My Immaculate Treatise of an Awesome Canadian Summer (MITACS): Part Three
In the Summer of ’22, I had the amazing opportunity to go visit the University of British Columbia as a research intern for 12 weeks. This series of articles is to encapsulate my experience both for memories, and as an aide to future applicants. This part focuses more on the former; so if Summer of 69 is your jam, and enjoy a dude recounting the “best days of his life” in Canada, read on!
You’ve made it! Battling the demons of transit visas, expensive flights, ever-expensive accomodation and the final boss mission: getting your passport stamped on time. Yoohoooo! Pat yourself on the back. You’re likely en route to your host institution while you’re reading this, and boy are you gonna have a blast these three months. While I do trust you to have a good time on your own, there’s no harm in taking some inspiration from yours truly. For those not in the cities mentioned here, sorry folks! you’ll just have to have a ball on your own.
Kelowna
On the books, its the third largest city of British Columbia, but they leave out an important phrase, relatively speaking. Don’t get me wrong, it still is an absolute beauty, but it has exactly five skyscrapers, and is not exactly the Canadian Dream (that’s the American Dream but achievable, again, relatively speaking). Nonetheless, its a very pretty city, with small cozy houses dotted around its entire landscape, with the occasional regional park (for the uncultured, think reserved forests, but with hiking trails) for aesthetics. At the heart of the city, there’s the Okanagan Lake: a majestic blue in an otherwise townish landscape, and Knox Mountain: the rite of passage for those who aspire to reach great heights (i.e. future trekkers)
The Lakefront is a wonderful place to vibe both alone and with a group. On Canada Day (1st July), there’s a firework show atop the lakefront, which is a nice somber vibe to catch on an otherwise very busy holiday. The Kasugai Gardens, a small Japanese-style garden complete with stone lanterns and a Koi pond, is a great place to chill away from the Downtown hubbub.
Kelowna as a city has very little to offer that other places don’t… but isn’t that just every other place too? The little that it does offer though, is pretty solid! For instance, what’s one thing that you for sure would not associate with Canada, the Great North where it snows for half the year and all that jazz? Kangaroos. Yes, the same jumping all over the place, too cool to walk like normal animals Kangaroos. At the aptly named Kangaroo Creek Farm in Kelowna, you can see, well, Kangaroos (and the wannabe wallabies)
Apart from the titular character, the farm houses several other rescued animals and birds, and is home to several Wallabies, Capybaras, Emus and other fancy reptiles and birds. The highlight though, the undisputed queen of my heart, the Sugar Glider. This absolute unit of a mammal is the cutest thing you’ve never heard of, and is so sweet, it’ll glide right into your heart and stay there for eons to come.
However, Kelowna’s claim to fame is its fabled orchards and vineyards, and guess what? Fruit picking season sets off in mid-July, and the vineyards are open throughout the summer. Freshly picked cherries and peaches are very fun, especially when it’s an all you can pick/eat!
Most weekends however, would just be trips to Walmart or the like to restock on groceries, or trips to Orchard Park, walking into the same shop routinely to check up on new arrivals and sales (Let’s go to the mall, today!). If you’re anything like me, you’ll still have a blast keeping track of which condiment is available at the best price in which store (Spoilers: Canned tomatoes in FreshCo, Strawberries in the Real Canadian Superstore, majorly everything else in SaveOnFoods). If you’re short on funds or just lazy to cook lunch on Sunday, head to the Gurudwara in Rutland! The halwa is to die for, and they have amazing Chai too!
When you aren’t shopping or restocking on supplies, I highly recommend going on a trek. The Pine Wood Trail is a nice stressbuster after work hours if you’re on campus, and with some luck you could spot some exotic birds as well! However, hands down the most fun trek in Kelowna is the City on the Edge of Forever. Its a long and hard trail to complete, and you’ll come close to dying way more often than one should. But oh boy is it worth it!
Trip-1: Vancouver
Is a trip to Canada even complete without a visit to Vancouver? Yes, if you’re closer to Toronto. Unlike Kelowna, Vancouver gives off very concrete jungle vibes close to downtown, while still feeling warm and suburby in most places. Over a long weekend in early July, we planned a 3D3N trip to Vancouver. Accomodation: (HI Vancouver Jericho Beach)
Tried and Tested
- McArthur Design Outlet: Only a few stops from the airport by train, this place is perfect for all your shopping endeavours with substantial discounts in most stores.
