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[Canadian Flag Graphic]

Canada - A BC Journey

 

 

 [maple leaf bullet]Canadian Facts and Figures

Population:

Canada
30,770,000
Greater Vancouver Regional District 1,987,000
City of Vancouver 500,000
Greater Victoria 320,000
City of Victoria 74,150
Nelson 9,300
Invermere 2,965
Calgary 860,750
   
UK 59,756,000
London 7,172,100
Swindon 180,200
Wootton Bassett 11,000

Population Density:

Population Density - Canada
3.1 per sq km
Population Density - UK 244.1 per sq km

Ethnicity - Greater Vancouver:

Canadian
378,545
English 475,075
Chinese 347,985
East Indian 142,060
Filipino 61,550
Japanese 27,040
Korean 29,180
Pakistani 5,680
Punjabi 11,965
Sri Lankan 2,025
Tamil 975
Vietnamese 22,865
Other Asian 31,600
American 24,855
Dutch 67,160

Vancouver has the largest Asian population in Canada. At 682,930 (34%), this is a significantly larger group than those who identify as either Canadian or English. Interesting, too, that there are more people of English than Canadian origin.

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[maple leaf bullet]Canadian Impressions, Hearsay and Things We Didn't Know!

[maple leaf bullet] Clean air - even in Vancouver!
[maple leaf bullet] Manerliness wherever we went - both courtesy and friendliness. People seem genuinely interested in each other and very 'open'.
[maple leaf bullet] Perhaps inherent in the above, our impression was that most parents handle their children with infinite patience, concern and courtesy.
[maple leaf bullet] In Vancouver, a truly multi-ethnic fusion - one of the few places in Europe or North America where I've not felt myself to be part of the racial majority; I'm not sure there is one! Restaurants combine cultures and cuisines, art brings together traditional and modern cultures, seasoning them with multi-ethnic influences.
[maple leaf bullet] European diseases decimated the native population.
[maple leaf bullet] Those families who survived saw their children taken from them and placed in institutions to learn the 'new ways', in many of which abuse was rife.
[maple leaf bullet] Potlaches, ceremonial feasts central to First Nations social order, were banned until the 1970s.
[maple leaf bullet] The only places you see billboards on the highway are Indian Reserves - technically, they are not allowed, but there are things that First Nations communities can - and do - get away with.
[maple leaf bullet] All these issues, as well as land rights, create some tensions. We heard a range of views and emotions - guilt, remorse for past wrongs, anger at people wanting the best of both worlds, resentment at the way rules are bent. Although the seeds exist, there seems a way to go to reach a genuine mutual respect and harmony.
[maple leaf bullet] There is lots of red tape in Canada.
[maple leaf bullet] In rural communities at least, people often turn a blind eye to the red tape - there a healthy pinch of anarchy!
[maple leaf bullet] A dot on the map may not mean a town or village as we tend to think of it but may mark the focal point of a widely spaced settlement spread over 40 square miles or more (Cherryville).
[maple leaf bullet] Water rights are a big issue when buying land or property - a good well, spring or creek can be vital. There is no guarantee that new dwellings can be supported from an existing infrastructure. This will become even more important as water supplies dwindle.
[maple leaf bullet] Small communities do not always have a fire service. In Cherryville this summer, local people banded together to put out a forest fire that cost the community $250,000.
[maple leaf bullet] Salaries have tended to remain fairly static in Canada for some years and income has not kept pace with the rest of the world, making it harder for Canadians to travel abroad, though there are signs of an upturn.
[maple leaf bullet] Partly as a result of this there is some industrial unrest.
[maple leaf bullet] BC is struggling with a recession, not helped by SARS, fire and, most recently, flood.
[maple leaf bullet] Many Canadians continue to have a sense that the US does its best to plunder Canada's resources.
[maple leaf bullet] Health and other services are increasingly being centralised, not always to the obvious benefit of the more rural areas.
[maple leaf bullet] Student debt after University is as big an issue in Canada as in Britain.
[maple leaf bullet] Fundamentalism is alive and kicking in parts of Canada, including a Mormon polygamist community in Bountiful, south of Creston (near the US border).
[maple leaf bullet] When walking in the wilds, you should make plenty of noise - singing, perhaps carrying a 'bear-bell' or bullhorn. Bears are no more keen to come face to face with you than you are with them and the biggest risk is taking them by surprise.
[maple leaf bullet] Fish are getting smaller as the rivers and lakes are getting warmer.
[maple leaf bullet] West Nile virus, borne by mosquitos, will probably reach BC next year having been a major problem further East in 2003.
[maple leaf bullet] Cutbacks in the statistical analysis of environmental damage mean that there is no longer proof that damage is being done by logging etc. We even heard talk of chlorine plants at spring-heads, despite the environmental implications!
[maple leaf bullet] BCs main cash crop is hemp.
[maple leaf bullet] Not a single incomer we talked to expressed any regrets!

