Vancouver: A 6-Day Stopover

Day 1 - Arrival at Vancouver

This will be our 6th visit to Vancouver city. Our flight serviced by Icelandair landed 30 minutes ahead of schedule with one meal served.

Approaching YVR, above Lake Harrison

We picked up our rental car and immediately proceeded to Kopitiam Malaysia; one of our favorite places to eat Malaysian food. Its hard to imagine that we've been visiting this place since 2017, and the food has been consistently good throughout.

We even bought extra so that we could enjoy it the next day (since this restaurant normally closes on Tuesdays). Having had our fill, we then drove to Belcarra to stay at our favorite vacation rental. It was good to be back.

Day 2 - Jug Island Beach and More Malaysian Food

This time around our body clocks did not adjust as well to the time changed. So we were up at about 3am bright eyed and bushy tailed(!) Hence, as daylight broke we decided to take a walk at a nearby trail called the Jug Island Beach Trail. This is a temperate forest with water on three sides. To the east is Bedwell Bay and to the west and north is Indian Arm. The water was relatively calm and there were very few boats out (just one with a crazy water skier who was having a ball hooting as he went by!)

All along the trail were painted rock left by someone called J. It was fun trying to see if we managed to capture all of them.

The highlight of the trail was the end at the beach and where you can see Jug Island. No one was there except a goose and a few gulls.

One side trail was to an area above Cozy Cove. This had a great view of Deep Cove across the water. There weren't anyone that we could see at the open rock face of the Quarry Rock lookout. The path to this point was a lovely walk through the moss and mossy trees. It was just perfect as we had the place all to ourselves. See our hike here.

Once we returned to the house, we cleaned up and then headed out to look for lunch. We decided to try a new Malaysian restaurant in Brentwood, Burnaby. This is a very hip and happening place. It has many restaurants, branded clothing stores, and hangout spaces. It is also an upscaled apartment living area with many tall glass buildings and the light rail that takes one into the city.

Makan Time is the name of the new Malaysian Restaurant that just opened this past July 2025. It is owned by the next door Chinese restaurant called Neptune Palace. The place had a nice hip/trendy ambiance, and the service was friendly and attentive. The food however, was just OK. I don't think we will be back as it was nothing special.

By the late afternoon, we were both dragging... Jetlag had caught up so we made our way back after a drive through town. We'd end the day early with a late dinner at Good Pho & Grill. We called it an early night.

Day 3 - A Very Cloudy Day

We were expecting a mostly rainy and cloudy day today, so we slept in and only ventured out later for lunch. We swung by Delicious Pho in Coquitlam and had our customary Bun Bo Hue and Egg Roll Bun. Still good with very fresh bean sprouts!

We then made our way across town and north to Mount Seymour. We wanted to do a short yet good exercise hike, so we chose the Dog Mountain Trail. The trail was in a pretty good condition, as it was relatively dry. They had made several improvements with wooden and stone steps. However, the sections covered with roots were still the same; requiring some scrambling to get up and through.

We arrived at the view point within an hour and we had the entire place to ourselves and the crows. The view was somewhat limited as there were heavy clouds hanging on the mountain. Just enough to tease us with some peak-a-boo views. No Mount Baker today, but the clouds were doing a number on the mountain. See our hike here.

By the time we returned to the car we were both pretty hot and soaked with sweat. Forgot to bring a change of clothes... So we made a beeline for dinner at Kopitiam, to then make our way back to Belcarra to get out of our damp clothes. Yet on the way back there were really nice views of maple trees turning red and the sky turning orange with the sunset! Always a great day in Vancouver.

Day 4 - Chasing Fall Colors and Grouse Mountain Hike

We originally wanted to head up to Whistler today to hike the High Note to Harmony Meadows trail. However, we were disappointed that it was closed. Again! We tried this once before in June and at that time the snow drift was so high that it was closed then too. Now, its fall and so we missed it again. So we had to make a change in plans. We went to Green and Oak for Hainanese Chicken Rice and Roti Canai instead. It was pretty good and their lunch for two special was pretty affordable too.

