January 3, 2004: Whistler Day 1

Arislan checked his PDA around 16:30, and alerted us that our Whistler trip was on the schedule. It was a little late, considering that the day started off at 08:30 when I loaded my board bag and suitcase in my trunk and got two friends to help pick up the other three travellers in San Jose and head out to SFO, to catch a 10:50 flight to YVR that was delayed until 11:00.

11:00 dragged onto 12:00 before we actually took off. We arrived almost an hour late, after 14:00, and while waiting through the snaking non-resident line, Arislan called Relgar, who had arrived at 09:00 and had been waiting in the airport for the past 5 hours. Lancer and Asmodean who were supposed to arrive earlier than us, were delayed in Ottawa for two hours. They had struggled to find replacements for missed connections, and it was still some time before they were to arrive.

Crossing customs took some time, but was a breeze. Picking up luggage wasn't too difficult either, considering we only needed to carry two pieces less than we started out with. It just took us some time to figure it out. Arislan and I were missing our board bags. We had sat in front of the oversized baggage claim for a good half hour, somehow hoping that the door would open and out would slide two more snowboards. As it opened, a baggage handler tossed out two carry-on sized bags, and nothing more. Apprently size doesn't really matter to be considered oversized.

We filed a lost baggage claim, rather frustrated and wondering whether we'd hit the slopes the next morning as planned, and whether it would be worth the cost of the extra rental. Somewhere deep inside, we wondered, like little Joey looking for his lost Whiskers, whether we would ever see our boards again. But since worrying doesn't work like the Pet Semetary, we put our fruitless search aside and pursued a realizable prey.

We found Relgar with, um, Marilyn, on the Departures level between the Domestic and International terminals. They were holed up by an A/C socket, contented with Heroes of Might and Magic III, as was pretty much expected for this couple. Luckily for us, they were extraodinarily patient, and somehow were still in a rather upbeat mood to meet us. After a brief period of chatting, Arislan called Asmodean and figured he had already arrived. We found him waiting for baggage in the Domestic baggage claim. He was also under uncertain circumstances, since he had quickly transfered onto a connecting flight (not his original connecting flight) after arriving in Toronto. We had no clue whether his baggage made it onto the plane.

The original plan called for purchasing vouchers for "Express Cards", which are basically discount cards for lift tickets, at Sport Chek, and making our way up to Whistler. Since we hadn't had lunch, the four of us from San Jose grabbed airport Harvey's (over $7 for a Big Harv combo, sheesh) before heading over to Alamo. We had reserved an SUV with a ski rack, and we expected a Chevy Blazer. Instead we got a Jeep Grand Cherokee, which was a pleasant surprise, but it didn't have a ski rack, which made it dubious. Sure, we didn't really NEED it anymore since our boards were missing, but one would tend to err on the side of hopefullness. It's as if the ski rack would magically make our boards appear in Whistler.

They were out of ski racks, so they offered us the Big Mother SUV. It was a Ford Explorer XLT (or something like that). I have a suspicion it's the one that got the recall for rolling over, so I've been driving it rather slowly on the Sea to Sky Highway. Anyways, it's one of those big monster things with three rows of seats and allows you to look down on any other car you drive past. Yes, we got the king of the roadmobile, but I'm sure our gas bill will be all the prettier with it. I was rather glad we did have a 4x4, since it was surprising that there was snow on the ground all over Vancouver, which is generally unexpected.

It took us about half an hour to get to the Park Royal Mall in North Vancouver. It was pretty easy to find, and didn't take us long to secure our Express Cards, although we were somewhat worried by the fact that they were only valid for BC and Washington state residents. By this time we were alerted that Lancer had arrived, and Asmodean had actually got his baggage, and that they were headed out of the airport.

By the time we left the mall it was past 17:30. The next hour and a half passed relatively quickly, we were eager to see the crew back together, although it really was a pity that Billy/Corgan couldn't make it. As old folk tend to do, we reminisced on the old days in the Loo, although good wouldn't necessarily be a good adjective, as the 'incident' in the Albert St. bathroom reminded us. It was around 19:00 when we got to the Twin Peaks lodge in Whistler.

We were pleased to see that the location was pretty good. Although a little further from the main village square, it was still walkable. Even better was that amenities such as a grocery, Starbuck's, McDonald's and TD Canada Trust were in the plaza literally across the street. Check-in was straightford. Our unit met most expectations.

There's a small kitchen attached to a dining area for 6 and a small living room with a pullout sofa. The decoration is a bit dated but still comfortable. The gas fireplace in the living room caused much jumping for joy by Sinyee. The king sized bed in the master bedroom was subjected to much jumping for joy, or something of the like, by Arislan. There were two bathrooms, one off the living room, and another in the roomy master bedroom. There is one other decent sized bedroom with a queen sized bed.

Shortly after arriving, and deciding that Relgar and Marilyn would get the smaller bedroom, Asmodean and Lancer would get the living room, and the rest would split the master bedroom, the second car arrived. I went down and got them a parking pass and brought them in. Although I had seen Relgar earlier in the year, it's been a while since I've seen Lancer. He looks mostly the same, although the double chin seems bigger at times.

After a good deal of settling in and bumming around, we decided to head to Whistler Village, and more specifically the Old Spaghetti Factory, for dinner. By this time it was close to 21:00. The walk seemed long in the cold night air. It was not quite the cold-crisp-evening-air, more like the cold-your-nostrils-are-freezing-shut-with-each-breath-air. Eventually after some wandering, we did manage to find the restaurant. Dinner was generally around $9-$10 for pasta with some type of meat sauce, soup or salad, and tea and ice cream. Clam chowder or Caesar salad warranted an extra $1.50, and a Peller Estates Merlot for the table added around $17 to the tab. Arislan, the toaster of the evening and good times in general, treated the crew as a post Christmas present.

After struggling back to the condo and realizing on the way that the grocery was already closed, we found a hint of good news as calling the baggage claim service indicated that our bags were being delivered. Since the front desk was closed for the night, we left a note, scrounged together with a paper towel and a pen, pasted by the office door with hair gel, with our apartment phone number, hoping beyond all hope that somehow we might be able to see our long lost boards once again.