Series of Unfortunate Events

I believe everybody here loves vacations. I do too. But sometimes during a vacation, things do not go as expected. For example, flight delays, famous restaurant food does not taste as good as it looks in pictures online. One of my vacations, however, almost turned into a disaster—a series of unfortunate events happened one after another.

That was 2017. We decided to go to Nanaimo in August and we planned very well.  We would drive to Vancouver, take the ferry to Vancouver Island, and stay in Nanaimo for a couple of days. Then we would drive back to Vancouver, and stay in Kelowna for one night. Everything was considered. Since Kelowna is a popular place, we booked our hotel room through hotels.com in March. 

The vacation started and we were on the road.  Everybody was excited. My wife and I took turns driving. We took a short break at Canmore since nature called and the kids needed to use the bathroom. When I walked around I saw a big black cat watching me. I tried to avoid confrontation but that cat just kept blocking my way and stared at me. My daughter Sophie noticed that cat too and she smiled at me and said, “Dad, do you know what it means when you see a black cat?” I did not want to answer her question but tried very hard to erase the cat’s stare from my memory.

The trip continued. Finally, we were on the deck of the ferry. While enjoying the beautiful view of the ocean, I chatted with Sophie: You are reading a book. What’s the name of the book? She replied, “A Series of Unfortunate Events!” Just after she answered my question, suddenly, the sky became dark. There was a solar eclipse. It seemed like dawn but it was just 11 am in the morning. 

The view of the solar eclipse was gorgeous. We had never seen a solar eclipse before. But the black cat and the solar eclipse, did they mean something? I became a little nervous now.

We had a great time in Victoria and Nanaimo. Our favorite part was catching crabs. Nothing unexpected happened except Sophie’s finger was bitten by a small crab when she tried to throw it back to sea. She almost cried.  I told her: “It’s ok. Humans eat crabs, and sometimes crabs bite us. Take it easy and let it go.”

Time was flying. We were already on the road back to Kelowna. In Vancouver, I noticed that our gas was a little low. My wife took a look at the price sign of the gas station: What? The gas price here is too high! We still have enough to reach Kelowna. I did not argue with her since I believe in “Happy wife, happy life.”

Unfortunately, just before we entered West Kelowna, maybe around 20 kilometers away, we ran out of gas. What should we do? It was almost noon. The sun was white and the temperature was hot. I let my wife and kids stay in a cool place. I used my best smile to try to get a ride. Luckily, a young couple gave me a ride to the first gas station. But they were sold out of jerry cans so I went to the second gas station and bought the gas. But how could I go back? So I had to ask if anyone was going toward Vancouver or Hope. Lucky again, a very nice couple who lives in West Kelowna gave me a ride. Finally, I saw my family again! They were safe and sound, and had not been carried off by a bear.  We filled the tank and continued our trip.

In Kelowna, we stayed by the lake and enjoyed our time. I lay down under a big tree and enjoyed the beautiful lake view and thanked those helpful Canadians from the bottom of my heart.

Around 9 pm, we went to the hotel we had reserved five months earlier. Now another unexpected thing happened.  The entrance light was on but there were no vehicles in the parking lot! The entrance door was locked. What a surprise! My heart sank. I looked at the empty parking lot and thought: This cannot be happening.

We asked around and found out the hotel was closed one week ago. I immediately thought about that black cat and solar eclipse. Now I understood what they meant. 

We called hotels.com for help. After hours of discussion and negotiation, they were able to let us stay at the Delta hotel for one night free. After we checked in, it was midnight already. We were exhausted. But the suite was perfect. That suite was 600 dollars per night!

The second day, we woke up late. We enjoyed the food and music on the hotel’s deck. The kids had already recovered and were full of energy. Then I asked Sophie: What do you think about yesterday’s adventures? She said: I think that is because of that black cat.

This is the story of my vacation. A vacation is not just about where you go. It’s about what you learn, the people who help you, and the memories your family will laugh about for years. Fun, exploration, and being prepared for the unexpected.

(It was originally written in February 2020 and finally edited on November 12th, 2025.)