Days until departure to Vancouver/Whistler: 5 days
To: Jess, Michael & Marty
Thanks again for lending me the suitcase, Michael! It saved me at least 200-300 dollars in that I didn't have to buy my own. Money that would be better spent making sure I don't get lost riding Vancouver to Whistler transit system.
Since then, I put it on the back-burner.
Now, with only 5 more days left to go, transportation has become critical. The relatives I'm staying with have asked when I'm arriving at Whistler's main city, on the possibility that they can pick me up in town. I know I'm arriving in Vancouver at around 6:08 PM PST, but I haven't the foggiest clue how long the drive to Whistler is, nor have I any clue as to how much extra time I may need between arrival and departure in Vancouver.
By and large, I don't have much to choose from in terms of companies to travel to Whistler with. Pacific Coach Lines and SnowBus were the only two companies I found that had direct-to-Whistler bus routes online, and of the two, PCL is the only one that I saw that is able to pick-up its passengers from the Airport itself. That is important, as I'm not familiar with Vancouver in any shape or form, and having me wander the city trying to find this or that intersection is always a bad idea. I was quick to learn that after my third visit to Oshawa last year.
PCL is capable of fitting into my schedule quite well with a 7 PM departure time, provided I don't get delayed in the airport. And the arrival time to Whistler is decent at 10 PM. It's also the service that was recommended to me by the official Whistler website.
Reservations are required and the bus ticket costs $51.45 CAD one-way, or $61.95 if they are able to drop me off at my aunt's place (which by the looks of the list, they can't). 50 bucks isn't a bad price, but what has me squeamish is the reservation needed. It just simply sets my schedule a little more solidly than I would like and gives very little room for wiggle room in between.
Speaking of schedules, here's the upcoming tenative itinerary for me as a volunteer, assuming I stick with PCL.
Don't ask me how I ended up with Just-In-Time training on the day AFTER my first full day working as a volunteer. It was the only session available to me. I'll likely speak with the supervisor on the first day, as they have also said that we will be getting on-site training on our first day at work in the event we can't get JIT training.
The downer though is that because I'm volunteering on the 10th, I won't be able to go see the Vancouver Opening Ceremony dress rehearsal, because it's in downtown Vancouver and starts at 5 PM, which is when my shift ends. :( I was really excited about that. But alas! such is life.
So I'll be getting every Sunday off, plus the 16th, 17th and 26th to do my own thing. I have already set aside the 9th so that I can explore Whistler on my first day and get comfortable in foreign surroundings. But I haven't arranged anything for the other days although I do intend to go out on those days. One or two of those days will be set aside to visit Vancouver, but should it be a one-day, or two-day excursion?
This question is fraught with even more issues, starting with more issues of transportation both from Whistler to Vancouver and back, in addition to having to seek out accommodations at what is likely the most insane time to be booking a hotel room last minute.
As if I didn't already have enough problems trying to figure out the transit system in Whistler, especially on the issue of how exactly does one get to Whistler Olympic Park...
I'll update you guys on it later. For now, cheers!
Grace
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