What is an Inukshuk?

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Quick! Where is the next Winter Olympics going to be held? The answer is Whistler, located about 2 hours (driving) north of Vancouver, Canada. That was my first Canadian destination during this trip.

I went to Vancouver to attend my niece’s graduation from University of British Columbia. It was an opportunity for me to have a quick family reunion. Unfortunately, Lauren couldn’t come along because of her work responsibilities.

I asked my niece to introduce me to a hotel that is close to the water. She did just that! So I was pleased to see the harbor and the marina when I opened up my curtain in the morning. Actually, I was more surprised to see a small airplane approaching for landing. Where was the runway? Once the plane got close enough, I realized it was a float plane that was going to land on water.

It was also nice to discover a Starbuck Coffee at the hotel lobby. That seems to be the story in my blogs - Starbuck Coffee in Paris or in San Antonio. I do like my coffee and muffins or banana bread in the morning. Starbuck is certainly a known entity with a consistent product throughout the world. I walked along the marina also … enjoying the cool and sunny morning breeze. There were a number of people doing their morning run. Vancouver is certainly very pedestrian friendly with a nice bicycle and pedestrian path along the water.

I left the hotel around 8:30am to pick up my sister, brother-in-law and nieces. Yes, two nieces - both going to school in Vancouver. My sister and brother-in-law were staying in their apartment while I stayed in a hotel. But then again, I had a rental car and it was easy for me to move around the city.

My graduating niece, Priscilla, was the tour guide for the day and directed me to Highway 99, past Stanley Park and Lions’ Gate Bridge, through West Vancouver and continuing north on Sea to Sky Highway. It was a very scenic drive with the bay on the left hand side and Bowen Island and Gambier Island further west. Priscilla told me that the highway was expanded in preparation for the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics. We did run into a number of road constructions throughout the journey.

It was an easy drive and there was not that much traffic. While everybody else on the back seat was sleeping, my niece and I tried to get caught up. I mentioned about this blog and about some of the trips that I planned already for the summer. In the meantime, she was excited to finally finish college. But then, there was the harsh reality of looking for a job in the midst of a global financial crisis.

As we started climbing up towards Whistler, we arrived at our planned rest area - Brandywine Falls. The waterfall is the main attraction inside this 143 hectare Brandywine Falls Provincial Park. Once I parked the car, we followed the sign and crossed a small wooden bridge. We followed a small walking trail to the right, beneath some towering fir trees, and crossed a railroad track. Not long after that, we reached a viewpoint platform with the 70 meter waterfall to our right. There were a number of other people on the platform - all taking pictures. It was not a big waterfall but it was beautiful … framed by the mountains and the trees with Daisy Lake to our left.

The walking trail continued and a wooden sign pointed us towards the Canyon Rim, located 180 meters away. We continued and quickly reached another fenced opening with an unblocked view of Daisy Lake and the surrounding Cheakamus valley. The mountains to the right and left still had snow at the top. It was still rather warm even though I realized we were at some altitude already.

Getting back on Sea to Sky Highway, it took us less than half hour to finally arrive at Whistler. Whistler is located about 78 miles north of Vancouver with a permanent population of approximately 10,000. However, over 2 million people visit Whistler every year for skiing, mountain biking and other outdoor activities. For 2010 Winter Olympics, Whistler will host the alpine technical and speed events, the sliding events, the Nordic events and all the Paralympics events except the opening ceremony.

Traffic started to get busier as we entered the city and we ran into more road constructions. Looking right towards the mountain, I could see terraces of condos and cabins crawling up a hill. I followed the signs for the Tourist Information Center and was led directly into the center of the city. After I parked the car, we all made our way into the tourist office. Yes, everyone was wide awake now!

The tourist office was surprisingly packed. We picked a Monday to go to Whistler, thinking that we could avoid all the visitors. And I thought Whistler was a winter destination only. I was wrong. Here we were - in the middle of May and I still saw quite a number of people carrying skis and snowboards. Others were riding their mountain bikes. Whistler is still a happening place on a Monday in May.

A man behind the counter gave us a map of Whistler and its immediate vicinity. He circled Whistler Village which was the main pedestrian commercial area - with hotels around the perimeter and restaurants and shops in the middle. But the main attraction to Whistler is still a 20-minute gondola ride away. So my brother-in-law bought the tickets for all of us.

We walked into Whistler Village on the way to the gondola station with a quick stop over at a convenience store so that my sister could get some water. It was past noon already and we had a nice, warm and sunny day. There were not that many people walking around inside the pedestrian only Whistler Village. Stores were opened but had minimal foot traffic. I was sure that the scene would be completely different during the winter months.

Once we got close to the gondola station, we noticed a rather long line. But everyone had a mountain bike. An arrow directed visitors to a different area where we walked right in and skipped the entire line. Apparently, the long line was only for those with mountain bikes. Tourists, like us, had a separate waiting area - without a line at all. Good deal.

All 5 of us jumped into a gondola and soon we were slowly moving up the mountain. Before long, we had a clear view of Whistler and noticed a couple of large resorts to our right, adjacent to a lake (we later found out it was the Fairmont and Four Seasons located on the eastern part of Whistler). There were also a number of visible trails for mountain bikers. We were never too far off the ground and it was not a scary ride, with all the trees and bushes around and underneath us.

The gondola arrived at a station 10 minutes later and slowed down. The door opened and we all started walking out till an attendant told us to go back in if we wanted to reach the mountain top. Apparently, this was the stop for the mountain bikers only. That would make sense because I didn’t see any snow yet.

