Click here for part two...
Click here for photos of my trip...
I'd wanted to go to Canada for as long as I could remember. I finally did so in September of last year, after having saved up for the trip for a long time.
I left Wellington on Thursday 4th September, and arrived in Vancouver, BC on Saturday 6th after three long flights, via Sydney (Australia) and Taipei (Taiwan). I got to the HI hostel in the west end district of downtown Vancouver, immediately unpacked and then headed out to explore Vancouver. (The hostel's fantastic by the way. If you're ever in Vancouver and you're on a budget, stay there - the staff are friendly and helpful)
On Sunday, I went to Vancouver Aquarium and learned a lot about the local marine life, including beluga whales, otters, sharks and jellyfish. I thoroughly enjoyed it there, and took a lot of photos (as you'll see). I explored Gastown (named after one Jack "Gassy" Deighton, a local personality in the 1860s), which is where Vancouver was originally settled. It's full of tourist shops, and there's a steam powered clock! It was very charming. Chinatown is another part of the city that I saw - the streetsigns are in English (obviously) with Chinese script under that. I also went to Kitsilano, which is a very nice beach just minutes from downtown Vancouver. I got a good view of the central city and the mountains, which are right next to Vancouver!
I also walked to Granville Island, which contains a huge public market, charming shops and a very cool model railway museum. That was one of the highlights of my trip. I also think that walking across the impressive (and architecturally amazing) Lion's Gate Bridge was another highlight of my time in Vancouver.
Click here for part two...
Click here for photos of my trip...