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Published: October 16th 2006
blog by Dave OK so why isn't everybody staring at us ? This feels very strange indeed. Also it feels a little odd that we can understand everybody, and perhaps more perturbing, they can understand us. One of the other things that is confirming our exit from
Asia is that its been 10 minutes since we landed and no one has badgered us for cash or tried to sell us anything random.
After a somewhat lengthy wait in a ridiculously crowded immigration queue, we find our bags amongst the pile left unattended by the luggage belts. We can only assume that the recent threats to the
UK and
USA have rippled their way into
Canada too, hence the long winded entry procedures.
So far the day has lasted for 20-something hours, and we've arrived two hours after we left. Sheesh. That type of logic is going to take some adjusting to. Still haven't quite grasped what happened as we crossed the International Dateline.
As we finally exit the arrivals hall, horrendously late, and pretty zombified (a new word), a wooden sign emerges from the crowd with the words
"Mannings Tours" written on it. It seems that this
View of Vancouver downtown, Stanley Park and North Shore mountains from Burnaby Mt. at sunset
Vancouver is the high rises, Stanley park the green protrusion to its right and N. Shore mountains on far right.
Vancouver, BC, Canadamay haunt me for a while. Good to know though that Kostia (Bronia's brother) and Natalie (Bronia's mum) have got a great sense of humour.
After a quick coffee at good old
Starbucks and a brief catch-up we are soon driving through the streets of
Vancouver, actually they are the streets of various towns and districts with names like
Coquitlam, Burnaby, New Westminster etc. all under the banner of
Greater Vancouver. The main city centre of
Vancouver itself will be explored later on.
Soon we are dumping our stuff and making ourselves comfortable in our new lodgings (Bronia's mums house) which will be our base for the next three weeks. The room we are in is the one in which Bronia spent many years growing up and so there is nostalgia and a sense of 'coming home' for her. Later in the day some of Bronia's friends (Tom & May with son Jonas, Marta, and Natalie's friend Harry) stop by to say hi and we chat in glorious sunshine on the sundeck into the early evening. Marta surprises Bronia by turning up in a very obviously pregnant state - seven months to be exact !
While we
still have the slightest bit of energy left, Kostia kindly drives us up to
Burnaby Mountain, a 10 minute drive, which has a great view of the city and the inlets and parks that surround it. Although the sun is out and the air is clear, the climate has a noticeable autumnal feel about it, but for the meantime at least we are appreciating coolness after the stifling heat and humidity of
Asia, and the views as the sun sets on what has been for us the longest day of our trip - nearly 40 hours.
Our first task in
Canada is to recover from the jet-lag we've got so we have to graduate our sleep a little bit each day. Well that's the theory. In practise we just spend about 16 hours asleep our first night and get it all caught up in one go. Clever.
On our first morning there we revel in the fact that we can, for the first time in 8mths, drink the tap water and brush our teeth without having to used bottled or boiled water. The little things that normally we take for granted like having breakfast without having to get
shoes on and go out to the street are a real treat.
It is also going to be a refreshing experience for me not to be buried face first into a guide book whilst trying to pinpoint our exact position. I have handed the trip organisation firmly to Bronia for this leg of the journey. Nice.
Thomas Tours here we go!
When we emerge from our hibernation the first day is pretty much written off in terms of sight-seeing so we decide to just visit a local mall and stock up a little on much needed supplies and clothing to replace the ones with holes. When we return we have more visitors as Bronia's university friend Lisa, her husband Oliver and 1 yr old baby Marley turn up to say hello. This is a nice surprise for Bronia, but not as much of a surprise than the fact that Lisa is four months pregnant ! Must be something in the water here. At this point I strictly forbid Bronia to drink anything from the taps. We are also joined by Lisa's mum Dexada, with whom Bronia has a great rapport, and we chat for a fair while as
everyone catches up with events.
Our first 'tourist' stop is a trip to
Granville Island with Natalie and Kostia. This was once a small industrial island in
False Creek of warehouses and dockyards which over the years fell into disuse and the island bit was filled in to become part of the mainland. The main converted warehouse now a large food and drink market surrounded by the premises of various artisans, fringe theatre folk, funky restaurants and a boat marina. It is lovely to just stroll round and soak up a spot of "civilisation". As well as the assortment of crafts and home-made goods on display in the old warehouses (now stores), there are street musicians, graffiti artists and performers of various kinds helping to promote a creative atmosphere. We even have some time to evaluate the local beer-makers wares in the
Granville Island Brewery here. Very good it was too I must say.