- Grouse Mountain: Located across the harbour, Grouse Mountain offers a very scenic view of the entire city. You can trek up the mountain, but I recommend using the Gondola if you’re in Vancouver for a short trip due to lack of time. Twilight is the perfect time to head to the top for pictures. The views from the cafe are to die for and the place in itself is insanely photogenic.
- Lynn Valley Suspension Bridge: Vancouver is known for the Capilano Suspension Bridge, but it has an entry fee of about $50. Instead, you can head to the Lynn Valley Suspension Bridge, which is free to access and looks almost identical! The only thing you really lose, is bragging rights.
- Cycling at Stanley Park: Arguably the best way to spend an evening in Vancouver is to rent out a bike and cycle the perimeter of Stanley Park. Its a beautiful ride, with wonderful spots dotted all around the park, and you can even take your bike for a ride into the city if you’re done early!
- Gastown at night: Gastown has a very steampunk-ey vibe, which looks very pretty at night. Its the perfect time to roam the streets with a group, and don’t forget to click pictures!
- Granville Island: Its a small shopping district located very close to the heart of the city. In itself, its not much to see, but the walk along False Creek up till Rogers Arena and Science World till BC Place is quite fun!
- UBC Vancouver: The UBCV campus is huge and has a lot of attractions like the Beaty Biodiversity Museum and the Botanical Gardens. Most of the appeal though is just wandering around the campus as we’d do back home!
- English Bay Beach: Or any beach for that matter. Sunsets at a beach are as vibey as vibes get.
- Davie-Denman-Robson-Burrard Streets: These streets are the busiest in Vancouver, and rightfully so given the amazing food choices and in-general vibe. If you have time to roam the streets, definitely suggest doing it here!
- Roam the city at night: Cannot recommend this enough. If have the option of taking an early morning flight and roam the streets on the previous night, there’s nothing I’d suggest more. Groups of 3 or more recommended though!
Might be worth looking at
- Vancouver Aquarium: Home to thousands of marine flora and fauna, Canada’s largest aquarium is located in Stanley Park. While I highly recommend visiting the aquarium, a time crunch and $40 entry fee might leave you second guessing.
- Victoria: If you have friends interning in Victoria, its only a few hours by boat from Vancouver. If you have the time to plan a day-trip, it might be worth taking a look at.
- Whistler: If you have the time and budget to, I highly recommend visiting Whistler. Its a few hours by bus, and is the winter wonderland you’ve been dreaming of visiting in Canada. If you’ve never seen snow before or are just crazy for the white stuff, definitely recommended.
Trip-2: Calgary and Banff
Banff is this beautiful town located in Alberta, about 5 hours by bus from Calgary. It houses some peaks in the Rocky Mountains and some truly mesmerising lakes dotted all around the landscape. Taxes are lower in Alberta too, which makes shopping for souvenirs cheaper! Keeping this in mind, we planned a 3-day trip: 2D1N in Banff and 1D2N in Calgary. Accomodation: (Banff: HI Castle Mountain Wilderness Hostel, Calgary: The Calgary Hub Hostel Style Home)
Tried and Tested
- CrossIron Mills: Like the McArthur Design Outlet in Vancouver, but with lower prices due to lower taxes. Its insanely off-route and I definitely do not recommend going here unless you have a lot of gift shopping left to do, in which case, us bro us.
- Calgary Tower: The view from the top of the Calgary Tower is to die for, with the skyline of Calgary along with some truly beautiful lighting on the nearby buildings. Atleast I think so, cuz I never actually went to the top. However, the entirety of downtown near Calgary tower is very vibey, especially at night when its all lit up and photogenic.
- Lake Louise: Arguably the most famous attraction Banff has to offer. If you go at the right time in May, you may just catch the lake frozen over, although I much prefer the teal hues it emanates during July. As pretty as it is, I don’t suggest boating or rafting here though, simply because the prices are crazy inflated, and if rafting is all you care about, there are cheaper avenues.
- Lake Agnes: Located 2 kms away from Lake Louise, the trek to Lake Agnes is scenic all the way and definitely worth going to. There’s also a small waterfall on the way up, which is great to get some pictures clicked. Once you’re there, you can chill at the cafe and play with the gazillion chipmunks!
