Canada: Alberta and New Brunswick

One would think that it is an unlikely pairing — a province in the west and a province in the east.  Well, the reason I grouped these two is because I only spent a few days in each province and my experience was very limited.  This is not to say that there is nothing to see in both.  I actually would like to go back, see and experience more of these provinces.

Fredericton

Map courtesy of http://www.canadianonly.ca/

Fredericton is New Brunswick’s capital. I had the opportunity to see the city as part of my work, again.  I never really had the chance to go around the city as the work was very hectic and we were on a tight schedule. Even on the weekend that we stayed there, I did not have a chance to go around as I had to work. Probably, the thing that sticks out in my head about this trip is how apologetic our client was about the traffic during the morning rush hour, when in fact, it can barely be called a congestion. Yes, the cars were stopping and there was some sort of build up, but it was because of the traffic lights and not car volume.

Oh and I do remember seeing my favourite Australian chocolates in one of the supermarkets there and could not help but take a picture of it.

My favourite Australian candy! I especially like the one in blue wrapper

Calgary

Map courtesy of http://www.canadianonly.ca/

My first and only encounter of Alberta is my visit to Calgary in 2006 to spend Christmas with a friend. I was just new to Canada and it was my first time to be away from family on such kind of holiday.  So I thought, the closest I can get to a family celebration was to spend it with a friend. I only stayed a couple of days so I was not able to see the famous mountains and lakes of Banff and Jasper. We mainly stayed in the city as the two of us were still not driving that time.  However, the trip was still memorable as we went skiing.

By the way, you might have read from my previous post about the Northwest Territories that I have been in Canada for 8 years now. If you take 2006, which is the year I was in Calgary and subtract it from 2017, you definitely will not get 8 years. The reason for this discrepancy is because I lived in Australia for 3 years in between my stint in Canada.  Sorry for the maths, I just had to. I am still an accountant and I would like everything to tie up. Haha. Anyway, back to Calgary.

Coming from the tropics, my knowledge of winter sports is limited to movies like Cool Runnings and the Mighty Ducks. So, I told myself that since I will be living in Canada, I might as well try to learn them. Besides, there is no other way to enjoy winter but to immerse yourself in it and be part of the winter culture. As me and my friend do not know anything about skiing, we signed up for a beginner’s class.

The class was at the Calgary Olympic Park. The first order of business was to fit our skis and helmets. The feeling of wearing heavy ski boots was weird and challenging.  I felt like a robot. When we finished gearing up, we were finally introduced to our instructor and our classmates. Our classmates were mostly kids! Hahaha!!! There was one other teenager, but we were definitely the only adults there.

Skis on!!!

We were given some basic safety instructions and then we went off to the hill. It was a bunny hill — perfect fit for kids but kind of awkward for us. We had to get on a conveyor type of machine to get from the bottom of the bunny hill to the top.  Getting on was okay, but getting off was really challenging.  The skis are already attached to your feet so it was harder to manoeuver your way out of the conveyor belt. And the thing is you have to be very quick or else you will see human dominoes rolling down the hill.

Our hill

When we were finally on top of the hill, we were given the basics — the form, how to change directions, how to stand up when you fall and most importantly, how to stop. It looked very easy on tv but it was very hard in person! I knew I will be sore the next day because my muscles were working extra hard that day.

Looking down from the top of our bunny hill

Then the moment of truth, we have to apply what we have learned. One by one, we were asked to ski down the hill. We let the kids go first until finally it was my turn. I started moving slowly, then physics did its job and I accelerated. The wind started sweeping on my face. It felt awesome, but after about 5 seconds, I fell. Haha. After an hour and half of trying to perfect the art of skiing, I finally decided it was time to hang up the skis and rest. I was so exhausted and sweaty. So while my friend went to the top of the slopes and try her newly learned ski skills, I went to the cafeteria to get a hotdog and hot choco.

No that’s not me, but I wish I was good as this guy.

We then went home. I do not remember eating dinner that night as I was really exhausted. I just slept. The next day, my body was so sore that I can barely move. There were parts of my body  that I never knew could hurt like that. My bum was especially sore due to all the gliding movement. Skiing is good for the ass! Haha!