The next 'must' for visitors is a climb up nearby
Grouse Mountain. I am told there is a famous walk called the
Grouse Grind which is a steep 1 hour hike up the mountain which local Vancouverites put themselves through as a sort of
outdoors 'stairmaster' for fitness sake. Oh good - I can barely wait. When we got there unfortunately the walk was closed for repairs to the trail. Not to worry though, there was an alternative climb that lasted for two hours instead, but was just as steep. Kostia, who joined us, disappeared up the track like a mountain goat, leaving both Bronia and I wheezing and sweating way behind. I blame the bottle of water I was carrying - way too heavy. Eventually we emerged from forest into sunlight and I thought we'd made it, only to discover that we were at the bottom of a ski-slope and it was still a gruelling half hour straight uphill. Whenever we stopped it was only to admire the view and not recover our breath. Honest.
When we made it to the top it had been completely worthwhile, despite having a sweat-soaked T-shirt. The views were simply breathtaking. From here we were at such a height and the day was so clear that we could clearly see
Mount Baker, a dormant volcano, over the border in the
USA. Whilst at the top of
Grouse we took in a bird of prey show, saw
the two resident rescued Grizzly Bears and also had time to enjoy a performance by a lumberjack double act. It was a great afternoon and the weather couldn't have been more perfect. The trip back down was made via cable-car, much more efficient than walking, not to mention more comfortable.
Before going back to Natalie's house (our hotel) we decided to first stop at the site of the
Capilano Suspension Bridge. I must admit to having my reservations about this as I have a fear of heights, and I was right to be scared. The bridge is suspended above
Capilano Canyon (the clue is in the name), and it was a little too high, wobbly, and flimsy for my taste. However, like a true Brit I showed a stiff upper lip and crossed both times without incident. Only once on the way back did the lip wobble a touch when someone excessively swayed the bridge.
There was a lot of
Vancouver to cover and next up was
Stanley Park, approximately 10km in circumference and protruding into the sea from downtown
Vancouver like a green island oasis. This place must have the world's largest concentration of rollerbladers, and it
must come close in terms of joggers too, but why not exercise when you have somewhere this beautiful to do it in.
There is a famous Sea-Wall that runs around the circumference of
Stanley Park and we strolled around here for a while before driving to
Prospect Point, still inside the park. This is a scenic lookout spot from which there is a spectacular view of
Burrard Inlet and surrounding mountainside. There is a view around almost every corner in
British Columbia it seems. Even the family of wild raccoons that joined us seemed to appreciate it almost as much as we did.
The scenery hadn't yet finished for the day and as we pulled up to the beach in
English Bay and sauntered across the sand to sit on a washed up drift logs the sunset was treating us to a spectacular show. This stretch of sand and the harbour front is right in the heart of downtown
Vancouver and draws an eclectic mix of folks to enjoy the sights and sounds here.
The next thing we had organised when Bronia's family had returned to work, probably for a rest, was a visit to Lisa and
Oliver's flat in
Yaletown, part of downtown
Vancouver which is a very yuppy, funky neighbourhood almost like
Docklands in
London.
Lisa was at university with Bronia and they are still great friends. This was however, Bronia's first meeting with baby Marley who had arrived on the scene since Bronia's last visit. She was such a little sweetie that we both really enjoyed saying hi to her and it was a pleasure to spend time with the happy family.
During our time with them we visited the
Vancouver Aquarium in
Stanley Park which everyone enjoyed and Marley loved - especially the beluga whales. We then went for some very English tea and scones in an old fashioned tea shop in downtown
Vancouver where we were joined by Dex (Lisa's mum). From there we then popped over to
Gastown, the oldest district of the city and where
Vancouver started 150 or so years ago. Oliver and I went for a beer whilst the girls shopped. Then Oliver cooked us a superb meal that night despite having had to work.
Thomas Tours had also organised a trip with Marta (a high school friend of Bronia's) and her husband Colin to
Naramata, a small town in the
Okanagan region of
British Columbia. This area is fast becoming well known for wine production after having long been known as a summer destination for those from the
West Coast. In contrast to the temperate rain forest climate of the coast the
Okanagan (in fact the name of the vast lake here) is actually semi-arid desert.
Colin was kind enough to drive us for the five hour journey through some of the most incredible countryside imaginable, and in fact he chauffeured us for the whole weekend. Marta supplied the food, drink and generally made us feel spoilt.
Colin's father's family originates in the small town of
Naramata and most are still there, and it was thanks to these guys that our stay was so special; their hospitality was fantastic. We stayed in a caravan right on the shore of the lake and spent the few days here hiking, chatting, building bonfires, watching the start of the salmon run, wine-tasting, going out on their speedboat, chatting some more and eating fruit that we picked right from Colin's family orchards. Superb. It was great meeting these guys who I had heard so much about.
We enjoyed their company tremendously.