The second half of the journey was a more typical gondola ride in a ski resort. The climb was much steeper and the ground below us turned white. We started getting a view of the snow capped mountains around us. And looking down below, skiers and snowboarders were having a great time going down the slope. Again, I had to remind myself that this was May.

The gondola arrived at a rather large building at the top of the mountain. All white around us now! We made a quick turn from the gondola station to the main building, called Roundhouse Lodge, with gift shops and bathrooms on the main floor. Going up a flight of stairs, we arrived at the food hall … quite a number of options to choose from. There was a deli bar, a barbecue grill bar and others that I did not check since I went straight for a cheeseburger at the grill. After all, it was way past lunch time.

We found a table inside, close to the patio door. There were lots of tables on the patio also but it was rather cool outside, albeit sunny. We did see quite a number of people wearing short sleeves though. Not us - our blood was too thin for this temperature. That’s the result of growing up in the tropics.

After our short lunch, we walked out to the patio. As we were enjoying our meal, there was a constant stream of people taking pictures at the edge of the patio. Why? We could barely see Whistler down below. But the main attraction was this stone sculpture Inukshuk that was placed a few yards away from the edge of the patio. Inukshuk, meaning “something which acts for or performs the function of a person”, is a man made stone landmark used by the Inuit and other people of the Arctic region of North America. It is also increasingly used as a national symbol of Canada. As such, Inukshuk is the mascot logo of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

We didn’t want to miss the boat and waited for our opportunity to take our pictures in front of Inukshuk without all the other tourists. We didn’t want to get too close though because that would mean that we had to navigate ourselves on the slippery snow/ice surface. We continued to walk around the building, climbing up another set of stairs to arrive at a wooden deck with the view of the mountain behind us. There were a number of ski lifts but they didn’t appear to be that busy at all. There were several rows of racks for snow boards and skis right outside the building and these were not full either.

We walked outside the main building and explored the grounds. I could now see the names of the ski runs - names such as Upper Whiskey Jack or Jolly Green Giant. Who came up with these names? In general, I think there were more snowboarders at Whistler that day. We didn’t see lots of families with small children. The snowboarders were predominantly teenagers and young adults.

We only spent a little over an hour and before long, we got back in the gondola and headed down to Whistler Village again. It was getting a little cloudy and it was a good time to walk the rest of the village. I walked into a shoe store and was shocked to see the prices - definitely a lot more expensive than in USA. So instead, I decided to go to my usual Starbuck Coffee for a little caffeine boost. At the end of the village, we reached the official gift shop for 2010 Winter Olympics. Again, we walked out empty handed. There was a large selection but we just didn’t find anything special.

Satisfied with our tour of Whistler Village, we got back into the rental car and headed to Lost Lake on the northeastern part of town. We drove past a golf course and finally found the lake, hidden behind the trees. It was a small lake with the mountain views in the background, a small grass area where a few people were relaxing; children riding their bikes and dogs running around on the sandy beach. There were picnic tables and barbecues at one corner of the grassy area, in front of a concession area that was not opened. A couple was sunbathing on the wooden board that was floating in the middle of the lake. It was a nice secluded place for those who are spending time in Whistler.

On the way out of town, we drove by the luxurious Fairmont and Four Seasons resorts. We saw them on the way up in our gondola. The golf course we saw earlier must be attached to one of these resorts. I didn’t see a lot of activities at both resorts but I am certainly convinced that Whistler is a year round playground with activities such as snowboarding and skiing, mountain biking and golfing, hiking and fishing - all in cool and crisp mountain air.

It was a rather quick drive back to Vancouver. But traffic started crawling as we approached Lion’s Gate Bridge. Priscilla warned me about Vancouver’s rush hour traffic. So instead of wasting time in this traffic congestion, we decided to go to Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver first. Lonsdale Quay, located along the waterfront in North Vancouver, has a farmer’s market, restaurants and specialty shops. My sister and brother-in-law went inside the multi storey complex while I walked along the waterfront with my nieces. The waterfront offers a view of Vancouver’s skyline across the water, mixed with occasional ferry traffic. We found a bench and enjoyed the view as the sun was setting.

We had no problem crossing Lion’s Gate Bridge past 7:00pm. Then the debate turned into “what’s for dinner?” My sister made the mistake of asking me. My immediate answer was Indian food which was promptly greeted by her disapproval. She didn’t verbally say it but her facial expression gave it away. Well, you asked! At the encouragement of the rest of the family, she reluctantly agreed and Priscilla - the navigator - gave me the directions to Samosa Garden. The restaurant was not that crowded and had an all you can eat buffet, which was perfect for us. I thought my sister even enjoyed her dinner. I didn’t want to ask to confirm one way or the other though.

It was a good first day in Vancouver and the weather cooperated. I did walk along the waterfront again that night ... after dropping off the rest of the family back at their apartment. I wanted the chance to get some fresh air after a very satisfying dinner.

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Photos

Morning marina view
Surprised to see that plane coming in for a landing

Brandywine Falls
On Sea to Sky Highway before reaching Whistler

Brandywine Falls
With my sister, brother-in-law and niece

Gondola ride
Whistler is also a popular mountain biking destination

Inukshuk
Mascot for 2010 Winter Olympics

Whistler Mountain
With Inukshuk and Whistler Village down below

Whistler Mountain
One last group picture outside the gondola station

Whistler Village
Quiet May afternoon at the village

Lost Lake
Picnic tables overlooking the lake and the mountain

Lonsdale Quay
Relaxing while waiting for traffic at Lion's Gate Bridge to clear out

Lonsdale Quay
With a view of Vancouver skyline