Vancouver Energy Drink Journey 2018

Stayed in a location great for hunting

From the airport to the downtown area, it’s just a direct train ride. Since the train heads back from downtown, it’s hard to make a mistake, and you’ll reach your destination in under 30 minutes, so I think Vancouver is a great city even for those traveling abroad for the first time.

When I arrived at the hotel in the rain, I was lucky enough to check in immediately, so I started my hunt in light clothing! Before I left, I hadn’t researched much, but there were plenty of stores near the hotel, so I was able to visit several within a few minutes of walking.

The store I visited last time, stocked with energy drinks

The closest store to the hotel was, unbelievably, the amazing store where I was able to buy a case of Rockstar’s Tattoo cans during my Vancouver trip last year. Sure enough, new bottles had been stocked. I love the atmosphere of this dimly lit fridge—it’s a different vibe from chain stores.

They even had the winter edition! This store isn’t a chain, so by looking at it, I can get a sense of which new products have made their way to Vancouver. This hunting trip should be easy. Since this store didn’t offer special set discounts, I just did a quick reconnaissance and left.

As I walked around, I discovered our beloved 7-Eleven! Can you see the small sign in the back of the photo? The color is unmistakable, and you can’t miss it from far away! When you’re hunting overseas, you’ll always say, “Ah! It’s 7-Eleven!”

7-Eleven is still reliable

The store was quite spacious, and shopping was very comfortable (●´ω｀●). I noticed that all 7-Elevens in Vancouver are much bigger than in other places, with some even having high ceilings. And unlike in the U.S., they don’t smell greasy, which is the best part.

There’s a great variety here. I picked up the things I needed first. 7-Elevens here don’t have special set prices, so I decided to buy everything at once. Oh, and unlike in the past, baskets are now always available in North American 7-Elevens, making shopping much easier. I’ve made so many trips to the fridge when there were no baskets… It feels amazing to buy 20 cans at once (*´ｪ`*).

I also picked up some of the Red Bull Street Fighter design cans. I managed to get Ryu, Chun-Li, and Ken. The remaining ones are Gouki and Zangief, and five types are released in Canada. I got these three cans along with the Winter Edition, and bought them all as a set.

This store also had Rockstar Tattoo cans, and the 710ml Punch flavor was the new big star. I visited several other stores, but they only had the Tattoo cans for Rockstar’s 710ml, and none with the regular design. The bigger, newer 710ml cans with the Tattoo design were only available here.

There were no regular 710ml cans, but there were Tattoo cans everywhere. This Tattoo design has been around for more than a year and a half, and just like I expected, they’re still being produced. I hadn’t had the gold top and gold cap, so I picked those up along with the big star.

The Monster Ultra Violet, which I thought was exclusive to the East Coast, was available here as well. As I would later discover, all the stores had it. It wasn’t even listed on the official website.

Also, I was able to cover all the ones I missed, like Rockstar’s Destiny 2 and Monster’s Assassin’s Creed, which I missed during my Detroit trip. ( ´∀｀)b Good!

I compared my collection to see if there were any new designs and kept picking out cans for my basket. Carefully selecting cans while looking at them in person is the true joy of hunting. The girl at the counter was surprised by how much I bought, and I returned to the hotel to drop them off. This location is perfect, since it’s only a short walk, and it’s amazing (*´艸｀*).

This time, Max was beyond 7-Eleven

Later, I continued my hunt and visited Max, a local convenience store on the west side of Canada. This store was too strong. As I expected, hunting would mostly be done between 7-Eleven and Max.

Hydro was priced around 3.4 dollars per can, but if you bought three cans as a set, it cost 6 dollars! Mutant was also cheap. It might have been a promotional price for the new release. Hydro had just been released in Vancouver that week, so I got lucky. I bought several sets of Hydro in three flavors and Mutant in two flavors.

The store displayed Monster Hydro in several spots, like in boxes, in the main fridge, and in other fridges and shelves. They really put effort into promoting it. When you travel abroad right after a new product launches, you get to see this kind of mini-festival, so it’s definitely more fun to plan your trip around the release date.

I picked up several Hydro cans and got a box! The lady at the counter, who was from India, kindly told me, “You’re buying so much, so make sure you enter the campaign!”

By the time I got back to the hotel, the hunt was almost over after about two hours.

Afterward, I stopped by a small store and picked up the Zangief design from Street Fighter. Now, just to get the Gouki one… I didn’t check the Red Bull cases, but I think there’s probably one character per case. By the last day, I was able to get Zangief and complete the Canadian Street Fighter set! ((o(´∀｀)o))

Completing a set by searching multiple stores gives you a real sense of achievement, and it’s better than just collecting them all from one store. That’s what I can say now that I’ve completed the collection.

Vancouver in winter... too rainy...

The rain never stopped, making it hard to walk, but on the other hand, I was able to enjoy the city’s somewhat magical atmosphere. I did stop by every shop I passed. There weren’t any particularly rare items, but I just couldn’t help myself... (^_^;)

Vancouver, except for certain areas, is perfectly safe to walk around even at night. Since I stayed in a neighborhood full of clubs, I was out and about until past 2 a.m. every night.

Later, I took a stroll in the light rain, visiting places I hadn’t been able to before. It would have been perfect if the weather had been clear. I love being a city traveler, but I also enjoy the nature and expansive parks. If I visited in the summer, I think I’d enjoy it even more. By the way, people in Stanley Park were happily walking around in the rain (●´ω｀●).

Somehow, on the day I was returning, it cleared up. I had coffee, bought some souvenirs, and then headed to the airport. A new lounge had opened, so I was able to enjoy my last moments there.

Having visited Canada several times (and often), I naturally bought fewer energy drinks, making the trip much easier (´∀｀；). Vancouver in winter is a bit monotonous, but I think it’s a place you don’t want to leave from early summer to fall, so I hope to return one day.

By the way, if you’re traveling and buying energy drinks, Vancouver is highly recommended. It’s close, safe, English-speaking, and has excellent transportation. Plus, you can buy American products back home too.