On our walking tour of Chinatown, we learned more about the social troubles the Chinese would have faced coming into Canada. To help each other out, the Chinese set up buildings (separated by family name) that you would go to and they would help you get a job, a bed, maybe lend you some money, and make sure you were working with another member of your extended family. That task sounds hard today, but there are only about 90 Chinese last names that are widely used in China. Therefore, there would have been a good possibility that someone with the same last name as you was in Victoria. Unfortunately they were only able to set up around 10 different family buildings.

We then went into a Chinese temple, it was small and the air was filled with potent incense. Our tour guide showed us all the parts of the temple and how to use them. Chinese believe in the worship of ancestors, and that they stay on earth to roam around. Another interesting thing Iearned is that most of the immigrants were just single men that came to Canada, made money and then went back to China.

The next day we went on a Christmas walking tour. Our guide talked a lot about different Christmas traditions people in the area of Victoria had back when Victoria was called Fort Victoria and it was a trading post for the Hudson’s Bay Company. After the tour we went back to the hotel and had the special Nutcracker Tea at the Empress. Needless to say it was really good; my favourite part was the scones with the Empress’ special homemade cream.

After the tea we went to the Butchart Gardens. The whole garden was all lit up with a Christmas theme, the main attraction being all the characters from the song “The 12 Days of Christmas”. There also were a carousel, large displays of lights, and carollers. It was the best day yet, but I hope that tomorrow will be even better!

We woke up in Ucluelet and started on The Wild Pacific Trail through the forest. It skirts the coast of Vancouver Island where the lush rain forests meet the wild Pacific Ocean. In the forest we found interesting things like a entire upturned tree and a whole floating dock that had been smashed to bits on the rocks.

The weirdest thing I saw on the walk was a large branch that, when younger had been tied in a knot by another hiker. As it matured, the branch grew in size until it is what it is today: a large branch impossibly tied in a knot; it was very unique. The most amazing thing we saw by far was a grove of large and very old cedar trees. They must have been at least 12 feet in diameter and 70 feet high and 100’s of years old!

At the end of the hike we saw an amazing view of the rocks, stretching out before us. It was very impressive to see how many of the rocks got swallowed up by the waves as they came crashing down on the rocks with a truly frightening power.

In the morning we went on a walk in the opposite direction before we left. We soon found a totally different landscape, it was less rugged with more grass and greenery. It had been getting greyer and rainier but still no storm, and sadly it was time to go.

Our next stop was Qualicum. When we arrived we went straight to the beach where we went for a nice walk. Tea-Cozy Bed and Breakfast is a good name because it was certainly very cozy and the tea is good too. The owner is from Switzerland and he makes miniature houses with lights built in and cute fences around each of the 10 separate, unique houses. In the middle of the setup is a small pond and a miniature beach similar to Qualicum beach. It is a short stop in Qualicum (we will leave in the morning) and I am looking forward to the adventures we will have in Victoria.

    We woke up bright and early in Qualicum, had a great breakfast, and set off for Victoria. Once we had arrived, we were informed that we had been upgraded to the Gold Floor, a very special treat! Unfortunately we did not spend much time there upon our arrival as we had a tour at the Royal Canadian Museum to catch. On the tour we learned massive amounts of different facts and information about First Nations’ traditions and customs and other Canadian history. Here is a summary of what I learned.

    Thousands of years ago, the First Nations’ of Canada came up with low tech but ingenious ways of making their lives easier. These days we would think of a fishing lure as simple, but the definition of technology is something that makes someone’s life not as challenging or difficult. Most of the First Nations’ inventions were therefore technology, for it helped in fishing, as the tribes in the costal area of BC are all sea-going peoples. One of the things was: a large comb like stick with sharp pieces of bone for each of the combs, they would use this stick to impale small fish more easily than one spear. They also invented many different kinds of lures and traps similar in design to a crab trap. The lures were interesting because the First Nations’ didn’t use rods to fish, they mostly used spears, so they would use a lure to bring fish to the surface of the water and then it would be easier to spear the fish.

    We also learned about immigration and how racist other nationalities were to the Chinese immigrants. One example we saw was how the government made it more and more difficult for Chinese immigrants to come into Canada and for them to live in the country. They first took steps to stop Chinese immigration in the late 1870’s denying them fundamental rights and making immigration increasingly difficult. They also applied a head tax, stating that each person would have to pay a “head tax” of $50 just because they were Chinese. Later that sum was raised to $500 per person. Then they introduced the Chinese Immigration Act, virtually prohibiting immigration from China. This act was put into place in the year of 1923.

