Meraki Garden (Reina Mercedes, Isabela)

Meraki Garden

After a 10-hour trip all the way from Manila, we arrived at the beautiful and colorful Meraki Garden, one of the Isabela province’s newest attractions, where we were to have dinner.

This 4.2-hectare botanical garden, in the town of Reina Mercedes, is home to over 3,000 beautiful and colorful varieties of bougainvilleas (some enormous) from all over the country.

Bougainvilleas are a genus of thorny ornamental vines, bushes, and trees belonging to the four o’ clock family, Nyctaginaceae

Ms. Lyn Marcaida

Owned by Ms. Lyn Marcaida, it was opened last September 28, 2021 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.  During the lockdown, Ms. Lyn, who was stricken with the virus herself, got into planting and grafting bougainvilleas to while the time.

The author at Meraki Garden

Soon, her collection of well-groomed bougainvilleas, in colors of white, pink, orange violet and red, grew and she decided to open up her garden to the public.

She chose to name the Greek-inspired place as Meraki, from the Greek word that literally means “to do tasks with soul, creativity and love.” Its signature color is blue and white which gives a Santorini-like feel. Going around the grounds, we found everything in the place to be Instagram-worthy.

The Events Place

Aside from picture-taking, you can also enjoy the local bands that perform every weekday from 6 to 8 PM and magicians every weekend. Kids can enjoy the children’s playground, kiddie trampoline and train rides Meraki Garden offers, and once they go hungry, they can grab a bite (pizza, coffee, etc.) at the Taverna Café near the garden.

Taverna Cafe

Train Ride

Meraki also has an events center (seating up to 150 guests, banquet style) and a swimming pool is planned in the future.  The garden also has a wide range of products for both households and gardens.  Truly, this pandemic hobby-turned botanical paradise, dedicated to bougainvilleas, is a piece of heaven on earth.

Children’s Playground

Kiddie Trampoline

Meraki Garden: Brgy. Napaaccu Pequeno, Reina Mercedes 3305, Isabela.  Open daily, 6:30 AM to 10 PM.  Mobile numbers: (0917) 512-7355 (Ms. Lyn Marcaida) and (0927) 708-3571 (Mr. Dimple Barcarse Aquino). Admission: Php50.

Isabela Provincial Tourism Office: Provincial Capitol Complex, City of Ilagan, Isabela. Tel: (078) 323-3146.  Mobile number: (0917) 317-3820.  E-mail: isabelatourismoffice@gmail.com.

Isabela Provincial Information Office: Provincial Capitol Complex, City of Ilagan, Isabela. Tel: (078) 323-0248.  Mobile number: (0927) 395-7555.  E-mail: letters_info@yahoo.com.

How to Get There: Reina Mercedes is located 407 kms. (a 9-hour drive) from Manila, 14.8 kms. (a 30-min. drive) from Cauayan City and 23.9 kms. (a 35-min. drive) from the City of Ilagan.  Meraki Garden is located along the highway.

16,000 Blue Roses Park (Casiguran, Sorsogon)

16,000 Blue Roses Park

The famed 16,000 Blue Roses Park at the Pier Site in Casiguran, Sorsogon province’s newest attraction, is an open area within Plaza Escudero “planted” with 16,000, 3-foot tall artificial blossoms made up of illuminated blue LED lights.  This gorgeous and breathtaking public art installation, a dazzling nebula of cool blue lights, is best viewed from dusk to nighttime when the lights magically transform the area.

The author

This newest ecotourist attraction was opened last September 11, 2023, the 64th birthday of Sorsogon Gov. Jose Edwin “Boboy” B. Hamor, a former Casiguran mayor.  Since its opening, it became a hit with photographers and visitors have frequented the place to have their pictures taken in a different kind of setting.

This garden is reminiscent of the 25,000 LED Roses (actually just 22,550) at the Dongdaemun History & Culture Park of the famous Dongdaemum Design Plaza, a cultural center in Seoul, South Korea.  Each “rose” houses a micro LED bulb, not much bigger than the size of a thumbnail.

The park is located within the 14-hectare Casiguran Settlement, home to a monumental, multi-arched portal and the equally monumental Statue of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, modeled after the image of Our Lady of La Naval de Manila.

Check out “Casiguran Settlement

The monumental image of Our Lady of La Naval de Manila in the background

16,000 Blue Roses Park: Plaza Escudero, Brgy. Central, Casiguran, Sorsogon.

Century Gardens (Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada)

Century Gardens

Century Gardens, within the northern border of Deer Lake Park, near the neighborhoods of Buckingham Heights and Middlegate, was a originally a Mixed Style Victorian garden made for the mock Tudor-style Fairacres Mansion (now Burnaby Art Gallery).

Check out “Burnaby Art Gallery,” “Fairacres Mansion” and “Deer Lake Park

 

The single best place in the city to admire and celebrate Burnaby’s official flower (adopted as the official emblem in August 1966), this circular garden, with a path system, has over 2,000 rhododendrons that burst into bloom in spring (March to July).

One of two developed rhododendron gardens (the other are plantings on Burnaby Mountain along Centennial Way) dedicated on June 18, 1967, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation, it features the developments of some of the Pacific Northwest’s accomplished rhododendron growers.

A garden within displays each of the winning plants, as well as samples of all the competition entries, of the May 1992 Burnaby Rhododendron Festival  (the festival was first held in 1989).  The winner was John Lofthouse (his plant developments are extremely well known) and honorable mention went to Gene Round (an accomplished grower).

Water feature

The winning entry was the R. Burnaby Centennial, a “Leona” x “Etta Burrows” cross.  The compact truss consists of 14 to 16, five-lobed flowers which are raspberry red in color centered with a lighter red stamen, style and black anthers.  Foliage is pointed, medium in size and shiny, dark green in color.

Camperdown Elm (Ulmus glabra camperdownii)

A new entrance to the garden features Hak Chu/Pak Chu, supersized concrete replicas of white Pak Chu and black Hak Chu, public art created by Vancouver born and raised Nathan Lee in 2000.  It is based on fan-tan (translated as “repeated spreading out”), a game, long played in China, based on pure luck and randomness.

Fairacres Mansion (now Burnaby Art Gallery) in the background

It involves using hak-chu and pak-chu as counters (where white pieces are worth one-fifth the value of the black pieces).  In the 1990s, a single white pak chu was discovered under the Fairacres Cottage, indicating an early Chinese community on this site.

Hak Chu/Pak Chu (Nathan Lee, 2000)

Century Gardens is also lined with numerous varieties of colorful flowers, including an extensive rose garden.  This flower paradise can be viewed from the wooden boardwalk that encircles Deer Lake Park. The annual Burnably Rhododendron Festival includes guided rhododendron and perennial walks in Century Gardens.

Century Gardens: 6344 Deer Lake Ave., Burnaby V5G 213, British Columbia, Canada.

How to Get There: Bus 144 Metrotown runs from the Burnaby Lake SkyTrain Station to the gardens.  By car, take Sprott St. Exit, drive straight through Canada Way, past Burnaby City Hall and Central High School, turn left into Deer Lake Ave.  The Fairacres Mansion is at the top of the hill on your right.  Beside it is the garden.

Deer Lake Park (Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada)

Deer Lake Park

On the late afternoon of our 12th day in Vancouver, my daughter Cheska brought my wife Grace, my son Jandy, grandson Kyle and I to tranquil,  207-hectare Deer Lake Park, a 5.5-km. (12-min.) drive away, where we were to have a picnic dinner with  some U.S. friends.  From Sperling Ave., we parked at a lot closer to Deer Lake beach area.  Right across were two tables with benches where we had our picnic. An accessible washroom is located on the east side of the lake, near the parking area.

Parking lot along Sperling Ave.

Nearby, on the east end of Deer Lake, is a sandy public beach for play, along with swings for children. Plus, there’s a dock where you can launch small boats, like kayaks and canoes during the spring through the fall season. Those arriving with a kayak or canoe on their car top carrier, can launch it from the dock. From the dock, (on the western edge of the park), at 5435 Sperling Ave., there’s also Deer Lake Rental, a rental service for non-motorized watercraft such as rowboats and pedal boats as well as canoes and kayaks.

