And forcing a smile when someone reminds me that B.C. stands for 'bring cash.'
As a Canadian, I'm a bit embarrassed to say in 2022 I have yet to venture outside of my On-terrible bubble. But after two years of isolation, it's time to get the travel bug crawling again, and seek out the amazing destinations of Canada.
First stop: British Columbia
I've seen mountains before, I've travelled to the oceans west and east, I've hiked and camped, but nothing could prepare me for the gorgeous nature of British Columbia. Every time I drove by a mountain peaking through trees or buildings, my partner Rocco and I mouthed wooow, every time we realized we couldn't wrap our arms around the giant trees wooooow, every day we stuck around to watch the sunset disappear into the landscapes: woowzah.
Now we have this 'problem' when we travel, when we're enjoying the landscapes and the vibe we always start mentally preparing to move there. It happened in Amsterdam, Thailand and London, but this felt different. B.C. feels like the place that'll cure your depression, force you to appreciate life, and count your blessings, B.C. feels like home.
Let's start exploring.
We really only had five days of traveling, but five days is a lot of time if you plan ahead. You can take a look at our Google Maps below with all the key locations: food, hiking, sight seeing, and more food. If you've been reading my blogs for a while, you know we don't visit museums or art galleries very often, so don't expect a lot of tourist attractions on there!
I want to split this guide into three sections, and really the only three things we could manage in five days, feel free to skip to each section here:
1. Where to Hike
2. Exploring Vancouver
#1: Where to go hiking
It can be a bit intimidating to go hiking in B.C., especially since everyone seems so well-versed in the adventurous lifestyle with their bulky boots and bear spray (is this an episode of survivor?), but trust me when I say you can still enjoy the trails with some sturdy running shoes and lots of snacks.
We hiked three trails on our trip: Joffre Lakes Trail, Sea to Sky Summit and accidentally hiking The Chief (more on getting lost hiking here).
My favourite was Joffre Lake, and by 10AM, it seemed like it was the crowd's favourite.
TIP - I can't stress this enough: LEAVE EARLY! Think like a local, you don't want to be waiting in line to hike up a mountain. Thankfully our Vancouver friends made us leave the city at 5 A.M.
The hikes are not close to the city, Joffre Lakes Trail was about a three hour drive from where we were staying in Kitsilano Beach. We woke up at a brisk 4:30 A.M., made breakfast, and hit the road. It was so peaceful. We had plenty of time and space to explore the views along the trail, and by the time we hiked to the top, we had about 30 minutes before the tourists started piling in. I'm so happy we had the space to get all these great photos. Yes the water is actually turquoise!
At the top of Mr. Joffre Lake himself, was actual snow despite hiking in June! It was an unbelievable site. Our friends decided to take a polar dip in the freezing water, like the adventure seekers they are (maybe this is survivor). I dipped my feet inside, but they were burning from the glacier water, that's how cold it was.
TIP - Bring a bathing suit and a towel if you feel like you can survive the freezing glacier water.
We also went to the Sea to Sky Submit, which is labelled an advanced trail, and I can confirm a lot more difficult than our boy Joffre. It's not impossible, but be prepared to sweat, get muddy, and maybe cry a little on this five hour trail. The Chief was connected to this trail as well, and is also extremely difficult to the point that it feels like rock climbing instead of hiking. Nonetheless, The Chief gifted us with amazing views after all the strenuous effort.
The greatest part about the Sea to Sky submit is the gondola down. There's nothing more satisfying than climbing a mountain and not having to climb it back down! There are lots of view points on this trail and you just feel so energized and happy looking down at the gorgeous landscapes. Again, this trail is very advanced. There's a few route options where you can avoid the vertical cliffs and not feel like you're going to die, but what's hiking without mud, sweat and blood amiright?
At the top, there's a little market inside with snacks and drinks and the main attraction: a suspension bridge overlooking the mountain! It's truly a sight to see with your own eyes. I do want to point out the bridge does sway a bit with the wind and moving passengers, but even if you're afraid of heights, fight your fears and try it out!
#2: Exploring Vancouver
Chinese Garden Walk
Every city has their own version of Chinatown, and Vancouver's Chinese heritage is just so beautiful. We stumbled upon Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, which is literally a garden sanctuary located in the heart of the city.
