Vancouver is so beautiful. There were so many flowers in bloom and some that were already done their spring bloom. It was absolutely gorgeous.

My "business" trip was really a reward for a year of volunteer extra duties and all the extras I do around my office as the Location Manager. All the Location Managers from across Canada, 10 of us, got to go to Vancouver for three days. And there was only a half day of meetings. We got a professional tour of Vancouver, supper and shopping on Granville Island, and an afternoon at the aquarium.

The fresh seafood part of being on the coast was a bit lost on me, but I do love halibut so I had that twice and then filet mignon for a third meal. I was in heaven, really. Even on the South Beach Diet, all these are fantastic options. I was impressed at still having lost a 1/2 pound last week. Being on vacation usually spells disaster for most diets.

On our third day, a co-worker from the Winnipeg office and I rented a car and went to Chinatown to visit Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden. It was amazing and we didn't even take the tour which would have told us about the meaning behind everything in the garden like the colour of the water, the shape of the roof and the double corridor.

And then we went shopping in Steveston which is at the south end of Richmond. My co-worker thought I was going to buy an entire store, but the service was just so thorough - they even gave me extra tissue paper for when I wrap a gift that I'd bought there.

The hotel I stayed at left a lot to be desired. It was the Hilton Vancouver Airport. I've written them a letter expressing my extreme disappointment so we'll see if they make up for it. On the other side of that coin, the service I received from the Enterprise Rent-A-Car location next to the Richmond Best Western on Westminster Hwy was absolutely fabulous. Courteous, respectful, helpful and accommodating.