Visiting Victoria Island felt like being in an earthly paradise. If you are looking for a modern and ancient fusion in your vacation, that city is willing to give it up to you from all angles. To get the wheels of my tales in motion, you can bet that was worth every dollar you put into it.
A city that would make me forget the whole cloud of Corona hanging over our lives since the beginning of 2020. As it was, Victoria Island BC, seemed the ideal destination.
Having put in many working hours without any break since the year began, I needed to get away and rest. I wanted to visit any city that was willing to offer me an ample variety of activities. A city that would make me forget the whole cloud of Corona hanging over our lives since the beginning of 2020.
As it was, Victoria Island BC, seemed to be the most popular and ideal destination to visit. It is only about 3hrs from the Vancouver ferry ramp to Victoria’s downtown and 6 hours (425km) from Kamloops town. I settled on flying, despite that journey being prolonged as I had to go all the way back through Calgary, which took a whole 9 hours before I could arrive at my perfect holiday location.
My trip was set out for 5days, but I only had 3days to move around, leaving the other 2days for traveling. After doing quick research, I had a lot of activities planned out to fill my days. In my plans, I intended to visit downtown Victoria, Butchart Gardens, Craigdarroch Castle, whale watching, and seaplane tours.
My accommodation was The Sandman Hotel, which was located in downtown Victoria. The reception had all kinds of brochures lined up with even more suggestions to indulge in. I, therefore, reorganized my itinerary and included a tour of the Fishermans Wharf, Chinatown, The BC Museum, and the butterfly gardens. There is a lot more to see and experience in this city on your first visit, yet it seems like there is never enough time to complete everything.
To ensure I got the best experience and saved more money, I decided to use public buses rather than taxis. I also ate outside and shopped at Walmart for some snacks rather than ordering the hotel meals. Sandman hotel was ideally located, and hence I could get around to any location downtown easily.
The Butterfly gardens were my first stop, and it was absolutely breathtaking. It was not a huge place, but it was so well laid out and organized and never lacks visitors. It had a glass-cased insectarium that allows visitors to see the insects matching with colorful leaves all around a curved lengthy spiral-like branch.
Upon entry, one can view a variety of exotic insects encased in their compartments. Some of these are shiny huge beetles, gigantic stick insects, and leaf insects, among others. If you would like to see more, check out the following link and fascinate yourself. There was a lot to see and experience once I entered the actual butterfly garden. It was warm and humid, creating an ideal environment for the growth of the butterflies.
There were a few birds like red and green parrots in there too. The garden had a one-directional walkway allowing everyone to drift in the same direction with a few areas where one could sit if tired and lots of areas to take pictures and videos. The whole garden was surrounded by numerous varieties of plants and vegetation. Every corner of the garden had butterflies that flew around gracefully.
If you were lucky, you would have a butterfly sit on your hand, head, or any part of your body. The garden also had a waterfall and a pond with a wide variety of goldfish. There were some tortoises and one iguana that was also in the garden. Walking around the garden was so calming. If you had time, it would take you anything between an hour or two to exhaust that gorgeous enclosure of insects, creatures, and vegetation.
The Fishermans Wharf was my next stop in the evening. It was not so huge, so n 30 minutes, you might as well have walked all around. What makes it an exciting place to visit is the colorful tiny floating houses that are lined up along the docks.
There are also a lot of yachts and boats docked that were homes. The views you get to see from the Fishermans Wharf are so awesome. Everything is basically floating on the ocean. They have built wooden walkways to help visitors get around. Visitors can buy souvenirs from some established shops.
The best part about Fishermans Wharf was the fresh, delicious fish and chips in huge portions that are sold at different canteens around the Wharf. I had to visit that place twice over my visit to fill my belly with this delicious temptation.
The Royal BC Museum in Victoria is located right downtown near the inner harbor. It is another of the fascinating places that tourists and local visitors get to hand out. It costs $18 for an adult to visit for about 1 to 2 hours.
The museum is divided into two major parts, the natural history and the human history of British Columbia. It is a quiet experience walking in the one-directional setup giving you the chance to learn how BC was inhabited by the British European white settlers in 1834 and the Chinese in 1858.
There are sad stories about how the colonial settlers invaded the native Americans in those days. They rounded up their children and sent them to residential schools, ultimately killing their cultural roots and languages. The settlers also took over uninhabited lands to themselves. The museum has a history of some animals that roamed the land.
The mammoth skeleton and remains were one interesting creature to see that is now extinct. The museum also has a variety of different clothing, hunting, and lifestyle tools that were used by the native Americans in the early years before civilization.
