Visiting BC

[Mulutka]

I advise, I mean I STRONGLY advise against going to Tofino--> it's really expensive and the trip from Victoria to Tofino will take *at least* 4 hours. If I were you, I'd rent a car and drive up to Duncan (totem pole town) and Nanaimo (lots of antique stores around here) or Chemanis (town of murals everywhere). I personally love off-roading (I believe Americans also call this "mudding"?) We have a lot of great logging roads and such to go on and maps of where to go are available prety well at any gas station you stop at. If you like surfing, go to Jordon River (free camping there too!)

Vancouver's china town is pretty scummy/sringes everywhere: I wouldn't go there (it's like one big market anyway). Victoria's china town is rather non-existant now-- basically just one street. DON'T go to the undersea gardens--> it's boring and targeted for kids (I obviously was very dissapointed when I went there).

Go to http://www.livevictoria.com/ to see what the local think. I warn you though, this site has a rather rowdy bunch of people on it (not Christian-- lots of kids pretending to be adults on the messageboard). But it does, at least, give links to what and where locals go and various events/festivals.

Granville Island is like one big hippie colony--> very friendly and everyone there is either retired or an artist (there's not much else). The same thing goes for Salt Spring Island.

Congratulations on your engagment!!

 

[applepowerpc]

Thanks for everything. I'm visiting Nan-EYE-mo (Yay!)! And passing up Tofino.

That's great about Duncan and Chemanis. I totally hope to do that. I'm taking the BC ferry to Nanaimo, renting a car downtown, and driving it to Victoria. Anything good in Sidney, by any chance? I'm not sure that leg to Sidney is worth the trouble, unless taking the ferry.

P.S. I call it off-roading, too, but maybe it's cause I'm not a Yank--I'm Texan.

 

[Mulutka]

cool applepowerpc!! Sidney is one street of shops, that's it. It's absolutly beautiful (a great place to live- I used to live there) but there's not much to do. I guess you could stop and eat there but that's about it. I'd most likely spend more time site-seeing else where since your time is limited.

If you go to Victoria, Beacon Hill park is pretty (lots of herons) and not far off from the ocean either. It is also near the BC Museum (which you MUST go to: you just MUST!!! )

Make sure you bring nanaimo bars back home for your family! (that's a dessert).

 

[applepowerpc]

I'm in Victoria now. My new wife is sleeping, I can't. What blows us away is that everyone closes at 5pm. We stopped at all the towns on the Canada Hwy and they were all dead. However, my wife did really like the peacefulness of Chemainus.

Victoria is breathtaking--literally. My wife gasped when she saw our bed & breakfast, and when she saw the double-decker buses at the Inner Harbor. I always thought Lake Tahoe was the most beautiful place I've ever seen, but--Lake Tahoe doesn't have sailboats, sea birds, float planes, horse-drawn carriages, the whole bit. Good gollee! Cool, my wife has barely ever left Texas before this!

Oh I LOVE the Maritime Museum! All the cool model ships. And the history of BC from a non-American point of view is cool. I thought the Empress was nice, but way overrated. The tour of Parliament was better, and free. The Miniature Museum in the Empress was cool, though. It's amazing how much detail went into every exhibit.

Overall Victoria is just mind-boggling pretty. And cheap. We hit the Royal BC Museum tomorrow. God bless.

 

[Ryft]

A friend of mine from Texas came up to Kelowna this month for a couple of weeks to visit, and fell so head-over-heels in love with this place that he is now moving here!

Kelowna is GORGEOUS!

 

[LynneClomina]

had any nanaimo bars yet?????

you GOTTA have nanaimo bars.....

drool.....

 

[applepowerpc]

We had nanaimo bars. Got them in Nanaimo, in fact.

 

[traingosorry]

I only like all the parts of the nanaimo bar separately- not all together.
Does that make sense??
I will take it all apart and eat it that way- pretty sick to watch, but it is too rich all at once.

umm yes, some useless info for you.

Heather