Once upon a time in Canada - getting to know you

On previous trips to places I did not know I had often taken advantage of the hop-on hop-off buses to get an idea of the layout of the city and what it has to offer, but for a variety of reasons on this trip I had not used them. In Halifax I had used the ordinary buses and the hop-on hop-off option was only available when the cruise ships were in town and really only seemingly accessible by them. Montreal it was the music festival and all the stuff around the GP that obscured its use, in fact I do not remember see one at all. Toronto I did not feel I needed it as I could to wherever I wanted to by walking or using the underground. In Vancouver it was different as there seemed multiple companies offering their own versions in different types of vehicles and seemed to be picking people up from hotels to order rather than from designated bus stops. But Vancouver is a very big place spread out in ways I found confusing as land masses, large areas of water and inlets, which means bridges and restrictions to access, all meaning building a mind map of the place a bigger challenge than usual. When Jim, Kew and I had chatted way back in Montreal we had exchanged contact information and they had encouraged me to contact them when in Vancouver to see if we could meet up whilst I was there. Although I felt it a bit cheeky of me they seemed so welcoming that I sent them an email, they responded and we arranged to meet up. They were not just a lovely couple but so supportive and indulgent towards me and we spent nearly all of three days together despite them having plenty of other commitments to deal with. For me the time they spent and the places they took me was magic and way beyond anything I could have imagined. It gave me insights into the place no city tour bus could ever provide. On all three days they drove me round all sorts of interesting and enjoyable places in and around Vancouver starting with the shoreline, holiday hot spots and beaches of Vancouver ending in Queen Elizabeth Park, a beautiful park where we saw it in its full glory in the afternoon and stayed to watch the sun go down over Vancouver. As they started their lives in Singapore they wanted to introduce me to, and did, Asian styles of food especially when I told them that, although I had occasional eaten Chinese food, I had rarely if ever had food from all those differing origins and styles of food that part of the world has to offer. Another day we went to, amongst other places, Granville Island, a very busy mix of food and craft markets as well as entertainment. It is an island and is certainly looks and feels like a distinct place with edges but, with a massive road bridge passing at very high level over it and connecting roads linking into it, it does not feel like an island surrounded by water despite its distinct identity. Being with Jim and Kew was quickly becoming a delight as we explored each other’s perceptions, interests, and senses of humour and concern. As I have said before, I so enjoy going to botanical gardens, any big ‘look at what we have growing’ gardens, and so Jim and Kew took me to VanDusen Botanical Gardens where we spent a good slice of time exploring its various micro environments, plants, trees, and whatever took our eye and interest. Right at the start of our visit there Jim demonstrated his sense of fun that so chimed in with me. They are members of the gardens and, as I got my entry ticket, Jim had time to have a little fun. He went to one of the reception staff saying he had just seen a ghost outside, adding that it was Miss Willmott's ghost. The first person he spoke to was nonplussed and I wondered where he was going with what sounded like the intro to a joke. The second person rose to the debate as she knew the name, because there is a plant with the common name of Miss Willmott’s ghost and, on leaving, Jim pointed out the specimen of the plant incorporated in a day display feature by the entrance. As we walked round the gardens Kew and I swapped reactions to plants we knew and liked while Jim was taking photos and thinking up adventures. At one point he told me he had a challenge for me, it involved taking off my shoes and socks. He and I did so and then he took me on a short stroll across the lush grass so that we could both experience getting back in touch with the outside world through the sensation of that grass and that ground on the soles of our feet. What can you say about people who, just a few days ago, were completely unknown to me and had now delightfully invited and welcomed me into their world. 

Being driven around I took the opportunity to try and understand the housing market and values there and, of all the information Jim and Kew provided, the things that most stick in my mind are the rules/standards of plot size and development ratios, two things you rarely if even come across in the UK. The more sobering aspect was price, they rarely mentioned a price under $1m no matter where the house/flat unit was. Apparently, if I have got it right, it is the land, plot size, development ratio where the value is, not what is on it. That was one of the things that struck me most constantly about Vancouver, apart from the realization that at no part of my life could I have afforded to live there, but that it seemed an almost ideal place to live. The setting is idyllic, the climate that I experienced whilst there, comfortable, the air clear and fresh and, despite its size and complexity, a delightful mix of city and open spaces where no ‘get away from it all’ space was more than a short walk away, and dramatic scenery and the chance for adventure its offers, a short car, train, coach ride away. So yes, and you are right, I appear to have fallen in love with the place. Sadly it is a long way away and so not the sort of place I can just pop over to as though it were Oxford, London or other day trip location to enjoy. I was there for 9 days and although Jim and Kew helped me see, experience and understand far more than I would have without them, I barely touched what the place clearly has to offer. I had thought/expected to go on a whale watching trip but, being there, seeing the small rubber boats they take you out in, and understanding how far you have to go to get a decent chance but no guarantee of seeing whales, I decided against that option, I am not a natural or comfortable sailor. Yes the companies that take you out on the whale watching trips do offer a guarantee, that if none are sighted they will take you on another such trip for free. But hey that would be one heck of a long return flight and no small cost to me, to hold them to that offer. I did get out on the water though, and in a sturdy ship that would not bounce me about as the rubber boat would have done, I booked a day long (14 hours) trip to Vancouver Island to see the provinces capital Victoria and to go to the famous Butchart Gardens.