Deer Lake Park Map

Europeans who came here, not having seen caribou before, called the caribou “deer,” Caribou, in great numbers, could be seen crossing the lake from north to south, hence the name Deer Lake (the park’s namesake).

Boat Launch Dock

Situated in the central heart of the city, Deer Lake, along with Burnaby Lake, is home to resident populations of wildlife like many species of ducks, song birds (flitting through the meadows), otters and, just maybe, beavers (hard at work building dams in the marshy areas to the west of the lake) which one might glimpse them as one walks or runs along the trails that circle the lake’s 2.4-km. perimeter.

Deer Lake Rentals

You can also climb the wildlife viewing tower, near the southwest corner of the lake, to watch for endangered Western painted turtles sunning themselves on logs or basking on rocks in the ponds.

Deer Lake Rentals

Year-round resident birds in the park include red-tail hawks (circling the sky for prey below), black capped chickadee, spotted towhee, majestic great blue herons (fishing in the shallows), Anna’s hummingbird, Bewick’s Wren and Stellar’s Jay.  Summer breeding birds include Northern Harrier, March Wren, Cedar Waxwing, Swainson’s Thrush, Common Yellowthroat and American Goldfinch.  Winter & Migratory birds at Deer Lake Park include Dark Eyes Junco, Ruby Crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, Yellow-rumped Warbler and Mountain Bluebird.

Kayaks for rent

The temperate rainforest, the vegetation natural to the area, is dominated by trees considered particularly tall for the Lower Mainland, with conifers such as Western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla), Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), and Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata). Deer Lake and the surrounding park is a highly altered habitat and while cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, stickleback, sculpin and crayfish were likely native to Deer Lake, most of the aquatic animals are introduced species and invasive species include bullfrogictalurid catfish and carp.

Deer Lake Beach House

Beaver Creek, flowing under the wooden boardwalk, is used by fish for feeding and as a refuge from predators such as larger fish, mink, otters, herons, and kingfishers. Young Coho salmon use this stream as they grow before their journey to the ocean. Most of the wetlands along Beaver Creek are wet meadows and open water pond area, and a remnant bog area on the Western lakeshore. Trees that can tolerate these wet conditions are Sitka Spruce, Birch, Willow hardhack, Sweet gale, Black twinberry, Dwarf dogwood, Labrador tea, Salmonberry, Sedges and Bulrushes.

Deer Lake Beach House plaque

To the north of Deer Lake, you’ll find Burnaby’s cultural centre for art and culture – Burnaby Art Gallery (located Fairacres Mansion at 6344 Deer Lake Ave.),  Shadbolt Centre for the Arts (just a short ways further down the road at 6450 Deer Lake Ave.), Burnaby Village Museum (an excellent outdoor museum at the northeast corner of the park at 6501 Deer Lake Ave.) and more. It’s a hub of activity during the busy summer season, hosting concerts and festivals on the Festival Lawn.  The park is also home to Burnaby Village and Hart House (a historic building and present-day restaurant at 6664 Deer Lake Ave.).

Check out  “Fairacres Mansion,” “Burnaby Art Gallery,” “Burnaby Village Museum” and “Shadbolt Centre for the Arts

Located in Central Burnaby, not far from Burnaby City Hall and halfway between Burnaby Lake and Metrotown, it is one of Metro Vancouver’s largest and most popular city parks, with walking trails and wide open spaces, and is a very popular area for birding and running (you’ll likely encounter other people while exploring).

Even if the skyscrapers of Metrotown rise above the lake, Deer Lake Park still provides a unique nature escape in the middle of Burnaby. It’s a great place for hiking, boating, spotting wildlife, and learning about history and culture.  Just below the Burnaby Art Gallery, the Deer Lake Park Festival Lawn is an ideal spot for a picnic on the grass or at the picnic tables near the wide paved path leading to Deer Lake.

The lake itself, in the middle of the park, has a lovely, mostly finely crushed gravel and hard packed dirt (in some parts it’s a wooden boardwalk) main walking trail along the water’s edge and through the forest (this map shows all the trails and their surfaces). Some of the paths may be too steep for some users and tree roots crossing the trail also pose a tripping hazard.  Dogs are welcome, but must be on a leash.

The park offers a variety of many connecting trails (open year-round and beautiful to visit anytime and routes (more of an outdoor urban walk than a hike) that surround the lake:

  • Deer Lake Loop Route
  • Hart House Mini Route
  • Oakland Flats
  • Royal Oak Meadow Route

Wooden Boardwalk

You can do a small loop which runs around the edge of the lake for most of the way and takes about 35 mins., depending on how fast you walk.  You can go past the end of the lake though and continue on the larger loop (which takes about 45 mins.) which then makes its way back to the lake and the last part of the smaller loop. Doing both loops, considered an easy route, in a figure eight (where you walk along the middle section twice on your way round), is about 4.5 to 5 kms. long and takes 55 mins to an hour or so, from start to finish. Bikes are not permitted on wooden boardwalks.

Dirt and crushed gravel trail

A number of annual events take place at Deer Lake Park.  They include the following:

Canada goose

The park was a nice place for families with small kids, folks looking for a nice nature trip, or a good loop outside (if you are short on time). To enjoy the gardens in bloom, visit Deer Lake Park in spring. To enjoy many different flowers (including rhododendron, Burnaby’s official flower), visit Century Garden, next to the Burnaby Art Gallery, or the city-owned Eagles Estate Heritage Garden, on the southeastern shore of the lake, which dates back to 1929 and includes Japanese maples, rhododendrons, and magnolias.

Check out “Century Gardens

Sunset over Deer Lake

Deer Lake Park: 5435 Sperling Ave., Burnaby, British Columbia V5E 2L8.  Tel: (604) 294-7450.

How to Get There: From Vancouver, take Highway 1 east. Use exit 33 to Kensington Avenue. Turn left on Canada Way. then right on Sperling. There are several options for parking. Continue on Sperling for another block to a large parking area. Or turn right onto Deer Lake Avenue. This road runs through the east side of the park and leads to parking areas on the southeast shore of Deer Lake next to the Burnaby Village Museum, the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, and the Burnaby Art Gallery.  This map shows the parking areas noted below. The Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, Burnaby Art Gallery and Burnaby Village Museum parking lots are accessible from Deer Lake Ave. There is a parking lot on the west side of the park off Royal Oak Ave.  Parking isn’t permitted in the residential areas around Deer Lake Park.  Parking lots close at 10 PM every night.  Get directions or visit TransLink Trip Planner.

Deer Lake Rentals: Website: www.deerlakeboatrentals.com. Tel:  604-839-3949.

  • Kayak Charges: 1-person kayak ($16.07 plus taxes per hour, maximum total weight should be 350 lbs. or 160 kgs.), 2-person kayak ($19.64 plus taxes per hour, maximum total weight should be 450 lbs. or 205 kgs.)
  • Rowboat & Canoe Charges: 2-person rowboat ($19.64 plus taxes per hour, maximum total weight should be 400 lbs. or 180 kgs.), 2-3-person canoe ($19.64 plus taxes per hour, maximum total weight should be 500 lbs. or 230 kgs.), 4-person canoe ($31.25 plus taxes per hour, maximum total weight should be 850 lbs. or 390 kgs.)
  • Pedal Boat Charges: 2-person pedal boat ($19.64 plus taxes per hour, maximum total weight should be 600 lbs. or 270 kgs.), 4-person pedal boat $31.25 plus taxes per hour, maximum total weight should be 850 lbs. or 390 kgs.)

Dry bag rental is $1 per hour.  Last rental is 1 hour before sunset. The last 1.2 hr rental is 1/2 hour before sunset.

Victory Square (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)

Victory Square and Cenotaph

Victory Square, bordered by West Hastings Street to the northeast, West Pender Street to the southwest, Cambie Street to the southeast, and Hamilton Street to the northwest, stands at the intersection of the old Granville town site (AKA Gastown) and the CPR Town site, which was the downtown-designated land grant obtained by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) as part of the deal to locate the terminus and thereby found the city (the corner of Hastings and Hamilton is the northern tip of the CPR Townsite).

