Why Vancouver, British Columbia?
When we were seriously filling out the application forms as required by the Canadian Immigration, there was a space there that we've got to answer definitely. It was "destination" in Canada. My choices were Toronto and Vancouver, Toronto being the center of Architecture in Canada. I thought if we land there, I'll be able to practice my profession, or something in line with it. But my wife said, "Naku, baka mamatay ako sa lamig doon" (I might freeze to death.) You know when we were filling out those forms middle of 2011, I was 49 and she was 47. Not so young anymore that made us very sensitive to cold. So alright, I'll give way. I encoded on my application form "Vancouver, BC".

Downtown Vancouver by night. The blue lighted stadium provides an interesting focal point for photographers and a visual delight for romantic promenaders and bikers as well.

Waterfront in Vancouver, BC.

My wife Olivet and daughter Nickole at Waterfront near the Yatch Club in Vancouver, BC.

Camping at Golden Ears Nature Park in Maple Ridge,BC.

 I went to ask my old friend from way back during my youth days in Marikina, Metro Manila, Ernie Uy, who I learned is in Vancouver with his family since year 2000. On Facebook, Ernie narrated to me how beautiful this city is, once lauded as "The Most Beautiful Place on Earth". Wow! I thought. If there's paradise on earth, this must be it. He told me that Vancouver has plenty of nature parks where we could even go camping on weekends. He said that if I'm a nature lover, Vancouver is it.

Walking at Watershed Park in North Delta, BC, a 10 minute drive from where we live.

 Climate-wise, he said that Vancouver has the most temperate climate of all Canada. Para lang daw Baguio pag summer and it has the shortest winter in the country. While my wife and I were reading Ernie's messages on Facebook, the more we got excited.

With my son Chiboy playing with all-terrain bikes at Red Sand in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 2010.

 We were in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for 5 years where the temperature at its peak during the hottest months of June and July reaches 50 degrees Celsius. Inside the car that was parked under the sun, the tempe- rature reading could even reach 60 to 65 degrees Celsius. You'll feel like a chicken shawarma being roasted round and round the oven. Puede kang magprito ng itlog sa hood ng kotse. ( You can fry an egg on the car's hood.)  He said that my family will surely enjoy the cool weather of Vancouver. Well, it was my desire way way back to live and work in Baguio City in Northern Philippines for its cool weather but my wife won't agree having lived there for 4 years as a college student. She said that when calamities strike the Pines City, it becomes isolated from the rest of Luzon and it was very difficult. So when Ernie said that living in Vancouver will remind me of Baguio City, the more I felt like flying to Vancouver the soonest.

             

  On the day of our arrival on June 25, 2012 at the Vancouver International Airport. (L-R): Ernie Uy, his wife Bing Uy, my wife Olivet, me, my daughter Nickole, and my son Chiboy.

 

Camping at Golden Ears Nature Park in Maple Ridge, BC.

This is Watershed Park in North Delta, BC. It is just a 10 minute drive from where we live. A source of water for 5% of water needs for North Delta. A favorite park for joggers, hikers, and bikers. It does remind me of Camp John Hay in Baguio City, Benguet, Philippines with those tall and slender pine trees.

Berry picking at Krause Berry Farm in Langley, BC. Tourists gather strawberries while a horse-drawn "calesa" carrying tourists pass by them. That calesa ride takes about 20 minutes around the farm.

Picking blueberries and raspberries. You work hard for 5 days and unwind with your family in weekend fun activities like this during summer.

 

(Photos shown here on our website are all "originals". I have collected hundreds of photos taken by my Nikon D90 camera from June 25, 2012 and up to the present.)