Daily Times

We boarded the ferry from Seattle, Washington to Victoria, British Columbia in Canada. What was going to be a three-hour ride turned into a five-hour ordeal because the seas were rough and the captain had to take an alternative route that went past a number of islands, including San Juan Island.

We managed to arrive on time to catch high yea at the iconic Empress Hotel. Tea and sandwiches were served in the best Victorian tradition. The waiters were impeccably dressed. We consumed the food with zest. The ambiance, with a portrait of Prince Albert on the facing wall, evoked imperial London at its peak.

Later we boarded the bus to the gardens which were founded on the site of a quarry Jennie Butchart in 1904. The eponymous gardens were overflowing with lush greens and colourful blooms. And given their popularity, they were packed with just about as many tourists as there were trees.

Then we caught the last ferry back to Seattle. The captain told us that the seas were going to be rough but he was going to take the short route. He advised those who were susceptible to sea sickness to take the motion sickness pills that were available on the ferry. He said once the symptoms start, they won’t stop until you get off the boat. So we took the pills and sat back to take in the ride which turned out to be the choppiest ever.

Every window was sprayed with water. But we arrived on time in Seattle.

Victoria is the capital of the province, located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. It lies 76 miles off the coast of Vancouver, the largest city in the province. It is named after Queen Victoria, who once reigned over North America. The British settled in Vancouver in 1843 and the city retains a number of historic buildings, including the Parliament Buildings, which were finished in 1897, and the Empress hotel, which opened a few years later.

Over 3.5 million tourists visit Victoria every year. An additional half a million daytime visitors arrive on cruise ships. Among its many attractions that await them is the chance to go whale watching. And the harbour is dotted with an eclectic collection of restaurants, one for every taste.

On prior trips, we had visited Vancouver, Canada’s third largest city. It draws over 10 million tourists annually. The city has a lot to offer. Even the library in the downtown area is a major attraction. It is built in the style of the Flavian Amphitheatre in Rome, popularly known as the Coliseum. The collection of books is vast. We could not help check out the books about Pakistan and India.

Later we took a small ferry to check out the views and the eateries on Granville Island. Both were incredible. After we got back, we walked along the water to Stanley Park and took a tour of the park on a horse-drawn carriage. It was the spitting image of the carriages that once plied the streets of Karachi and which were called Victoria’s. The tour also gave us a view of Lion’s Gate Bridge.

On another day we went to see the Gastown district, the original settlement from which Vancouver emerged. It had all begun with a saw mill. In 1867, the proprietor persuaded the millworkers to build him a tavern. That grew into the district and later into the city.

On prior trips, we had visited Vancouver, Canada’s third largest city. It draws over 10 million tourists annually. The city has a lot to offer. Even the library in the downtown area is a major attraction. It is built in the style of the Flavian Amphitheatre in Rome, popularly known as the Coliseum. The collection of books is vast

We checked out the Sun Yat-Sen Chinese Garden, a tribute to the Asian heritage of the city. Many people of Asian origin make Vancouver their home, including many from South Asia. The University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University are two of the top schools in town.

Since Victoria is not far away, visitors to Vancouver also pack in a side trip there. On one our trips, we did precisely that in a large ferry. It was a very smooth ride, unlike the ride from Seattle to Victoria. A faster but much more expensive is to board a sea plane. We have saved that for a future trip.

One other time, after speaking at a conference in Vancouver, I had to travel to Seattle to attend a wedding. I opted for the bus instead of the plane, thinking that would be a good way to see the scenery that I would otherwise miss out on. And a good way to avoid the security lines at the airport and the delays.

What should have been a relatively short and uneventful ride became anything but. When my bus arrived at the immigration check post, there were four buses ahead of us, all with visitors from Korea. Their United States (US) immigration formalities took forever.

People on our bus became restless since they were not allowed to get off the bus. A special agent was spotted outside the bus. He could have passed for a body double of Bruce Wills. Some passengers wanted to use the restroom but had to wait patiently. At one point the special agent entered our bus for a random inspection. We did not know what would happen next.

Two hours later, the bus resumed its journey on the freeway. I sent a note to my wife saying that I was running late, thanks to the border crossing and thus I would be coming straight to the wedding in casual attire. Thankfully that night was just the first act of a multi-act Pakistani wedding. I was excused.

One time both of us were flying home from Seoul to San Francisco via Vancouver. Visitors from Canada to the US have their immigration inspection at the Canadian port of entry. We were the only two people in line. The US official reviewed our US passports, noticed that our place of birth was listed as Pakistan and asked if we were returning from Pakistan. We said no, we just went to Seoul on vacation.

Not convinced, he asked us to name a market that we had visited in Seoul. Thankfully my wife remembered and said without a moment’s hesitation, Insadong Market. A smile broke out on the agent’s face and he said he was a native of Seoul. Then he added the customary greeting: “Welcome home.” Vancouver offers just about everything one would want to get in a large city. Location by the water, it has plenty of walks, gardens and museums, universities and libraries, and restaurants. If you run out of things to do, just admire the building architecture and chat with the locals. They are as friendly as they are diverse.

The writer can be reached at ahmadfaruqui@gmail.com