JOIN USThe signboards catch my attention. There’s one that says Sakura Bar, next is Rose Pharmacy, followed by Persian Foods, Rumi Opticals, La Regalde, Thai Pudpong, Maurya Bistro etc.
I’m driving through Marine Drive, western Vancouver. However, I could be anywhere: Turkey, Iran, Ukraine, Japan, India. This leisurely west-coast seaport is among the most ethnically diverse cities of Canada. The world converges here and immigrants are a happy lot. Each maintains his/her identity, yet easily fits into the tranquil, picturesque charms Vancouver offers.
Asians live here in huge numbers, and as I take a seat to catch my breath after spending a while walking the streets of Downtown, it suddenly dawns on me that I have communicated in a couple of languages but haven’t spoken a word of English. The cab driver who dropped me here spoke Punjabi; the handsome elderly Afghan gentleman I asked for directions knew only Pashto so we managed with a few common words of Urdu; and the coffee order I placed was in Hindi. Language is a great binder; I didn’t feel I was in unfamiliar surroundings. I could now relate to what most immigrants had told me of Vancouver: a welcoming home away from home. If you can speak your mother-tongue with strangers and eat your food outside the confines of your home (Vancouver offers almost 30 cuisines in its around 4,000 cafés and restaurants), you do have a sense of belonging to the place.
On the Pacific coast
Vancouver city sits amidst a spectacular picture-postcard setting in British Columba province off the Pacific Ocean. It nestles at the foot of the arresting Coast Mountain range and in its backdrop is the coniferous green belt hemming in the mountains. Its year-round favourable weather makes it an outdoorsy place to live in. What’s more, with snow-capped mountains meeting the sea, it’s possible to go skiing in the morning and hit the beach and go surfing or sailing in the afternoon! Not many regions can offer that double delight.
The pulsating heart of Vancouver is Downtown and its neighbour West End. It’s typically packed with glass towers, cheerful restaurants and bistros, night clubs, the hugely popular Robson Street known for upscale shopping, culturally-rich art districts which include landmarks like Vancouver Art Gallery, Queen Elizabeth Theatre that’s renowned for staging opera and ballet concerts, and the dramatically-colonnaded Vancouver Public Library. The open air Granville Mall and its entertainment district — essentially a section of Granville Street that’s been closed to vehicular traffic — is another draw.
I found the heritage district of Gastown to be one of the most atmospheric spots here. With its lively mix of boutiques, pubs, theatres etc, it’s a great tourist attraction. Legend says it’s named after ‘Gassy’ Jack Deighton, a Yorkshire seaman, who arrived here in 1867 and opened the area’s first pub. A statue of his standing atop a barrel pays tribute to a man who loved to brag, thus his nickname Gassy. One of Gastown’s most famous attractions is the steam-powered clock. I was looking around for it on my map when all of a sudden I heard the crowd bellow a hurrah and saw a cloud of smoke coming out of a pillar across the road. It was the clock! Almost anyone watching it let out its steam does feel a child-like enthusiasm; no wonder that response.
The cityscape
Being flanked by the Vancouver Harbour on one end and the English Bay on the other, this part of town has lovely waterfront places. Though this is an outdoor city one of the finest experiences I had was indoor, at FlyOver Canada, located off the harbour. This is a virtual flight ride wherein I got to “fly over” Canada while sitting all belted on a seat. Such are its special effects, which included feeling wind in my hair, enjoying the scent of cedar as I ‘flew’ over a forest and getting enveloped in mist, that it left me with a feeling of pure exhilaration. If there is one must-do experience in Vancouver, this is it.
I had heard the city parties late, but I must say it rises early too. I was staying at a convenient hotel on Comox Street off the popular Denman Street and a hop away from the English Bay. A long day was on schedule for me so I thought of spending the morning hours by the bay and its small beach. The sun had barley risen and I felt I’d be one of the few out for a brisk walk. It seemed half the town had the same idea! There were people biking, jogging, sprinting, working-out, all happily energising themselves with lungfuls of fresh air.
The bay adjoins Stanley Park, the century-old 1,001-acre public park, among the largest urban green spaces in North America. Around the park’s perimeter a seawall and metalled walkway have been constructed, basically to prevent erosion. Over time, this has become one of the most frequented spots in Vancouver with residents from all districts arriving here for cycling, rollerblading or simply walking. Being a weekend, a lot of families were heading towards it and I was pleasantly surprised to see quite a few carrying cricket kits with them. Though the willow sport is a favourite in Commonwealth nations, it’s a minor attraction here, with ice hockey reigning supreme and being Canada’s national winter game.
For me, the park was the venue for a dinner appointment at The Teahouse. My host insisted I reach by 6.30 pm and I wondered why that urgency. As I arrived my host said, “Quickly turn around; you are in time, else you would have missed this.” She was pointing to one of the most spectacular sunsets I had ever seen. The classy, glass-roofed restaurant is amidst lush green environs and overlooks the English Bay. The sunset had turned the sky that domed it into a vibrant palette of unimaginable orange, lilac, deep blue, rose... It was a stunning moment! Indeed, it remains etched in memory as the most enduring image of Vancouver.