We walked around her neighbourhood for a bit and met some of her friends afterwards. Here are some of the very few snaps I took in Calgary.

Neighbouring buildings

View of the Bow River

This is the closest I have ever seen the Rockies

Bow River Pathway

Bow River

Calgary skyline

Canada: British Columbia

Mere mention of Canada connotes at least one of its big cities such as Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver. When I was about to move to Canada, the company who was hiring me wanted to bring me to St. John’s in Newfoundland. At that time, I honestly have never heard of that city or that province. As I do not speak French, Montreal was definitely not an option so I asked if they can just assign me to either Vancouver or Toronto. They gladly sent me to Toronto and my love affair with Canada started. However, this post is not about Toronto, but about Vancouver and the province it belongs to, British Columbia.

Map courtesy of http://www.canadianonly.ca/

British Columbia is the westernmost province of Canada. It shares border with the Yukon and Northwest Territories in the north, Alberta in the east, the American states of Washington and Montana in the south and Alaska and the Pacific Ocean in the west. And while Vancouver is the most populous city of the province, it is not the capital, as that title belongs to Victoria. The province joined the Confederacy of Canada in 1871.

The only time I saw Vancouver was through a hop-on hop-off tour I took during a long layover from Australia. I never really hopped off though, as I was feeling very sick — fever, nausea and all. However, one thing about me is that as long as I can walk, I will go to where ever my feet takes me — even if I am sick. Haha. Actually, there was another instance when I also traveled even while having the flu, but that deserves another story.

In the summer of 2015, I finally had the opportunity to spend a little more than layover hours in Vancouver. As usual, it was for work, but of course, I made sure I did some sightseeing too.

The first time I saw Vancouver was through a hop-on hop-off tour I took during a long layover

Gastown, Vancouver’s first downtown core

Most of the streets were closed because the Canucks were playing for the Stanley Cup finals. That night, the Canucks lost and the streets were filled with angry fans which resulted to riots.

More Gastown buildings

Bistro on Granville Street

Steam Whistle Clock at Gastown

Aside from flights paid by my company, one of the perks of travelling for work is that I get to stay in hotels that otherwise would be too expensive for my liking. It was the FIFA Women’s World Cup during the week I was there so I was not able to book a hotel for the full two weeks of my assignment. I stayed at the Westin for a week and then transferred to the Pan-Pacific the week after. The Westin was okay, but I prefer the Pan-Pacific as it is on the waterfront. The room given to me at the Pan-Pacific was at the northern end of the 9th floor of the hotel. It was a long walk from the elevators which kind of irritated me. However, the moment I opened the door, all the irritation and agitation were gone. Because, how can you not be happy with this view?

Room with a great view

There was a day when I woke up to what sounded like Disney’s “When You Wish Upon a Star.” I looked at the window and I saw a huge Disney cruise ship.  The horns of the ship were indeed playing the song!

I thought I was dreaming when I heard a familiar tune playing.  Apparently, the ship’s horns were indeed playing “When You Wish Upon a Star”. 

I took a quick stroll at the waterfront upon checking-in at the Pan-Pacific.  The place was very lively and had throngs of tourists and locals enjoying live telecasts of the soccer matches. The weather was also just perfect on that day. Actually, I was very spoiled for the entire two weeks I was in Vancouver as it was always blue and clear skies.

Vancouver waterfront

Vancouver Waterfront

Cauldron of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics

One of the best things about downtown Vancouver is having the 1000-acre Stanley Park. The park sits on the northern tip of the city and being a peninsula, it is surrounded by the Vancouver Harbour and English Bay.  It is not a man-made, landscaped park, but a forest that has evolved into urban space. The park, as it was in the past, is still pretty much a big forest.

Surrounding the park is a seawall which tourists and locals can enjoy either by biking, running or walking. Since I do not know how to bike (yes I know it is odd, but I never really learned this skill when I was younger), I walked all 9 kilometres of it! Include the distance from my hotel to the park and back, and I probably walked for more or less 15 kilometres! Anyway, it was not too bad as I was doing it leisurely. I had to take my time to enjoy the sights and also snap some pictures.

Some of the markers along the seawall were easier to spot. These are the ones I saw while walking all 9 kilometres of it.

For more pictures I took in Stanley Park, you can view them in this link.

