Stanley Park is massive and I knew I had no chance of seeing it all today. So my plan was to go directly to the Lion's Gate bridge and then work my way back on the eastern side.

I figured the most reliable way of getting to the bridge was to follow the roadway. The constant traffic passing me on the left didn't diminish the beauty and lure of the increasingly dense forest to my right. Pathways would branch off the main walkway from time to time. 

At one stage I came across an intriguing spiral overpass.

I took neither. 

Along my journey I'd noticed some rather large slugs. This one was kind enough to let me take his photo.

As you would expect, the woodland was populated with tall trees and dense bushes.

By now the air was fresh. My dragon breath fogged up my glasses on a couple of occasions, but due to my natural tendency to power walk in even the most casual of circumstances I was warm inside. It wasn't long before I reached "the bridge". The following pictures are out of sequence but they probably make more sense this way. 

The bridge is spectacular, spanning a massive divide. 

As I approached the walkway I passed this sad but hopeful sign.

I walked a little way along the bridge. I'm not a big fan of heights so I had no intention of going very far. There was a viewing area by the first pylon that was enough for me. 

It was a long way down.

But turning around I could see Downtown Vancouver peeking above the masses of trees in the park.

And although I was biased towards the bridge of steel and city beyond, I did pause to gaze at the Pacific to the east (that sounds so weird).

The viewpoint for the bridge had an amazing garden of wild flowers. I suspect they were past their prime but they still looked vibrant and beautiful.

After getting my bridge fix I decided to find a trail that would take me down to the walk along the seawall that surrounds the park. The forest was beautiful and for a time I was alone, wandering through this magical space inhabited by giant trees, wooden skeletons and rich green moss. Each path curved to conceal what lay beyond.

My journey took me to Beaver Lake. Although I'm assured there were beavers in residence, none of them were game to make an appearance for me. Beavers must be camera shy.

I made my way along tiny trails down the to seawall, past tall trees and gentle streams until finally I made contact with civilisation.

And that leads me to my next post ...

I woke around 7:00 which is almost late for me. Opening my eyes I instantly felt thankful that I hadn't gone out last night. Being reclusive has it's upside and this morning I felt fresh enough to get up and out early. The skies were already overcast and, given yesterday's change in weather, I didn't want to risk squandering the dry part of the day.

Today's objective was to explore Stanley Park; a massive reserve adjacent to downtown Vancouver. To get there I still needed to navigate the streets of the city.  

The first intersection was this one on Davie that I'm already quite familiar with. In the quiet of a Sunday morning I took the ooppportunity to take a picture. Rainbow crossing. 

My route took me through some gorgeous streets and very distinctive houses and buildings.

By the time I made it to West Georgia Street I'd returned to the more familiar glass high rises. But this building, perched on a small pedestal stood out.

On the edge of Stanley Park I came across this lady. She wasn't very talkative.

I have so many pictures from the park that I'm going to write a separate post for them.

After calming down (and a glass of Rose) I didn't want to waste the sunlight.

I headed westward to catch the sunset. Last night I went to the same location and there were only a couple of other people in sight. Tonight it was the place to be. People were sitting on logs on the beach as if they were waiting for a performance to begin. For a moment I wondered if I'd missed the memo; maybe this was the end of the world and they'd all come to watch.

In the end, the world didn't end (as you know). People just liked watching the sunset over the pacific. Couples, groups, individuals, joggers, dog walkers, cruisers ... all enjoying the final remnants of warmer weather. 

And of course I took one or two pictures.

Very glad I made the effort.

I was planning to go out tonight. There are bars and clubs all along this street.  But after today I don't really want to be around people. I think I need some time to recharge. It's a long weekend in Canada; maybe tomorrow night?

As I made my way under the bridge to the Island I paused to look back at the lines of the bridge. I framed a shot. A couple walked into my frame so I paused, lowered my camera and waited for them to pass. I'm usually conscious and nervous of getting strangers coming towards me in my pictures. I thought my intent was fairly obvious.

As the couple passed, the man agressively addressed me. I'm not exactly sure of the words but I soon realised he was accusing me of taking the picture; of photographing them. It was an honest mistake; I can see how he may have drawn that conclusion.

