Vancouver in a Day with Flair Air
Welcome to my first blog post for Yegventures! My name is Christopher and I am a Yegventures correspondent bringing you my adventures with Lincoln in Edmonton.
To celebrate the launch of Flair Air in Canada, myself and Lincoln were invited to experience Canada’s Low Fare Airline for a day in Vancouver, British Columbia. Flair Air has been flying since 2003 as a Low Fare Airline using Boeing 737-400, the world’s most popular jet. As low fare airline, you can customize your experience with different fare classes. You are allowed one personal item (like an average-sized backpack, purse, shoulder bag or laptop bag) for free however there are extra charges for carry-on bags and checked bags. To keep things moving at gate, print your boarding pass at home or keep it on your phone. Otherwise you will be charged a fee. The main goal for the fees is to reduce the time and resources on the airline. By pitching in you get a lower fare. Here are tips if you are New to Flair Air.
Our day started bright and early on Friday July 13, 2018. We arrived at Edmonton International Airport at 5:30 am and met up with Julie Rempel, Head of Marketing and Communications for Flair Air and other bloggers to start our trip! Our flight departed at 7:00 am so we had a chance to grab a quick bite to eat before boarding. The seats were super comfortable and the space was comparable to main stream carriers.
We landed at Vancouver International Airport at 7:30 am. Thanks to the time difference, we actually gained time for our day! The entire group gathered for a quick picture and then we were off to explore Vancouver! To help us explore Flair Air provided us with an itinerary with an adventure theme or a foodie theme or do it yourself.
Myself and Lincoln decided to build off of the adventure itinerary and also explore downtown Vancouver! Our first stop was Stanley Park and we walked along the Sea Wall bordering Coal Harbour. The weather was great that day so it was a perfect day to walk. Walking allow the Sea Wall, we eventually made our way to the Vancouver Aquarium.
There was so much to see at the Vancouver Aquarium, we got to get up close and personal with so much marine life!
After the Aquarium, we boarded the Harbour Cruise to get a guided 1 hour tour of Coal Harbour. We got up close to many of Vancouver’s most famous landmarks. We cruised past Stanley Park, the busy cruise ship terminals, the spectacular city skyline, historic Gastown, the breathtaking North Shore Mountains and more. The views from the open-air decks were spectacular. This also gave us an opportunity to rest our feet.
After our boat cruise, we walked up the Sea Wall to the Vancouver Convention Centre for a glimpse of the Olympic Cauldron lit during the 2010 Winter Games held in Vancouver! With all of this walking, we were getting really hungry and decided that a stop in Chinatown would be in order.
A quick taxi ride brought us to the heart of Chinatown and to Phnom Phen Restaurant. This a very popular Cambodian and Vietnamese restaurant. Once we walked in we were warned that it would be a 45 minute wait! We wanted to keep our day going and we decided that takeout was in order. We quickly perused the menu and ordered the signature dishes of Phnom Phen which are their Garlic Chicken Wings, Butter Beef, and Dry Noodles.
Our next dilemma was where to eat? Looking at our phones brought us to the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden. We had a picnic just outside the garden. This was the perfect spot to enjoy our Phnom Phen goodies. The food was so delicious, we ate everything. Filled with all of this goodness, we decided to explore the Chinese Garden to walk off some calories.
The stunning Garden is an authentic representation of Ming Dynasty-era tradition with winding paths, rocks, plants, and beautiful vistas. There are unique rock forms, water lily-covered pond, pagoda, and lush plants. We learned that there is the public park, Sun Yat-Sen Park which has free admission but there is an admission fee to enter the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden. We knew that we had to visit both sides. Inside the garden, we were able to escape the hustle and bustle of Vancouver. It was amazing to find this pocket of peace and tranquility in a busy city.
We realized that we did not order lunch dessert! After the garden, we made our way to New Town Bakery and Restaurant for authentic Cantonese baked goods. We knew this was the place to be as there was even an international TV crew from Hong Kong filming. The bakery is filled with egg tarts, Chinese breads and more. We decided that a care package for our way back to Edmonton was in order.
With our bakery boxes full, our next stop was the Vancouver Lookout.