As with most people, I like free things. While researching for free things to do / see in Vancouver, I stumbled upon Queen Elizabeth Park. The park used to be a quarry but was converted into a park and sunken gardens and can be found in Vancouver’s southern end. I decided to check it out one day after work. If you are into flowers and well-manicured and landscaped lawns, a visit to this place is a must.  The park is also on a hill so it offers a great view of downtown Vancouver.

Dancing fountains of the Bloedel Conservatory

View from Queen Elizabeth Park

You will find more pictures of the park here.

Vancouver, and Canada in general, is a favourite place for shooting American movies and TV shows. Canada is actually called Hollywood North as a great number of films are shot here. I remember one time, when I was walking in downtown Toronto, a film was shooting scenes and they put props around to make it look like Manhattan — subway markers, yellow cabs, NYPD cars and even garbage! Haha! For a big city, Toronto is still considerably clean, especially when you compare it to Manhattan.

One of the tv shows I have grown to love is ABC’s Once Upon a Time. Being a fan of the show, I knew that they shoot some of the scenes across the greater Vancouver area. The fictional Maine town of Storybrooke is actually a town in British Columbia called Steveston, a 20 to 30 minute drive from Vancouver. I rented a car and drove to where Emma and her gang lives. It was so cool to see Granny’s, Mr. Gold’s pawn shop, Madam Mayor’s house and the Storybrooke Library. Unfortunately, the iconic Storybrooke clock tower is no where in sight, as it was only made through the magic of CGI.

Storybrooke Library, minus the clock tower

For more pictures of Once Upon a Time’s location, click here.

While downtown and its surrounding area are great places to see, probably the best thing about Vancouver is how close it is to the mountains. You have Grouse Mountain in the northern suburbs and Whistler just few more hours of driving in the very scenic Sea to Sky highway.

On my way to Grouse Mountain, I stopped by the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. Feedback from other traveller’s said that this place is a tourist trap. As such, I was a bit hesitant to go but decided to give it a try. I am glad I went as I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. While I have a slight aversion to height, getting onto the suspension bridge was not as scary as I thought it would be. The bridge was shaking more intense upon reaching midpoint, but it actually added fun and excitement.

Capilano Suspension Bridge</span?

Upon crossing the bridge, you can check out some of the birds and animals in their mini zoo. You can also get onto more suspension bridges by going for their Treetop Adventure, a series of suspension bridges hanging between huge fir trees.

Treetop Adventure

For more pictures of Capilano Suspension Bridge, please click here.

After spending a good chunk of the day at the suspension bridges, I drove to Grouse Mountain to look around and take more pictures. As I have said above, I usually like to do things that are free, but I decided to pay for the gondola ride and ski lifts to bring me to the top. I could have taken the Grouse Grind trail, but I was not ready that day. I was not wearing proper attire and I did not have enough time.

The views at the top were just breath taking!!! Look south and you will see downtown Vancouver. Look north and you see more mountain peaks, some snow-capped, even in the middle of summer.

So high!!! Good thing I only have slight aversion to heights.

Downtown Vancouver as seen from the top of Grouse Mountain

For more pictures of Grouse Mountain, click here.

Whenever I am travelling, I like to stop at random places and look around. I find some of my best pictures were actually those unplanned and unexpected locations. One such place is Capilano Lake. The view was enchanting. The mountains, its mirrored reflection in the lake and the sun peeking through to allow just an ample amount of light was all I could ask for. It was picture perfect.

Capilano Lake

On my last weekend, I though of driving to Seattle to visit my cousin. However, I figured, I might as well stay in Vancouver and do some more exploration. I am so happy I stayed and went to Whistler. You know the saying that it is not about the destination but the journey? When you go to Whistler, you will say, it is actually about both the journey and the destination!

Driving through the Sea to Sky Highway was like driving through a postcard. I was left in awe by the amazing vistas and panoramas. I remember myself saying “wow” a LOT of times. And all I thought while driving was how unfortunate it was that no one is taking pictures or videos. I did stop in a number of viewing points along the way so I can take some photos.

Howe Sound

Snow-capped mountains

For more pictures of the Sea to Sky Highway and Whistler, please click here.

