Sep
5
By Lief Let USS
During three days in early August I travelled round -trip to Vancouver from James Bay. One variable that made this trip remarkable was that I travelled public transit for the first time, on this route, and found it both convenient and economical. I took the #70 bus (it's the Express) from Superior and Government beside the Parliament Buildings ($2.50) to Swartz Bay (I hour); the ferry fare was $13.40 after the 60 cent fuel rebate. You can purchase a Vancouver Translink day pass in the ferry gift shop for $9.00. This will allow you unlimited travel in the Greater Vancouver area all day. The ferry crossing to Tsawwassen is 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Once in Tsawwassen, I boarded the #620 bus for the 40 minute trip to the Bridgeport Skytrain Station in Richmond. Once there, I hopped the Canada Line and in 19 minutes was at the Waterfront Station in downtown Vancouver - no worries about parking. So for a total of $24.90 I was at my destination and able to travel anywhere in the Greater Vancouver area with my day pass. If I had taken my vehicle (car is 46.75; driver is $13.40) the total would be $60.15, plus fuel costs. If I had elected Pacific Coach Line, the one way fare would be $42 ($82 return)
There is even better economic news for Translink passengers if you travel on a weekend, and don't think you'd get your money's worth out of a day pass. On weekends only, travel through 3 zones to downtown is $2.50, instead of the one-time $5.00 fare if you don't have a day pass. Just remember that if you do want to use Translink once you're downtown, it will cost you an extra $2.50 a pop. For seniors (65 or older) a Translink Day Pass is $7.00 reducing your cost a further $2.00. If you're a senior, Monday - Thursday travel on the ferry is free - huge cost savings.
What has this to do with my search for optimum health and the benefits of raw foods? Well, I went to try out the two solely raw food restaurants in Vancouver and to listen to a talk by, and go on an identification and tasting walk with, Sergei Boutenko. The talk was entitled "Wild Edible Greens." All three experiences were delicious. I'll go into details in next month's column, but I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to tell people how to get to and from Vancouver in a sustainable and fun way. The fun part is all the interesting people you get to meet and talk with while travelling. There is a community of those who travel by bus and it's friendly!
P.S. In the summer issue of The Beacon, this column provided a recipe for Tomato Chili with Taco Nut Meat. Left out of that recipe was ½ cup of chopped mushrooms. My apologies for this omission.