Vivid Vancouver
Vancouver seamlessly weaves stunning natural scenery with First World efficiency — superlatives inadequately capture its allure.
You could be sailing in the morning on Vancouver’s picturesque Salish Sea, with snow-capped mountains your backdrop — and walk from the waterfront or take the subway to your office in minutes, an electronic stock market board your new backdrop.
I’ve always felt from my first visit to Vancouver in Canada’s British Columbia that the city blends the natural beauty of Europe (because I had always associated snow-capped mountains and pristine lakes with Switzerland) and the conveniences of North America (the language, for one). All in a beautifully wrapped package where abundant fresh air is part of the gift.
“What I love most about Vancouver is the beautiful mix of cosmopolitan city life and nature that’s just minutes away! You’ve got parks, rivers, mountains…so much greenery all around. It’s the best of both worlds,” says Fil-Canadian Malu Francisco.
Air Canada, the flag carrier of The Great White North and recently adjudged “Best Airline in North America” by Skytrax, now takes you to this vividly beautiful destination, non-stop from Manila four times weekly (Vancouver-Manila flights have the same frequency).
Filipino passport holders who have held a Canadian visa in the past 10 years or currently have a valid US non-immigrant visa can apply for Canada’s Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) instead of a full Canadian visa. The flight on Air Canada’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner takes about 12 hours from Manila, and 13 hours from Vancouver.
***
A select group of Filipino journalists were recently invited by Air Canada to a familiarization tour of Vancouver and Seattle, less than 60 minutes on an Air Canada Express flight from Vancouver (where we cleared US Immigration and Customs).
The tour was an immersive journey the minute we took off from Manila, pampered by Air Canada’s award-winning service as recognized by Skytrax.
Air Canada’s Hon Lam, the regional general manager for Hong Kong, Southern China and Southeast Asia, is very upbeat about the launching of the non-stop flights, a milestone in connectivity between Asia and North America.
“We have a million Canadians of Filipino backgrounds living in Canada,” points out Hon. “Imagine, how much more traffic they can bring. Because say, for example, two of their friends come and visit them, that’s three million potential. That’s why we are opening this as a year-round route, it’s not seasonal.”
“It’s the largest market in Southeast Asia that we haven’t served,” agrees Vincent Leung, sales communications and promotions manager for Hong Kong, Southern China and Southeast Asia.
***
After two exciting days in Seattle, we flew back to Vancouver, where we were billeted at the Pinnacle Hotel Harbourfront, which has mesmerizing views of the sea and the mountains beyond.
We beat jetlag the next morning with a visit to Granville Island, where we had a perky market tour. We jumpstarted our tour with piping hot cups of creamy tea, freshly-baked rolls (A Bread Affair), fine cheese (Benton Brothers), sausages and cold cuts (Oyama Sausage Co.), smoked salmon (Longliner Seafood), Pad Thai (Sen Pad Thai), lemon squares (Lemon Square), chocolates (Chocolatas), macarons (Bon Macaron), single origin coffee (from JJ Bean) and the icing on the cake, donuts from Lee’s Donuts, a chain owned by a Filipino couple, Allan and Celine Bacani!
Even if you have a butcher and a fish stall (in addition to the artisanal chocolates, fruit pyramids and gourmet cheeses) under one roof (the market is home to more than 50 independent food purveyors), Granville Market is spotless. You leave the market smelling like a rose and feeling like a king (burp) after you’ve sampled portions of what’s offered by the Vancouver Foodie Tours.
Granville is Exhibit A of Vancouver’s livability — the city repurposes wastelands into parks and turns industrial sites into art hubs. Imagine turning Manila’s Port Area into an art hub!
Granville Island began its successful transformation in the ‘70s from an industrial wasteland to one of the most picturesque and visited public spaces in Vancouver.? It now prides itself as “Vancouver’s premier artistic and cultural hub,” steeped in a rich industrial and maritime heritage. This unique destination attracts millions of visitors each year from Vancouver and around the world, and is reportedly one of the most visited Canadian destinations (next to the Niagara Falls.)
From Granville Market, we visited the Vancouver Art Gallery, which at the time had modern art sculpture, installations and paintings, including hauntingly beautiful landscapes by Emily Carr, on exhibit. We capped the day by a visit to Lulu Winery near Richmond, where we ogled lush vineyards and sampled Vancouver’s famous ice wine.
Oh, Vancouver, you’re vividly beautiful. *
- Latest