Check out “Gastown”

Hastings Street Side

The site of the Cenotaph is significant. In 1914, because of the strong royalist sentiment in the city, it was at tables at the foot of the old courthouse steps where enlistees signed up for the First World War.  The maple trees on the Pender Street side of the park are the oldest street trees in the city, planted in 1897.

Hamilton Street Side

It was, at one time, the grounds of the city’s provincial courthouse, which was torn down in 1911–13 when the new Francis Rattenbury-designed courthouse along Georgia Street was opened (now the Vancouver Art Gallery). The term is also used to refer to the neighborhood immediately surrounding the square.

Check out “Vancouver Art Gallery

Pender Street Side

Here’s the historical timeline of the square:

  • On February 13, 1886, an area of 3,600 sq. m. (0.9acres) out of the1.9 sq. km. (480 acres) allotted to the CPR was held aside as “Government Square.” The southwest corner of Hamilton and Hastings Streets is where L. A. Hamilton drove the first survey stake to commence laying out the street system for the city.
  • On 27 April 1924, the Victory Square Cenotaph was unveiled by His Worship William Reid Owen (Mayor of Vancouver), in the presence of an assemblage of 25,000 persons; naval, military and civilian, and including the Old Contemptibles7th British Columbia29th Vancouver (its chaplain, Major Cecil C. Owen M.B.E., V.D., D.D., dedicated the cenotaph), 72nd Seaforths2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles47th New Westminster, and 102nd North British Columbian Battalions, CEF, and others.

Pillar at Hastings Street side is decorated with a long sword and is engraved with the inscription “Their name liveth forevermore”and is kept continuously banked high with wreaths of flowers and adorned with national flags

The approximately 9.1 m. (30 ft.) tall, triangular (its shape conforms to that of the square) Victory Square Cenotaph , the Vancouver war memorial, was designed thus by Maj. G.L. Thornton Sharp (architect, town planner and park commissioner).  The 24-man (12 represented the Canadian Club of Vancouver and 12 the Civic War Memorial Committee) Vancouver War Memorial Committee, under the chairmanship of pioneer F.W. Rounsefell, Esq. (with J.R.V. Dunlop, of the Canadian Club, as honorary secretary), were the public-spirited sponsors.

Wreath at the base of the Hastings Street side

The word “cenotaph” (an empty tomb in memory of one buried elsewhere) is derived from the Greek word kenos (meaning “empty”) and taphos (meaning “tomb”).  The focus of the city’s annual Remembrance Day services, the Cenotaph lies at the foot of a gentle slope on the northern side of the square, on a plaza flanking Hastings Street. It is so placed that, when approached from the east, it appears in the distance centrally at the end of busy Hastings Street.

Wreath at Pender Street side

Made with gray Nelson Island granite (supplied by the Vancouver Granite Co., Ltd.), cost $10,666 and was erected by contractors Stewart who died from the effects of an accident whilst preparing the memorial) and Wylie. The pillar is engraved with suitable inscriptions and is kept continuously banked high with wreaths of flowers and adorned with national flags.

Inscription at Pender Street side that reads “All ye that pass by”

The stone ornamentations include one long sword and two wreaths (one of laurels, the other of poppies), both entwined with maple leaves.  The three corner buttresses are adorned by a stone replica of the steel helmet, as used in the war of 1914–1918.  The numerals “1914–1918,” at the base of the front, surrounds a larger wreath of laurels.

World War I helmet

A receptacle of three bronze maple leaves has slots that hold the staffs of the Union Jack, the Canadian Red Ensign, the Flag of Canada, the White Ensign, and RCAF Ensign, always flying, which are placed there by the Royal Canadian Legion and the Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League, and renewed four times each year.

Sun Tower

One monument side faces busy Hastings Street (engraved inscription: “Their name liveth for evermore” and, within a stone wreath, “1914–1918″), the others Pender (engraved inscription: “All ye that pass by”) and Hamilton Streets (engraved inscription: “Is it nothing to you“). It is so placed that, when approached from the east, it appears in the distance centrally at the end of Hastings Street.

Flack Block (Copp Building)

Several historic buildings adjacent to Victory Square include the 13-storey, 53-m. (175 ft.) high, Second Empire-style Dominion Building (completed in 1910); the four-storey, Romanesque Revival-style Flack Block (or Copp Building, completed in 1900) and the 17 storey, 82 m. (269 ft.) high, Beaux-Arts-style Sun Tower (completed in 1912).

Dominion Building

Victory Square: VancouverBritish ColumbiaCanada.

Rompeolas Bay Walk (Sorsogon City, Sorsogon)

Rompeolas Bay Walk.  In the foreground is the standee while in the background is the partially cloud-shrouded Mt. Bulusan

Part of Sorsogon Countryside Tour

After our tour of the Sorsogon Cultural Center for the Arts, we were driven 4 kms. to Rompeolas Bay Walk.  Also known as the Sorsogon City Bay Walk, it is located along Sorsogon Bay.

Check out “Sorsogon Cultural Center for the Arts

Splendido de Rompeolas

Our creamy halo-halo

Here, we had a merienda of creamy halo-halo at Splendido de Rompeolas Restobar & Grill, one of a number of restaurants at the Rompeolas Food Court that serve breakfast, lunch, dinner and merenda meals. It is being developed by the provincial government as a tourist zone.

Rompeolas Food Court

Sports Bar 83, Boardroom Snacks & Games Cafe

Its name was derived from the Spanish word romper meaning “where the waves cavort.” At Rompeolas, Pinaculan Island, the “Rompeolas Sorsogon City” standee as well as picturesque views of Sorsogon Bay and, on a clear day, Mount Bulusan can be seen from afar.

Sorsogon Pier

It also has a fairyland view of Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral, with its colorful, dome and pointed steeples.

View of the dome and spires of the Sts. Peter & Paul Cathedral

The site of the old Sorsogon Pier (which juts into Sorsogon Bay), this pleasant, arrowhead-shaped promenade, with fresh sea air (especially in the morning), gets really crowded with students out on date, kids out on a day of fun (there is a playground), and those who just can’t get enough of the glorious and spectacular, reddish-orange  Sorsogon sunset over Pinaculan Island. It is also crowded during sunrise, with people exercising or jogging to start their day.

View of the sunset over Pinaculan Island from the causeway

The adjacent quiet, 3-hectare, tadpole-shaped Pinaculan Island, site of a lighthouse, was once only connected to the mainland, at Brgy. Bitan-o-Dalipay, during low tide.

Pinaculan Island

Today, it is now connected to the mainland via a causeway (built around 2012) and an aesthetically pleasing hanging bridge crossing over to Brgy. Bitan-o-Dalipay. 

The hanging bridge

On October 31, 2019, during Sorsogon’s Kasanggayahan Festival, a total of 7,127 Sorsogon residents, including Gov. Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero and his wife actress Heart Evangelista, performed the Pantomina sa Tinampo (the Bicolano courtship dance mimicking the movement of doves in  courtship) from Fatima Church to Bulwagan and Rompeolas Baywalk. In doing so, Sorsogon now holds a Guinness World Record for the largest Philippine folk dance. Swapnil Dangarikar of India, official adjudicator from Guinness World Records, witnessed the historic performance.

Pinaculan Lighthouse

The 4-lane, 5.52-km. long Sorsogon City Coastal Rd., opened last August 30, 2020, connects Rompeolas Bay Walk with Brgy. Balogo.  It bypasses Sorsogon City’s main thoroughfare along Maharlika Highway. Providing a pleasant view of Sorsogon’s coastline, it also doubles as a protection against storm surges.

 

Rompeolas Bay Walk: Brgy. Talisay, Sorsogon City 4700, Sorsogon. Coordinates 12.96481,124.0041.

Splendido de Rompeolas Restobar & Grill: Pier Site, Rompeolas, Brgy. Talisay, Sorsogon City 4700, Sorsogon. Mobile number: (0912) 105-9950.

