Wannawaffle

Wannawaffle Pricing Board

David, Bonnie and I decided to take a Spring Road Trip to Victoria.

We had to choose between going early and then coming back early to do work.

Or getting that work done ahead of time.

We had a wall-chart list of thirty things we would like to do while in Victoria.

High on the list was “buy things”.

 Strangely it was not me who added the purchasing component to our list of Important-Things-to-Do in Victoria.

Bonnie packed peanut butter sandwiches, some Gala apples, a box of Honeycomb and a litre of Sunripe Apple Juice for the trip. Our main mission was to eat on the buffet on the ferry today, which turned into a disappointment, since the ferry we caught was a small one with just a White Spot Café on it. Not that the salmon salad wasn’t good. As Bonnie remarked, “Delish”.

Today we struck out for the harbour, believing we would see the water, some seagulls and find a place to have breakfast. The Wannawaffle Café provided David with all of the Belgian waffle he could eat, plus the toppings of banana, strawberry, and whipping cream decorated with drizzles of real chocolate. We walked across the new bridge, were interviewed by a local TV station on our reaction to it, and Bonnie and I found the Salvation Army thrift store. I am the only person who used their buying power there: used Jenga blocks and a Jasper Stone necklace. I couldn’t resist either.

Our one hour parking ticket had expired and Bonnie moved the car to a new location where we split up, vowing to meet back at the car in one hour. Bonnie and David went off to the Comic Shop and the Gaming Store.

I intended to get a dent into 10,000 steps, but I found myself stopping, either to look in windows or to enter stores to see exactly what the products were that were shown in the window. I do not know the name of this store, but I tripped on a platform that was in a slight incline and caught myself just as I was on the landing. A man, who I was later to find out was 69, asked me how I was. No, how I really was and if I had any aches and pains. I used my “best day ever” line on him but he continued, “No, how are you really. You must have some aches and pains. Arthritis?”

I had to admit to a little of that. But I could hardly finished my sentence before he continued, “I am going to give you a complimentary jar of my Pain Free Cream. I make it myself.”

He went on to list the ingredients: cocoanut oil, hemp, peppermint and spearmint leaves, cloves, cinnamon, red sea weed wintergreen oil and honey bee’s wax. He cooks it for three days out in the sun’s heat, then adds the bee’s wax and bottles it. Pain Free Cream. That is what he calls it and he says that any time you have an ache – on the forehead, the arms, the knuckles, the back – anywhere, just apply the cream and in minutes you will be pain free.

I took the cream, passing by the till by telling the clerk it was complimentary, but I did admire a whole wall of bongs on the way out – the best collection I have ever seen.

When I met up with Bonnie and David, he was so excited to tell me his story that mine slipped out of my mind. He had a complimentary ticket to return to the game shop for a complimentary game, and a free lesson on how to airbrush D&D figures.

... entrance gate to Victoria's Chinatown ...

I told him now was the time to take advantage of that offer, and to go right back to the game store. That I would continue walking. Another change of parking stalls for the car, and off Bonnie and he went to their adventure.

 I continued to walk, since I now saw that I was in Victoria’s Chinatown. I did not get in many steps, since I had to go in every store, look on every isle and touch many of the items that I have seen on my trips to China.

I saw scarves that I already have in my closet and opened and closed boxes of chopsticks and small tea sets. I did enter a tea shop and tasted their complimentary tea. Today it was featuring a tea that would suppress lung ailments.

On our way back home I took out my Pain Free Cream to put on my hands.

... the only purchase I wanted to make in Chinatown ...

 I knew if I didn’t start using it right away I would forget to use it.

Soon Bonnie had the windows of the car rolled down and was fanning the air under her nose, the scent of the hand cream was overpowering.

 As well, she was worried about being stopped by the police who might think that the smell of the cream was really marijuana that was hidden somewhere in the car.

Arta