How to blow-out your last weekend in Victoria

With our last few hours in Victoria, British Columbia we could have stayed home packing wisely for the next phase of our journey, but with beautiful weather and a whole city before us, we just couldn’t do it. Instead, we pursued a trifecta of fun.

One last gallop…

The weather was cool and overcast when we hit the Galloping Goose Trail for a final ride.  We headed downtown to the inner harbor to look at the water, watch the tourists filter by, and take in a beautiful day.  The wind didn’t really start blowing until we got off the main trail to huff and puff our way up the hills towards home base. Typical.

I still can’t say enough good things about this trail and how well maintained it is.  Also, at road crossings Canadian drivers wait for you to cross, and not in an impatient way, either. They’ll wave as you make your way across the street.  It’s freaky to us Americans, but we roll with it.

One last bite…

By the time we headed back downtown, it was “hot bowl of soup” weather so we scoped out Victoria’s small but mighty Chinatown to see what we could find.  

There’s a lot of neon, tiny alleys like Fan Tan and Dragon Alley, and hodgepodge of Vietnamese, European, and Indian restaurants thrown into the mix.  It’s almost as though Victoria’s Asian population grafted onto the Harmony Gates and spread out.  

That blend explains the mix of Japanese, Chinese, and American influences we found at Bao.  I love bao and could eat it every day, so we started with a trio.  The Buttermilk Fried Chicken Bao served on a pillow soft bao was a studied shout-out to the South, but we thought the Taiwanese Classic and Chinese BBQ were far better ways to start the meal. Yum!

For mains, Jan went for the super-spicy Tan Tan Men Ramen and had sweat dripping down his face by the end of the meal.  He claims to have no regrets about the ground pork and garlic concoction and would do it again though on a colder day.  I had to add a wild dollop of chili sauce to my Pork Belly Ramen to catch up, but didn’t reach the same heat levels.  I thought the broth for both soups was rich and well-seasoned, and the noodles had a nice bite.  We were both grateful for the Hoyne Acid IPA to wash it down.

One last shift…

Jan and I love hockey — it’s the one sport we agree on, so we decided to take in a Western Hockey League match-up between the local Victoria Royals and the Kamloops Blazers.  The players in the WHL are between 16-18 years old, and are all trying to get noticed and drafted into the upper leagues.  They play rough, pass silly, and will not take it to the net no matter how hard I scream.  It’s like they don’t value my coaching.

Jan got us tickets to watch behind the glass between the visitor’s blue line and goal.  These seats would have set you back a few hundred dollars at the NHL level, but we got an unimpeded view at a bargain price.

I enjoyed watching these kids zip by, the opening warm-up with a minor league hockey player, the second period brawl, Marty the Beaver, and that the Royal’s goalie is Griffin Outhouse.  Shut the door!  Wipe it from memory! Own the throne!  I really hope this kid makes it to the NHL.

We feel as though we’ve completed this leg of the journey, and now we’re ready for our next destination, Harstine Island. See you stateside!