How to Get There: Sorsogon City is located 517.5 kms. (a 12–hr. drive) from Manila via the Pan-Philippine Highway/AH26. 

Sorsogon Provincial Tourism Culture and Arts Office: Ground Floor, Capitol Building, 4700 Sorsogon City. Mobile number: (0968) 624-6279. E-mail: tourism@sorsogon.gov.ph

Ur Place Travel & Tours: OLV Pangpang, Sorsogon City, Sorsogon.  Mobile number (Viber): (0927) 950-3927 (Ms. Annie Gueb).  Facebook: www.facebook.com/urplacetravel

Stanley Park (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)

Stanley Park

The 405-hectare (1,001-acre) Stanley Park, a public park  that makes up the northwestern half of Vancouver‘s Downtown Peninsula, is surrounded by waters of  Burrard Inlet and English Bay. Bordering the neighborhoods of West End and Coal Harbour to its southeast, the park is connected to the North Shore via the Lions Gate Bridge. The park’s easternmost point is marked by the historic lighthouse on Brockton Point.

Jandy, Kyle and Grace strolling at Stanley Park

Stanley Park, while it is not the largest of its kind, is about one-fifth larger than New York City’s 340-hectare (840-acre) Central Park and almost half the size of London’s 960-hectare (2,360-acre) Richmond Park.  The pak is best toured via horse-drawn carriages.

Horse-Drawn Carriage

Originally known as Coal Peninsula, the land was originally used by Indigenous peoples for thousands of years before British Columbia was colonized by the British during the 1858 Fraser Canyon Gold Rush. One of the first areas to be explored in the city, it was, for many years after colonization, also be home to non-Indigenous settlers. The future park, with its abundant resources, was set aside for military fortifications to guard the entrance to Vancouver Harbor.

Stanley Park Map

Much of Stanley Park remains as densely forested as it was in the late 1800s, with about a half million trees (cedar, fir, hemlock, etc.), some standing as tall as 76 m. (249 ft.) and hundreds of years old. Thousands of trees were lost (and many replanted) after three major windstorms that took place in the past 100 years (the last in 2006).

One of the park’s cedar trees

Here’s the historical timeline of Stanley Park:

  • In 1886, when the city incorporated, the land was later turned into Vancouver’s first park and the Vancouver city council successfully sought a lease of the park which was granted for $1 per year.
  • In September 1888, Lord Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby, a British politician who had recently been appointed Governor General, opened the park in his name.
  • On June 18, 2014, based on reviews submitted, Stanley Park was named “top park in the entire world” by TripAdvisor.

Unlike other large urban parks, Stanley Park is not the creation of a landscape architect but, rather, the evolution of a forest and urban space over many years. Under the influence of then superintendent W.S. Rawlings, most of the manmade structures present in the park were built between 1911 and 1937. Additional attractions, such as a polar bear exhibit, the Vancouver Aquarium and a miniature train, were added in the post-war period.

Stanley Park is home to one of the largest urban colonies of great blue heron (classified as a species at risk in British Columbia) in North America.  As far back as 1921, the birds have been documented nesting in various locations in Stanley Park. Since 2004, the Stanley Park Ecology Society has been monitoring the heronry in Stanley Park.  In 2013, an estimated 156 young Pacific great blue herons were fledged from the colony. Since monitoring started in 2007, the highest number of great blue herons fledged in a year was 258 (in 2007) and the lowest number was in 2011 with just 99 of the birds fledged.

A water feature at the park

Stanley Park also has children’s playgrounds, sandy beaches, gardens, tennis courts, an 18-hole pitch and putt golf course, a seaside swimming pool, a water spray park, forest trails, lakes, and among many other attractions.  It also has a large number of monuments, including statues, plaques, and gardens. Among these are the Japanese Canadian War Memorial, a cenotaph which has two rows of Japanese cherry (Prunus Shirotae ) trees, and statues of poet Robert BurnsOlympic runner Harry Jerome, and Girl in a Wetsuit.

Attractions found east of the causeway are:

Brockton Point Lighthouse

The square lighthouse at Brockton Point , designed by Thomas Hayton Mawson, was built in 1914 to replace one built in 1890. Painted white with a red horizontal stripe, has a red lantern and an arched base with a walkway underneath.

Brockton Oval

The fields of Brockton Oval has, since 1891, been used for athletics (including an oval running track), track sports, rugby and cricket. Brockton Oval Clubhouse, also known as the Cricket & Rugby Pavilion, was built in 1927.

Brockton Pavilion

The Nine O’Clock Gun, an 1816 naval cannon located near Brockton Point, is the oldest manmade landmark in the park.  Fired for first time in 1898, this tradition has continued for more than 100 years. Fired every day at 9 PM, the cannon was originally detonated with a stick of dynamite, but is now activated automatically with an electronic trigger.

Vancouver Aquarium

Vancouver Aquarium, the largest in Canada and one of the five largest in North America, was opened in 1956.  It houses a collection of marine life that includes dolphinsbelugassea lionsharbour seals, and sea otters. In total, there are approximately 300 species of fish, 30,000 invertebrates, 56 species of amphibians and reptiles, and around 60 mammals and birds. The aquarium is also home to a 4D theatre.

Check out “Vancouver Aquarium”

Lumberman’s Arch, a children’s play area, water spray park and picnic area near the aquarium, the Lumberman’s Arch generally refers to a large clearing and picnic area on the park’s northeastern shore. There is also a Lumberman’s Arch landmark located across from the concession stand. The arch is a timber-and-stump structure erected in 1952 (a single log propped up by two others).

Lumberman’s Arch

It replaced the original arch that was built by lumber workers in 1912 as organized labor’s contribution to the celebration of a visit by the Duke of Connaught. The 1912 arch was a copy of the Parthenon’s front, using whole trees for the columns and gable, and was originally located on the Duke’s carriage route at Homer and Pender Streets before it was moved to the park. It was torn down in 1947 after succumbing to rot.

Beaver Lake, nestled in the forest northwest of Lumberman’s Arch, this is a restful space nestled among the trees. Almost completely covered with water lilies (introduced for the Queen’s Jubilee in 1938) and home to beaversfish, and water birds, as of 1997, the surface area of the lake was just short of 4 hectares (10 acres), but the lake is slowly shrinking in size. Beaver Creek – one of Vancouver’s few remaining free-flowing streams, joins Beaver Lake to the Pacific Ocean and is one of two streams in Vancouver where salmon still return to spawn each year.

Stanley Park Pavilion

Stanley Park Pavilion, located at Brockton Point, is now home to Stanley’s Park Bar & Grill.  Built in 1911-12, it was designed by Otto Moberg. Architect Percy Underwood designed the addition, 1946–50, on the pavilion’s west side. It is close to the Vancouver Aquarium.  The Rose Garden,  located south of the Stanley Park Pavilion, was developed in 1920-21.

The Rose Garden

The Rock Garden, developed in 1911-1920 using stones excavated when the pavilion was built, encircles part of the Stanley Park Pavilion. The windstorm of 2006 revealed traces this long-forgotten rock garden which had once been one of the park’s star attractions and one of its largest man-made objects by area. Soon after its discovery, a section that encircles part of the Stanley Park Pavilion was restored (the garden had originally extended from Pipeline Road to Coal Harbour).

Stanley Park Railway, first started in 1947, is a diminutive steam train that pulls passenger cars on a circuit through the woods. In 1964, a new train and track opened. Located behind the Stanley Park Pavilion, the 508 mm. (20 in.) narrow-gauge, rideable miniature railway, with different seasonal themes, is a Vancouver tradition, especially for families with young children. The original railway featured a child-sized train. The current adult-sized railroad, opened in 1964 in an area leveled by Typhoon Freda, has an engine that is a replica of the first transcontinental passenger train to arrive in Vancouver in the 1880s.

