INTERNeX Canada: Casual Friday

What do you know about the short history of Vancouver?

Maybe at this stage you must to know a lot of things about Vancouver: the biggest streets, the local food, and which website is better for checking out the bus schedule. But how many things do you know about the history of this city? Maybe the first thing that you have to know is that Vancouver is an only 125 years old city!

If you feel curious, here you have a timeline with the most remarkable facts that happened in our lovely Van.

–       1791: The Spanish Captain Jose Maria Narvaez was the first European to explore the area.

–       1791: The second European was the British Captain George Vancouver.

–       1808: Simon Fraser arrived descending the river, which wears his name. He was the first European to settle down in the area.

–       1858: Colony of British Columbia was established.

–       1867: Hastings Mill was founded, was a sawmill on the south shore of Burrard Inlet.

–       1867: Gassy Jack made a deal with the Hasting Mill workers. They built a saloon and he provided them to whiskey. Around this saloon the first neighborhood of Vancouver was built. The name of that area is Gastown, in honor of Gassy Jack.

–       1869:  A large amount of people moved to Gastown to build the Canadian Pacific Railway. Gastown is surveyed as Granville Townsite.

–       1886: Finally the Canadian Pacific Railway was finished and Granville was renamed as the City of Vancouver.

–       1914: Panama Canal was opened and Port of Vancouver has become one of the largest in the world.

Gassy Jack statue in Gastown

So we are here, enjoying this beautiful city! If you are one of the lucky persons who won one of the free tickets for the Big Bus, you can come with us one day to learn more about the history of Vancouver.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Clara.

INTERNeX International Exchange

Suite 200 – 211 Columbia Street
Vancouver BC -V6A 2R5-
Web: http://www.internexcanada.com
Phone: +1 (604) 662 8149
Email: pr@internexcanada.com

INTERNeX Explorer: The Rocky Mountains -Part 3

Next weekend, we are finally going to the Rocky Mountains trip! So close yet so far…but I’m sure time will fly by. So on our last night, we will be staying in Golden, BC. Let’s find out more about this place, shall we?

Golden is near six of the most spectacular Canadian National Parks  (Banff, Glacier, Jasper, Kootenay, Mount Revelstoke and Yoho). It was first explored by David Thompson, a Canadian pioneer during 1807, when he stumbled upon the future site of Golden.  Like Valemount and Banff, Golden also contributed to the development of the Canadian Pacific Railway as it became a base camp that extended the line further west in order to create a cross-country network of rails.

This place is now a major attraction for tourists with many activities to do including skiing, back-country skiing, mountain biking and river rafting. The town also thrives on its forest industry. The forest industry began with the development of CPR, which was also used for buildings and bridges.

Golden also lies near the Kicking Horse River. How did it get that name? It’s actually an interesting story…an explorer James Hector was crossing a river when he accidentally got kicked and knocked unconscious by his own horse! He was thought to be dead. But as they were about to bury him, Hector woke up and started to move around. They called the river the Kicking Horse.

I am counting down the days until we get to see this beautiful and historical place 🙂 are you?

Cheers,

Flora

INTERNeX International Exchange
Suite 200 – 211 Columbia Street
Vancouver BC -V6A 2R5-
Web: http://www.internexcanada.com
Phone: +1 (604) 662 8149
Email: pr@internexcanada.com

INTERNeX Explorer: The Rocky Mountains -Part 2

Only two weeks left until we depart Vancouver to start our epic journey into the Canadian Rockies! Last time, we learned a little bit about Valemount, BC where we will be staying on the first day. The second day, we will be staying in Banff!

This town is located in Canada’s first and the world’s third national park, Banff National Park, established in 1887. Banff is also Canada’s oldest national park. And as you might have guessed, Banff also played a major role in the Canadian Pacific Railway construction. See the connection here?

And in 1884, George Stephen, the president of the Canadian Pacific Railway, named Banff after his hometown in Scotland. Another noteworthy person from Banff is Norma Luxton. He improved the town of Banff, formed Crag and Canyon newspaper,  built the King Edward Hotel, as well as the Lux Theatre.

Some more interesting facts about Banff:

• Banff is located at an elevation of 4,537 feet (1,383 metres) making it the highest town in Canada
• Banff National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a United nations designation which helps protect over 20,000 square kilometres (7,700 square miles) of the Canadian Rocky Mountains
• The highest mountain in Banff National Park is Mt. Forbes which stands at 11,850 feet (3,612 metres)
• Mountains in Banff National Park are 45 to 120 million years old
• Banff National Park has in excess of 1,000 glaciers

Can’t wait to visit this place in just two weeks! Remember, the last day to register for this awesome trip is next Monday March 18th! Find me at our pub night or event this weekend or come by the office sometime this week 😉

Cheers,

Flora

INTERNeX International Exchange
Suite 200 – 211 Columbia Street
Vancouver BC -V6A 2R5-
Web: http://www.internexcanada.com
Phone: +1 (604) 662 8149
Email: pr@internexcanada.com

INTERNeX Canada: International Vancouver- Chinese Community!

Vancouver is one of the most international city in the world with 52% of the population not having English as their first language! Last week we told you about the Indian community and the celebration of the Diwali festival, today let’s learn about the Chinese community in Vancouver!

The Chinese Canadian population makes up 18.2% of 2.5 million people in Vancouver and are the largest visibly minority group. Though, the term “Chinese” represents a mix of the dialects used by different Chinese communities such as Cantonese or Mandarin.

The first Chinese immigrants came to British Columbia for the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush of 1858 and played a prominent part in building the Canadian Pacific Railway. This railway is still in use today and passes through the dangerous Rocky Mountains.

Flash forward to the 1990s, many Chinese people from Hong Kong decided to move to Canada in anticipation of the return of being a British Colony to being part of China. Moving here when I was 7 in 1998, I can definitely identify as part of this group and recognize myself as both Canadian and Chinese.

In Vancouver, the previous generations of Chinese immigrants used to settle mainly in Chinatown. While Chinatown remains a symbol of the Chinese community,  many people have decided to love in other neighbourhoods such as Burnaby, Richmond and West Vancouver. Still, this area remains full of thriving businesses and history.

The Millennium Arch, a gate that signifies the start of this neighbourhood is the biggest in North America and contains the beautiful Sun Yat-Sen Garden that is for sure worth a visit.

You might also be surprised to find out that the best Chinese food, isn’t actually in China or Hong Kong, but that Vancouver was awarded to have the best Chinese food in the world in 2010 by Conde Nast Traveller. Take advantage of the many restaurants available from traditional Chinese restaurants offering dim sum and seafood to more trendy restaurants such as bubble tea cafes to dessert places.

Cheers,

Queenie

INTERNeX International Exchange
Suite 200 – 211 Columbia Street
Vancouver BC -V6A 2R5-
Web: http://www.internexcanada.com
Phone: +1 (604) 662 8149
Email: pr@internexcanada.com