13/14 June - Victoria to Richmond & the day after

 It was a first for us, the experience of tenting out. I had bought the tent as an emergency provision for the drive to London. It did take us some time to set up the tent even though instructions were clear. Hetal had the brains and the creativity to understand the instructions better. It would be unfair if I did not admit that she set up the tent and I stayed in it! We did not have mats. The sleeping bag was not enough protection from the sharp grass and undulations on the ground. It also got extremely cold during the night. However, it was a wonderful experience and one that I will repeat in my future ventures because of the cost saving and the novelty. Next time I have to pack a mat and fleece blanket too. The Gardenside Acres property and its owners, Janet and Scot, treat their customers with a lot of warmth and hospitality. The location is awesome being just a stone’s throw away from the pride of Victoria, the Butchart Gardens. It took some time to pack the tent pack as it was drenched in dew. 

Breakfast served by Scott was way beyond what I could eat at one meal. While I had the farm fresh eggs made into an omelette, freshly baked bread with home made blueberry and blackberry jam and a thick slice of ham, I packed the lovely waffle with maple syrup, cream and more blueberry jam for lunch on board the ferry to Horseshoe Bay. Hetal had homemade granola with strawberry sauce, pancakes with homemade blueberry sauce, orange juice, yogurt and superb coffee. Every home in that part of Victoria seemed to be a retail outlet for what they produce. A small unmanned stall with the products are kept with a price stand and a money drop box. This speaks highly of the integrity of the people.

Even though we had booked an afternoon ferry we left the property after the heavy breakfast with the intention of a leisurely drive to Nanaimo. We stopped at as many lookout points as possible on the way. With all that we arrived early at the ferry terminal and had to wait a substantial time for the scheduled ferry at 1.15 pm.

The ferry was in time and the 100 minute crossing brought us into Horseshoe Bay by about 3 pm. I had booked a homestay in Richmond for our stay. I picked the place because of its proximity to the airport. This suburb of Vancouver is a rich Chinese neighborhood and the homestay I booked also belonged to one of the community. The large house had all modern facilities, large rooms with en suite arrangements and ample parking. The caretaker lady who was staying on the premise was an ever smiling middle aged lady. She explained the do’s and don’ts of the homestay before we occupied the first floor room. Her understanding of the English language was as facile as my Mandarin!

Since I would have to return the Hertz rental car at the airport I spoke to them to ascertain what the total amount would be. I was told that I would have to pay only the amount I had contracted with them for at the time of hiring it, which was 3009 CAD. They told me that they had not received any traffic penalties or toll bookings. I could not believe my ears. I had been in a few situations where I was sure that I had picked up traffic fines. Since I had come out without one I maintained a clean record on my overseas drives to London, in Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

There was a lot of packing and re-arrangements to do with the luggage to ensure that we remained within the free limits prescribed by the airline. There were some more things to buy in the two days in Richmond. A handy portable luggage weighing scale helped us discard that which was not necessary. After walking around a bit in the neighborhood, marveling at the huge mansions and the esoteric boats that were parked in front of some homes we stopped at a McDonalds for dinner. What we experienced there was something I had never in Canada before. The outlet was filled to capacity with smoking Chinese cheering some soccer team in a game that was being live telecast and shown on TVs placed in vantage positions within the restaurant. At times the noise got under our skins, but they could care less.

On the second day in Richmond we decided to do a bit of sights seeing and some shopping. A short drive away from the homestay was the historic Gulf of Georgia Cannery where salmon fished from the abutting Fraser River were sorted, cleaned, packed, cooked, labelled and shipped all over Europe and US for many years before it was converted into a museum. The tour gave superb insight into the use of Chinese and First Nations adults and children in less than human conditions to further economic interests. The gradual mechanization, economic seesaw, transformation of the cannery and such other aspects were exceptionally described by Angelina, a Chinese descendant of an erstwhile immigrant who worked in the factory.

The International Buddhist Society is a Chinese Buddhist Temple, that officially practices Mahayana Buddhism. Donations from two Hong Kong residents helped in setting up of the temple in 1979. The architecture of the temple is based on the Forbidden City in Beijing. Besides the centre of the temple which is the Main Gracious Hall is a hall that houses the five great Buddhas and Bodhisattva statues. A classical Chinese garden with rock landscape, gazebos, stone bridge, lotus ponds and plenty of bonsais welcome visitors to the hallowed grounds. The wisdom fountain is said to have cleansing properties while the Siddhartha Gautama Pool recreate the birth legend of the Great One.

While traveling in Richmond and Burnaby I got the feeling that I was in some Chinese city. The impact of early and modern immigration from that country is a stark reality. Lifestyle, cultural and societal impacts, display of affluence are all there for one to see and experience.

It is time to leave for my home country after 45 days of a super expedition with bags full of memories and much to cherish. It is time to start working on the next dream.