I explained. I showed him my pictures. I proved that they were absent from my camera. I thought that should be enough. But he continued to give me "advice" on how my actions could have been perceived; not in a friendly, constructive way but in a belligerent abusive way; still taking the line that I was in the wrong. 

I was polite. I accepted his "advice". But inside I was fuming. I don't respond well when my integrity is questioned. I had done nothing wrong. Quite the opposite of what he accused. And what made me most upset was the total lack of acknowledgement or concession on his part.

In the end I get it. He was an arsehole and nothing I could have said would have changed the outcome. But I didn't deserve being treated that way. It stayed with me for hours until I eventually let it go. 

But it does make me more cautious about people. 

As I awoke I could hear the swish of cars on the rain drenched streets. A look out of the window confirmed my assessment. It was drizzling still. Before long the drizzle turned into solid rain hitting the windows. Determined not to waste a day I proceeded to hatch a plan.

While checking Facebook (as you do) my friend Donna messaged me. Donna lives in Edmonton and at last we're nearly in the same time zone. We chatted and it was lovely to reconnect. Hopefully we'll catch up later.

I turned my attention to breakfast. As with last year in Europe, I love the abundance of fresh berries in the northern hemisphere. 

By the time breakfast was over, a quick look out the window revealed a break in the rain and cloud cover. I ditched my wet weather plan in a heartbeat and got myself ready to head out. My plan was to get to Granville Island. It's not really an island. It's a peninsular. I wasn't sure if you could walk there but I decided to give it a go. The main bridge is quite massive, but easily walked.

Looking back I could see the high rises of downtown Vancouver.

As the bridge crossed the bay I noticed these little "aquabus" ferries darting from one side to another.

Parallel to the bridge I was on was another, older bridge. Below it an expansive marina so full of boats you wonder how any of them manage to get out to sea.

Markers in the water caught my eye.

Before long I'd made it to the other side. Then I proceeded to wind my way back under the bridge to the "Island". Something about the concrete columns enticed me.

Nearby there was what seemed like a disused train station. The shelter was supported by timber with beautiful colours and grain.

Then finally I reached the "Island".

Granville Island is a collection of produce markets, artisan shops and eateries. I was really impressed with the quality of most of it. The produce market was outstanding and, dare I say it, probably even better than Adelaide's Central Market. The range and quality of produce was amazing. I wish I could have taken pictures of the arrays of fresh berries; incredible! But I didn't due to something I'll explain in part 2.

I did, however, buy a small photographic print from the artist on another stall. It was great to talk to him and find out the story behind the picture. I would have bought a large print but sadly I'd have nowhere to put it. 

Following something I'll explain in part 2 I needed a place to sit and calm down. This chap was nearby and luckily didn't seem to mind my attention. 

I spent a few hours on the Island, looking around and buying a couple of items. It was really lovely and I cherished the opportunity to interact with some of the artisans.

Eventually it was time to head home. I decided to walk on the other side of the bridge and got the opportunity to photograph these silos on the Island.

By now the sun was fully out and the view was spectacular.

Although my legs felt like jelly I decided to take the long way back to the hotel in case another image presented itself. I was rewarded by the dappled light on this gorgeous old building.

Eventually I made it back to the hotel and refreshed with a glass of local Rose. Very nice indeed!

Not wanting to waste the sunlight I only stayed long enough to refresh before heading out to catch the sunset. More of that in part 3.

I came across this scene on my wanders in downtown Vancouver today. Sure, it's been constantly in my consciousness since Before the Dawn, but Among Angels immediately came to mind.

After regrouping for a bit I decided to brave the wetter weather and head west. Soon I made it to a "beach" and sea wall. Amongst other things I found this sculpture that rose out of the sand either like a shipwreck or the bones of a beached whale.

And near a formal stone structure to recognise the traditional artifacts of the Inuit people I found a small stretch of beach where it appears that modern day people have made their own structures. This was just one.

I knew the apartment/hotel was in the gay part of Vancouver when I booked. But even for me, it's quite a new experience staying somewhere surrounded by rainbows.