On my way back from Whistler to Vancouver, I thought of BC’s tourism tagline — “Beautiful British Columbia”. How clever! It is simple, yet powerful. They do not need any gimmicks or fancy taglines as the simplicity of their slogan already speaks of what one can expect in their province.  I, for one, have only been there for a short period of time. But I can say with certainty that British Columbia is indeed beautiful.

Canada: Nova Scotia

My last feature was the northernmost part of Canada that I have been to.  Now, I present you the easternmost point I have been in this country — Nova Scotia.  Nova Scotia, Latin for New Scotland, is part of the region comprising Atlantic Canada and is one of the first four provinces which formed the Confederacy of Canada in 1867.  It is bordered by New Brunswick and the Bay of Fundy in the west, Prince Edward Island and Gulf of St. Lawrence in the north and the Atlantic Ocean in the east and south.  The seat of provincial government is Halifax.

Map courtesy of http://www.canadianonly.ca/

My encounter with Halifax was during the summer of 2012, which I fondly call as “my American Northeast adventure”.  Because in addition to Halifax, I had the chance to visit Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey and Washington DC that summer.  And I am glad to say that these visits were not work-related as they were all for leisure.

I traveled to Halifax with friends.  Our mission was to visit one of our friend’s fiancé and of course, see a new province/city in Canada.  I am actually very happy that I met these like-minded people, as like me, they love to travel.  Unfortunately, our itchy feet and love for travel has all of us ending in different places in Canada and the US now.

I will admit that I never really know that much of Halifax.  My only reference of the city was its role as a refuge of Titanic survivors as well as final resting place of some of the deceased victims.  I sort of became a Titanic addict after I saw James Cameron’s movie in 1997.   So, being there in Halifax brought a lot of emotions from me after seeing the ship’s artifacts at the Maritime Museum and visiting the Fairview Cemetery where the Titanic grave yard can be found.  These visits to Titanic-related places were definitely some of the highlights of this trip.

The mood was not all somber as we also had fun in other places. For one, there was a busker fest happening on the weekend we were there, so a visit to the Halifax waterfront was a treat.   We also went to the UNESCO heritage-listed town of Lunenburg to see the colourful houses and the replica of the ship, Bluenose.  Bluenose was a famous racing and fishing ship and is forever etched to Canadian psyche as the image on the reverse of the 10-cent coin.

I will also never forget my trip to Halifax as it was where I first drove a car!   Haha.  I am a late-bloomer in terms of driving as I only learned this skill when I was 30 years old.  I have always used public transportation, but as most North American cities are car-centric, I decided to take driving lessons.  I still do not own a car today, as I still prefer to use public transportation as much as possible, but at least I have the option to rent one whenever the need arise.

Halifax’s famous light house at Peggy’s Cove

Blurry road

Foggy morning

Flowers in bloom at the Halifax Public Garden

The unnamed child, who was the owner of the shoes displayed at the Maritime Museum has been identified as Sidney Leslie Goodwin. It took 95 years to give a name to a victim of one of history’s greatest tragedies.

HMS Bounty. This was a replica of a 1700s British tall ship and was built in Lunenburg in the 1960s for a movie. Unfortunately, this ship succumbed to Hurricane Sandy later that year.

Georges Island

Chipmunk

Cruise ship sailing towards Atlantic

Halifax Public Gardens

Old town clock

Titanic mementos (clockwise) 1. Picture of an iceberg taken near the location of where the ship sank 2. Shoes of an unnamed child 3 – 4. Woodwork 5. Chair 6. Cabinet 7. Part of a life jacket, believed to be belonging from John Jacob Astor

First catch of the day

Titanic Gravesite. Lucky are those who have been identified. Some of the victims buried here are just denoted by a number.

Sailing

Looked pretty even if it was blurry. These are actually lights from an oil refinery.

Fisherman’s cove

Pond at the Halifax Public Gardens

We were welcomed by a bag piper at Peggy’s Cove

Spectators of the buskers at the waterfront

You know you’re in the Maritimes when even ducks have their own ship. Hah

Dartmouth

Fisherman’s cove

 

Canada: Northwest Territories

I feel very privileged to call Canada home.  While I am not yet officially a citizen of this great country, I have been a resident for almost 8 years now.  I have also been very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to go to almost all of Canada’s provinces and territories.  As of October last year, I have been to all provinces but Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador and I have two more territories left to visit — Yukon and Nunavut.

