The driver was a middle-aged man who primarily spoke Mandarin. At first, he'd open the trunk and merely observe my struggles with the check-in luggage. He later extended an arm to offer assistance, though refused to undertake the lifting assignment alone. "Are you moving back to your hometown?!" He switched to broken English after receiving English responses to his Mandarin inquiries.
Another twenty minutes would be required for security screening. A member of staff hovered nearby, redistributing the line to the international side of screening as required. Thankfully, the line was cut right behind me; I remained on the domestic screening side.
I adhered to the standard protocol for laptop screening, but was not asked to separate the cameras out from the rest of my carry-on luggage. Nevertheless, I was still pulled to the side since wet wipes had been mistaken for sharps. Apparently, the occurrence had been quite common, based on the screening agent's carefree response.
a) Dining out/UberEats
Back home, I try to minimize the number of takeout meals. To an even greater degree do I refrain from dining out as much as possible, instead seeking out acceptable alternatives at home.
The dining situation is undoubtedly different while on vacation. While I had already found snacks to be shockingly expensive last time around, this observation was further confirmed during this visit. For starters, a Ding Dong Milk Tea from Chicha San Chen rang in at around the same price as back home. But drinks were only subject to 5% GST in BC, in stark contrast to Ontario's 13% HST. Astounded I was, for the nearly equivalent price points indicated a heftier base price.
Social media had made it clear to me a while ago. Nevertheless, $5.50 cookies and $10 floats at Paragon will never not send me home shuddering.
Snacks differed from meals, however. For the vast majority of my trip, I found meals to be of generous portion sizes and impressive quality. One could, in essence, stride into any diner and have confidence in the assortment being served. Unlike back home, rarely do I experience the misfortunes of poor value and disappointing quality. Having to relinquish $0.50 for a flimsy paper bag or twenty-five cents per takeout container shall always catch me by surprise, however.
I would find these observations to extend towards food delivery services. My UberEats orders were always packaged neatly - no sauce spills! - and contained exceptionally reasonable volumes for the price paid. Interactions with the service staff were also pleasant. These elements constituted a breath of fresh air compared to back home.
b) Groceries
Even based on past recaps, I found GVA grocery prices to reside on the steeper side, despite not providing better quality (not ostensibly anyway) nor portion sizes. Across a handful of visits to T&T, Superstore, and H Mart, one would find similarly staggering prices, yet somehow people still buy. Superstore proved the most economic of all grocery stops.
I've been eagerly searching for Uji Green Tea Choya for at least four years, thus arranged a trip to BC Liquor upon confirming availabilities of stock online.
I wasn't surprised by the need to provide two pieces of ID, nor being subject to the scrutiny - and, later, an inquisitive gaze towards my Ontario-issued cards - of the cashier. The fees and taxes listed on the receipt were not amounts with which I was familiar.
- Deposit: All sizes of bottles and cans would grant a maximum $0.10 deposit return. This was dissimilar to Ontario's policy, where vessels larger than 700 ml incurred a $0.20 fee.
- Taxes: While alcoholic drinks are subject to 12% during dine-in, a 10% alcohol tax was applied to standalone purchases, followed by 5% GST, making for a whopping 15% surcharge beyond the prices marked in store.
a) Public Transit
My data collected over the previous visits remain valid. Mass transit systems have long been overlooked in the suburbs, and it wasn't until the arrival of the Winter 2010 Olympics that a sense of urgency had developed for the SkyTrain. Since introduction of the Canada Line some 14 years ago, the Translink network has expanded to include RapidBus BRT lines, denoted as numbered "R" routes and the extensions of the Millennium and Expo Lines. The Capstan Way SkyTrain station is also underway, anticipated to support condo residents between Aberdeen and Bridgeport.
With that said, it remains an understatement that the Translink network lacks the reliability and frequency to support the daily lives of residents and commuters. Buses vanishing into thin air is too regular an occurrence to be acceptable, especially when it involves transfers, usually multi-modal or inter-zone, within a 90-minute window.
The Zone-based fares, which have been announced to increase on July 1, 2024, are still far from representative of the value delivered. On this note, it was also my first time encountering fare inspection at Richmond-Brighouse station. Fare evasion hadn't seemed likely given the automated gates, though I shall not eliminate the possibility of these incidents taking place during peak hours where both commuter volumes and tensions are high.
Consistent with discussions with a Richmond local and regular Uber user, the service has maintained stellar levels of amicability and efficiency since its introduction in 2020. More often than not, vehicles are pristine and sometimes fitted with car covers to facilitate cleaning. Poor Translink connections and short distances within the Metro Vancouver Area also cause Uber to be the most attractive choice for those without a personal vehicle.
The availability of specialized genres, class times that can be accommodated within one's schedule, and passable instructors is incredibly limited in the GTA - a travesty to say in the least. In contrast, at least three reputable dance studios can be easily found in Richmond within 20 minutes of each other. While my remarks primarily relate to BGM Dance Studio, it remains a fact that studio schedules and prices are more accessible to the general public, rather than adopting the form of exclusive insider information.
Depicted in greater detail are my individual class experiences at BGM, a destination that I cannot recommend enough to dance lovers of all skill levels.
a) Ethnic demographic
Richmond is commonly known as the "Markham of Vancouver", and I could not agree more as far as the declaration applies to people (food - not so much). The bulk primarily comprises of Chinese-speaking residents: longtime Cantonese immigrants and a constant inflow of affluent, Tesla-driving Mainlanders. However, the latest visit to the city's largest malls informed of a surge in the Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian population, ranging from young adults to elderly. The elderly do not integrate into the community as willingly as the younger group, which is evident in milder customer service approaches and smiles, versus the loud phone calls in foreign languages.
As one departs Richmond for metro Vancouver, a wider ethnic diversity emerges. In the Mount Pleasant area, which I ended up exploring by accident absence of a bus, the predominantly Asian population appears to disappear. The streets are filled with casually clad Caucasians (or 9-to-5ers in business casual). The neighbourhood is undeniably reflective of a lower income group, which is reflected in poorly-maintained, narrow sidewalks and a poor pedestrian experience.
b) Attitude/Speed
Never would I have thought to find West Coasters to be quicker than before. Perhaps it is owed to the innately impatient nature of Gen Z, but transit riders admittedly ascended the escalators faster and walked faster, even keeping right on the escalators to allow others to pass on the left (!!). Note that this applied to longtime residents only, not the aforementioned new Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian additions, who would continue to obstruct the path of those looking to pass.
Frankly, I was also surprised to be extended assistance so many times while taking the SkyTrain from the airport into Richmond. The friendliness was absolutely unheard of in any of my previous visits/transit experiences.
Since the gradual easing of COVID restrictions, more people have been observed smoking in the suburbs. As one finds oneself entering the metro Vancouver area, there is a greater population of cannabis users, as well as legalized shops. This differs from the relatively cigarette-free nature of Mississauga and casual but frequent cannabis users of Toronto.