Our two cats that we have left behind in the
UK are called
Sasamat and
Buntzen after two lakes in the
Vancouver area that Bronia used to frequent, so it seemed only right and proper that we should go and take a look at them. It was a day that Kostia had off to hang out with us so we all drove out to spend a few hours exploring the area.
Sasamat Lake is large and round (rather like the cat), surrounded by pine trees and picnic areas where families can come and enjoy the outdoors, mainly in the summer. It is common for people to hike the 45min round the lake or to take a dip here in the clear deep water, although when we went it would have been a little too cold, and besides we'd forgotten our costumes (phew!).
Buntzen Lake is a little more secluded than
Sasamat and the lake itself is much larger, longer and thinner, taking about 2.5hrs to walk around it. Here the trails are more rugged and wild and the forest has pushed its way right to the waters edge. I'm told bear sightings
here are common.
We enjoyed visiting both places, and I found it nice to be able to put a lake to the cat - I'm sure that makes sense in a warped kind of way.
Vancouver Island
Most people that aren't familiar with
Western Canada either think that
Vancouver Island is actually
Vancouver the city, or didn't know there was an island at all. I'm afraid that until fairly recently I fell into the latter category.
It is an island almost the size of
Britain, with a population of only 3-4 million people and is renowned for its natural beauty and its wildlife. This is why I was incredibly excited when we decided to hire a car and catch the ferry over to spend the best part of a week exploring it.
We landed in
Nanaimo on the east coast of
Vancouver Island and drove up the coastline before cutting west and across to the other side about halfway up the island to
Tofino where we would stay for a few days.
On the way we first took a rest-stop at
Parksville Beach. The town here isn't very much to see but there is
a huge shallow crescent of sand here that stretches off to the horizon at low tide.
We also detoured to
Qualicum Falls where we got the chance to walk into the forest and enjoy the fantastic rushing water torrents that surge their way down through the rock valleys that have been carved between the trees.
Finally we stopped to admire the massive ancient Red Cedars and Douglas Firs of
Cathedral Grove which have been standing for several centuries and are some of the last protected old growth forests in
British Columbia. Sadly it is a constant battle on this side of
Canada between the environmentalists who want to save the forests, and the lumber industry who earn huge money for the trees they log.
When we arrived in
Tofino it seemed like everywhere we asked for rooms was full but we eventually found
Red Crow B&B which has to rank as one of the nicest places we have ever stayed. The view of
Tofino and
Clayoquot Sound (name given to region up there) from the gorgeously cosy and old fashioned room was worth the money on its own. Also, according to the owner, one of the local
Black Bears had been using his driveway as a thoroughfare, which added to the feel of the wilderness. Perfect.
The town of
Tofino was picture postcard stuff with a backdrop of distant mountains, while small green islands punctuated the inlet and the
Pacific Ocean as far as the eye could see.
The coastline on this part of the island was dotted with superb isolated beaches and coastal walks along rugged cliffs. People come here year round to camp, surf, hike or watch winter storms crash into the rocky crags and outcrops that are the signature of these shorelines.
Amongst these supremely picturesque spots we visited were the
Pacific Trail and
Halfmoon Bay at
Ucluelet, as well as
Long Beach (miles and miles of sand) and
Wickinninish Beach near
Tofino.
One of the undoubted highlights of our stay here, and deserving of a special mention, was our whale-watching trip. This entailed setting out to sea on board a small motor launch in the hope of finding some Grey Whales that had recently been sighted here.
As our small boat entered a place called
Cow Bay, the engine was switched off and we were asked to look
for the spout or blow of the whale's breathing. You could have heard a pin drop as we scoured the waves. Suddenly,
"There !!!"
, and we all focused on a piece of water a few hundred metres away. Then a huge dark hump appeared from the water and disappeared only to re-appear a few seconds later accompanied by a fountain of water from the blowhole of the whale.
Soon we had established that there were four of these magnificent creatures in the sea around us, seemingly oblivious to the presence of the boat. We watched them feeding (scooping up the sand and sieving it for shrimps) and surfacing for air over and over again for about an hour or so before we said goodbye. We also managed to find a bachelor colony of Steller Sea Lions and some Harbour Seals at close range, as well as a Bald Eagle on his island perch. What a fantastic excursion.
It had been prearranged that we would drive down to the southern tip of the island to
Victoria, the provincial capital of
British Columbia, where we would meet up with Kostia, Natalie and of course Saffron (the family Golden Retriever) at
Albion Manor at Ryan's, a B&B owned by some close friends of theirs, Don and Fernando.
After a sensational drive through more incredible countryside we were soon all together wandering around the centre of the city of
Victoria, browsing the shops and soaking up the very European, almost British, ambiance of the place.
