Vancouver, British Columbia - 2002 (Re-run)

Among the major cities of North America, Vancouver is probably the least visited, maybe least known, by Americans, particularly those east of the Mississippi River.  If it weren't the point of embarkation for many Alaskan cruise lines, even fewer Americans would be aware of it.  Still, with only Vancouver Island separating it from the Pacific Ocean and surrounded by majestic mountains, it is one of the most scenic cities in the world.  Further, its diverse population makes it a truly international city.  Its relatively small official population, less than a million, fails to account for the numerous suburban cities and towns that are all around.  The metropolitan area population is at least 2.5 million.

The city being no place for RVs, we stayed in the suburb of Surrey in one of the nicest RV parks one could want.  Beyond large, clean sites and full hook-ups (even phone jacks), the grounds were more like a botanical garden.  The groundskeeper really knew his business and took great pride in the beauty of his park.

I had read about a Buddhist Temple that gave tours of its facilities and decided that would be a good thing to do.  A day or so later, while exploring one of the suburbs, we came across a temple and stopped.  With no sign for "Visitors", we entered a building to ask about tours.  No one there spoke English, but they quickly escorted us inside to an area where monks were assembled.  When we were given brochures, books and videos on life as a Buddhist, it became clear they had assumed we were interested in joining their temple.  Obviously, we were in the wrong place, so we quickly departed and found our way back outside.

One of Vancouver's major attractions is Stanley Park, and we spent most of a day there.  The park is huge, almost 1000 acres, and occupies its own "island" just minutes from town.  With beautiful gardens, fabulous museums and exhibits, great restaurants and good views of downtown, there is something for everyone.

Being readily accessible from Asia, Vancouver has one of the largest Chinese populations of any city outside China.  We really enjoyed our time there, especially shopping for delicious baked goods.  Some of their other foods were a bit on the "exotic" side for our tastes.  The gardens were spectacular.

After a little research, we located the Buddhist temple that gave tours and had a very successful visit.  The shrines, grounds and statuary were most impressive.

 

We also took a day trip to Whistler, about two hours north along the Sea To Sky Highway.  This is a gorgeous drive with the sea just below the road and mountains on the other side.  We passed several parks, some with beautiful waterfalls, and marinas on the way.

Our week in Vancouver was really nice, but it's fair to say we could have spent even more time in the area.