25 September 2022
On leaving Montreal, our original plan had been to check out Canada’s eastern seaboard - Quebec, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island - but an impending hurricane there forced us to change our plans and so we flew off in the other direction (almost 5000km) to Vancouver.
The downtown hotel prices again being somewhat exhorbitant, we rented a room in a guest house in the suburb of Richmond, south of the airport. It was kept by a lovely Chinese-Canadian lady, Selina, who proved to be a kind and considerate host, even taking us into her own home when her guesthouse was fully booked. Downtown Vancouver was a 40 minute Uber ride away, public transport took considerably longer.
Vancouver was the first place we had visited where we could imagine ourselves actually living there. It easily earns its reputation as one of the world’s most beautiful cities, surrounded by the sea and hugged by soaring mountains – reflected in seemingly endless gleaming glass skyscrapers. But it’s not just good looks that makes Vancouver worthy of our praise, there is also a dynamic culinary scene, a cultural landscape of galleries, museums and theatre, and a shopper’s paradise of big name designers.
Vancouver is a relatively modern city: it was incorporated in 1886, but for countless generations before colonisation, it was home to a thriving Indigenous Coast Salish population; we took a bus from Selinas house to the University of British Columbia campus, the location of the Museum of Anthropology, and home to the largest collection of Pacific Northwest First Nations art. A highlight was definitely 'The Raven and the First Men', a large shining yellow cedar sculpture which shows the Haida legend of when Raven found the first humans in a clamshell on the beach.
Where best to find our city bearings than at the Harbour Centre, a skyscraper in Downtown Vancouver featuring a "Lookout" tower atop the office building. One of the tallest structures in Vancouver, it features a 360-degree viewing deck, offering wonderful views of the city and beyond.
Vancouver is known as one of the best places in the world for pan-Asian cuisine and after a somewhat gruelling 4 hour walking tour of downtown Vancouver (including the oldest neighbourhood in the city, Gastown), we feasted on a ramen at Marutama where they make the noodles fresh in-house, and the broth is a silky collagen-rich chicken base. Next door is the Vancouver Public Library, where there happened to be a book sale, and we bought some excellent second hand editions for as little as USD 3 each.
Second only to Niagara Falls, Granville Island is one of Canada’s most popular tourist destinations; best known for its foodie abundance, it is also a hub for artists, crafters and designers. We spent a relaxing couple of hours there browsing and just enjoying the views across the bay. Oh, and we also sampled some of Lee’s Donuts too (the honey-dip are highly recommended).
There’s something about being surrounded by dazzling wild nature that makes you want to dive straight in to explore, and Vancouver gives plenty of opportunity to indulge. Everywhere its sporty locals were running, climbing, biking, and paddling the city parks, mountains and waters – just minutes from the downtown core. Easy to understand why Vancouver so frequently makes it into the top of any Most Liveable City poll. Apparently a downside is the frequently rainy weather (as its nickname of the Rain City implies) but we were blessed with blue skies and sunshine from dawn to dusk when we were there.
Another bus ride from downtown took us to Stanley Park, another very iconic Vancouver experience. While most visitors pedal it along its paved and flat five-and-a-half-mile Seawall, we just walked and admired the glorious, scenic views: the Lion’s Gate Bridge and the intricately carved totem poles at Brockton Point were the highlights but we also enjoyed the wild nature and cooling shade of the cedar, hemlock and Sitka spruce trees.
Vancouver has one of the highest concentrations of overseas Chinese people in North America, and a long history of Chinese Canadians. Many of them lived around Chinatown which today is unfortunately in a very sorry state, though through no fault of the Chinese. The area has been taken over by vagrants and drug addicts and is frequently the scene of violent incidents. Selina did warn us...
After a few days in the city, it was time to head off on a ferry over to Vancouver Island and its capital, Victoria.
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