Vancouver: Don’t let it fool you

Admittedly, I thought I was going to yawn my way to Vancouver. Waited last minute to pack my bags and dragged myself to LAX to board our non-stop flight to destination.

Meanwhile, I knew we were going to stay at the Fairmont Waterfront , so that thought made the idea of the trip appealing . Our room with a breathtaking view of the sea didn’t disappoint .

After less than 3 hours we landed YVR airport . Right away I notice how clean the streets are. People are friendly and the charming accent of the locals slowly grew on me.

As usual , I didn’t waste time and off we went to our first must-see .

To my delight , across our hotel are free shuttle services to most tourist spots . It took 18-20 minutes to get to our first stop , the famed Capilano suspended bridge . Considered one of Canada’s signature experience . Rightfully so. Not for the faint of heart. It’s high, about 110 feet from forest floor and quite narrow . But the unobstructed view of the rainforest vegetation and evergreen was awe inspiring . The cliff walk span 450 ft. There are also guided rain forest tour, tree house adventure and random sightings of exotic wild life from grey egret, white owl (same one in Harry Potter movie ) and assorted raptors . Most corners have  live instructors  to educate visitors about the wildlife and greeneries surrounding us .

 

Next day we beelined to Grouse mountain . Tired of the L.A smog , can’t wait to just soak up the clean mountain air and feel that crisp breeze on my face . The weather and the temperature were just perfect . The chair lift ride gave my tummy a weird wozzy feel and at times it was nauseating to look down .It was too steep and I felt so unprotected sitting in a hanging chair way up there with no seat belt and just a slim horizontal metal bar to “secure” us . But every time I muster the courage to look down and back , the view promised to captivate. It seriously evoked a sense of serenity and gratitude to be able to witness such display of nature’s grandeur .

One of the attractions was a lumber show . It was something I opposed to watch . Took some convincing. Simply had no desire . Nothing wrong with that . To each her own. I thought I wouldn’t be able to relate and would just be a total waste of my time . Again, it proved me wrong . I was amused and entertained the whole time. I guess the outdoor stage and the backdrop of beautiful, towering , lush trees with leaves of varying shapes and sizes amidst that altitude created an amazing overall sensory experience . Not to mention the wacky actors , their one of kind stunts and their comical script add to the whole dynamite experience .

After an exhausting long day , walked less than a mile to satisfy my curiosity . Craved to try this peanut butter jam burger . Mayo with pbj, how is that even edible ? Well, it actually tasted pretty good . Who would think that bacon jam and chipotle peanut sauce would create a balanced sweetness, creaminess and sourness to make this unique burger a hit ? Easy 2 Thumbs up, plus the place has the closest viewing distance to this amusing spectacle of sea planes as they taxi , take off and land right before our very eyes while we enjoyed our odd, but scrumptious flavored burger and delectable truffle garlic fries.

 

Third day it was drizzling. I enjoyed the hotel and stayed at the poolside. As I explored the hotel premise, I stumbled into a secluded beautifully manicured garden. The shrubs here and there were shaped like a maze with a glass house in the middle of it. The scent of the various herbs and fruit trees were so delicious . I took time out to do my 20 minute meditation there . The place just called for it. 

After having enough of the pool and with daily meditation out of the way , I strolled to the neighboring cobble stoned streets . Lo and behold, no clue that I was entering Vancouver’s oldest neighborhood, Gastown. It’s a historic landmark. The charm is in its preserved Victorian architecture with combined hip vibe of the stylish, unique boutiques, galleries and chic restaurants.

It was also amusing to spot the famous antique steam clock in that street . Every 15 minutes the whistle chimes and steam comes out . Tourist gather around to get entertained.

Another part of its charm is in the details like the vintage lamp posts that lined up the street.

While leisurely walking along the strip of retail shops , I was attracted to this jade store . I didn’t know British Columbia is quite known for the good quality jade mined right there, mostly throughout their western province . Who knew BC is the largest producer and exporter of Jade ? For most ASIAN people especially Chinese they regard jade as symbol of luck, beauty , wisdoms , social value and other positive virtues . Since I usually get a souvenir from each of my travels , I decided to get me an angel jade necklace and got some other types to give to folks back home . Why not spread the luck and good talisman to others too? Not to mention it truly is a pretty ornament. As a Chinese saying goes: ” gold has a value, but jade is invaluable “.

