My Short Story and Visual Diary

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Britannia Copper Mine Tour

Today we went to a unique museum about copper. The museum was at the top of a mountain, so we got to experience some great views, which included a gorgeous lake.

  

Part of our tour was inside an old shaft of the copper mine. This was very interesting. We had to wear hardhats, just like the workers did. We learned what it was like to be a copper miner. I learned a lot of new things about copper mining and the environment. It would be good if Hong Kong had similar opportunities for us to learn how things like mining are done. 


It was also interesting because I learned a lot about how copper is used today. I didn’t realize it was such an important metal.

Vancouver Aquarium

The Vancouver Aquarium has so many kinds of marine life, just like Ocean Park.  Although, I enjoyed seeing some of the animals and taking some photos, I did not find this activity very exciting.  However, I did get to see some different species of animals I had not seen before, like the otters.

Victoria to Vancouver

Today was our last day at Mimi’s house. We got up early and took the ferry back to the Mainland. We were excited about going to a new city, but we were surprised to find so many Chinese in Vancouver. Some businesses even had their names in Chinese.

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Below is a picture of our new digs in Vancouver.

Cooking, Cleaning & Packing

After having cooked so many dinners, today we had to focus on the worst part - cleaning and packing!

This morning we had to clean up the house and pack. This was very different than in Hong Kong, because we had to do all the tasks ourselves, and because there are eight of us, we also had to work together as a large team, so that everyone had to communicate to make sure that everyone knew what tasks they were doing. After we thought we were done, Mimi came and took a look around, and told us what we still needed to do, or told us which parts of our cleaning were not completely done.

  In Hong Kong, either our parents or domestic helpers will do these tasks. It was a lot more work than I thought it would be!

Butchart Garden

Today we went to Butchart Garden, one of the biggest gardens in the world, and we had a very special mission. We had to interview different people in the garden to find out about them. 

This activity was to help us practice initiating a conversation with foreigners. It was a competition and the winners could win prizes.  I did a lot of interviews and tied for third place. This activity was very good in that it helped me become more comfortable talking with foreigners.

The gardens, themselves, were beautiful. There were lots of different types of flowers. I liked the Japanese garden the best.  


Take a look at my pictures and see for yourself what a beautiful place Butchart Garden is

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Tofino to Victoria

Today, we came back to Victoria. On the way home we stopped for lunch at Ucluelet. We ate at the Floathouse restaurant. I ordered a steak! But it was overcooked, so it wasn’t that good. It also cost 200.00HKD, so I thought it was very expensive!

             

When we got to Alberni, we stopped at Cathedral Grove to have a look at the ancient Douglas Fir trees. It was a nice break from the long ride home. We also played lots of games in the cars. The girls really like Truth or Dare!

Canada Day Celebrations

Today is Canada Day. It is a national holiday just the 1/7 in Hong Kong. was Canada’s day. It just like 1/7 in Hong Kong.  Canada Day is a huge event in Canada – everyone celebrates.  After our Hot Springs Tour, Mimi let us stay in Tofino to enjoy the afternoons activities for awhile. I really enjoyed watching and taking photos of a skateboarding competition. I got some really great action shots.

Afterwards, we went back to our campsite, played beach games, and guess what! I got to meet Bunn Bunn, a pet rabbit. Did you know, I used to have a pet rabbit?

After dinner, we went back into Tofino to enjoy the evening Canadian celebrations. There was a band playing. People were dancing and doing different types of activities and games. The local people decided had some fireworks, and they were so awesome. This was my first big event out in Canada! I loved it!

Afterwards, we returned to our campsite and went down to the beach. It was dark and the sky was clear, so the stars were totally awesome. I loved the darkness, because I also got to have fun, doing some night photography.  I got some really fabulous shots.  What a fantastic day!

Hot Springs Tour

This morning, we went to natural hot springs. We needed to take a long boat ride to get there, and then we had to hike for about 45 minutes.  When we arrived, the view was fabulous. It was so pristine.  There were a lot of people, and because there wasn’t a lot of space, we had to squeeze together. The temperature of the water was just perfect, even though it was windy, the water still kept me warm.  I also had a natural hot spring shower under the hot spring waterfalls.  Afterwards, we had to hike back and take the boat back to Tofino.

Black Bear Watching Tour

This morning we had to wake up very early, because we needed to get on a boat to go and see the black bears. Although, it was raining, we some young black bear’s hunting for their breakfast on some island beaches. It was our first time to see a real black bear, so to see it in the wild doing what wild black bears do, was even more fascinating. 

Also, our guide was Adam, and he was about our age, but he knew a lot about black bears, so we learned a lot about them as well.  There was also another young guy Max on the boat. Both Adam and Max were so friendly and nice. We got to talk to them a lot and they played some games with us too. 

Tofino Camping

Today, we drove from Victoria to Tofino.  It was a long drive, but there were some views. Once we got to Tofino, we had to set up our campsite.  We had to build our own tent. It was a big construction and a very different experience for us. We had to cooperate to do this.

 We were camping right next to the Pacific Ocean, so after our campsite was set up and we had some dinner, we went to the beach and played some beach games. By this time, we were all very tired and so we went to bed.

We also had an open firepit. It was not made of cement like Hong Kong’s BBQ’s are. Instead, it was just ground with some metal around it. The metal was very light, so before we lit a fire, we could move our firepit anywhere we wanted in our campsite. I have never seen this before. I think it is a good idea, because if it is raining or too sunny, you can move the firepit to a location which is drier or in the shade.

Chinatown

Today, we went on a Chinatown tour. We met up with our guide John, and he showed us where the characters from the book, ‘White Jade Tiger’ had gone in old Victoria. He also taught us about the history of the Chinese in Victoria, and how they helped build buildings and roads.  He took us through Chinatown and into Fan Tan Alley.  Fan Tan Alley is named after the Fan Tan gambling dens, which used to be there a long time ago.  He also taught us how to play Fan Tan. 

After our Chinatown tour was complete, we went to a ‘Cha Lau’ for Dim Sum, but we all thought that Hong Kong’s Dim Sum is better than it was at Don Mee’s, the restaurant we went to.

Hiking in a Temperate Rainforest

The East Sooke Temperate Rainforest is similar to a place in Hong Kong called, ‘Deer Neck’. The views on this hike were so awesome. I loved the way the temperate rainforest came down to the sea, and the sea was so blue. Everything was so fresh and clean. We also came upon a field of daisies.  It was simply beautiful. I took this picture and you can use it as your wallpaper if you want.  🤷🏻‍♂️

Ziplining

Today, we went ziplining. This was my first time to try this exciting activity. First, we had a short briefing and they helped up put on all our safety gear.  After this we got to take two jeeps into the forest to our starting point.

I took this photo when I was ziplining. It seemed very dangerous to me, but it is my mission to take as the most beautiful pictures that I can as I am a very active member in our schools photography club. 

Whale Watching

Today, we went for whale watching. This was a special event for me, because Hong Kong does not have whales. Before getting on the boat, we had a safety briefing, and then we got on the boat and headed out of Victoria harbor to the open ocean. We actually saw whales! But we also saw a rare red-beaked puffin, which I got some good pictures of and a colony of rare sea lions.

It was so cold on the boat, because of the wind. This was a rare experience and I am glad I got to experience it.