Canada Trip Day 2: Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay

14 June 2010 - Despite it being summer, it was awfully cold in Surrey with a temperature of about 11 to 15 degrees Celsius. According to my cousin, the summer is late this year and the arrival of the different seasons have been irregular lately. Despite the erratic weather, I had slept well on the well-insulated bed prepared by my aunt. My mum and sister felt the same and we needed not to use the heater.

After a hearty home-cooked breakfast of my aunt's special hash browns, we found all three of ourselves seat-belted at the back of our seat and approaching towards the Tsawwassen Terminal. According to my aunt, a traffic law in Canada is that all passengers in the car, including the ones at the back, would be fined for not fastening seat belts.

We were going on one of the BC Ferries (British Columbia Ferry Services) to visit Victoria, the capital of British Columbia. The plan was to visit Butchart Garden and some of the famous landmarks there.

The ferry ride was an exciting one. One was because the ferry is so huge that it has more than one storey for holding cars. The one we went on is called Spirit of Vancouver Island. It belongs to the Spirit class of ferries, called Superferries, which are the largest in the BC Ferries fleet. Spirit of Vancouver has the capacity to hold 470 cars!

Another is the amazing view of some of the Southern Gulf Islands coasts such as those of Mayne Island, Pender Island, Parker Island and Prevost Island.

Lastly but most fascinating is the diversity in wildlife. The Straits of Georgia is home to Orca whales, seals, dolphins and marine birds. While I saw none of those mammals during my ferry ride, I saw several species of birds, one wading in the water and some others soaring across the sky.
Sky and clouds smudges


Vegetable farms


Tsawwassen Terminal


There was already a long queue when we reached there


After our visit to the toilet of about 10 minutes, the queue got much longer

I am not sure but perhaps these all lead to different floors of the ferry?


View of ferry terminal or pier from the side of the ferry


Another ferry docking at the pier


A BC Ferries ferry returning to Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal


View of the ferry terminal from the rear of the ferry


Close-up of ferry terminal


At a ferry deck, passengers are catching the sun rays to warm themselves while enjoying the view


A ferry with Vancouver 2010 advertisement on it. The lovely smudgy sky and the distant faint mountains make a nice photo backdrop.


At the upper deck where the ship's funnel (chimney) is


A more secluded deck


Welcome sign with the name of the ferry


I had this picture in mind when I saw this lady sitting outside at the deck by the window.


Coastal view of one of the Southern Gulf Islands


Coastlines jutting out like jagged sawtooth


Looking like barrier island coastal structure


Houses by the coast


A lighthouse


Dark emerald water from reflection of the coniferous forest


Portlock Point Lighthouse of Prevost Island


Another island picture with nice green covered mountains


I think that's Swartz Bay


A small island


Loads of cars


Sign board of Butchart Gardens

Canada Trip Day 1: The Summer Night Market in Richmond

13 June 2010 - The Summer Night Market is an annual event in Richmond where a vast empty plot of land is populated with food stalls, shops and game stalls, as well as a stage for holding games and performances. And, I think what's best about the Summer Night Market is the food! While it is moderately busy at the shops and game stalls, the food area is jammed-pack with people and we sort of have to spiral our way to move. I had the takoyaki (octopus balls), Korean fish-shaped wafers with red bean fillings and the cheddar cheese tornado potato chips! The chips are out of this world and cheddar cheese topping that goes with them completely rocks! Another thingI noticed, which was also pointed out by my cousin is, there are many Chinese people in Richmond. It is most likely in Richmond that Chinese are most populated in Canada.

Summer Night Market banner


Shop stalls


A food stall selling korean food and probably my favourite stall because of those delicious cheese tornado potato chips and red bean fish wafers


Other food stalls


Everyone loves the food here and in Richmond, you get many of the best Chinese restaurant in the whole of Canada, like real authentic Chinese food, not westernised (sweet and sour type) Chinese food.


Japanese food stall


Lady making Korean fish wafers with red bean filling


Korean guy putting ketchup topping on tornado chips


This is the real deal! Cheddar cheese topping on tornado chips! YUM!


Lots of Hong Kong style Chinese food here in Richmond, and they even have the dragon beard candy! Richmond is very Hong Kong.


At the back of the food stalls

Canada Trip Day 1: Uncle's Home & Garden

13th June 2010 - There was so much to talk about as my cousin brother greeted us at a passenger pick-up point with a 7-seater van, with two of the seats taken out for baggage. Metro Vancouver is beautiful as it is surrounded by snow-capped mountain ranges. I remember us crossing a bridge or two to get to Surrey from the airport. Most of the passing buildings I recalled seeing were residential, all nicely arranged in grids.

We pulled up at the front yard of a nice traditional but elegant Canadian house covered in insulated concrete form with an attached garage and a garden. My feet felt comfy to the thickness and softness of the carpeted floors. We were ushered to the living room where Leo was incessantly barking like any good watchdog would at strangers in its guarded abode. While his barks were menacing, he turns out to be a highly intelligent dog with an almost human-like, adorable and lovable character.

After we placed our bags in our room, I laid on the bed for a little while to rest. My aunt is super sweet. Summer is late this year and the weather was still chilly. She had nicely wrapped furry blankets over the sheets to better insulate heat in addition to the comfy duvets. She also readied a heater by the corner of the room in case we needed it.

Excited about the fruit garden that was so talked-about during my uncle and aunt's last return to Brunei in 2009, my mum asked of the garden. Soon, we were led on a tour to the fruit garden, which really is the backyard of the house. It was interesting to watch how temperate fruit trees grow and bear fruit. My uncle grows plums, pears, blueberries and wolfberries. He makes his own fertilisers using compost waste. He puts the food wastes into a lidded black bin and allows the wastes to decompose.

Leo, a mixed Pomeranian breed


Young plum fruits in bunches hanging from the tree


An eaten pear fruit hanging out of its tree


Tiny green wolfberries (goji berries)


Tiny purple flowers of the wolfberry tree


Young blueberries


My aunt showing my fruit-loving mum other fruit trees


A little excursion outside the house compound


Our cosy room in Surrey, nicely set up by my aunt


My cousin installing the chair back to fit all of us on a visit to the summer night market.


The gas dispenser machine accepts payment by credit card as well and is operated in a self-service fashion. Talk about convenience! Note the price of gas is about twice there compared to in Brunei. Their unit of measure is in gallons. One nice thing is there is always hardly a queue. I wish this happens here.