First Attraction. Done. | 7th July 2011 | 15:53 PDT

I was meant to be relaxing down Denman, Robson and Granville streets, as they're what I should be going down to experience Vancouver's Downtown and West End.

Instead, I was too occupied with Vancouver's welcoming committee and main attraction, resulting in the only bits I saw was concrete floors, paving slabs, thanks for the greetings rain. Seeing as its July it seemed that this place didn't get the memo that it is in fact, summer. Therefore, I wasn't at all prepared for this downpour so I also got to experience clothing stores.

You would think buying a waterproof jacket in a town that once had 300 days of rain, nope! This is probably why the residence have umbrellas that they carry around with them and respect with their lives, like a samurai treats their sword.

I couldn't find any photos of real Samurai from back-in-the-day (cellinifinegifts.com)

When I found a store that's likely to sell a waterproof, you have to look for it on your own, you're screwed if you ask for any assistance.

"Hi, I'm looking for a waterproof jacket"
"A what?"
"A jacket... That's a water... Stopper"
"Oh, you mean a shell..."
 -  Do I? I appear to be shopping for turtles, all of a sudden.
"If its a water stopper, I can wear, it probably is what I'm after, yes"
 -  I shrug, doubting my very reason why I want to be dry in the first place.

 -   Which is met with one of two replies.
"Sorry, we don't sell those"
"But,  you're a sports/running/clothing store"
"Yeah, but its summer"
 -  I then apologise for getting it wrong, leaving a puddle of water around where we shared this conversation.

 -  The other reply "Yes!..." Winds up following the shop assistant to some remote back-end of the store, through a booby-trapped hedged maze, until you're presented with a rack, with an item of cloth on it.
"...This is what we have, but they aren't waterproof, they're just shiny-like-a-waterproof"
"That's brilliant, just what I'm after. Thank you very much"
 -  I wait for her to disappear before making my exit

Though, not before I pirouette and grand jeté out the door (via redbubble.com)

I eventually find one in the end without any help. I was extremely close to paying a deaf homeless person $50 for it, but least he would've understood what I wanted.