There was a sample of an underground house that was used by the first nations before the European settlers brought in the civilization of modern wooden homes and shops. Finally, there is a section that houses the famous native American totem poles that you can learn more about on the visit.
Victoria City downtown was a tour on foot. I did not do much justice walking around Victoria as it would have perhaps taken me a good 5days to say I had covered every inch of the city. I settled for the downtown inner harbor area as it already had several fascinating buildings such as the Legislative assembly of British Columbia and the Empress hotel, The Royal BC Museum, City hall, and Miniature world.
The docks at the inner harbor with all the luxury yachts and speed boats created a glamorous ambiance around the docks that could not resist flocks of tourists and layabouts from the whole city. The inner harbor docks also housed the visitor information center, the whale watching, and seaplane harbors.
Whale watching on the pacific was fascinating. The cruise had about thirteen guests in a covered vessel. After all safety and health checks, we signed off our liability disclosures and set off for an adventure of 3 hours. The Pacific sea was so large and dark blue. It was not even a fraction of what one would experience if they had to travel from one continent to another on a ship.
All the same, it was exciting to head off into the deep waters that held a boundary between the USA and Canada. That was the stage set for our whale watching. Getting to see the orcas took us perhaps close to 1 and a half hours before we spotted the first bunch. They were rather too far to see, and at first, I felt as though I did not get a good deal for my expensive ticket.
It had to get better as this orca tour was majorly the main activity that brought me to Victoria. Eventually, with some patience and coordination from the boat captains, we managed to get some great views of a pair of orcas that swam much closer to our vessel. It was so much fun to see them jumping in and out of the water.
Just when we had begun to enjoy their company, we had to part ways and go on to see the sea lions and sea gals. The sea lions were all males that were nesting on a small patch of land called Race Rocks.
As our vessel moved closer to the island, we were engulfed by a terrible pungent smell emanating from those creatures. This stench came from the sweat of the sea lions that were all over the rock. It was quite surprising as one would think that it was meant to be a stench from feces and urine.
The island had a watchtower but not every vessel was permitted to dock on it, as the area was an ecological reserve, and one needed a permit to step there. There was another smaller rock near Race Rock island that was fully populated by sea gals. According to our tour guides, the area was full of animals because the waters were rich with swarms of fish.
The cruise then ended with a beautiful sunset ride into the inner harbor where we again could see Fishermans Wharf from the ocean side. The coast was neatly lined with luxurious yachts, boats, expensive apartments, and buildings that welcomed us into the docks. The adventure ended with a beautiful sunset to crown it all.
The Craigdarroch castle was a mysterious castle that belonged to Robert Dunsmuir and was built between 1887 to 1890. Robert never had the chance to live in his castle as he died in 1889, but his wife moved in in 1890 when it was completed and lived in it for 18 years.
Fortunately, I had a chance to visit this castle 133 years later, which is how old the building was. I first visited it in the evening to familiarize myself with the location since I was using public means. It had a scary harry potter feeling going on that was eerie when I visited it that late evening. It was very silent.
A majestic castle cast out on the tranquil grounds of an ancient historical past. I returned during the day to see the inside of this place that seemed to fascinate and attract large numbers of Victorian tourists. The castle was quite extensive and had about 5 floors built with expensive wooden finishing. Lord Dunsmuir and his sons were wealthy cole miners.
Upon entry, it was evident that you were not in an average home. All visitors had to polish their shoes upon entry and were not allowed to touch the walls and furniture. Everything that you saw was just for the eyes, cameras, and videography.
The castle had two wings. The major wing of the castle was occupied by the owner and her family, while the other wing at the back of the castle was for the servants of her household. The servant wing was equally luxurious, and it baffled me how lucky they were to have been hosted in such luxury.
Craigdarroch was a beautiful place to visit. It had all the luxury that one needed in a home to this very day. The castle of about 20000 sq ft. was originally on 11 hectares of land that were later sold. It had 39 rooms and 17 fireplaces. As usual, such a prestigious property did not go without family strife after its master Robert Dunsmuir passed on.
Two of the owners, sons were disappointed that their father did not leave the property to them but rather chose to leave it as an inheritance to his wife, Joan. The castle, after Joans’ death, in the year 1908, later had different tenants when it was auctioned. At some point, it served as a military hospital and later was a college student hostel.
Walking within the castle brought alive an imagination of how Mrs. Dunsmuir may have lived. The current management of the Castle did a great job repairing it to ensure it gives all visitors an elaborate impression of what it must have felt for lady Dunsmuir and her family to live in it. It was worth visiting and experiencing it for oneself.