As you can see, the building rises up out of Davie street, which certainly helps with those panoramic views.

I set off in a generally eastward direction. I needed some cash and I figured my chances were likely to be most quickly realised there. Once the cash was extracted and travel card successfully engaged for the first time, it was time to wander.

I made my way to the east side of downtown and it wasn't long before I reached the shore. Across the bay are spectacular mountains that were partly shrouded with cloud.

There was a park and walkway so I decided to follow it. I like the contrast of the glass high rises peeking over the treetops.

Something about these benches, aligned to the gentle curve of the path, caught my attention.

It wasn't long before I came to a "water play" area for kids along with a cute little bit of street art.

While I was walking a number of sea planes landed in the bay, and a little tug made it's way slowly past.

Next was the convention centre and Canada Place. Shortly after I got there I saw throngs of kids milling around and I wondered if it was going to be frustrating navigating around them. It wasn't. I eventually realised they were groups of school kids armed with iPads and a list of photographic assignments. I ended up being the "here's a picture of us and a tourist" guy ... twice. (So much for trying not to look too much like a tourist!) But what struck me most was how articulate and incredibly polite these kids were. Come to think of it, so far EVERYONE here has been noticeably friendly and polite.

This is a picture of the convention centre taken from Canada Place. I think some of those school kids are still down there.

There were a number of great vantage points to enjoy the spectacular view across the bay.

But the glass of the convention centre also provided a canvas to highlight the sea birds swooping and swarming nearby.

Next I turned westward into what I assume is the CBD.

Early on today I noticed that the pedestrian lights here are unlike any I have seen anywhere else. It strikes me as unusual that they should be so different.

It wasn't long before I stumbled across this building. At first I only saw one side. But then I realised the words continued around the corner.

They say "lying on top of a building ... lying on top of a building ... lying on top of a building the clouds looked no nearer than when I was lying on the street".

Dotted in between the numerous glass and concrete towers were a few classically ornate treasures. 

And I love how new can be designed to pay respect to the old.

Vancouver is very green. Lots of tree line streets. Many are starting to change colour but so far I haven't seen anything yet quite as vivid as I saw in Berlin this time last year. Hopefully soon.

When I arrived last night I noticed many overhead wires. I assumed they were for trams. Well trams like we have in Australia, at least. Today I realised they are more like busses connected to the grid.

And speaking of the grid, when I stumbled across the first lane like this I couldn't quite make sense of it. Just doesn't seem to fit in here.

By now it had started to rain lightly so I decided to make my way back to the apartment/hotel. I noticed a sculpture that was begging me to take this picture.

Time to regroup for a bit.

I sleptreally well last night. The bed was comfortable and it's not too noisy here. The sunlight started to appear by 6:00 and I jumped out of bed for a quick peek before heading back to bed for a bit longer. But I was up by 7:00, eager to get some early morning pictures. Feeling good with little apparent jet lag … so far.

I can see this building from the kitchen window. So many trees so high up.

Once I got the coffee machine figured out I sat down to make some plans. Unfortunately it seems the wi-fi in the apartment is a bit erratic so posts might be intermittent while I'm here.

First adventure was to get some cash. From there I walked for a few hours until the rain started. I took lots of pictures and have lots to write about. But I'll leave all that for the next post as I'm going to pop out again for a little while before the weather gets any wetter.

The last couple of hours in Hong Kong airport were spent having dinner in one of the restaurants and wandering around. Dinner at Cafe Deco was good with live jazz music and a cozy atmosphere.

It still cracks me up how much everything appears to cost until you convert it. Dinner with desert and two beers came to HK$ 580 but that equated to around AUS$ 94. Still a bit pricey but it was good food and service.

Once the flight finally appeared on the departure board I located the gate and stayed around that part of the terminal. 

I still had plenty of time so I found a small bar for a cheeky martini or two.

The flight appeared to be only 2/3 full at most. I'd carefully selected my seat at the front of economy. I finished up having plenty of leg room and no-one sitting next to me. The potential for sleep was looking good. 

