Day 2: Richmond to Airport

September 8, 2022

Our bed and breakfast was extremely plain, with shared bath and a small room. The suburban house was impossibly far from any food or services, and was a case study for us in Canadian "standard" (i.e. low) quality construction and furnishing. We recognized literally everything as a Home Depot or Ikea or Costco item. This extended to the factory bread, coffee, peanut butter and jam packets, and boiled eggs that comprised breakfast. However it was all we needed, and it did feature the very helpful owner, Patrick.

Patrick drove us to the airport in his shiny new white pickup, another Canadian standard. Richmond has a very high proportion of Chinese people (and lots of great looking Chinese restaurants, if you can reach them) and Patrick still has a brother and sister back in Shenzen. We were able to talk fairly knowledgeably about Shanghai lockdown and such, thanks to having read Steve Ruelle's blog on Cycleblaze over past weeks. Patrick was eloquent about the large size and excitement of Chinese cities, but he allowed that after a week or two when going back for a visit, he finds it overwhelming. Better to stick in the moose infested wilds of Richmond, I guess.

Although we had already removed pedals and any breakable instruments, and turned our handlebars sideways, we left the bikes still able to roll. So at the airport, we were easily able to roll to the Westjet check-in. We found the staff there unhurried (well, we were five hours early) and very kind. We had already paid $75 for each bike as a checked bag, but they needed an extra $50 each as a "special handling fee". When the check-in lady asked me to put my bike on the scale, I said "Well yes, subject to my special handling fee". Anyway, the bike was 21 kg., well under the 23 kg limit. Similarly, our checked duffel bag was 22.55 kg. - getting close!

At "oversize baggage" we allowed them to sniff the bikes, before we put them into the large plastic bags. I was nervous about the identification stickers going onto the outside of the bags, since the bags looked easy to shred and rip off. So we also put some tags with our email address inside.

They asked me to carry my bike to the conveyer belt in oversize. But when I put it down, it was clear that it was too big and was going to go crashing into the walls of the chute. I dragged the bike back out, and the staff called for backup in the form of someone with a dolly to carry the bikes off. They invited us to sit and wait to see the bikes actually go. After about 30 minutes, a young man appeared with a dolly, and he asked the 75 year old Dodie to put the bikes on it (I was guarding the other bags). So much for the special handling fee! Dodie called me in to help, but then there was considerable three way discussion about what side each bike should lie on, and whether they could be stacked. In the end the boy went off with just one bike, and did not come back for over 30 minutes. After he set off with the second bike (duly arranged in the negotiated orientation) I confidently surmised that once in the bowels of the baggage department, they would have lots of fun throwing and stacking the bikes this way and that. (Does anyone remember the scenes from "United Breaks Guitars"?)

The bikes arrive at the airport in good order, and way early.

The boy and the bike. I had to put it on there for him.

While we were doing our check-in routine, news came that QE II had passed away. It was amazing how quickly flags were lowered. We expect there will be more to report on this once we arrive in England. While I am willing to share Westminster Cathedral with the royal family, I hope they do not hog it entirely for their upcoming funeral!

At Vancouver airport the multicultural nature of Canada is evident through people of lots of ethnic groups coming and going. Coming from the Island, it seems rather exotic to me. Gatwick and London will surely be more so!

Even exotic fish here.

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