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[maple leaf bullet]Canadian Links

Places we stayed in

[Between Friends photo]   Between Friends B & B, Kitsilano, Vancouver (www.betweenfriends-vancouver.com )
Our first home from home! A great start to our holiday, with wonderful breakfasts and good company. It was also very convenient for exploring. Simone is a delightful and informative host.
We particularly liked Kitsilano, an area of Vancouver just south of Downtown, with its own sense of community and flavour. Between Friends is just down a side street from the main thoroughfare and only ten minutes or so from Downtown by bus. At the bottom of the road was the beach and a lovely shore walk, which we followed to Granville Island (only 10 minutes walk by the more direct route).
[Qualicum Inn - Photo]   Qualicum Inn, Qualicum, Vancouver Island (www.qualicumheritageinn.com)
Originally a boys' boarding school and very English! A pleasant place to stay with a dining room looking out towards Vancouver across the water - we watched the Alaska cruise ships go by as we ate an excellent dinner - I can thoroughly recommend smoked loin of lamb.
[Adera Cottage - Photo]   Adera Cottage B & B, Vancouver (www.aderacottage.com)
Once again we struck lucky, with a hot tub under the stars in the back garden and a house filled with the work of local artists, as well as its Rev's own artful touches. Another very pleaseant area, a little further from downtown. Doug's excellent blueberry pancakes set us up well for the first stage of our 'journey'.
[Kane Valley B & B - Photo]   Kane Valley B & B (South of Merrit) (www.kanevalleybb.com)
This was our first stop out of Vancouver and somewhere we definitely did not want to leave.
Set out in the wilds in a beautiful valley just south of Merritt, it is a wonderfully restorative place. Host Fern Ouellet made us so welcome, with an appetiser of cream cheese, chilli relish and crackers. The guest suite includes a kitchen and two double beds as well as a settee and TV/Video with a huge collection of films to choose from.
[Artist's House - Photo]   The Artist's House B & B, Sicamous (www.artistshouse.ca)
Another excellent choice! Built in 1922, the house stands on the hillside just at the edge of town on the CPR Hillside, overlooking Shushwap Lake. Sunset from the house was magical.
The house is full of quirky, colourful and original features and artworks. Vicky is a delightful hostess and our breakfast of french toast with forrest fruits, maple syrup and whipped cream was among the best.
[Weeping Willow Creek - Photo]   Weeping Willow Creek Guest House, Cherryville (www.weepingwillowcreek.com)
Weeping Willow Creek is another lovely log cabin, cool in winter, cosy in summer, situated in the wilds bordering the Monashee Forest Reserve. Joy, our host, was a mine of information about many things and served up another great breakfast, including yummy fresh fruit muffins. It is important to note that, 'out in the boonies', eating places tend to close as early as 7pm.
[Rabia's Guest House - Photo]   Rabia's Guest House (www3.telus.net/rabia/Guest-House.htm)
A unique place to stay - accommodation is in strawbale cottages. The strawbales are coated in adobe and provide inexpensive but well insulated buildings. Set back from the beautiful Slocon river, Rabia's home and garden are full of interesting found and created objects, of colour, shadows and reflections. Once again, we were made truly welcome by our host.
[Beach Taghum - Photo]   Beach Taghum B & B (www.members.shaw.ca/beachtaghum/index.html)
We spent a couple of days based in Nelson, staying 6 miles from town at Beach Taghum, another idyllic setting on an arm of Kootenay Lake. Hosts Harold and Willa make canoes and bikes available, though we did not have time to use these or the hot tub! They are a mine of information about the area, having raised their family here.
[Delphine Lodge - Picture by Sebastian Bell]   Delphine Lodge, Wilmer (near Invermere and Panorama Ski Resort) (www.bbcanada.com/delphinelodge)
The Delphine Lodge was built as a hotel in 1899 and is now a Country Inn offering bed and breakfast. It is owned and run by Jill, Paul's father's cousin, and her husband, Sebastian. Although we stayed as family rather than paying guest, we can fully recommend this historic hotel. Both Jill and Sebastian are artists and have filled their home with interesting and lovely things, many taking inspiration from this beautiful area.