Tickets are $16 per person ($12 for students), and it is so worth it to see the flower-filled gardens, growing bonsai trees, ancient architecture, and enjoy the calming presence. You can also stop by the jade room for a cup of tea and some art.
Gastown
Not too far north-west of the garden is Gastown, a small community filled with shops, restaurants and views of the shipyard. We did pass by the famous Gastown steam clock, which does go off every quarter hour.
It was very interesting how closely Gastown resembled our Distillery District neighbourhood in Toronto. From the wobbly cobblestone to the breweries, this neighbourhood is great for a quick drink or late dinner.
Stanley Park
Stanley Park is another must-visit location in the heart of Vancouver! The more you walk along the trail and the sea wall, the more you can see the beautiful city skyline. It was raining quite a bit when we ventured to the lighthouse, so we didn't take too many photos. I'd recommend renting a city bike from Mobi to ride around the park and enjoy the nature. Stanley Park is also a great location to watch the sunset; we got some bami sandwiches and found a bench overlooking the ocean, it was a perfect night.
Which is a great segue into our next and final topic: FOOD!
#3: For all the foodies!
We left Toronto with a mission to taste-test one specific food category: fish. With B.C. literally on the coast of the pacific ocean, we knew the seafood would be amazing here. And what better place to eat fresh fish than on the ocean -- our first stop was Granville Island.
There are plenty of places to eat at Grandville Island, we were pretty overwhelmed at first by the rows and rows of shops and cafes in the public market. You're greeted by fresh vegetables and fruits, local coffee shops, and pastries. And then you fall into this section of butcher shops, German, Indian, French cuisines, donut shops and fudge, you name it!
We began with a coffee from JJ Bean, paired with some pastries from Terra Breads, which stopped us in our tracks by the overwhelming delicious smell of fresh baked things. Our friend recommend us this donut place called Lee's Donuts. If you take anything from this blog, please go to Lee's! The donuts are made in-house, with dozens of flavours to choose from. If there's a long enough line, they make you wait outside the store, so the temperature of the kitchen and dough can remain consistant. From outside you can see the bakers at work, rolling and dipping the sweet, fresh dough into the sugar and frosting. It really gets your mouth watering. We tried three different donuts- lemon, chocolate and oreo dough, and all three were so delicious.
By noon, we decided that we needed a plan, we wanted to eat everything but what we really wanted was some fish and chips. Another friend recommended us Tony's Fish & Oyster Cafe, and sure enough, there was a lineup out the door (in my eyes, that's a green flag). Tony's is located right at the entrance of Grandville Island. We grabbed our lunch and walked over to the water where we sat on a picnic bench and enjoyed the tasty fish away from the crowds. 10/10 recommend this place, the fish is amazing as expected.
Our trip also lined up with the Richmond Night Market, which is an Asian food festival all summer long. The lineup was pretty chaotic. We were stuck in traffic for over 45 minutes, although there was plenty of parking when we finally arrived at the front. There was also a huge lineup outside the gates for single passes, but we went to the front and they were selling a zoom pass (up to 6 visits) for $35. Since there was four of us, we decided to split this pass and skip the line.
To be honest, the market isn't really worth the prices, but it was a fun experience nonetheless. Meat on a stick was $4 a pop *cries in baht* and many of the vendors were selling tasting-bite sized foods for $7-$15, which feels like a lot for some dumplings we could've went to Chinatown for. The food was pretty good though, there's also a variety of carnival games, a concert stage, and some other kid exhibits. I would say, attending the night market once is probably enough.
One last place I want to highlight in our many meals is Tacofino. Now, tacos are probably my favourite food, so tacofino has been on the Vancouver food list for a while, if not, the first thing I added to our to-do list. We were told the best fish tacos are found at the original location in Tofino, but unfortunately we didn't have time to travel to the islands, so we settled on a location in Yaletown. Yaletown is a cute little neighbourhood full of art galleries and dine-in restaurants, filling the streets with public art and upscale vibes. We only explored the area for a few hours, but the first words that comes to mind is 'bougie millennial hangout spot'. The service was pretty slow at this particular location, but these fish tacos were so good! You can tell the fish was super fresh and it was a great snack right before we headed off to the airport.
From nature, hiking, city scapes and food, I hope you enjoyed the highlights of my British Columbia trip. I'll definitely be back in Canada's breathtaking province to explore everything B.C. has to offer!
Have you travelled to B.C.?
Yes
Not yet!