Subject: Hello from Vancouver!
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2006
I am currently in Vancouver, where I was an exchange student at the University of Bristish Columbia (UBC) from 1996 to 1997.
Since I last wrote from Yellowknife, I was fortunate enough to see the Northern Lights.
I put on three pairs of pants and marched out at 12:30 a.m. to look at the sky. The best viewing time is between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m.
The moving green-blue bands of light were faint and fuzzy but definitely visible.
I drove out onto the ice road in the middle of the frozen lake to get a better view, away from the downtown lights.
Unfortunately, in the 15 minutes it took me to get there, clouds had blown in and nothing was visible.But at least I got to see the Lights before the sky clouded over.
In contrast to Yellowknife, Vancouver is warm. Temperature is around 8 degrees Celsius and there is no snow in sight. Just gray skies, rain, rain and rain.
I heard that Vancouver once had 26 consecutive days of rain. Still, it is refreshing to see green grass again.
One thing that is noticeable about Vancouver is how many people of Asian-descent live around here.
Asian tourism is popular here in Vancouver and the city has a high concentration of Asian immigrants.
So many in fact, that I am getting sick of being mistaken for a Japanese tourist.
I noticed there are a lot more condominiums built around the lower downtown Vancouver area than there were during my exchange program time here.
While in town, I revisited University of British Columbia, my old stomping grounds.
I still remember my way around the campus; it hasn’t changed much.
Memories of lectures, tutorials and lab classes flooded back as I peeped in the corridors and rooms.
I am so glad that I did a student exchange program during my undergrad.
It led to my affinity with Canada and gave birth to my desire to travel.
After Vancouver, I traveled to Nelson, a small, picturesque B.C. town in the Kootenays.
It’s an eight hour drive east/inland towards the Rockies. It’s a mountainous region with steep valleys, rivers and lakes.
This area is famous for its outdoor activities like skiing, hiking, kayaking and canoeing. The town attracts a mix of people; many hippies, artists and outdoor lovers come here.
It’s an interesting contrast to the logging mills, paper mills and hydro-dams that litter the landscape.
My friend Jackie took me snowshoeing at the Kootenay Pass (apparently the highest mountain pass in Canada at 1,800m above sea level) and cross-country skiing.
We also went hiking up a little mountain called “Lion’s Head” and we got lost!
Personally, I’m blaming it on the snow as it covered our tracks and we were unable to trace our steps back.
After the outdoors, we rested our limbs at Ainsworth hot springs. It has an outdoor tub and a cave (but geologically it’s really a tunnel, in my opinion).
To save myself some travelling time, I flew from Nelson to Victoria instead of taking the bus and ferry.
Victoria is a gorgeous city. It has a small, beautiful harbour and lots of old buildings probably built around the late 1800s.
It is the most “English” of all the Canadian cities. It reminds me a little bit of Hobart, Australia.
I visited the usual tourist destinations like the B.C. National Legislation Building and the Royal B.C. Museum.
I also had Victorian cream chocolate from ‘Roger’s Chocolate’ and drank tea at ‘Murchie’s’.
This my last 24 hours in Canada and I have to bid farewell to all the lovely Canadian friends I’ve met in my time here.
I’m leaving this continent for Europe and who knows when I’ll be back here again.
I will leave Canada with many new friends and treasured memories (and of course, my new found passion for curling).
Thank you all for making my stay in Canada such a joyous one.
Farewell to you Canada and hello to Europe!
Love, SYS
