and what a trip it was.... Here goes first ever long post - ha apologies in advance...
Arrived after longhaul flight with 4 kids to Van - easy peasy -was very proud of kids Stayed one night in Sandman Downtown - realised just what jetlag was at 2am!!! Was up at 7am and went for walk down to Canada Place - went on big red bus trip around to get bearings. Nice city - weather was Very Hot (we were surprised just how hot it was) - picked up RV from Canadream and first ever driving of 30footer across Vancouver on Saturday teatime - again easypeasy driving - the City wasn't very busy! Stayed at Capilano RV Park --was nice clean site with pool. Next day set off walking across Lions Gate Bridge to Stanley Park - WOW what a facility that is - the kids all swam in the sea!!! at 2nd Beach I think. We went to all the beaches there - how pretty is English Bay!. The park was packed as it was Sunday and very hot - everyone was dragging BBQs and picnics, we loved it there X.

Next day went on public transport to Grouse (OMG again WOW) and how my 5 year old loved the Lumberjack Show ha! and then did Capilano Suspension Bridge.. Met a lovely chap from Quebec who helped us with the buses even went with us to show us where to catch them from as at one point we were stood on wrong side.... The buses were reliable, cheap, clean and the drivers helpful.

First impressions of Vancouver - very attractive city, multicultural and friendly, extremely laidback for a city!!!!!

Then drove through Delta, Surrey, Chilliwack etc (we liked Chilliwack) and noticed as it was Tuesday 9am the horrendous traffic on other side of highway going into Vancouver Stopped at Hope for lunch - so pretty also.

The scenery is amazing, OH couldn't get over how many trees there are . Kept stopping to admire everything - rivers, mountains etc. Roads a doddle to drive on.. Scenery then changes dramatically and becomes much drier and less forresty. Arrived Kelowna at the time of the fires (hope nobody was caught up in these). Stayed at Hiawatha RV Park opposite Rotary Beach - lovely full hookup sites - plenty of kids and nice pool. Great beach - yet more swimming... Really friendly we loved Kelowna. Quite a mix of young people, young families and retirees. Fab town, lovely city park and waterpark. The fires still raging though left a fog across the lake.

We were sat in Macdonalds! one tea time and having not really heard any swearing or bad behaviour from anyone was surprised to see two lads walk in effing and jeffing really drunk. A lady came in behind them and told them to shut up swearing in front of children pointing to ours. OH and I held our breath waiting for the outburst from the lads when they actually looked round saw us nodded an apology and simply walked out - amazing - similar story here in UK - recently a woman told two youths to stop swearing and they followed her out and threw bleach at her

Have to say the people seem very laidback again,- the kids/youths at the city park mingling with families - no alcohol about, no litter, didn't hear any bad behaviour/swearing etc and it was packed again as weather very hot. visited Penticton, Osyoos, Oliver and it chucked it down with thunderstorms!

Went to Vernon and to Silver Star - eldest son, and OH threw themselves down the mountain on the mountain bikes and loved it. Son wants to return to ski/snowboard in the winter!

Next day off to Canyon Hot Springs Resort and Revelstoke - very gorgeous area - Revelstoke is really pretty as well - did the Railway Museum - kids enjoyed it. Went to Skunk Cabbage Boardwalk on the way! - there is so many random things to stop and do in BC its amazing.

Three days later off to Banff and the Rockies - well what can I say it is utterly gorgeous and jaw dropping - Banff was touristy but hey what were we!!!! We stayed at Tunnel Mountain Village 2 and it was fab again loads of room, and beautiful views. We spent the day in Banff, did some shopping went to the First Nations Museum, visited Lake Louise - again awesome.

Off towards Calgary, stopping on route at Golden and Kicking Horse - again gorgeous. Drove into Canmore - what a pretty town that is - for some provisions and got lost, so if anyone lives in Canmore and saw an RV driving round and round the residential area obviously lost - it was us

We took children to Calaway Park for a surprise at the end of hols - great theme park - very busy but nowhere near as busy as UK ones and really reasonable price - again impressively clean and well run, with orderly queues!

Stayed one night in Calgary at Sandman again - OK hotel. Calgary really quite nice city again with lovely parks and waterpark. Had a lovely lunch in the city centre and looked round the malls.

So if you've not all fallen asleep by now. Final thoughts on first ever visit to Canada - bearing in mind this was more a holiday than a recce, we didn't look for jobs or houses simply went to get a feel for the place...

Jawdropping scenery.
Loads of things to do, tremendous facilities.
Extremely clean.
Lovely helpful respectful people, made loads of friends - got loads of emails and offers to meet up again should we return. awww.
Cheaper petrol...driving easy. Great big pickups ha - we love big cars.

Would we go back................... you bet - already planning it.
Would we emigrate...................you bet - business still up for sale...

So to all of you who are living out there - you lucky sods I say cause Canada (particularly Okanagan) floats our boats.....

Love Strawberry and gang...

Nice positive write-up

Great right up and glad you enjoyed yourselves!

aww thanks.

Forgot to mention - isn't there a lot of homeless in Vancouver..

Everyone wants to live there, not everyone can afford to

I know what you mean. I was in a lift with my two children on the Vancouver to Van Island ferry and a group of late teens boys and girls got in, laughing and joking. One girl called one of the boys a "pussy". Another boy said to her, "Hey, watch your language, there are kids in here. Really sorry m'am" and she apologised also. So polite.

I wasn't being sneaky why put that in there, it was just an observation, I found it a little upsetting.

It's better than living on the streets of Winnipeg in winter.

Did I say you were being sneaky Wrong smiley perhaps Just a thought, but if I was faced with being homeless, there is a lot more to be said for vancouvers climate than most of the rest of canada.

And Vancouver is very expensive, so if you have a financial disaster then the street is going to become an option; Then there is the fact its an entry point for drugs and there is a large junkie population that probably accounts for some of the high numbers of homeless on the streets....

Anyway, the rest of your post was glowingly positive, so focus on that and go for it!

That was a brilliant write up. Am focusing on the positive time they had in BC, there a lots of homeless people every where and it's mainly by choice.

Thanks for sharing that with us..

A little ignorant me thinks

A lot ignorant, naive or misinformed? What on earth qualifies this statement? How many homeless have you worked with? Sure some people live on the street by choice, but a proportion of those is because it's all they've known for along time. There are a great many who would get off if they had the opportunity, some have run away from abusive households, others looking for a new life and fell on hard times.

There are always lazy spongers, but they seem to find a way to live off welfare and work the system to keep a roof over their heads.

Lovely read Strawberry - glad you and your family had such a wonderful time.

Good luck with the sale of your business! J

Issues of homelessness on the DTES are very complex. The entire area has become a ghetto due to misguided but well intended government policy. There are more SOR's (single occupancy rooms) than anywhere else, safe injections sites, detox/rehab, lookout shelter, harbour lights, native peoples groups, drug/alcohol counselling, womens shelters, police, the courts, the salvation army, and of course drug dealers, have all conspired to 'enable' many that live in the area. Mix in mental illness and deinstitutionalization and there is a perfect storm. The pivot society fights the city to keep the area has it is, citing affordable housing, but fails time and time again to be part of the solution.

I actually applaud the city's/provinces efforts, from recently purchasing some of the worst hotels, the four pillars approach etc. Billions have been poured in the area over the last 5 years. as Michael Ignatief, rightly pointed out recently the problem is a national one.

To truly understand the area and its problems you have to understand the areas history, which has always been viewed as a bastion for the poorest and weakest members of society.

The problems are complex and I daresay so are the solutions.

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