By the time supper was over and cleared away I'd settled myself down. I think I managed to sleep a bit but it was really bumpy as we flew past Japan, probably related to the recent typhoon. By the time the weather calmed down it was already the time I had decided to wake up. I wanted to try and start adjusting for Vancouver time.

The plane was a 777-300 which has a camera mounted beneath it you can view through the entertainment. I watched as we floated over the beautiful blue Pacific dotted with occasional white fluffy clouds. Very relaxing.

The flight finished up landing nearly an hour ahead of schedule. Getting through customs was easy and I found a really friendly and chatty taxi driver to get me to the apartment. And I survived my first North American tipping scenario!

The apartment is in a great location downtown but, as usual, doesn't quite live up to the image on the net. It will be perfectly OK for me though, and I have much more glamorous accommodation to look forward to in my next cities. 

It does, however, have a great wide view from the balcony.

So, I'm writing this post know in the hope I'll start to nod off and get some quality sleep. I wanted to be exploring as soon as I can tomorrow morning.

The hotel allowed quite a late check out which gave me plenty of time to fluff about and not rush. Then the shuttle brought me back to the airport. Getting through security was very quick too.

So that just leaves another extended stay to wander round a big airport. Hong Kong feels like it has so many more shops and food options than Singapore, yet I found the day less fun than the one I spent in Singapore on the way home from London.  Not sure why.

But being here does evoke very strong and fond memories of when Emily and I spent time here on our way to Europe in 2010. That was the very start of a massive adventure for both of us and Hong Kong airport was really one of our first big "pinch me" moments.  

I remember eating ramen with Emily and sitting in nearly this exact same place.  Of course I had to do it again. Very tasty too!

I wandered around the airport, taking in various angles and views. The hills on the island make a spectacular backdrop to the airport.

Quite by accident, I stumbled across a seat where the windows framed the planes beautifully as they took off. Unfortunately though, after many attempts to get one perfectly positioned, this was the best I managed.

The airport ceiling is quite massive and geometrical, so naturally I had to take some shots. I spent ages taking pictures from various positions and angles. It was quite funny because people would walk past and look up to see what I was photographing. There were a few perplexed looks. This is one of my favourites, edited for Instagram.

And the roof from the outside is just as interesting. It almost mirrors the arches of the hills in the distance.

I have a few more hours to go before my flight. I'm sick of looking through shops, though I did take advantage of an electronics store to get a universal socket adaptor; something I'd completely forgotten to pack, apart from my Apple rechargers. So much for "Mr Super Organised"!

I'll grab some dinner soon. Then, next stop Vancouver.

After publishing my last post I lay down "only for a moment" only to wake up an hour later. I was tired. Dragged myself off the bed and down for some dinner before getting back to bed early. Considering the unfamiliar environment and the sound of flights taking off regularly punctuating the silence, I slept really well. Better than at home! 

When I woke this morning I opened the curtains to catch the first glimpses of sunlight. 

Closely followed by another plane. I wonder where they are going?

After popping downstairs for some breakfast I repacked my bag and watched as construction started again on whatever it is they're building in the bay.

I'm really glad I invested in the new lens before this trip. It has a much greater zoom than my old one. I managed to get these birds as they were taking in the warmth of the early morning.

Shortly it will be time to check out. I've just received an SMS and email from Cathay advising of possible disruption to public transport. That won't affect me as it's only a short shuttle bus ride back to the airport. However, it does make me happier with my decision not to head into downtown Hong Kong on this visit. Maybe I will when I return on my way home?

Up early to catch my 7:40 flight. It reminded me somewhat of travelling for work. Luckily everything was done and all I had to do was make myself respectable and wait for the taxi. I was at the airport relatively early and made it through international security and customs super fast. I'll remember that for next time. 

Here's my chariot waiting.

The flight was fine and went quite quickly. I watched one movie "Gravity", a documentary on NASA plans for a trip to Mars and multiple episodes of "Dad's Army". That last one was a surprise; wasn't really a fan as a kid but really enjoyed them today.

