Yesterday I outlined my plans for today. Today I'll demonstrate how you can still see my basic framework, but with a lot of changes.
I arrived at the Victoria bus depot just after 7, but the bus didn't load until 7:30, so I grabbed a sandwich from a nearby 7-11 in the meantime. The driver was agreeable to letting my off at Port Place. On the way over but not the way back there was a stopover in Duncan. I noticed that the late evening bus is only available Friday and Sunday now.
The bus was a little late getting into Nanaimo. At London Drugs - Port Place getting a day buspass proved to be a slight misadventure: I went to a regular line and was redirected to customer service where the lady tried to sell me a monthly pass.. She said she thought I asked for a buspass. I pointed out that a day buspass was a type of buspass.
More than half the mall was demolished apparently to create a new road to a ferry, so Falconer Books, a mainstay of the mall wasn't there anymore.
Walking to Commercial Drive I visited Well Read Books/Literacy Nanaimo, skipped Bestsellers because it wasn't yet open but went there later, saw Occupy Nanaimo (only a couple tents both times I went by), visited Bygone Books, and bought some blu-rays and horror DVDs at Facinating Rhythm. I bought a fair number so he gave me the most expensive one for free.
Around 10:30 I got on the 9 bus. At First I didn't have a window seat and then I only had a left window seat (right is the better view) but I eventually managed to switch. Getting off at Country Club, I visited Future Shop, walked past Coles, and bought some comics at Curious Comics.
The weather was pretty nice now so instead of taking the bus to Nanaimo North Town Centre I decided to walk. I arrived at the McDonald's right by the mall around 11:30, just after the time the bus would have arrived art the mall assuming it was on schedule. I ate lunch, bought some DVDs at Best Buy, found that Book Bedouin had closed down, found that the Military Museum had also temporarily closed down (it's supposed to re-open downtown Spring 2012), and visited Zeller's.
I decided to walk again but the north end proved a dead end. Finally made it off the mall property around 12:15.
A video store en route was gone. I visited the Real Canadian Superstore and then made it to the Woodgrove Mall.
There I saw the clock tower (had to be careful taking photos there because there was also a Santa with kids there), visited HMV, visited Walmart. I then took the 1:17 15 bus southwest to the University of Vancouver Island, arriving around 1:40. I did a quick walk to places I used to take classes while it was still Malaspina, then returned to the bus stop a bit late, 1:49.
Luckily my next bus, the 44 was also late so I took it to Stock X-Changers on Bowen Road (hard to get off the bus because the driver didn't clue in for a while that I wanted out the back. At the pawn shop I bought some DVDs. did a but of a jog, and took another 44 bus back to the University. I took a few more photos (tame rabbits, the koi fish pond - no fish around today, the cafeteria, and my former residence; couldn't get as close as I'd have liked because there were people standing outside.
I started doing the walk I used to take downtown 20 years ago. En route I noticed that Tri-Star was gone, though online evidence suggests it ave have just moved. I detoured brief to take photos of University Village (formerly Harewood Plaza), and then went back to my route and walked downtown.
I walked north to a couple more pawn shops and bought a blu-ray at one of them. I walked back downtown, visiting Bestsellers, walked briefly to the waterfront area to take some photos I had wanted to take earlier while on the 9 bus, and then started heading down, retracing a path I took while visiting Nanaimo on a trip prior to moving to Nanaimo for school.
I did a bit of a detour by the bus depot because I kept missing a shop I wanted to visit on earlier trips, Money Maxx. It was smaller now but still around so I bought more blu-rays. I took a shortcut back to the main road, figuring I could get the segment I missed on the retracing on the way back.
I walked to Terminal Park, where I visited the Good Old Book Exchange and bought an early dinner from Burger King, and then walked back to the bus depot.
The bus was supposed to leave at 5:15 but started loading around 5:20 and left around 5:30. It was supposed to arrive at the Victoria bus depot at 7:20 but I think it was 7:45 that I got off at the second last stop, City Hall. The distance is about the same as from the depot, so getting off earluier shaved off some riding time.
So, basic structure there as planned, but many time differences, a few walks instead of bus rides, a 50 minute detour to Stock X-Changers, a few other additions. The structure was still useful because it gave me a starting point to play with, but I let the weather and my sense of fun dictate changes to the schedule. Make use of a buspass and itinerary when beneficial, but don't be a slave to them. That's my motto to a successful day of travelling.
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