We then drove around Vancouver city in search of fall colors. We found some along Wesbrook Mall - a nice new enclave of shops and condos for the students and teachers of UBC.

We then drove through Kitsilano and through Stanley Park through to North Vancouver via the Lions Gate Bridge. There was enough color as things only really start turning in November. We then decided to take a hike up Skyline Trail; which is an alternative to the Grouse Grind or BCMC Trail. There wasn't anyone else at the parking spot at the end of Skyline Drive. We made our way up the hill only to find that the Skyline Trail was very steep and very much like a downhill ski run - except that we were going up hill on it. Going up would not really be a problem, but coming down certainly would be a challenge. So we decided to do an alternative loop, taking an off shoot from Skyline to Baden Powell and then cutting back down via the MacKay Creek trail, and finally back to our car by the Powerline trail.

Although this trail is only about 2 miles long it was pretty technical in that some parts of the trail was very narrow, there were lots of rock and root scrambling, and the downhill was pretty steep. There was even one section of the Baden Powell that crossed MacKay Creek but it was landslide ridden with lots of fallen trees. As always the forest was beautiful and we shared it with just 2 others whom we passed along the way.

See our hike video here.

As the sun was hanging low in the sky, many were making their way back home after work in the hour between 5 to 6pm. As we were heading back we could see the traffic along Lonsdale Avenue. I guess this is typical at this time. So we detoured to Kopitiam to pick up dinner and head back.

Day 5 - Running from the Rain to Coquihalla

A cold front bringing rain is blanketing much of Vancouver and British Columbia. There's even talk about getting first snow for the season this Canadian Thanksgiving Weekend. So we awoke to a cold and rainy morning but that did not deter us from heading out after a hearty breakfast of Char Kuay Teow, leftover Roti Canai and toasted bread with garlic butter and crab.

The last time we tried visiting the Othello Tunnels at Coquihalla, it was under major repair. The entire area, from the valley floor to the tunnels, were heavily inundated by heavy rain causing major flooding and landslides. At that time the entrance to the tunnels was a real mess with large boulders and slides all over the place. Today, everything was back to normal but the scars are still very evident. Lots of slide nets to further prevent large rock falls.

Upon arrival, we immediately took the Nicola-Hope Valley Trail, which is a contour trail to the back side of the tunnels, with open views toward Hope Mountain. It was a very pleasant hike. This trail then connects to the tunnel trail which took us through the four major tunnels over the gorge. Many movies were filmed here - Rambo: First Blood, Adventures Of Yellow Dog, and countless of others. There were quite a number of tourists here but not overwhelming. The smaller crowds is one of the great reasons to visit during the shoulder months. Here is the video of the hike.

We drove back into the city and it was raining heavily in the Fraser Valley and in the city center. Traffic was a nightmare. We found a new branch from John 3:16 Malaysian Delights on West Broadway. I am pretty sure it was the same spot of another Malaysian/Indonesian restaurant that had closed. The ambience was nice, and the waiters were very attentive. We ordered the traditional Chicken Satay, the roasted Hainan Chicken Rice, and Nasi Goreng with Ayam Goreng. All were up to par except for the Nasi Goreng which was a bit plain and dry. Regardless, we will definitely return for more.

After having our fill of yet another great Malaysian dinner, we went to look for some night scenery. There is the one spot under the Cambie bridge that has a great water skyline of Yale Town. There are many joggers/runners in the area - even when its raining!

Before we reached home, we swung by a gelato shop for a delicious no-sugar-dairy chocolate in a cone. We will be back for more!

Day 6 - Gloomy & Rainy

There is hope for sun later this afternoon, but this morning we had to contend with the misty overcast view. Still it was nice here in Belcarra; as the houses are quaint and the views over the water tranquil.

We hung about the house this morning as we could hear the steady pitter-patter of the rain coming down. Its a good time for a soup lunch. So we made our way to Delicious Pho and had our customary Bun Bo Hue and crispy egg rolls. Of course we were both thinking ice cream after lunch, even if it is a cold day! We had to go back to Casa Dolce Gelato & Chocolate in Port Moody for another round of No Sugar or Dairy Chocolate ice cream. Yum!