While waiting to go on board my great Antarctica adventure, I thought I would feature places that I have been before.  And what better way to pay tribute to my home country than by featuring it first in this series.  I will be starting with the lone territory I have been to — Northwest Territories.

Map courtesy of http://www.canadianonly.ca/

The Northwest Territories, as it name suggests, lies in Northern Canada.  The “western” part of its name refers to its location being west of Rupert’s Land (which includes present day Manitoba and northern Ontario and Quebec).  This territory is bordered by Yukon to the west, Nunavut to the east, the triumvirate of British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south and the Arctic Ocean to the north.   The seat of government is in Yellowknife, also the territory’s largest city.  I had the chance to visit the city of Yellowknife back in March 2011.  Yes, it was still winter.  So you can say I have already experienced polar weather especially that the city sits just 400 kilometres away from the Arctic Circle!

Like with most of my travels, my trip to Yellowknife was because of work.  I was told that our client was looking to add one more person in their team with skills set and background similar to mine.  Given that I was still relatively new to our office that time, I was volunteered to go.  I was also (and still is) single and do not have any familial obligations.   So being away for a couple of days would be fine because as I was told then, no one will miss me.  Haha.

A few people discouraged me to go saying that it would be too cold or that there would be no sunshine.  And then there are those who were more sinister and told me that I was probably on the chopping block, and sending me to Yellowknife was a subtle way of saying that I will be let go.

I did not listen to the naysayers and I went on with the trip.  The team going to Yellowknife was comprised of myself and 3 auditors from the client, all of whom have been there before.  As such, they were no longer as excited as myself to be there.  However, I decided I will still go out and explore during the one weekend that we will be there.

All of us stayed at the Anderson Thomson Tower in downtown Yellowknife which is just two blocks away from the office where we will be working.  My room was facing the Great Slave Lake, one of Canada’s largest lakes.

View from my hotel room

I know it was Aurora season so I was very excited to finally see the northern lights in person.  I was told that I will not be able to see them from where we were due to light pollution.  However, Yellowknife decided to show off on my first night.  Around midnight, as I was about to go to sleep, I saw lights glittering from the small gap between the hotel’s window curtains.  I initially thought it might just be an ambulance or a fire truck.  I stood up and opened the curtain.  Lo and behold, the sky was alive and I saw lights dancing in the night sky!!!  I went outside with nothing but a shirt and pajama and saw the lights above my head.  It was a very magical moment.  I honestly thought the sky will open up and angels (or aliens… haha) will come out.  I went back to get a jacket and my camera and these were my very first shots of the Aurora.

The dancing lights of Yellowknife

The succeeding days were kind of uneventful as it was just pure work.  We went out one night to eat dinner at Bullocks’ Bistro, a well-loved and highly recommended joint in Yellowknife.  I do not recall the entire menu anymore but I remember having their fish and chips as advised by my colleagues who have been there before.  It was okay.  I do not want to offend anyone from Yellowknife, the Northwest Territories or whoever is a fan of this restaurant, but for a pricey dinner, I was expecting a little more.  I also remembered the place being really greasy that you get the aroma of used cooking oil stick to your clothes after your meal.  It added novelty, that is for sure.

Bullocks’ Bistro and their very sarcastic welcome sign.

Our first work week in Yellowknife was finally complete.  With my colleagues deciding to stay indoors during the weekend, I was left alone to explore.  I did not have a smart phone at that time yet, so I went old school and went to the Northern Frontier Visitor Centre to get a map.  They also provided me great tips on what to see and where to go. Also, I got “ordained” into the Order of Arctic Adventurers. I know it is just a piece of paper and it was nothing but a make-believe badge of honour, but still, it was a great and inexpensive souvenir.

Order of Arctic Adventurers

After finally knowing my bearings, I started my tour and here are the places I checked out:

1.  Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre

The museum is a showcase of everything about the city and the territory — history, culture, art and nature.  Admission was free.

First Nations’ sculptures

Animals of the Northwest Territories

Float plane displayed at the Aviation section of the museum

2.  Legislative Building of Northwest Territories

Just a short walk from the museum is the Legislative Building of the Northwest Territories.  As with other Legislative buildings across the country, you can tour inside for free.  There were no other tourists that day so I had a personal tour of the building!