Two blocks from my hotel is the world renowned old handcrafted gelato place . It’s the winner of 2012 and 2014 Firenze gelato festival . Good news is , it totally lived up to the hype . It was worth the long line to taste the different flavors . It was a tough choice, but finally decided to order the mango sorbet and blueberry gelato . Do you know the difference between an ice cream, gelato and sorbet ?

 

06.30.18. On our last day we had an 8 hour packed touristy activities starting from Horse Shoe bay. It is a very scenic postcard worthy town where a small ordinary looking home starts with a price tag of over a million . Per our tour guide , real estate has spiked up in recent months and the government plans to intervene to help ease the homelessness crisis . What was interesting is that leading to the town it was brought to our attention that part of the pavement of the freeway over there are made of recycled ♻ tire . This apparently help reduce noise from all the vehicles that trek the place on an annual basis . Sure enough it was noticeable how our bus almost didn’t make any sound as it rolled it’s wheels on that side of the freeway . Interesting .

Next stop : Brittania mine 🚂.. Nope, I didn’t sign up for that. But it was included in our excursion . What do you know ? I actually enjoyed it . Packed with interesting historical narration , a train ride inside an actual 100 year old mining and lots of carefully selected exhibits of mementos and trivia’s are posted everywhere. All passenger were asked to wear a miner’s hard hat as we rode the miners train inside this mysterious, dark, extra chilly and narrow passage . It completed the experience as I imagined how it was in a day of a life of a miner back in the 20s. Never really considered myself claustrophobic but this train ride gave me episodes of that. After less than half an hour I have had enough. Regardless, I was still grateful for that learning experience. By the way , did you know miners in the 30’s were paid around $3.00 per day? You think that sucks ? Well, not really. During those days an apartment rent was around that per much month . So yes, they handled dynamite daily , worked in such hazardous working conditions in pitch dark except for flickers of candles or some improvised version of it for 8 hours but they were not exactly under paid .. Would you? Hats off to this hardworking men who risked a lot to give much to civilization and provide for their families .

The second highlight is the stroll and hike by Shannon falls – 3rd largest water falls in BC . 300 meters high. I’m always smitten by waterfalls so that was no surprise that I enjoyed the scenery very much .

Then the sea to sky gondola – one of steepest gondola in the world. It’s a 10 minute magical ride up to give a birds eye view of the town of Squamish with its rugged evergreens and stunning turquoise body of water.

 

Then just a quick last stop at picturesque Porteau cove, a popular scuba diving spot . Underneath the peaceful surface are artificial reefs plus 2 sunken vessels.

As I chat with other visitors from Los Angeles , we were all pretty much saying the same . BC is a hidden gem . It doesn’t have the hype like Exuma, Ibiza or Bora- bora. But it gave lots of surprises . We were blown away by the ethereal feel of the place . Pretty much everywhere we looked was an instagram moment (though I don’t have one ).

So, would I come back ? Yes. This time I would plan to explore Banff , Jasper and Lake Alberta .

My experience proved me wrong on so many levels . I was humbled to even have that incorrect impression of our neighbor country . It’s one of those where you take for granted what seems to be so accessible and so nearby . This was one of those times that I was happy to be proven wrong . I’m sure you’ve heard countless of times the old adage that goes something like “don’t judge”… “just be open to things and not be attached to anything”.. type of saying . Heed to it. It’s true . Have you ever had experience where you expected too much only to be disappointed afterwards ? This experience was the opposite of that . And of course I’d rather have it this way . Have low expectations and then be proven otherwise. As always, it’s all about managing expectations even with your travels . It’s a fact and I advocate that it’s through adventures that we learn and grow the most .. I’m ready for the next adventure .. are you ?

9 thoughts on “Vancouver: Don’t let it fool you”

  1. What an awesome adventure! I didn’t know all of that was in Vancouver – I don’t know about those bridges lol! Glad you were please try suprised, makes me want to visit!

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  4. Wow!! This is so inspirational. I’m in grad school right now so i can’t really travel at the moment but when I get the chance I would really like to follow in your footsteps…. uhh this trip is so beautiful 🙂

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