I did start writing on Thursday and Friday, but I never finished. So I will start on Thursday here:
Thursday, Day 16 Vancouver…
I’m feeling better today, although my energy level is still low. We kicked off the morning with breakfast at the hotel. I opted for a simple banana and egg breakfast since I wasn’t hungry. After breakfast, we wrapped up our preparations for the day. We decided to visit the VanDusen Botanical Gardens today. To make our transit within Metro Vancouver hassle-free, we utilized Compass cards, reloadable fare cards. We purchased the day passes, allowing us to use the train and the bus effortlessly throughout the day.
The botanical gardens were lovely despite the sounds of construction in the distance. We decided to take the bus to the train station, but only after indulging in lunch at Jollibee. This was my first time trying Jollibee, a fast-food restaurant known for its Filipino-inspired menu, which includes fried chicken, French fries, pies, spaghetti, burgers, and more. We relished the fried chicken with Filipino-style spaghetti and a delicious ube pie, a type of sweet potato. After lunch, we hopped on the train and returned to the hotel for a nap. Upon waking, we carefully repacked our suitcases to ensure they were under 50 lbs each. Later, Tommy and I ventured across the street to a charming ramen place and brought back some ramen for dinner. We then prepared for an early start the next day.
Friday Day 17, Flying…
Friday began at 3 am when our alarm went off. We were punctual and in the hotel lobby by 3:45, just as our cab arrived to take us to the airport. Our flight from Vancouver departed on schedule, but the plane to Albuquerque was delayed. Although they initially began boarding our plane on time, they later deplaned everyone, and we waited for three and a half hours. It was during this wait that we received the news about Kel’s mom being hospitalized and in critical condition. Once we finally boarded our flight to Albuquerque, Kel rushed to the hospital in a cab while Tommy and I took care of our luggage and took the shuttle to our car. We picked up Chris and then proceeded to the hospital. Unfortunately, Kel’s mom’s health was deteriorating. She was being provided with pain management and made as comfortable as possible until she passed away.
Saturday(today), home…
Today was a sad day as we are all still reeling from the loss of Susan, Kel’s mom. Tommy and I ran some errands, stopping by the post office before grabbing lunch at Sadie’s. We then went to Costco to have my right hearing aid looked at. Although it’s working, I’m having difficulty hearing with it, and it turns out my ear is irritated, likely due to recovering from an illness. I plan to call the doctor for an appointment on Monday. We also tried to visit Chris to check on him, but unfortunately, he wasn’t available, so we decided to head back home to take care of the laundry. Since our washing machine broke before our vacation, we’ve been using the laundromat. After a stop at Smith’s, we returned home and prepared dinner. Now, everyone is unwinding for the night.
