The Gem , Vancouver Island

Out there on the Pacific West Coast is a gem the size of Belgium which 800,000 call home and paradise.

Only an hour and a half ferry ride from both the coastlines of the USA and Vancouver, Canada ,this Island provide endless and wonderful opportunities for leisure. It’s main City is Victoria which happens to be the Provincial Capital of British Columbia.

Victoria delights in the reputation of being very British, hence the historic name. With it’s beautiful harbor where ferries from the US sail in and out and the constantly landing of float planes from Vancouver and Seattle, there is a feast for the eyes. Victoria rejoices in lovely shops, some really great restaurants and some super hotels including the British grand style Empress to the boutique style Oswego.

Only this weekend Victoria celebrated a stunning International Navel Review which included 20 capital ships from 6 nations. This was to mark the Centenary of the Canadian Navy with the ships being reviewed by the Queen’s representative Governor General Michaelle Jean..

Forthcoming events in Victoria include a “skins” game at the Bear Mountain Golf Resort which will include the likes of Ian Poulter of England , Fred Couples of the US and Canada’s own Mike Weir.

Going north from Victoria you go over the stunning Malahat into the Cowichan Valley, home to over 80,000 people, with many farms and over 14 vineyards.

To the west of the Island there is Tofino which has an international reputation as a center for surfing. The waves are a sight to see..

Further north is Strathcona Provincial Park with Mount Washington Ski Resort alongside. Mount Washington rejoiced in having one of the deepest snowpacks in the world last winter and was host to over 300 foreign athletes and coaches during the Olympics.

Some 30 miles further north there is the community of Campbell River. This is regarded as the “Salmon Capital of the World” Absolutely fabulous fishing can be had here. This year being an “even” year suggests that the run of sockeye, pinks and chum salmon will be extremely high in and through the waters that surround Campbell River.

Vancouver Island may be a long way from anywhere but as with any jewel it takes some effort to find!

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Posted by Daisy Thai on Jun 15 2010. Filed under Featured News, Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry