DAY 3 - CANADA

CANADA – DAY 3 …STILL IN VICTORIA, VANCOUVER ISLAND

The morning the Group assembles and is on the bus to the Butchart Gardens for a 2.5 hour visit.

The gardens are stunning filling an old completed quarry supplying Portland Cement in the late 1880s – early 1900s.     The gardens occupy an area totalling  22 hectares and are at many different levels.  Planting is on a mass profusion basis and the effect is stunning, resulting in many oohs and aahs from all.  At the bottom level, there is a sizeable lake and massive fountain jets are continually on display.

It is a very busy tourist spot, with many tranquil sections.  The busiest spot would have to be the Gift Shop.

Once back on the bus, many start to struggle with “Nodding Heads”.  The return bus trip covers the Bus ride of yesterday in the opposite direction.   Bus driver of yesterday much more informative.  On return we are dropped off at the City Centre where we lunch at the Old Spaghetti Factory….good deal – soup/salad/bread/sweet and coffee for $10.00.  Caesar salad disappointing – missing eggs, bacon, anchovies…basically lettuce mayonnaise and a bit of cheese with the odd crouton.

We then walk around the City Centre  to Beacton Square and around the waterfront then returning  to Laurel Point Inn, our great accommodation.

We again assemble at 6.00pm to be met by a local guide Joy, a young Chinese lass who has been in Canada for 5-7 years.  She is taking us for a walking tour around China Town, with a Chinese dinner.  Others in the Group were off doing whale watching [Orcas] in zodiacs.     The Chinese were in Canada following the gold after the depletion of the Californian gold rush.   In addition they were being used as labourers in the construction of the railways across Canada.

The meal was a basic Chinese multi course menu…nothing out of the ordinary.  Joy was very entertaining joining in with Australian humour.  We were shown the original Chinese school that is now used for after school language and art classes.  We told about the family culture, as well as participating in a lantern walk through China Town, visiting the narrow alleyways which housed opium and gambling dens.   The climax of the evening was Joy playing a Gourd Flute (including Waltzing Matilda) and singing a Chinese song in two different ways to reflect sadness and happiness.

We head home circa 10.00pm around the harbour with the Legislative Building spectacularly lit up with light globes tracing its profile.