James Pollard Pavilion

Located in front of the Stanley Park Pavilion is Malkin Bowl, a “shell” stage modeled after the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.  It was built in 1934 by former mayor W.H. Malkin  in honor of his late wife. On July 8, 1934, Malkin Bowl hosts its first concert, a free performance by the Vancouver Symphony that draws 15,000 people. It was rebuilt after a fire in 1982.  In summer, the outdoor theatre (James Pollard Pavilion) features events by Theatre Under the Stars and Live Nation (with their Concerts in the Park series).

Totem Poles

The totem poles at Brockton Point is the most visited tourist attraction in British Columbia.  Many of the original poles were moved to museums in order to preserve them. Several replicas were commissioned or loaned to the park board between 1986 and 1992. Nearby is the Legends of the Moon Café.

Legends of the Moon Cafe

Attractions found west of the causeway, in an area that includes Lost Lagoon and Prospect Point (a lookout at the highest point in the park located by the Lions Gate Bridge) include:

The Lost Lagoon, designed by Thomas Hayton Mawson, is a captive 17-hectare (41-acre) freshwater lake.  Located near the Georgia Street entrance to the park, it is a nesting ground to many bird species, such as Canada geese, and ducks. Its Jubilee Fountain was purchased to commemorate Vancouver’s 50th anniversary in 1936.  On the south shore of Lost Lagoon is the Lost Lagoon Nature House. Formerly a boathouse, it is run by the Stanley Park Ecology Society.

The 2.7 m. (9 ft.) bronze Statue of Harry Jerome (a local Olympic runner), located by Brockton Point, depicts the sprinter with his chest thrust forward into the finish tape. Sculpted by Jack Harman in 1986, it was unveiled in 1988.

Harry Jerome Statue

Replica of Figurehead of RMS Empress of Japan was cast, in 1960, from the original carving of the figurehead, restored in 1928, of what was once the fastest ship on the Pacific that operated between 1891 and 1922.

Replica of Figurehead of S.S. Empress of Japan

The Pitch and Putt Golf Course, built in 1932, is a par 3 course that takes 1–3 hours to complete. Architect Percy Underwood designed the Golf Course Ticket Booth, 1953-55.

Ted and Mary Greig Rhododendron Garden was not dedicated until 1989.  The shrubs here were donated in 1965.  The rhododendrons are planted in a roughly circular form around the pitch and putt golf course near Lost Lagoon. The best time of year to visit is March–May and the peak is usually early May.

The slightly hidden Two Spirits Sculpture is found just west of the crossroads of trails that enter into Stanley Park from the swimming pool located at Second Beach. The sculpture was created in the mid-1990s and depicts the silhouetted head of an aboriginal person against its own image. The sculpture was chiseled into a stump that remains from one the large trees in the area.

The  Air India Flight 182 Monument  and playground, located in Ceperley Meadow, near Second Beach, commemorates the victims of the  Air India Flight 182 bombing.  Built in 2006 and dedicated in 2007, the federal government spent approximately $800,000 to build the memorial and playground.

The  Chehalis Cross, a memorial commemorating the eight people who died when the Chehalis tugboat sank off Stanley Park after colliding with the MV Princess Victoria in 1906, is located west of Brockton Point.

Girl in Wetsuit

The  Bust of David Oppenheimer, a memorial bust of David Oppenheimer (Vancouver’s former mayor, 1888–91), is located at the English Bay entrance and was cast in 1911. The Statue of Girl in a Wetsuit, located by Brockton Point, represents Vancouver’s dependence on the sea.  It was created by Elek Imredy and unveiled on June 10, 1972.

The Sculpture of  Lord Stanley, created by Sydney March, was unveiled in 1960 and is located at the Coal Harbour entrance to the park.

The Japanese Canadian War Memorial, a large ceremonial column built by 1921 with private donations in memory of Japanese Canadians who gave their lives in World War I. The impressive monument, located near the Vancouver Aquarium, is joined by two rows of Japanese cherry trees (Prunus Shirotae) planted along an axial approach. The best time to view is fall and spring.

Check out “Japanese Canadian War Memorial

Canadian-Japanese War Memorial

The SS Beaver Plaque, a commemorative cairn, located on the seawall below Prospect Point, next to the Windstorm Monument and the Prospect Point Café, commemorates the SS Beaver which ran aground on the rocks below Prospect Point in 1888. One of the walking beams from the original ship is also displayed at Prospect Point (unveiled in 1941).

The Warren G. Harding Memorial, commemorating Warren G. Harding‘s (the former 29th US president) visit to the park in the 1920s, a week before his death, it was designed by Charles Marega and unveiled in 1925. It is located between the Stanley Park Pavilion and Malkin Bowl.

The Air Force Garden of Remembrance, established by the Women’s Auxiliary to Air Services in 1948, commemorates the airmen who gave their lives in the World War II. A variety of plaques are placed throughout the shade rock garden, flagstone steps, path, small stream, and pond. A wooded area located on a knoll just west of the Stanley Park Pavilion, in 2019, the Park Board initiated plans to relocate the Garden of Remembrance to Queen Elizabeth Park.

Frances E. Willard Bush and Plaque, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Frances E. Willard, an American suffragist known for her efforts in winning the vote for women, was placed in 1939. A white camellia tree was planted too, but only a stump remains. It is located in the Rock Garden.

The  HMS Egeria Benchmark, located west of the Nine O’Clock Gun, notes a reference point used by the Royal Engineers in 1863 during their survey of Burrard Inlet and the Royal Navy survey ship, HMS Egeria, in 1898.

Hallelujah Point

Hallelujah Point, on the grass near the Nine O’Clock Gun, marks the site used by the Salvation Army.  The name derives from the Hallelujahs that could be heard across Coal Harbour during the Army’s meetings here.

The James Cunningham Plaque, inlaid cliffside on the seawall near Siwash Rock, is in remembrance of Jimmy Cunningham, the master stonemason who directed construction of the seawall for years. Stones were left out of the seawall near this spot, where Cunningham’s ashes were laid to rest.

The Stanley Park Centennial, located off the seawall on a knoll between Beaver Lake Trail and Lions Gate Bridge, has a plaque placed in 1988 to commemorate the official opening of the park, and marking the spot where Chaythoos once was.

A long-standing tradition in the park has been to plant oak trees to commemorate various persons and events. The first reported example was an oak tree planted at Brockton Oval by the Duke of York in 1901. Over the years other trees have been planted to recognize:

  • Brockton Point Association – planted by this association in 1902, this oak is still thriving in its location at the northeast corner of the Brockton Oval.
  • Canadian Forestry Corps– located by the Warren G. Harding Memorial, the corps is commemorated by a plaque and three oak trees from Windsor, England.
  • King Edward VII– this monarch is commemorated by an oak and plaque near Brockton Pavilion.
  • Queen Elizabeth II– Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is commemorated by a plaque and oak tree, planted in a small grassed area near the golf course.
  • John DrainieMemorial – The Canadian Shakespearean actor and broadcaster John Drainie is commemorated by a plaque and dogwood tree in the Shakespeare Garden.
  • Peter Z. Caverhill – also located by the Warren G. Harding Memorial, this memorial consists of a plaque and commemorative fir tree.
  • William ShakespeareGardens – located near the Rose Garden Cottage, this garden consists of a relief statue and trees and plants mentioned in the Bard’s plays. Created in the 1930s.

Inside the park are also more than 27 kms. (17 mi.) of forest trails patrolled, on horseback, by members of the Vancouver Police Department whose Mounted Unit’s youth outreach includes offering guided tours of the stables and the ‘Collector’s Trading Card Program,’ which encourages children of all ages to approach a constable on horseback and request a card.

Most of the forest trails bear the names of individuals who were instrumental in the city’s or Stanley Park’s early history:

  • Avison Trail – named after Henry Avison, Stanley Park Superintendent, 1888-1895
  • Eldon Trail – named after G. Eldon, Park Board Superintendent, 1896-1909
  • Lees Trail – named after A.E. Lees, Park Commissioner, 1902-1917
  • Merilees Trail – named after Harold Merilees, General Manager of Tourism Vancouver in the 1960s
  • Rawlings Trail – the longest trail, named after W.S. Rawlings, the Park Board’s longest serving Superintendent
  • Tatlow Trail – named after R.G. Tatlow, Park Commissioner, 1888-1905
  • Thompson Trail – named after C.W. Thompson, Park Commissioner, 1937-1938; 1940-1942
  • Tisdall Trail – named after C.E. Tisdall, Park Commissioner, 1904-1909; 1926-1934

A park trail

The near-century-old  Vancouver Seawall,  which can draw thousands of people to the park in the summer, is popular for walkingrunningcyclinginline skating and even fishing (with a license).  It has two paths, one for skaters and cyclists (goes one-way in a counterclockwise loop) and the other for pedestrians. Walking the entire loop around Stanley Park takes about two hours while biking takes about one hour.

