The upside with travelling to a province easily bigger than England is that there’s loads to see. The downside is that you won’t have time to do much, because getting anywhere is such a trek. After careful consideration (glancing at a map), I decided to go to Victoria after checking out Vancouver, and from Victoria I would try to get to Strathcona Provincial park. Glancing at a map at the last second wasn’t the most efficient way of planning a trip, granted, but at least I was ensuring I wouldn’t spend half of my journey trudging from one location to the next.

From my arrival at Vancouver International Airport, my visit seemed like a whirlwind of activities. There’s easily enough to do here to have lasted me the whole trip, but my tight schedule meant I only had a few days to sample what Vancouver and its friendly Vancouverites had to offer. Luckily, the city’s public transport is brilliant, and a ride on the excitingly-named Skytrain allowed me to get around fairly quickly. The city centre was so packed with attractions, places to stay and food that I didn’t have time to explore beyond it. The Vancouver Art Gallery is definitely worth a visit on a Tuesday, when you can donate what you want to get in. If you want to eat out in British Columbia, Vancouver is the place to be, especially for Japanese food. Surprisingly enough, there seems to be a huge range of Japanese restaurants, from budget fast food to lavish restaurants. The look on my face must’ve been priceless when I was first introduced to Japadog – cheap hot dogs with a Japanese twist. I’d never seen anything so deliciously weird in my life (that being said, it’s probably because I haven’t been to Japan yet). I spent my time in Vancouver living off of Kobe beef hot dogs, though if you’re craving some typically Canadian junk food, I suggest you go with a Poutine (like a Burger King!).

I spent so much time in Vancouver that I didn’t really have time to give Victoria, B.C.’s capital, the time it deserved. The ferry ride to Vancouver Island was felt like an introduction to Vancouver Island’s rugged beauty – the sound of appreciative gasps clearly betrayed the tourists amongst the locals. Victoria is a beautiful place and a great city to stay in when exploring the rest of the island, and somehow felt more peaceful than the bustling Vancouver. A quick tour the Butchart Gardens was enough to satisfy me that Victoria’s nickname of ‘The Garden City’ is no mere boast.

After my urban adventures, however, I was craving the more rugged and isolated side of nature. The Strathcona Provincial Park, which I’d arbitrarily picked at a time which felt so long ago, did not disappoint. Over a quarter of a million hectares big, the park consists of clear lakes and rivers, sweeping meadows and ancient forests all overlooked by eternally snow-capped mountains lay before me, overwhelmingly untouched by man save for a few maps along its trails. A word of warning, however – get some mosquito repellent and wear long sleeves … don’t say I didn’t warn you!

But I can sit here and write about British Columbia for as long as I want, and I still won’t do it justice. As with any destination, you simply have to go out there and experience it yourself.

Click on pictures to view in full size!

Author Bio: Louis Jobin

Louis Jobin is an undergraduate studying English and Japanese Studies. His passions are European literature, Asian cuisine and Scandinavian music.

Some of these links could be making us some money, however we would not include them if we didn’t think they can benefit travelers

Without a doubt Vancouver is one of the most popular cities in Canada. Have you been here and explored other areas in British Columbia? Do you think it is as livable as it’s said to be? What side trips would you highly recommend? Remember to share your thoughts below, and this post too if you liked it!

The post Exploring Wild Wild Western Canada appeared first on MaiTravelSite

We opted into an igloo building workshop at the Jacques-Cartier park (the Eskimo life isn’t for me, clearly) and wandered around dozens of immaculately carved ice sculptures, from detailed polar bears through to a Scotsman, resplendent in full regalia.  Youngsters squeezed themselves into mini igloos whilst others launched themselves off a human snow slide, hurtling down the ice with fear and excitement.  Occasional ‘teddy’ mascots wandered around, Disney style, ready to pose for pictures and administer cuddles where necessary; I did debate ensnaring one myself but he looked so dejected and fed up, I left him to wallow in his lunch break, choosing instead to hunt down a drink (served in an ice glass, from an ice counter, to drink on an ice chair, obviously).

In winter, the Rideau Canal (a UNESCO heritage site) becomes the Rideau Canal skate-way, the largest ice rink in the world at nearly 8km long: a must-visit during Winterlude. If intending to go sakting on the rideau canal in full, the starting point lies near the parliament buildings and leads you (exhausted and traumatised from nimble children) to a youth gallery on Dows Lake.  As I laced up my (slightly too large) skates tight around my ankles, blocking out the flashbacks to bumps and bruises from my teen years, three kids jostled past, excitedly regaling horror stories of people losing their fingers whilst their mum chipped in with ‘Well, keep them out of the way then, because I didn’t bring my sewing machine’. My comrade and I agreed to cling onto each other for dear life, if one goes down, you both go down.  The skate-way is fettered with rest stops for the weary to re-fuel via a gamut of sugary goodies and to observe an army of humans trying desperately not to lose balance (and face) on the frozen canal. Small children in sleighs gleefully squealed, oblivious to their grumpy carer towing them along like reindeer, whilst romantic (if somewhat hasty) kisses of hand-holding couples were glimpsed as we tucked into an enormous bag of sweets.

Dining out in Ontario, until my final night, had mostly been of modest fare, however I couldn’t resist the allure of ‘Garlics’, a more upmarket restaurant promising to offer garlic in its starters, mains and desserts. Over a decadent couple of hours, I slurped a roasted garlic and onion bisque, cautiously tucked into a main of elk (no it doesn’t taste like chicken!) and braved the house-churned ice cream concoction of roasted garlic, bee pollen and honey. A fun experience to end a unique trip, I’m not sure the unfortunates seated close by on the plane shared my love of the whiffy vegetable…

Scarlett is a postgraduate social researcher with a heavily stamped passport, an empty bank account and a desire to eternally dodge the rat race…

Had you heard about Winterlude in Ottawa? Been there? What was yout favorite part of it? What would you recommend future visitors don’t miss? Share your thoughts below, and this post too if you liked it!

The post Winterlude in Ottawa, Ontario appeared first on MaiTravelSite