Hong Kong was originally just going to be a brief transfer on my way to Vancouver. But when Cathay rescheduled my flights, one option they gave me was to stay overnight. The hotel is right by the airport, which doesn't bother me, and it's a Marriott, so quite nice. 

There's not much of a view, but enough to remind me of when Em and I were here in 2010.

Dinner is included so I think I'll be lazy and hang around here. Feeling tired and an early night will prepare me for the next leg of this journey. Besides, I need to do some more reading up on Vancouver before I get there. 

Bags packed. Apartment cleaned. Post trip supplies procured. Beard trimmed. Documents printed, duplicated and saved. Plans organised within a millimetre of their lives. I think I'm ready. 

Without a doubt, a factor in amplifying the experience of finally seeing Kate Bush live has been the comments, camaraderie and shared emotion on the various forums dedicated to this event. Before leaving London I posted the following because it sums up how much of a difference all my fellow Kate fans have made. I would like to share it here also.

Tomorrow morning I head back home to Australia, to my before the "Before the Dawn" life, and a world of relative Kate obscurity. But before I leave I'd like to say thank you to you all. I may not have had the pleasure of meeting many of you but your posts and comments have turned a potentially solitary experience into very much a shared one. My adventure would not have been the same without you. All the best to those of you yet to see her, those of you who didn't manage to and those of you, like me, who are dealing with the emotional aftermath.

After choosing to stay in the airport instead of taking a bus tour into the city I was a little worried I might be in for an arduous and boring day. In the end though I had a great day. I read, ate, drank and explored. And massive airports like this one are always good for a photo or two.

When I paused to take this shot I was only looking at the handrail. I only noticed the great lines and perspective when I checked the image. Another happy accident.

Masses of trolleys waiting patiently for the next wave of travellers. 

By 8:00 pm I'd been there 12 hours. Only a few to go and I was feeling tired but OK. I've picked up a little cold and my runny nose was getting very annoying. I decided to seek out some medication. I made sure it wasn't going to prevent me from sleeping in the plane. Yes, it will make me drowsy? That's OK, I thought. I took one just over an hour before boarding not realising how quickly or intensely it would take effect. The last hour before boarding was hell! I had to keep constantly walking or moving for fear of falling asleep at the gate. I have never felt so happy and relieved to finally sink into my seat on the plane. Not that it would ensure sleep. I dozed at best, yet it was enough to make that final flight seem quite short.

On the advice of the airline I decided to get to Heathrow as early as possible. The added bonus was that I could take the Piccadilly line before peak hour hit. I wasn't keen on navigating through those crowds.

To my surprise, when I got to the airport check-in went as smoothly as normal. The check-in clerk noted my middle seat and looked to see if an aisle seat was available instead. So glad she didn't find one because it turned out that my seat was in the row that only has 3 middle seats - a really good spot! I must note the seat location details in addition to the seat number in future. 

The flight was fine. Being a night flight, I intended to try and sleep and organised myself accordingly. But unfortunately, despite best efforts and ideal conditions, it was not to be. 

So I have the day in Singapore. I had planned to catch a bus tour from the airport but I'm just too tired. Plus I think I've picked up a minor cold, so not feeling 100%; preferred to potter around the airport. 

I noticed this sign with lovely words on the door to the butterfly house. 

This time tomorrow I'll be home.

I had a feeling itmight be a bad idea. Listening to Kate on the flight home … in public. I wanted to hear it again, to remember - but not too much; not so much that I'd get carried away.

You see, since the second show in particular, I've been a bit emotional. Think about the whole experience too much and tears well up. As they are while I'm writing this. It's been a bit embarrassing at times; not a good look. Those notes, passages and lyrics that were already special, now have new significance as they trigger memories of those nights. Even the once benign now has the potential to set me off.

And yet it feels so adolescent, so immature to be reacting this way. As concerts and performances go, it was up there. An amazing show but, in its own right, not enough to have this effect on me. I figure it must be the fulfilment of a lifelong hope, and the fulfilment in such a big, close up way, that must be the reason for the emotion.

So I straddled the line between satisfying my need to enjoy and engaging too deeply in recall. Pull back from the edge and think of something else when you start to feel it swelling up.