    After our tour we went to the hotel, ate some dinner, and then walked back to the Museum to see two IMAX shows. One on junk in space and the other on the Monarch Butterfly. I found the show on the butterfly very interesting because it said that the Monarch Butterfly makes the longest migration south for the winter of any other insect in the world. I was very impressed. Tomorrow we are going on a tour of Chinatown, which I am very excited for.

On our second-to-last day in Tofino, we went to a different beach called Long Beach. It is very windy so we brought our kite which looks like a parrot. Unfortunately we soon found out that we had lost a piece of the kite. Thankfully Uncle David fixed it by carving a stick to fit the missing piece. The kite looked very realistic as it soared in the sky, I think it may have fooled some of the birds too.

The next day we went for a hike near the hotel to a rocky point. It was stormier that day than it had been in a while so we were very curious to see the ocean up close. The waves were bigger and they crashed onto the rocks with such force it sent sea spray high into the air. There were a few benches on the rocks so we sat there and watched the surfers surf the great waves.

We then headed for Ucluelet. On the way we stopped for lunch at a restaurant that was placed right on the rocks. It was not very stormy when we went, but in the middle of the stormy season, the spray covers the windows that look out to the ocean and the roof feels like it could be blown off. The food was good too, especially the clam chowder.

After lunch we arrived in Ucluelet. At the new hotel we unpacked and then here I am, writing the blog. Outside my window I see the massive waves, and the raging sea; the stormy sky coming in off the ocean gives it a very ominous look. It is a very impressive sight to see. Even though the ocean is mild for the time of year I am still awestruck every time I see a wave bash against a rock and the spray flies 10-20 feet in the air!

For our first few days in Tofino, we hung out at the beach house with Sydney, Ethan, Olivia, Uncle David and Aunty Lisa. We went for lots of walks along the beach. The beach itself is amazing. As we walked we saw decent sized waves ranging from 5-9 feet. A new wave would crash down onto the shore every 20 seconds.

The beach has a very gradual incline, so the tide fluctuates a lot during the high or low tides. The rocks are impressive too, they are very jagged and you can see that the waves have bashed away at the rocks like a jackhammer all day long. The sun looks gorgeous as it shines through the mist and reflects off the turbulent water.

In the evenings, we played board games and watched movies. In the mornings we would start it all over again. The houses themselves are great, with fantastic views of the water and easy access to the beach all the time. On the trip I brought my RC car to drive around on the beach, which was a lot of fun. My favourite activity that we have done so far would have to be when we went out late at night and walked along the beach with flashlights.

I have really been enjoying my time so far and I will keep everyone posted with more blogs to come.

We left Brussels and headed back to France. Our new destination is Chartres, a town known for its grand cathedral! When we arrived at our bed and breakfast I was really excited, my room was in the old water tower that the household would use in the dry season to water their crops. When we arrived it was 36C so I was also glad to see that they had a pool.

The next day we went into town to have a tour of the cathedral. This particular cathedral is famous for its stained glass windows because they lasted through the Wars of Religion, the French Revolution and both World Wars, it is also bigger than the Notre Dome cathedral in Paris. Another interesting thing I learned is the purpose for flying buttresses or the little bridges on many cathedrals in Europe. They are used because the roofs are made of five foot thick stone which when on the cathedral, pushes the walls outward so the flying buttresses push the walls back in place.

It is a massive and beautiful building especially the way it is situated on a hill in the middle of the city. The interior is being restored to its original paint scheme and colour and while it is still not done, the parts that are finished are very impressive. When we got back to the room we swam in the gorgeous pool.

Next we are headed to Saumur where we are staying in a large house, and this is our relaxing week. On the day we were driving here it was the busiest day of traffic all year in France because everybody leaves the big cities and heads to the beach. Because of that our GPS was rerouting us onto backroads which ended up taking an hour longer that expected but still an hour and a half shorter than staying to the highways.

We also stopped to take pictures of Ryan in a sunflower field, adding to our collection of “Ryan in fields” photos. Our place in Saumur is very beautiful and I am looking forward to having a relaxing week here!