Great Hall with the Northwest Territories’ coat of arms and mace

More photos of the Great Hall

3.  The Rock / Bush Pilots Monument

After my time at the Legislative building, I then went to the Bush Pilot’s Monument.  It was a good 40-minute walk and is located in a place called The Rock.  It is a hill perched on a small peninsula jutting to the Great Slave Lake.  I remember I was the only brave soul walking in the middle of winter in Yellowknife.  Haha.  People in their cars probably thought I was crazy.  However, the walk and the little hike was all worth it as the Rock was a great vantage point to have a bird’s-eye view of the city.

Bush Pilots Monument

Marker honouring the bush pilots of Canada

View of downtown Yellowknife from the Rock

Frozen Great Slave Lake

4.  Snow King Palace / Frozen Great Slave Lake

From my vantage point at the Rock, I saw that something was happening down at the frozen lake.  I checked it out and learned that every year, an ice castle is built to usher the city’s winter festival.  That year, they told me that it was “kind of warm” and that the ice only formed 12 feet deep!  There was a kids’ event that day so there were lots of babies and toddlers.  I know I paid an entrance fee but I cannot remember how much.

Ice Castle

They cleared a portion of the frozen lake and this kid was trying to look for the bottom of it

You can tell I am not from town as my shoes are not “appropriate”, thank goodness for thick socks

A toddler and her husky

You can also go skidooing at the frozen lake. The hill in the background is The Rock and is the location of the Bush Pilots Monument

5.  Dettah Ice Road

I decided to finally go back to the hotel as it has been a full day of activity.  I walked back using a different route where I chanced upon one of the famous ice roads in Canada, the Dettah Ice Road.  During the height of winters, which is January to mid-March, portions of the frozen Great Slave Lake are used as roads.

They change the weight limit depending on the thickness of ice

You definitely need winter tires to drive here

Of course, the trip to the north will not be complete without a formal Aurora tour.  While I have already seen the lights from my hotel, I figured it would be better to see them out in the wilderness.  So I signed up for a tour with North Star Adventures.  The tour company prides itself as 100% owned by First Nations and is headed by Joe Buffalo Child.  Check his Facebook account to see amazing pictures.

Joe picked me up from my hotel and we then went to another hotel to pick up another customer.  We then proceeded to drive away from the city.  Being part of First Nations, I find Joe as a great tour guide.  His family has been living in this land for generations so the history and anecdotes he shared were amazing.  After about 30 minutes, we got into a secluded location.  Joe told us that we are actually on top of another frozen lake called Prosperous Lake.

We were in the middle of nowhere.  The only noise you can hear were our voices.  It was, unfortunately, not a cloudless night.  I do not remember what the temperature was, but I remember shivering.  The cold air was just piercing through my jacket that I had to go inside the car again.  The almost pitch black surrounding suddenly became illuminated by the brightest full moon I have ever seen.

Moonlight over Yellowknife

Joe signaled for me to go out as the skies were starting to clear.  After a few more minutes, the Aurora started to show up.  It was very faint at first but then it became stronger and stronger.  Long streaks of green light painted the night sky.   The view of great big moon and the dancing northern lights was spectacular.  It was almost spiritual.

I took snaps of it, but because of the extreme cold, I was only able to take around 5 shots.  Unfortunately, I was not able to bring a spare battery.  And while this last photo I am posting is not really as magnificent as I wanted it to be, this is the best of what I captured that night.  I especially liked that the long exposure was also able to capture some of the stars in the night sky.

The “best” amongst the few shots I took of the Aurora from Prosperous Lake

While the Aurora pictures I took were less spectacular than what I wanted them to be, I still rate this trip as one of the bests.  Not only because I was able to tick a bucket list item (which is to see the Aurora), but because I was able to experience a fabric of Canadiana heritage and culture that even some Canadians are not given the opportunity to do so.  I am also glad that I did not let a handful of people discourage me on taking this trip.  This trip actually reinforced my belief that one does not need to go to usual holiday destinations to enjoy.  What we need is an open mind a genuine interest to learn and explore.