Vancouver Seawall

Based on the view that it is already saturated, the park board has banned the erection of any further memorials to ensure that Stanley Park is kept in a more natural state.

The Vancouver Centenary Cairn

Stanley Park: Vancouver, British ColumbiaCanada. Coordinates: 49.30°N 123.14°W. Open daily.

The Bus Loop located just up Pipeline Road from the traffic circle, next to the Miniature Train and Air Force Garden of Remembrance

How to Get There:There is a bus loop in Stanley Park and only one public bus (No. 19 Stanley Park) goes to the loop year round.

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden and Park (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden

On our 30th day in Canada, Grace, Jandy, Kyle and I visited the tranquil Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden,  the first full scale classical Chinese Garden (which strives to achieve harmony and a balance of opposites by employing the philosophical principles of Feng shui and Taoism) in all of Canada.

From Holdom Station, we took the Millennium Line SkyTrain to Commercial-Broadway Station then took the Expo Line train to the Stadium-Chinatown SkyTrain Station.  From here, it was just a short 600-m. walk, via Keefer Place, to the Garden.  We entered the Garden through a whitewashed wall behind the Chinese Cultural Center and passed through a doorway marked Yi Yuan (“Garden of Ease or Lingering Garden.”

Both the garden and the park were named in honor of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen (1866-1925), a Western-educated nationalist leader (considered the “father of modern China”) who, while traveling the world to raise awareness of, and funding for, the Chinese nationalist movement (as well as to hide from the Empress), stayed, for extended periods, in Vancouver on three occasions (1897, 1910 and 1911).

There are accounts of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen staying at the Hotel Pennsylvania (412 Carrall St.) and also the Chinese Freemasons Building (5 West Pender St.) in Chinatown.

Bust of Dr. Sun Yat Sen

The significant presence of Chinese nationalists in British Columbia (in the early 1900’s, Chinese in Vancouver donated more money per capita than any other North American city) helped finance the Xinhai Revolution that overthrew the Ch’ing/Qing Dynasty in 1911. Subsequently, Sun Yat Sen became the first president of the Republic of China.

The site of both, where Vancouver’s Chinatown first began, at the edge of False Creek, was once home to Chinese association buildings including a sawmill, brothels, opera house, opium factory and, until 1920, the Great Northern Railway train station. In the late 1960’s, plans were underway for a freeway to go through Chinatown but these plans were thwarted and part of the reclaimed land was then designated for a Chinese Cultural Centre and an adjoining park and Chinese garden.

China Maple Hall

Anticipating the costs to continually maintain a Classical Chinese Garden, the area was divided into two spaces.  In 1976, the planning and fundraising for the park and garden began with the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Garden located just west of the public Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Park.  The park and garden covers just over 2.5 acres, with the Classical Garden covering approximately 1/2 an acre.

China Maple Hall – Interior

The outer park was designed by Vancouver architect Joe Wai and  landscape architect Donald “Don” Vaughan, working with the Suzhou team to ensure authenticity but still accommodate Vancouver’s building code and current technological requirements.  The inner garden, conceived by Wang Zu-Xin as the chief architect, was built with the help of experts from the Landscape Architecture Company of Suzhou, China.

The larger free Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Park (a public park built in a Chinese style, with mostly North American materials) administered by Vancouver Parks Board, was completed in 1983.

The smaller Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, requiring admission fees, was completed in 1986, expanded in 2004 and is managed by the non-profit, Dr. Sun-Yat Sen Classical Chinese Garden Society. These two separate entities are linked by the artificial pond.

The mandate of this freely accessible public park and garden is to “maintain and enhance the bridge of understanding between Chinese and western cultures, promote Chinese culture generally and be an integral part of the local community.”  Embodying the Taoist philosophy of yin and yang (where every element-light, texture, vegetation is balanced and symbolic), this home garden offers serenity, history and great chi.

Of the three types of Classical Chinese Gardens (the Imperial Garden, the Monastery Garden and the Scholar Garden), the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden is a “scholars” (who often became the Ming Dynasty emperor’s senior administrators) garden, the first built outside of China.

Tai Hui rocks amidst foliage

The characteristically small scholars’ gardens, adjoining the scholar’s residence, were surrounded by high walls (to prevent distraction from the outside world and to provide a peaceful space for scholarly reflection on philosophy and truth) and have no single vantage point where one can obtain a total view of the garden.

Water lilies

This small intimate garden-home, a registered museum and one of Vancouver’s top tourist attractions, is ideal for people who don’t want to do a lot of walking and is a recommended place to visit year-round (especially if you take the guided tour).  It features beautiful pavilions, covered walkways, a jade green pond with koi fish, and a collection of 150-year-old miniature trees.

The guided tour

Purposely designed as a series of unfolding scenic vistas (like displaying multiple landscape paintings), the garden has winding walkways and corridors that ensure the entire path cannot be seen. The zigzag paths have a dual purpose.  First, they slow one’s steps so that the garden can be fully appreciated and, second, they ward away evil spirits.

Weeping willows

The project, a joint collaborative effort funded by the Chinese and Canadian governments, the local Chinese community and other public and private sector sources, was built, at a cost $5.3 million, in 13 months (March 1985-April 1986) by a team of 52 Suzhou artisans (e.g. masons, carpenters, painters, carvers, tilers) arranged by the Suzhou Garden Administration from China.

It  was constructed using 14th century methods (no glue, screws or power tools were used). The materials, tools and techniques used to construct the garden were almost identical to those used in the Ming Dynasty.

Jade Water Pavilion

Modeled after private gardens in the city of Suzhou (because the winter climate in Vancouver is similar), Chiangsu province in China, 70% of the same plant varieties are found in the garden as in its Suzhou counterparts. The garden opened on April 24, 1986, in time for Expo 86. The Garden’s China Maple Hall was built to signify the friendship cooperation between Canadians and Chinese.

Moon Gate at Jade Water Pavilion

Much of the architectural components (carved woodwork; the limestone rocks; the courtyard pebbles; and the roof tiles fired in China’s Imperial Kilns) came from China. They were prepared in Suzhou packed into 965 wood crates and brought to Vancouver in 70 steel containers.

Wooden beams and columns at China Maple Hall

The wood all came from China – the Chinese fir for the structural components; camphor for the curved rafters (whose scent also helps repel insects); gingko wood for the screens and nan wood (a species used in China for over 2000 years) for the columns of the China Maple Hall and Scholar’s Study. The floor tiles are made of pebbles form riverbeds in China and broken Chinese porcelain.

Floor Tiles

In order to emphasize seasonal changes (especially the “awakening” in spring), the plants were chosen for their symbolism, their season, their blossom schedules, the mood they create and the space they define. In contrast to western gardens, plants do not have a dominant role and are used sparingly and are meant to complement the garden.

They are also selected to invoke the symbolic, historical, and literary meaning of each plant and to provide color through all the seasons. Winter-flowering plum depicts renewal and rebirth; the bamboo symbolizes resiliency and flexibility; the ginkgo represents China; the maple represents Canada; and the pine symbolizes steadfastness and longevity.

Chinese Banyan tree (Ficus Retusa)

The Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden also has a collection of penjing (an art form dating back to the 8th Century AD and a precursor to Japanese bonsai and suiseki) plants (landscapes in small trays/bowls) that were donated by a Hong Kong benefactor in 1992.  To ensure that there is a sense of relationship and balance among all the garden’s elements, all the plants are regularly and carefully pruned.

