. We got impatient, and the boys jumped into the water. That was when we realized it’s still too early for clamming. We cleaned up, and decided to follow the friendly Islander’s advice to find lunch at Vesuvius, a bit defeated by the lack of fresh clams for dinner, but still excited for the island adventures to come.

Go to Day 1.5 on Salt Spring
Go to Day 2 on Salt Spring

Words aren’t coming out right today, so it’ll be mostly photographs of coffee, cake, pastries, nature… 

@Trafiq:

Coffee is cold brew from 49th Parallel. Chocolate Decadent Cake. Some almond bar, I think with raspberry. It was good. How would you define rich?

Answer:

Going back for the brunch.

I think I’m going to try exploring ALL of this park where this hole is:

I never remember names… What was this place called? Vegetarian Taiwanese food, absolutely delicious but very salty. I had to chug a liter of water when I got home. Right, 4 Stones.



Had this very interesting deep fried… tofu? It was soft on the inside. Came with the sauce. I don’t remember really liking this.



Dumplings! One of my favourite foods, and this one tasted like it had real meat filling inside (remember, it’s a vegetarian restaurant). In the top right corner, there’s a soupy looking bowl… This tasted goooood. It came with rice and assorted side dishes, including veggies.



Bun with veggie meat, peanut sauce that had chunks of peanuts. I don’t really like peanut sauce…



#liftingnoodles. This was pure MSG. The vegetarian pork chop in the background was alright.
I am not a vegetarian for a reason. This place had constant traffic, I guess the vegetarians really love that the “meat” tastes like real meat.



What a weekend though… I have just a few minutes for this post, but I am happy to announce that there will be more updates later this week.

The past 2 weeks, I’ve been visiting Matchstick for a chocolate croissant and a coffee. It’s the perfect combination for studying and reading, as well as catching up with friends. On the way to Bellingham, H and I stopped by Steveston Bakery, to satisfy my coffee and baked good craving, and we picked up this piece of bread:

Where are the flakes? This was supposed to be a chocolate almond croissant… but it was just a hunk of bread with a bit of chocolate and coconut filling. Disappointed.

Maybe their other options are tastier, but I wouldn’t come back for the croissants.

Don’t settle. 

I can’t wait to move into the new condo… in 2018. Time will just fly by though, so I’m going to try to enjoy living at home while it lasts. My grandmother at home and my grandmother in a home are slowly reaching their “winter years”. H’s aunt passed away yesterday. Don’t forget to live life to it’s fullest.

“The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering” – Bruce Lee

What can I do to become immortal?

Every question has an answer:

Met up with P and S after class yesterday. Pasta Tuesday at Trattoria was conveniently located close to all of us, and we had the happy hour menu as ell as the $12 pizzas! Score.

I had the fusili lunghi + meatballs on the side. We shared the Sicilian pizza, and P had the pasta with the short rib (next to the pizza). S had the one with the seafood and a meatball. Man, we eat a lot.

I think P made the best choice, the short rib was so flavorful! The pizza crust was sort of too thick, and the cheese wasn’t melted properly. Not the best service, it sort of felt like we were being rushed out, but it was pretty good overall for what we paid.

 

Today, International Women’s Day, marked by Trudeau’s announcement of $650 million being invested in reproductive health and rights around the world. I took the day off to go exploring. Found a green puddle. It was a good day.

To drink enough water. To get enough rest. To make time for your loved ones.

This weekend was mostly about friends.

Saturday night, I went to PappaRoti with R, M, and P for the first time, and was pleasantly surprised that these bus were actually amazing. I had the Strawberry Field (strawberry + whipped cream and bun with chocolate syrup), and R had the one on top with strawberry and bananas. M and P had something with ice cream and more syrups, but no photo, SORRY. She had that chai latte thing, at the top left corner, and the tea on the bottom is mine.

The whipped cream and fruit and syrups are completely unnecessary – the buns are just amazing by themselves without the rest of the frou frou toppings. Had a nice chai tea as well, and I ordered the pot size, which came with a little timer to tell you when your tea is steeped to perfection. It was gooooood. Might get a bulk order just for munchies.

Despite having a cold, there is no better way to wind down a long week than a day in Whistler. Picked up this OTC drug called Eltor to help with my congestion:

Takes about an hour to kick in, then it KICKS IN. Super effective relief.

Our first run of the day was up the Glacier bowl. Reminder to do a warm up run first next time. The hike up is rather annoying though. See the tiny person at the bottom?

Hot cider to complete the day and clear my sinuses up:

I’m still pretty congested without the drugs. I really need to take better care of myself. It feels like there is never enough time. Life already feels too short!