The thing with jet lag is that you need to use it to your advantage. We did this by booking a whale watching tour ($151.20 CAD / person including taxes) for 9:00am today. We decided to go with Eagle Wing Tours which is located at Fisherman’s Wharf, a fifteen minute drive from Pat’s house.
We got there around 8:20am and once we got signed in, we had about ten minutes to explore the wharf. Before we were able to board our boat called Goldwing, we had to be suited up in waterproof pants and a jacket that had to weigh twenty pounds. We waddled over to the boat and received our safety briefing from our captain Pete and his assistant Kerek. The ride out of the harbor was nice and gentle, but once Captain Pete was in open water, he let her rip. There was tons of wind and some spray and I was very thankful for the gear provided by Eagle Wing.
We drove for over an hour and finally arrived at Patos Island where there was a humpback whale doing a lot of tail slapping. The crew was very excited and shocked at how much activity there was from this whale. Kerek told us that one reason humpbacks tail slap is to call their friends over. And sure enough in due time, another whale appeared. We later learned that the whales were Divot and Stitch. We must have spent an out an hour watching them and even got to see a couple of breaches. It was as if the whales knew we had to leave, so they stopped playing around. The ride back was even faster than the ride out.
When we got back, it was time for lunch so we took Pat’s suggestion and had fabulous halibut fish and chips at Barb’s right on the wharf. While we were eating, we noticed that there was a water taxi service that would drop you off at various stops in downtown Victoria. So instead of walking for twenty minutes , we spent $7 and got dropped off at Canada’s oldest Chinatown.
Victoria’s Chinatown has something called Fan Tan Alley. It is a very narrow lane (anywhere from three to six feet wide) and home to various shops and restaurants. From Chinatown, we went to Old Town, Market Square and ended up at the Empress Hotel. We did not have the high tea, we are saving that for our next visit to Victoria. We were so tired from all the walking, so we decided to take the water taxi back to Fisherman’s Wharf.
We took the long way to Pat’s condo by driving along the water and admiring the beautiful scenery. We had dinner at Tacofino in downtown Victoria and then had a quiet evening back at the condo.
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