We then drove up to Squamish to see if it was raining there... It was but then the sun came out and it did its BC thing of half rain and half sun! Squamish certainly has changed over the years. There are now luxury homes in the valley and the Ocean Front now has a restaurant and beach front grounds. Its certainly has improved from its logging days with industrial warehouses. The backdrop of Stawamus Chief and Shannon Falls still make for a stunning background.

At the back of the valley along the Stawamus River, there is a small housing area called Crumpit Wood. Here the streets were lined with impressive single family homes framed by the steep cliffs and forests. These are CDN$2.5 to $3 million. It was truly idyllic and had to be a place for nature lovers as their back yards front many hiking and biking trails.

We didn't get to hike today, as it rained off and on. But once we made our way back into town it was then sunny. We made our way through the main thoroughfare. Traffic wasn't as bad as the day before and we managed to catch some sights of downtown; including a ghoul or two (literally!)

We were pretty knackered by this time. I think all this travel driving and too much good food was catching up with us. So we decided to pick up dinner from John 3:16 and head back. The rain had stopped but the air was now crisp. It was our last good Malaysian meal for this trip, and it certainly did not disappoint. Time for bed with our bellies full!

Day 7 - Travel Day Back to Kona

We had packed the night before so our morning was pretty easy as we did our last clean up and check out. I also had my last roti canal with beef rendang for breakfast before heading out. It was delicious! Our drive over from Belcarra to YVR was smooth sailing as there was hardly any traffic on the road on a Sunday morning. It took just under 50 minutes to arrive at the car rental return and to check our bags in. At the check in hall there was even a live pianist playing a full medley of songs non-stop. Now that’s a first.

Oddly the TSA line through the security check seemed slower than the regular lines as there was only one security line available to us. Some in line were apt to jump lines if only there weren’t those security barriers! I guess anyone can pay for TSA pre and this time it wasn’t looking so worthwhile. Having said that after security was the immigration line and that was certainly a breeze. Just walk up and your photo is taken to match your data in file and off you go. This is really what you’re paying for.

YVR was actually really busy this morning and since Alaska did not have any airport lounge here we found a good spot at the gate. Time went by quickly and soon it was time to get on. The flight from YVR to Seattle was delayed but the pilot certainly made up for it in flight as the normally one hour flight took just about 35 minutes. Much like the inter island flights we went straight up and then straight back down! It was a bumpy ride but with incredible views of the snowcapped mountains along the way.

Once at SeaTac, we had a little bit of time so we visited the Alaska Lounge at the N Concourse. It was a nice lounge designed for plane spotting. We could see a long line of flights waiting to take off. We also caught a glimpse of Hawaiian Air along with Alaska Air planes on the tarmac. It will be so sad when the Hawaiian Air livery disappears next year.

The lounge had some pretty good food as we wolfed down some fried rice, vegies, coffee and scones. It was a good fill-up stop as we then made our way to our gate. Only to find that our plane has been delayed by over 50 minutes. Hopefully, it won’t be delayed any further.

After being delayed for about 50 minutes, we finally got onto our flight to Kona. It was interesting to see how happy people were visiting Hawaii for the first time. There was a contingent of family that surprised their sister that very morning to get onto a flight to Kona for her birthday. They were all dressed in matching T-shirts and all. There were also elderly couples in full Hawaiian shirts and shorts. I guess visiting Hawaii can be a once in a lifetime event. For us it was just nice to be heading home. Our flight meal was a Beef with Couscous and Chocolate Ganache served with an array of alcoholic drinks. We tried the Palomar (made with lime, lemon, and other citrus fruits plus vodka) and the Espresso Martini

The ride was fairly smooth except on decent into Hawaii through a set of bumpy clouds. The flight itself was pretty fast; taking only about 5 hours. Soon we could see Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea - both poking up through the clouds with the faint shoreline below. It was good to be home.