The sea place adventure was breathtaking. From the coasting out to the ocean, to the smooth take-off that felt so well scooped, it was surely memorable. The tour of the seas plane was for only 20 minutes around Victoria City. The pilot explained that we would see the government legislature buildings, the harbor, the University of Victoria, the military base, and the Butchart Gardens, among other aerial views.
I do not recall seeing the Butchart Gardens that I really wanted to see from the air instead I just took pleasure in the short flight. The sun was so bright, and the day was perfect, not a cloud to obstruct that view. The seaplane adventure was short, but I just cherished it. It was not so different from the flights on regular airplanes.
What was unique about the seaplane ride, was that we were able to fly at a lower altitude permitting us to see the beautiful landscape of this city much closer. The plane also reminded me of some local planes in my home country Kenya that we would take from Wilson Airport in Langata.
The smell of jet fuel engulfed us, and the seats were not so well padded. They were stiff and had regular safety belts that did not seem to give you a sense of comfort and security in case the craft decided to fall into the ocean. The ride ended with a very smooth landing. I did not feel it touch the waters. Yet again, we were delivered to the inner harbor, all five passengers feeling pleased from our twenty-minute aerial accomplishment.
Butchart Gardens are about 21 km north of Victoria’s downtown. This place is absolutely breathtaking and beautiful. The gardens were first established in 1904 over 116 years ago by Jennie Butchart. The gardens lie on fifty-five acres of land.
Realistically one needed a whole day of five to eight to scale through most of the gardens. I made it late to the gardens, and I only had less than two hours to enjoy Butchart Gardens. I still felt satisfied with what I saw. The grounds yet again have been laid out well with a one-directional walkway to allow the flow of visitors to observe social distance while enjoying every inch of it.
To elaborate on the scope of this garden, it has over fifty gardeners all year round, and over 1 million visitors visit it every year. The wardens advised that it was best to visit it in summer when all plants are at their best. The garden has over 900 varieties of plants, according to its website. The gardens have a variety of roses, hydrangea, fuchsia begonia, lobelia, and daylily, which are some of the Summer favorites.
The grounds have a Rose garden, Italian garden, Japanese garden, sunken garden, and Mediterranean garden. There are also special features within and around various locations of the gardens, such as ponds, fountains, and waterfalls. You can also see some native totem poles near the children’s playground and ice cream shop.
If you love tall ancient trees, wild bushes, and hedges, these massive gardens will give it all to you. It will present you with areas where you can sit in and gaze into the unknowns, quiet corners that you can pray within, and spaces that you and your loved ones will enjoy roaming around. It may seem close to what one may imagine the garden of Eden might have been.
I am not sure if these gardens had fruit trees, although it goes without doubt that one would find some ornamental ones there perhaps. The grasses at Butchart Gardens are nothing but a luxury green spongy carpet, only to behold with your eyes. and perhaps you can touch with your fingers. They are forbidden to step on as visitors should use the well-marked pathways.
There is so much to write about this beautiful man-made garden. I can only be grateful that I got a chance to visit this serene place that will leave a lasting impression on me.
China town was my last destination. At its entrance was an artistic beautiful Chinese arch. The Chinese who had first come to Victoria in 1858 would usually build an arch to welcome dignitaries to their section of residence in Victoria City as an honorable symbol. After the dignitaries were gone, they would pull down the arches.
The last and final arch gate was hence permanently built 34 years ago in 1986. I did not have much time to explore Victoria’s Chinatown, however, the one street that led in through the gate seemed to have tales of ancient business trades and dealing that I had already heard of when I visited the Royal BC Museum.
Chinatown is said to have had a dark history of drug dealings, and prostitution gangs that resulted from different conflicts that existed within their society in those days. It had a lot of front shops that sold spices, Chinese plates, and souvenirs. If time were on my side, I would have had a chance to enjoy a Chinese meal and walk into those secret alleys that held so much history to them.
Perhaps I may get a second chance, but it surely was not this time. I walk off to gaze at the sunset from Johnson street bridge on that cold chilly evening. This bridge also attracts tourists as it lifts at certain times in the day to allow ships through. It connects the Victoria West residential area to the downtown area and it has stunning views of the sea.
Concluding my visit was another short trip to the restaurants by Fishermans Wharf, where I bought another portion of delicious fish and chips for my last supper in Victoria city.
I would recommend that everyone who has a chance to visit British Columbia in Canada does take a tour of this stunning, engaging, and alluring city. I will make it a point to go back to Victoria for a longer visit in the future.