Orange Jasmine (Hurraya painculata)

The architecture of the beautiful pavilions, courtyards, covered walkways, terraces, corridors, bridges and viewing platforms is based on and evokes the Classical design of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Symbolic motifs of plants and animals are incorporated into the floors, tiles, windows and door pulls. The 45 intriguing leak windows each have a different lattice pattern from the other.

Leak Windows

Those along the corridors maintain privacy and allow light and air to come into the garden. The symbolic, circular Moon Gate represents heaven and perfection. It is important that the architecture, such as the Ting (Yun Wei Ting or “Cloudy and Colorful Pavilion”) and rocks and pebbles, are seen and not hidden by overgrown trees or bushes.

Leak Window

The key elements of a Chinese Classical Garden, used to reflect Confucian ideals as well as the Tao (Dao) principles of yin (having more ephemeral, feminine qualities) and yang (being more solid, permanent and masculine), are architecture, rocks, water, plants and calligraphy.

Craggy, weathered, water-worn and unique limestone rocks, symbolizing nature’s rugged landscape and force (yang), are found only at the bottom of Suzhou’s famous Lake Tai (Tai Hui) and imported to the site.  Strategically placed and juxtaposed against delicate foliage, they are intended to represent “false mountains” (with multiple crevices for the good spirits to live in), concealing and revealing park elements.  The Yun Wei Ting gazebo perches atop one such mountain.

Water, representing the ‘yin’ of nature and the flow of life, offers stillness, sound, a reflection of the sky, and helps to unify the other elements. A Classical Chinese Garden is centered on a pond.  Large ponds are made purposely opaque, with a clay liner so that it can reflect the surrounding and create a sense of tranquility.  The jade color symbolizes purity.

Both water and rocks are important integral elements.  Trees, plants and the fish and turtles that live in the garden, all have symbolic connotations and purpose.  Throughout the garden, bats (representing good fortune, they are in the design of the door handles and roof’s drip tiles), dragons and phoenixes are represented in objects.

Items are carefully placed to ensure a flow of positive energy (ch’i/qi) and to create harmony. The garden exemplifies the balance between opposites, with white walls topped with dark roof tiles; floor tiles, with smooth stones, contrasting with rough porcelain; and flexible bamboo located next to rigid rocks.  The north side of the garden, exhibiting yin qualities, with rounded designs in the leak windows and floor tiles, contrasts with the south side of the garden which has yang qualities, with more straight-edged patterns.

Calligraphy is an integral part of a Chinese Garden and some of the top Chinese scholars in Canada contributed their works for the signs, couplets and poetry which add insight and mood.  To add diversity, the Sun Yat-Sen Classical Garden uses four different styles of script. What the words say and how they are written were carefully selected.

Dr. Sun Yat Sen Park plaque

One of the scrolls in the Main Hall states “An exquisite garden built in Vancouver to commemorate the accomplishments of the past ages” Even the sign at the main entrance way to the public park is significant as it is a carved version of calligraphy by Madam Sun Yat-Sen.  For its pavilions, the Garden uses poetic names such as “Cloudy and Colorful Pavilion,” “Study of the Four Seasons” and “Hall of One Hundred Rivers.”

Wooden bridge over lily pond at Dr. Sun Yat Sen Park

Over the years, the Garden, truly a place of urban Zen, has received several honors and designations.  It was named one of Vancouver Heritage Foundation’s “Places That Matter,” and the “World’s Top City Garden” by National Geographic in 2011 and was voted “Canadian Garden of the Year” by the Canadian Garden Tourism Council in 2012.

Moon Gate at Dr. Sun Yat Sen Park

The Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden was used as the backdrop for many episodes of Season 4 of Falling Skies and also appears in Season 5 Episode 1 of Psych, titled “Romeo and Juliet and Juliet.”  It was also the site of a calligraphy task during the second episode of The Amazing Race Canada 1.

Jandy, Kyle and Grace at Dr. Sun Yat Sen Park

The wheelchair accessible and family friendly (entry includes a scavenger hunt for children) Garden, a unique venue for cultural programming and events, including concerts, festivals, exhibitions, author readings, receptions, and educational programs, offers free guided tours (which provide perspectives on Chinese culture, life during the Ming Dynasty, architecture and plants) and complimentary sips of traditional Chinese tea as well as one of a kind finds at the Eight Treasures Shop.

Pathway at Dr. Sun Yat Sen Park

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden: 578 Carrall cor. Keefer St., Chinatown, VancouverBritish Columbia V6B 5K2.  Tel: 604-662-3207.  Open Wednesdays – Sundays, 10 AM to 4 PM (last entry time at 3 PM).  Admission: $16 (adults), $12 (students age 6-17 or over 17 with valid student I.D.), $13 (seniors) and $32 (family, 2 adults and up to 3 children under the age of 17).

How to Get There: Chinatown-Stadium Sky Train. From downtown, you can walk directly down Pender Street going East and you will find the Garden.

Lynn Canyon Park (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)

Lynn Canyon Park

On our 27th day in Canada, our whole family (Grace, Jandy, Cheska, Bryan, Kyle and I, with dog Luffy) decided to visit the 250-hectare (617-acre) Lynn Canyon Park, one of the gems of the  District of North Vancouver’s Parks system and a great place to learn about North Vancouver’s eco-system.

 

This public park, operated by the  District of North Vancouver, is located on the unceded territory of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations people who called the Lynn Creek area Kwa-hul-cha, referring to a settlement in the area.

Bryan and Cheska on their way to the Lynn Canyon Cafe and Ranger Station

When settlers moved to North Vancouver, they began to log the old growth forests as part of Vancouver’s growing logging industry. The Lynn Valley area, along with Lynn Creek and Lynn Canyon were renamed after sapper John Linn (1846-1876), a British pioneer and member of the Royal Engineers who, in 1869, moved his family onto 65 hectares of land on the mouth of the Lynn Creek near Burrard Inlet.

Lynn Canyon Cafe and Ranger Station

While the creek has been dubbed Fred’s Creek after fellow pioneer Fred Howson, the name Lynn, a corruption of the original spelling, soon became the common designation.  Lynn Valley Park and Canyons, as it was known in the 1950s, soon gave way to the current Lynn Canyon Park.

Waterfall seen on the way to the suspension bridge

In 1912, after the bulk of the Lynn Canyon’s old growth forests were logged by the Lynn Valley Lumber Company under Julius M. Fromme, the McTavish Brothers donated a 5 hectare piece of land around the newly constructed Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge in the hopes that a park would attract people to the real estate development.

Bryan (with Luffy) and Cheska crossing the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge

The  District of North Vancouver added another 4 hectares to create the original Lynn Canyon Park. On September 14, 2012, the park was formally opened.  In 1991, the District of North Vancouver added another 241 hectares to the park, making it one of the largest and most popular parks in Metro Vancouver.

View of Lynn Creek from the suspension bridge

This forested park features stunning creek and waterfall views and hiking trails through the temperate rainforest, a relatively rare ecosystem that extends along the coast of Alaska and British Columbia down to northern California. In the rainy months of the year, mist rises from the canyon and the creek rises dramatically.

Grace and the author at Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge

Rangers are on site in July and August to offer walking tours and information about the area’s flora and fauna. For advanced hikers, there are trails that lead directly to Grouse or Seymour Demonstration Forest, in addition to nice cycling trails.  Due to its natural landscape many TV series such as Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis used the area for filming.

Cheska and Grace hiking the dirt trail

From Holdom Station, we took the SkyTrain to Gilmore Station, then took Bus 28 to Phibbs Exchange and, finally, the 20-min., 4-km. Bus 227, from Bay 12 Station, to the Westbound Peters Road@Duval Station.  From there, it was just a short walk to the entrance of Lynn Canyon Park.

Moss-covered trees

Past the entrance, we passed by the Lynn Canyon Ecology Centre (has over 80 informative nature videos, on a large screen, about the plants and animals of the temperate rainforest and environmental issues, plus a nature-themed gift shop) on the left and Lynn Canyon Cafe (they serve fresh siphon coffee, lattes and more, crepes for breakfast and burgers, hot dogs, pasta, fish and chips for lunch) on the right.

A large boulder amidst tall stands of trees

A very popular area for hiking, we tried the 2.6-km. Lynn Canyon loop trail (one of 7 easy hiking trails), open year-round, which is generally considered a relatively easy route to hike (though not wheelchair or stroller friendly), taking an average of 50 mins. to complete.

In this free, self-guided adventure, there are three major attractions along this loop – the  Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge, Twin Falls and the 30-Foot pool. Dogs are welcome here, but must be on a leash so we did just that for Luffy.

While exploring the trail that was surrounded by second growth western red cedar, Douglas-fir, and Western hemlock trees draped with moss, we encountered a lot of people. Although there are quite a number of wooden stairs (a bit challenging for beginners), it was still a great family friendly trail, with lots of options for different level hikers. There were multiple photo-worthy stops along the route, especially as it was summer.

The first major attraction we encountered was the  Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge.  On the way to the bridge, we espied a small, thin waterfall.  The bridge was used in Disney’s Descendants (as part of Auradon) that leads to Lynn Canyon’s 30 Foot Pool (used as the Enchanted Lake).  The bridge was also featured in the MacGyver episode “The Invisible Killer.”

Though not as long as the one at the widely-advertised Capilano Suspension Bridge, this 40-m. (130-ft.) long, wooden plank suspension bridge, built in 1912, is a good one and a different experience than its complement, offering a rustic and jiggling adventure, and the views from it are equally spectacular.

The author

If you want to see a suspension bridge but don’t want to pay for the one at Capilano Suspension Bridge, then this is the place to go as it’s less commercial and some people actually prefer it. About 50 m. (167 ft., the height of a 15-storey building) above the beautiful clear pools and rivers of Lynn Creek, it was just wide enough for two people to pass each other. Originally, visitors paid 10 cents (later reduced to 5 cents) to cross the bridge. Today, it’s free to cross the bridge.

The 30 Foot Pool

On the north side of the suspension bridge, the trail to the left lead us northwest through the park and a short walk took us to the popular 30-Foot pool, one of the most popular locations among tourists and locals and a safe place to swim compared to some of the river’s other sections. It was a very large area, with great spots for a picnic, and featured a beautiful swimming hole.

Visitors getting ready to dive, off rocks, into the 30 Foot Pool

As it was summer, a number of visitors were taking a quick refreshing swim to cool off. Others were also jumping off rocks and into the water (it looked extremely dangerous).  However, even in the summer months, the water is almost always extremely cold. If you are looking for a quiet place to sit by the river, this is the spot.

L-R: the author, Jandy, Grace, Cheska, Kyle and Bryan (with Luffy)

Beginning at the 30-Foot pool, we ascended one big flight of stairs and ended up at the start of the trail heading to the Northern region of the park, the Seymour Demonstration Forest and Rice Lake entrance (another beautiful location for walking around and fishing) which is about a further 20-min. walk away.

Stair leading up to the northern part of the park

As we did not wish to venture into these areas, we took the wooden boardwalks and trails that loops back towards the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge.

East of the suspension bridge is Twin Falls  which can be accessed from either side of the suspension bridge.  If we did not cross the bridge from the main entrance, we could have proceeded east, past the Lynn Canyon Café, and followed the trail down towards the river.

Twin Falls Bridge

Twin Falls is less accessible than the 30-Foot pool and not as popular among visitors but we still wanted to get to Twin Falls so, right after the bridge, we headed south (south is right and north is left) followed a series of boardwalks, steps and staircases to Twin Falls. There was a sign that pointed us in the right direction.

View of Lynn Creek from Twin Falls Bridge

In less than 20 mins., we descended down to Twin Falls Bridge where we had a beautiful view of  Twin Falls, below the bridge, which is not large or high but rather just a section of rapids that drop a bit just under the bridge.   The hike back up the canyon took us up two large flights of wooden stairs back up the canyon on the other side (just a short walk back to where we started).

Twin Falls below the bridge

A diverse hiking experience along wooden stairs and boardwalks, the river and dirt trails, Lynn Canyon truly is a nice place for everyone.  Here, you can take your time hiking and enjoy the fresh air.  Even late in the day, the sun stayed with us most of the time.

From Twin Falls Bridge, ascending another flight of stairs

Lynn Canyon Ecology Center: 3663 Park Road, North Vancouver, British Columbia V7J 3G3, Canada.  Tel: 604-990-3755.  Email: ecocentre@dnv.org.  Website: www.ecologycentre.ca and www.lyncanyon.ca.  Open Mondays to Fridays, 10 AM to 4 PM, and weekends, 12 noon to 4 PM. Coordinates: 49°20′02″N 123°01′03″W. Walk in visits are accepted if space is available (maximum 15 people inside at a time). Proof of Vaccination required for ages 12 and up. Masks required for ages 5 and up. Admission is free but donations are accepted (suggested $2 per person).

How to Get There: the nearest bus stations are Eastbound Peters Rd @ Duval Rd. (a 492 m./7-min. walk), Northbound Lynn Valley Rd. @ Burrill Ave. (a 715 m./10-min. walk) and Northbound Underwood Ave. @ Evelyn St. (a 1.219 km./16-min. walk). Buses leave Lonsdale Quay about once every 15 mins. on weekdays (or 30 minutes on weekends and holidays). The ride on Bus #228, from Lonsdale Quay, takes just over 30 mins.

Sculpture Garden (Seattle Center, Washington, USA)

The Seattle Center landscape is dotted with art and architectural works that together form urban vistas of mixed form and scale. The Sculpture Garden, at Broad Street Green, a nearly three-acre open space, is framed by the retro-futuristic backdrop of the Space Needle and the post-modern Experience Music Project building.  It is made up of four unique pieces.

Check out “Space Needle

Sculpture Garden

Ronald Bladen’s Black Lightning  (1981), a striking, black-painted monumental steel sculpture, is currently sited in the Sculpture Garden southeast of the Space Needle. Measuring 355.6 x 1706.9 x 1120.1 cms. (140 x 672 x 441 in.), it’s simple Z-shape outlines the iconic form of lightning and sharp edges, formed from the juncture of acute angles, animate the black steel bolt with alternating planes of light and shadow. Two polygonal bases, reminiscent of blacksmith’s anvils, support the sculpture.

Black Lightning (Ronald Bladen, 1981, painted steel)

The Alexander Liberman‘s Olympic Iliad (also known as Pasta Tube), a 1984 orange-red painted steel sculpture consisting of large steel cylinders cut at different angles and lengths, is installed in 1984 on the lawn southwest from the Space Needle. It was featured on the cover of Brazilian musician Amon Tobin‘s album Bricolage.

Olympic Iliad (Alexander Liberman, 1984, painted steel)

Doris Chase’s Moon Gates, a group of three bronze sculptures, from 9′ to 17′ tall, that play with oppositions inspired by space and form, was installed in 1999 and is located in the Sculpture Garden just south of the Space Needle. In the artwork, two sculptures (one rhomboid and one ovoid), with convex surfaces, are each pierced by a circular hole. The third sculpture’s concave surface also contains a round void at its center but its missing piece can be found attached to the top of the sculpture on a bearing that rotates. A gift to the city of Seattle by Seattle Center Foundation, Chase’s Moon Gates was selected, with Alexander Liberman’s relocated Olympic Iliad, as the completing piece for the garden.

Moon Gates (Doris Chase, 1999, bronze)

Moses, a black-painted, mild steel sculpture by American Tony Smith (1912-1980, is located just northeast of the base of the Space Needle.  Fabricated in 1969 and measuring 460 x 350 x 223.5 cms. (181 1/8 x 137 13/16 x 88 in.), it has been on the Center’s grounds since 1975.  The abstract sculpture, weighing 5,500 lbs., is a geometrical abstract composition consisting of connected solid black steel volumes. It is the first major art acquisition under the city’s 1% for Art program.

Moses (Tony Smith, 1975, painted steel)

Sculpture Garden:  Broad Street Green, Broad and John Street, Seattle CenterSeattleWashington