There were some museums, some official state buildings, and the grand old colonial
Empress Hotel right in front of a harbour that was filled with very expensive looking yachts.
When we arrived at our B&B lodgings Bronia and I were delighted to find a fabulous old house, over a hundred years old, that had been converted into a number of pristine rooms that oozed charm and character. We were also delighted that Don and Fernando were such fantastic hosts and that they were able to join us for dinner each night.
During our
Victoria visit with Kostia and Natalie we visited the small fishing town of
Sooke about 20km away, which provided us an afternoons entertainment on the shingle beaches, skimming stones, making cricket bats out of driftwood, playing boules with stones, and building driftwood sculptures which we then knocked down with the stones
(Kostia led me astray..... honestly).
We also spent many happy hours just wandering in
Victoria and watching the street entertainers do their thing. In fact, most of our mornings during our stay were taken up by chatting with the other guests about various topics over breakfast.
The day after we arrived back from
Vancouver Island it happened to be Natalie's birthday. As well as being there for the unwrapping of the presents and the birthday lunch of sushi, we were able to join in the celebrations by helping to surprise her with a meal in the
Top of Vancouver restaurant.
This luxurious place actually revolves some 553ft above downtown
Vancouver and as luck would have it we caught the last remnants of the sunset as we arrived. We had a marvellous evening that was filled with good food and great company while we absorbed another phenomenal view.
It was really difficult for Bronia to find time to show me around and also to make time to see everyone that she would like to. By the time our last few days rolled round we still wanted to see so many more people and with this in mind
The Vancouver skyline
Vancouver, BC, Canada we packed the diary with social events.
Between 1993 and 2000 Bronia worked at an animal hospital near her home and she still keeps in touch with many of her ex-colleagues. One of these friends Elaine and her husband Craig were kind enough to invite us both over for a meal one night and we enjoyed a lovely evening and yet more tremendous hospitality.
We had been looking forward to catching up with another two of Bronia's high school friends, Ariana and Yuko, who live in the same apartment building, so it was fantastic that we managed to arrange a date with these guys. The area in which they live,
Commercial Drive, is a fantastic mixture of cultures from Portuguese, Italian and South American to Russian and Turkish, with a blend of restaurants and bars that reflect this diversity.
We were taken to a Cuban restaurant for the evening and had a splendid time. Ariana's husband Eduardo kept me company, and also sane, as the girls chatted the night away. After dinner we headed back to their apartment where Eduardo entertained us with his latin music that he composes, and we all continued to become acquainted and
re-acquainted over a bottle of red wine. The friendliness of the people in my
Vancouver experience is something that I will really remember, and made the trip all the more enjoyable.
Our final dinner engagement took place on our final night here at Dex's house in
Port Moody, a district in
Greater Vancouver that sits right above the water of
Burrard Inlet. Dexada and Bronia go back a long way and have a special friendship of their own, although they met through Lisa & Chad (Dex's children) some years ago. We were joined by Lisa, Oliver and baby Marley, and also Chad (Lisa's brother), his partner Tracey and their two little one's Chloe (5yrs) and Ryan (3mths).
It was another fantastic evening of socialising and storytelling, and once again I was made to feel so welcome and comfortable. I think my abiding memory of this first visit to
British Columbia will be the hospitality and warmness of the people I met which has achieved the almost impossible by overshadowing the sublime natural beauty of the landscapes here.
I have met so many people, most of whom are mentioned in the blog. We would like to acknowledge the
following people who made the effort to visit us and say hello :- Merle, John & Heather, Grace, Jameila, Tamara & Ron, Tara, Deb & the staff of BAH, Nicole Coatta, Mr. Kemecsey and the family Hancock.
A special thank you to Natalie for letting us use her house as our 5-star hotel with full amenities. Also thank you to Kostia for being our city guide and chauffeur.
During our stay I asked several people what were the negative aspects of living in
Vancouver. Most often the question is greeted with a furrowed brow and a moment of silence before eventually an answer of
too much rain'
, is given. If that is all people could dredge up as a minus then it shows you how special the place is.
People of
Vancouver - we'll be back.....
A bit of shameless promotion for Bronia's friends Don & Fernando that own the B&B in Victoria - here is their link if you are interested in staying at a fantastic place right in the heart of downtown Victoria on Vancouver Island (dog & children friendly).Click here for Ryan's B&B - Albion Manor
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Nonie
non-member comment
Hope you have a good visit!!
Hey B. sorry we didn't get to see each other. Would have loved to! Busy with my new business venture I am starting...will tell you about it soon. Hope you have a good visit and looking forward to more exciting adventures from you and Dave. Will write to you soon @ your home address. Love, nonie