Vancouver Lookout!

(photos were taken from Karen Moen and Wikipedia)

Before we even got our papers for Canada, I would always come across these aerial pictures of Vancouver. I was hoping that when our plane was about to land, I would catch a glimpse of the same picture. Unfortunately, it was cloudy and drizzling when we arrived. Tsk tsk.


However, the next best thing is to check out the Vancouver Lookout! Tower at the Harbour Centre (I need to get used to using -our instead of -or and -tre instead of -ter as it is the practice here in Canada). Located at the heart of Vancouver's downtown, it features a viewing deck and a revolving restaurant, not to mention a priceless view. In fact, I even heard from a local that it is a popular site for couples especially when the guy is ready to propose.

As it is always good to hit two birds with one stone, we decided to skip the viewing deck and went to have dinner at the revolving restaurant instead. Anyway, it will still give us the view that we wanted plus a sumptuous dinner of fresh BC Salmon. It was simply the best. The slow revolution (60 minutes for a full revolution) allowed us to take our time to see the city - both in daylight and with its evening lights. As you can see, during summer, the sun sets at around 8:30 pm here so it was only until after that that we got to see the city lights.

Unfortunately, as I was too amazed by the food, the great view and the fact that it was fine dining (so it will look jologs if I start going around the deck taking pictures). Anyway, as I was looking around the net for pictures, I came across these pictures from Karen Moen and one of them was a perfect example of the type of view that we got. Check this out.

Wasn't that great? Now you know why it is Vancouver's most romantic spot. But I sure didn't mind spending it with my family (hehehe).

Vancouver's Quaint Places

I've always had a thing for old things - antique buildings, yellowing pages of old books, and the striking poses of sepia pictures. In fact, what I loved about Manila was its old district - the famous Intramuros. It's a welcome change to see calesas on cobbled roads after much despise on the smoke-belching jeepneys and buses.

With Vancouver, to get a taste of its olden times when it was still a burgeoning city, it would be best to visit Granville and Gastown.

Granville

Who would have thought that this small island with candy colored signs and stalls was once the industrial area of Vancouver? While you can still see the remnants of industrialism - old chimneys, steel warehouse gates, large steel pipes - the candy hues have given the place a total makeover. Now, it is home to a variety of shops and amenities such as a big public market (not the bad-smelling ones) with all the fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, seafood and even yummy pastries. It is also home to a theatre group, a prestigious arts school and cute little shops selling items that you can't resist to get (and they eventually end up in your bodega).

As expected, we ended up buying lots of fresh fruits - a lot of them not available or are too expensive in Manila. Berries and cherries were the top pick and boy were they all sweet!!!

If I were to stay in Vancouver, I would be spending lazy afternoons here while drinking coffee and watching the ships and yachts pass by. Love it!

Gastown

Gastown would easily remind you of scenes from Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman (albeit minus the rough roads). As the former downtown core of Vancouver, it was the center of general trade and commerce. Now one of Vancouver's most popular sites, the community has restaurants, night clubs, upscale housing, theaters and art galleries. Talk about the mix of Vancouver's in vogue lifestyle with its old western past!

Being the cute and quaint district that it is, I thought it was the perfect time to be a camwhore. My favorite pictures is this one taken right in front of the steam clock. Yup, it runs using steam power and it gives off that strange whistle every hour. Nice!

Among the things that we bought, the "catch of the day" was this graphic map of Vancouver with all its buildings and landmarks illustrated. We also got a graphic map of Canada as we need to start early on getting to know the provinces and territories just as we know Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

After strolling for hours, we decided to have some coffee at Starbucks which is housed in one of Gastown's old buildings. I know Starbucks keeps on justifying their ridiculous coffee prices for that different "experience." This time, as I look at the cafe windows and catch a sight of this quaint town, I felt that every cent of my latte was worth it.

Stanley Park

One of the things that amazes me about Vancouver is that amidst its steel and glass skyscrapers, you can discover nature's beauty - from the pristine waters of the English Bay to the snow-capped mountain ranges. No wonder Vancouver consistently ranks among the most livable cities in the world.

But one does not need to go far to appreciate its beauty. Stanley Park in itself is a showcase of Vancouver's flora and fauna. With 1000 acres, it is North America's third largest park on urban land. As we walked around, we knew that going to Canada was one of our best decisions yet. While in the Philippines, retail therapy is your only option when you're stressed and freaked out with the corporate life (as taking a walk in Luneta will surely make me break out or reduce my lung's working life to at least a year), a walk in a Canadian park will allow you to breathe fresh air and marvel at nature's sheer beauty. Breathing fresh air was a welcome treat as the burnt-plastic smell of the airplane still lingered on my nostrils.

As we kept on walking, we saw a big sign with the label Vancouver Aquarium. Boy, it was time to be a child again! I would remember how we would often watch dolphin and seal shows whenever we go abroad. This was no different except that we were closer and that I got my clothes wet with the beluga whale flapping its heavy fins on saltwater. It was fun!

After this, we kept on walking and arrived at the totem pole area. This area served as a monument for Canada's first settlers - the First Nations. Otherwise known as Native Canadians or Indians, a lot of them have integrated to modern society through education and work but have kept a lot of their indigenous practices. The government always allocates a considerable amount to provide them with scholarships and opportunities for livelihood. It's sad to say that back in the Philippines, our own Aetas don't get the same care and attention.

We took some snacks in a picnic grove nearby. A few tables away from us, droves of brown-skinned men and women started coming with pots and insulated coolers. As we guessed, they were Filipinos enjoying a breezy Saturday afternoon with adobo and rice.