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Places we ate in

Hell's Kitchen, 2041 West 4th Avenue, Kitsilano (Vancouver) - excellent and multi-ethnic menu, friendly staff, funky vibe.

[Sandbar Roof Terrace - Photo]The Sandbar (www.vancouverdine.com), 1535 Johnston Street, Granville Island (Vancouver) - this was a truly special place to celebrate Paul's birthday. We managed to sit right in the corner of this roof terrace under the arches of Granville Bridge, watching the water-taxis skittering from shore to shore, surely one of the best view's in Vancouver. The food also put this in my 'Top 20' best meals around the world - not over complicated, but just right. I can thoroughly recommend a fish I had never heard of, Escalar.

Rebar (www.rebarmodernfood.com)50 Bastion Square, Victoria - cafe serving health and organic foods and juice bar. We had organic blueberry hotcakes to die for and Gina had 'Amour de Cosmos' - freshly squeezed pear, strawberry and grapefruit juice. Paul went less healthy with a cream topped hot chocolate.

The Hungry Wolf, Winlaw - Another eclectic menu, this time at the local roadhouse, teamed with very friendly and enthusiastic service.

All Seasons (www.allseasonscafe.com), 620 Herridge Lane, Nelson - how can you not go to a place that describes its food as 'left coast inland cuisine'?! We dined in a lovely back yard under patio heaters to lift the autumn chill. The menu is creative and international, the food and wine excellent. You will need a good map of Nelson, though!

Max & Irma's (www.maxandirmaskitchen.com), 515A Kootenay Street, Nelson - we enjoyed our steak ciabatta at lunch so much that we went back for supper! Casual cafe dining, pizzas cooked in a wood-fired oven, pasta and house specialties - often with live music. Regular themed international cuisine nights.

The Arden, 1112-17th Avenue SW, Calgary - classic diner for steak, burgers and so forth, named for Calgary singer/songwriter Jan Arden.

Banh Mi Trung Nguyen (Vietnamese Submarine), #10, 132-3rd Ave SE, Calgary (Chinatown) - a must for the best lunch in Calgary!

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Places we visted

[maple leaf bullet]Vancouver[Vancouver, False Creek from Granville Island - photo]

 

[maple leaf bullet]Seattle & Sequim

 

[maple leaf bullet]Vancouver Island[Cathedral Grove, Vancouver Island - Photo]

 

[maple leaf bullet]On Our Road Trip (General)

[Downtown Nelson - Photo]

[maple leaf bullet]Nelson

[View Over Lake Windermere - Photo]

[maple leaf bullet]Windermere Valley

 

[maple leaf bullet]The Rockies[Yoho National Park - Photo]

 

[maple leaf bullet]Calgary[Callebaut Chocolate Shop, Kensington, Calgary - Photo]

 

 

 

Back to Top [Calgary from the Airport - Photo]

 

General Links

We booked our flights through Expedia at a very reasonable price.

Our car was hire via UK Carhire Company - we even changed our booking details as we travelled by e-mail, with never a human contact and no hitches (OK, the automatic transmission went faulty, but that was probably just one of those things!). The hire was through Alamo.

We found many of our bed and breakfast's through BBCanada.com, though we tended to refine our search by looking at individual sites linked from here.

We also looked on the Western Canada Bed & Breakfast Innkeepers Association for accommodation in Vancouver.

Another recommendation we received for downtown Vancouver was the Sylvia Hotel, though they did not have rooms available.

British Columbia - www.britishcolumbia.com

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[maple leaf bullet]A holiday snap diary from Gina and Paul's Canadian adventure (2003):

[maple leaf bullet] In and around Vancouver

[US flag bullet] Seattle and Sequim

[maple leaf bullet] Vancouver Island

[maple leaf bullet] The Roadtrip

  • Vancouver to Kane Valley
  • Kane Valley to Sicamous
  • Sicamous to Cherryville
  • Cherryville to Winlaw
  • Winlaw to Nelson (Taghum)
  • Nelson to Wilmer
  • Wilmer to Calgary

[maple leaf bullet] Calgary

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