Vancouver, British Columbia

Vancouver is the biggest city in British Columbia. It is  the most gorgeous, beautiful city that I have ever seen. I have been living in this city since I came to Canada. I’m so proud to say that Vancouver is my second home in my heart. I am going to live here for the rest of my life because Vancouver certainly is heaven on earth.

It is surrounded by long seashores with natural landscaping. The beach is crawling to some different areas that called different names: Second Beach, English Bay Beach, Jericho Beach, Kitsilano Beach, Porto Cove Beach.

Stand at the edge of the Inner Harbour (the Canada Place pavilion makes a good vantage point) and look up past the floatplanes taking off over Stanley Park, around the container terminals, over the waterfront high-rises, and then up the steep green slopes of the North Shore Mountains to the twin snowy peaks of the Lions. What you've seen--90% of it anyway--is the result of collaboration, unique in history, between God and the Canadian Pacific Railway.

It was the Almighty who raised the Coast Range and then sent a glacier slicing along its foot, simultaneously carving out a deep trench and piling up a tall moraine of rock and sand. When the ice retreated, water from the Pacific flowed in and the moraine became a peninsula, flanked on one side by a deep natural harbour and on the other by a river of glacial melt water.

In Spring, the weather is very cool. A million thousands varieties of flowers is blooming to show up their luxury colours and give people their fragrances. Everywhere, neighbours’ garden, both sides of streets, especially, at Queen Elizabeth Park, creates a wonderful, amazing picture of the nature.

In summer, It is the most wonderful time to go out side to enjoy yourself with varieties of interesting things like running, riding, jogging around the park, walking along the beaches, hand in hand with your partner, to relax & enjoy the romantic time under the blue sky, you will find the peace when the sun sets at the skyline. It draws a wonderful picture. It doesn't matter which beach, there's one for every taste. Wreck Beach below UBC is for nudists, Spanish Banks is for dog walkers, Jericho Beach is for volleyballers, Kitsilano Beach is for serious sun tanning, and English Bay Beach is for serious people-watching You will fall in love with the outside camping, hiking, mountain biking, windsurfing, kayaking, rock climbing and parasailing. You can watch the firework explode over English Bay in the Canada day.

Every August, during the Celebration of Light, three international fireworks companies compete by launching their best displays over English Bay. As many as 500,000 spectators cram the beaches around English Bay, while those with boats sail out to watch from the water.

You can explore Chinatown. Fishmongers call out their wares before a shop filled with crabs, eels, ducks, and bullfrogs, while farther down the street elderly Chinese women haggle over produce as their husbands hunt for deer antler or dried sea horse at a traditional Chinese apothecary. And when you're tired of looking and listening, head inside to any one of a dozen restaurants to sample succulent Cantonese cooking. There are a thousands kinds of Asian fruits. You can find your favourite fruits in the twinkle of an eye.

You can visit the Vancouver aquarium. The Vancouver Aquarium does an extremely good job showing whole ecosystems. Fittingly enough, the aquarium has an excellent display on the Pacific Northwest, plus sea otters, beluga whales, sea lions, and a Pacific white-sided dolphin.

Fall comes in Oct every year. At this time, you can see the leaves change their colours from green to red & then yellow. They will die later and gradually are falling down to the ground. It rains a lots in Fall
Winter comes after but Vancouver is the warmest city in Canada. The temperature is rarely low down –12 degree Celsius. Snowflakes fly all over the sky in the early January. Snowmen have happy faces to greet all of people who pass by their houses. You can enjoy snowboarding, skiing and snowshoeing-paragliding.

Vancouver is one of the few cities on the edge of a great wilderness, and one of the best ways to get there quickly is kayaking on the gorgeous Indian Arm. Rent a kayak or go with a company--they may even serve you a gourmet meal of barbecued salmon.

There are multi cultures in Vancouver so there are a lot of public schools and adults learning centres that are free for all. You can visit a huge main library building. Outside, you'll find a permanent crowd of folks hanging out, playing music, or distributing political pamphlets. Inside is a huge glass atrium with little patio tables and several coffee bars, where folks sit and chat for hours.

Down on False Creek, this former industrial site was long ago converted to an indoor public market and home for artists and artisans. Grab a latte at the public market and sit outside by the wharf and people- or boat-watch.

One of the best places to people watch is along Robson Street, Vancouver's version of Rodeo Drive. Shoppers, business people, tourists and skateboard kids all mingle on the broad sidewalks. There are dueling Starbucks on opposite corners at Robson and Thurlow, and the outside tables were always full of people seeing and being seen.

Vancouver, my second hometown, is very welcome everyone. Especially, you are. For sure that you will have the really good time if you are on vacation in Vancouver.

Diep M

Submitted: Thursday 29th January 2004, 6:48 PM

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