- Lake Minnewanka: Getting a little tired of the lakes, we went to Lake Minnewanka only to check it off our list. They again do offer boating and canoeing, but at inflated prices. It is very scenic nonetheless, and it may be worth hiring a boat too if you’re a large enough group.
- Vermillion Lakes: This is the most bang for your buck in terms of canoeing. You start about a kilometre away, in the Bow River, and have a choice of path. I highly recommend choosing the harder one that leads to the Vermillion Lakes. While it involves physically lifting your canoe over small beaver dams, but oh boy is the journey rewarding once you get there!
- Chill by the Bow River: The bow river ran very closeby to our accomodation, and the banks are a very photogenic spot here. With a view of the snowcapped Castle Mountain and the lovely pine trees, its the best spot to hang out, far away from the touristy crouds.
- Roam the streets. Again: You can almost never go wrong roaming the (IN A GROUP). Calgary is not as lively as Vancouver during the night, but nonetheless is fun to roam the empty streets with friends.
Might be worth looking at
- Lake Morraine: Everyone who’s ever been to Lake Morraine recommends a visit. I’d recommend going here after Lake Louise, unless your friends decide to outvote you because they want to hire a boat at Lake Minnewanka which, to no one’s surprise, they don’t end up doing.
- The Plain of Six Glaciers: If you still have some spirit left in you after the trek to Lake Agnes and going 6 more kms is not daunting, check out the Plain of Six Glaciers! Another potential selling point of the trail, is the BC-Alberta Border.
- Stargazing: The amount of light pollution in Banff is very low, making it a beautiful place to stargaze. If you have the energy left from all the lake-visiting to not crash in your bed at sight, check out them stars.
- The Stampede: Its an annual rodeo festival held in Calgary in July, and calls itself “The Greatest Show on Earth.” If don’t miss it by exactly a week, check out what the hype is all about!
BONUS: Viva la Kanedda!
The Library of Alexandria was home to many papyrus scrolls, some written by figures like Plato and Socrates. It was magnificent, until it wasn’t. However, one scroll did manage to survive all the burning is the legend of The Seven Blunders. They all have their trademark personality traits, and are prophecised to make the world a better place when they all meet up at the place named after the Hindi word for a toy.
Okay now if I left it at that without individually dedicating a few lines to these douches, I’ll be lynched on sight. For strictly that reason and totally not because y’all are the most amazing bunch of folks I could hope to spend my summer with, here goes your 15 seconds of fame:
Ajan (The Mouth): If you think voicing your opinion is a recipe to get beat up, fear not. If someone like Ajan can survive with the mouth and opinions he has, you’re fine. To be fair though, bantering (and roasting Harsh) has never been more fun.
Harsh (The Muscle): Its a miracle how one human being can slip up as much as Harsh can. If you said he offered to lift your weights at the gym, I’d buy it. Nonetheless, lad’s got heart and is as lovely as an XL French Vanilla from Tim Hortons.
Naivedya (The Blitz): The lad who puts the goat in goatee. No no, he ain’t the Greatest Of All Time; he just eerily resembles a goat. Man is the definition of an uncle (if you think I’m being extra: plays the harmonium, enjoys watching birds, loves math). All that said, if I were to ever walk 30,000 steps again, who I gon call (Nai-vedya).
Nanda (The Prodigy): If Nanda ever walks into a party, it would be a Panic at the Disco. I say ever cuz all I can ever remember the man doing is working (all I choose to remember). Dude has insane bowling skills though and needs to be nerfed.
Omang (The Chad): Name one thing more stupid than choosing to arrive for a summer intership in July. For the little bit that he did stick around though, man sure left an impression. Lad’s a man of culture. I simply cannot say anything else that would more aptly describe him.
Vaidehi (The Dietary Restriction): Beats me how Vaidehi manages to place an order without actually flipping over the table. However, her poor taste in food is more than compensated by her taste in culture, especially in friends. There’s no way I’d stay sane shopping for gifts and souvenirs without this lady. 10/10 best shopping buddy.
Vatsal (The Man The Myth The Legend): Of course I make the list! The glue of the gang, you could also call me the King of Good Times (I do not have your money GOI). Anyone who disagrees with the above, I look forward to reading about it in your blog :)
For any further queries, reach out to me on any of my socials!