As this blog may not make it appear, the park is humongous (yup, I remember talking about the size). So when our feet started to give up, we decided to take the bus that goes around the park. Just in front of our line was a paraplegic riding one of those fancy wheelchairs with the joystick. In a few minutes, the bus arrived. Then, I saw not only the coolest thing as the bus itself knelt to help the paraplegic get in, as I also saw the beauty of human nature - the willingness to help. The people, both in the line and those who were already comfortably seated in the bus, didn't mind waiting as the driver carefully helped the man to his spot. The stairs suddenly became a mini-elevator that raised the man up the bus. Everyone clapped as the man got to a comfortable and secure spot. Whoever said that the West was a utilitarian society such that once you can no longer function, you are deemed useless and left alone? This scene moved me and made me think about the disabled people back home. Here in Canada, I have seen a lot of disabled people working in good jobs. A lot of Canadian employers boast as being equal opportunity employers who hire on the basis of intellect and skill rather than physical abilities (or lack thereof), race, gender, etc.

Needless to say that what I saw was an "awww" moment. As the bus was moving, I told myself that it was a perfect way to end the day as I saw the beautiful sun set.

Welcome to Canada

As leaves start to turn yellow and the chilling wind starts to blow, I write about the first few weeks I spent here in Canada. Consider the entries on vacation mode. Happy reading!



After almost 12 hours of air travel, we finally reached the shores of the True North. The airplane trip wasn't exactly comfortable considering the combination of human smell that I inhaled throughout the flight. It was quite a relief to get off and finally see Vancouver.

Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy. Unlike most vacation trips, we had to go to the immigration office to present our papers as Vancouver was going to be our port of entry. So after getting our bags (or rather 8 balikbayan boxes plus 4 handcarry luggage and 3 laptop bags), we went to the immigration office. It was good that the we took the China Airlines flight as the queue was not long at all. Someone told me that if you took Philippine Airlines to Vancouver, you'd wait three hours in line as all the other airlines would land at the same time at YVR.

Anyway, I thought that the immigration office would be an interrogation room where all questions must be answered in perfect manner and even every bat of an eyelash would count. I guess my imagination brought me too far. We were immediately assisted since we spoke English as the other immigrants needed an interpreter. Instead of the usual - SHOW ME YOUR PAPERS...AND YOUR PASSPORT...AND YOUR DOCUMENTS - reminiscent of your much feared teacher back in grade school who checks your homework and your signed reply slip, the immigration officers were very friendly. What's even great is that you can see multicultural Canada in their faces as besides the Canadian whites, there were also a lot of Asian officers as well.

Needless to say that the immigration process was quite smooth. In a matter of 15 minutes, we were done. The few minutes that we spent there left a good impression on me about Canadians and this point will definitely be reinforced as I go on.

We were picked up by an uncle who has lived in Vancouver for more than thirty years. He gave us a lunch treat and after a bunch of stories exchanged, we headed for the hotel. The moment we got out of the airport, I knew we were not in Kansas anymore (ahem...Manila). We immediately saw a lot of trees and those cute houses you only see in American TV series. We didn't mind opening the windows as the air was fresh and cool. Unfortunately, jet lag took on its toll and as my uncle was orienting us on the different places we pass by, I was already asleep.

The next thing we knew, we were at our uncle's house. We dropped by just to say hello to his family. It was a bit awkward as we've never really met them before since they all grew up in Canada. However, it was still great to know that you have relatives on this other side of the earth. After the usual intros, we headed to our hotel. On our way, I couldn't help but dream about the soft pillows and the warm layers of sheets.

As soon as we arrived in the hotel, in robotic mode, we took on the task of carrying our bags to the hotel room. After this, I immediately took a shower (and oh how good it felt!) and donned my sleeping clothes. As I was about to lie in bed, one of my mom's closest cousins, Tita Salou, suddenly arrived. It was good to see her because while I haven't known her for a very long time as she only spent a few years in Manila, I liked her a lot for her straightforwardness and carefree attitude. So even when my eyes were about to close, I kept myself awake as we had an exchange of two years worth of stories.

Somewhere in our conversation, I told her that I have some friends who are currently based in Vancouver. The next thing I know, she was lending her mobile phone to me so I can setup my meeting with them soon. I tried calling Arika first. Arika was my college classmate and one of my close friends at that time. The moment I said hello, she knew at once that it was me. It's great to know that she never forgot my voice considering that we haven't seen or talked to each other ('coz with YM we're limited to typing). We were both excited to hear from each other again and she insisted on dropping by our hotel later in the evening.

After a couple of hours, I heard a knock on our door. It was Arika! She didn't change a bit except for the few pounds she gained. I gained a few pounds myself so both of us went "safe" by skipping the "you got bigger" line in fear of being "commended" as well for being "extra healthy." She was with her boyfriend whom she introduced to me. Our conversation went on for hours and covered everything that we missed for the past couple of years that we didn't see each other. As they were about to leave, we set a dinner date at this Japanese restaurant. Yup, I was playing the third wheel but I didn't mind as it was surely comforting to find a good friend in a foreign land where you're about to start a new life.

At 10 PM and with very little sleep, it was time to say goodbye. I lay in bed and dreamt of better days to come in our new homeland.

Hello!

Greetings from Canada!

It has been almost a month since we left Manila to live in Canada. A lot has already happened here but all the stress and pressure of moving and adapting to a new place kept me from starting with this blog. I will share my stories very soon.

This blog is intended to share bits and pieces of my new life here in Canada. I will be still be keeping Reflections Over Tea for more profound and reflective entries.

Please visit soon! Your comments will be very much appreciated as they will give me that much needed warmth here in the cold north. :)