Day 203 : New blood

High point: Collecting two very excited crew members from the airport; Route Master General Rob Poderoso and Ben ‘I’ve been to Vancouver before’ Battye, you may remember Ben’s hilarious blogs from stage 1 (no pressure Ben)

Low point: Being bumped off the Global News channel due to a gang shooting

No point: Using the lift.  Someone was stuck in there for 5 hours!

Everywhere we go around the world we always receive the warmest reception from fire stations.  From washing our clothes in Uluru fire station (while Steve sat in his boxer shorts) to organising FTFE press coverage across Asia in Chengdu. We’ve been well fed, watered and even given a bed for the night too many times to mention.  The hospitality has been tremendous and Vancouver was no exception.  As soon as the guys heard what we’re doing they welcomed us with open arms (and a large plate of pasta and garlic bread).  Thank you to Captain Tookey and the guys at Vancouver Fire Department for the warm welcome.

There’s no such thing as a quick visit to a fire station, the uniforms change and the fire trucks might be a bit different, but fire fighters around the world all seem to love a good chin wag!  After some FTFE admin time (blogging, video editing, contacting press) there was just enough time to see a bit of Vancouver before picking Rob and Ben up from the airport.

We headed across to Granville Island to check out the world famous market.  Vancouver has been voted the second most liveable city in the world, after Sydney, and I can definitely see why.  It’s a big city with a small town feel which is surrounded by beautiful mountains.  People can be ski until 10pm, there’s a lovely park in the middle of the city and each of Vancouver’s different districts has their own unique vibe, so there’s something for everyone.

When we arrived at the airport James managed to secure a parking space right outside and operation ‘Surprise Ben and Rob’ began.  Steve accidentally blew our cover by hiding behind a glass panel, he needs to work on his spy skills.  The only surprise was that Rob and Ben actually looked quite fresh after their 9 and a half hour flight.  Rob is among the front runners for the ‘Most Organised RMG’ award so we’re in for a treat across the states; he’s lined up an awesome route, accommodation in some fire stations and a few surprises along the way.  So hold onto your seats ladies and gentlemen and let stage 7 commence!

Road trip!

Amy

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