Fun Fact Friday

Whether you have been living here in Vancouver for a day, a week, a month or even a year, you probably do not know everything about the city just yet. But that’s OK, we are here to help! Today we will mention a few fun facts about the city that will blow your mind!

1. Hollywood of the North

Assuming that you have watched Netflix before, did you know that one of the shows you are binge-watching might be filmed here in Vancouver? What many people do not know, is that the city is called the ‘Hollywood of the North’. Vancouver is ranked second in TV production and third in feature film production in North America. First in TV Production and feature film production is, not surprisingly, Los Angeles and second in feature film production is New York City.

Most TV shows and movies filmed here are American, for example The Flash, Arrow and the new show Life Sentence. Well-known movies that have been filmed here are the Twilight and Percy Jackson series, If I Stay and Apollo 18. Awesome, right?!

2. Dolphin and Whale Watching

Every now and then, people spot dolphins and whales in the waters around the city. There are lots of whale watching tours in and around the city to choose from and honestly, if you have the opportunity to see these animals in the wild, why not take it?! This event will for sure create the most wonderful story for your family and friends when you go back home!

3. Kits Pool

Kitsilano Pool, located near Kitsilano Beach in Vancouver, is the longest pool in Canada. It is 137 meters long and the only heated, salt-water pool in Vancouver. It is divided into three sections; a section for families with little kids, one for visitors who would like to exercise and a deeper section for teenagers and adults. It is a popular place to visit considering the pool provides visitors with a breath-taking view of Kitsilano Beach and the ocean. What makes it even more amazing is that tickets are only 3 to 6 dollars (depending on your age)! Definitely put this pool on your bucket list for this Summer!

I hope you enjoyed reading some fun facts about the city. Knew any of them already? Great! You can call yourself a real Vancouverite!

See you soon!

– Angy

INTERNeX International Exchange
International Village,
Suite 2077, 2079 – 88 West Pender Street
Vancouver, Canada -V6B 6N9-
Web: http://www.internexcanada.com
Email: pr@internexcanada.com

Victoria Tour Guide: Place and Activities

On the 1st of July INTERNeX is going on an adventure to Victoria where we will celebrate Canada Day together with all of you!

Victoria is the capital of BC and is a must see when you are living in Vancouver. Even though Victoria is the capital of BC, it is not a very big city and therefore gives you the opportunity to escape the busy life in Vancouver. It is not strange that Victoria is known as the “City of Gardens” with the Butchart gardens that are able to bloom throughout the whole year because of its mild climate.

Canada Day is a national holiday in Canada, which is always on the 1st of July. There are a lot of events taking place on this day and there are most of the times fireworks at the end of the day. This is also the case in Victoria. In Victoria there is a big free festival with a lot of artists playing, which ends with a big fireworks show. So if you really would like to celebrate Canada Day the way you are supposed to do then you definitely need to join these activities.

If you would rather learn more about British Columbia, then you could go to the Royal BC museum. Royal BC museum is a pretty big museum with several First Nations’ collections. Besides that you could also visit the British Columbia Parliament buildings. Here you can either go on a self-guided tour or join a guided tour. The guided tours are free and take around 45 minutes. The buildings are also really beautiful and definitely worth checking out!

Victoria is home to quite some historic sites such as the Butchart gardens and the Craigdarroch Castle. The Butchart gardens is the place to be for people who love flowers and plants. You can wander around and take a look at the big variety of plants and flowers in this garden. Craigdarroch Castle is an old castle built by Robert Dunsmuir. While walking around in the castle, you will feel what it was like to have a privileged life in the 1890’s in Victoria.

Furthermore, Victoria is the perfect place for whale watching. It is home to 3 different kinds of whales and therefore makes it more likely that you will see one when you are going on a whale watching tour. While you are conquering the waters of Victoria, you may even see seals.

If you would like to know more about the trip, then check out our event page. I hope to see you all on next PuB NiGHT!

– Iris

INTERNeX International Exchange
International Village,
Suite 2077, 2079 – 88 West Pender Street
Vancouver, Canada -V6B 6N9-
Web: http://www.internexcanada.com
Email: pr@internexcanada.com

Vargas Island Tour Guide: Activities

The camping trip is only 2 weeks away! Here is another blog to get you totally ready for the trip! This time I will inform you about the activities you can do on the Saturday.

Tofino

There are a few things you can do in Tofino itself. Tofino is known as one of the best surf spots of the world, so when you are there you should definitely try out surfing. There are several surfing schools on the island, so don’t let your lack of experience hold you back! As it is an island, it is perfect for other water sports too such as kayaking and stand up paddling. If you would rather explore Tofino by foot then you could go for one of the hikes around the town, for example the Rainforest Trail!

Whale Watching

First of all, Tofino is known for its whale watching tours. During March and April there are lots of gray whales migrating from Mexico to the north. In May till November there are over 200 gray whales that stay in the waters next to Vancouver Island. Between June and September they have the highest sightings of Humpback whales. So there is a lot of chance that you will see whales if you go on a whale watching tour during our trip!

Hot Springs Cove

There is also a hot spring close to Tofino. If you want to do this tour you even might be able to see some wildlife. When you arrive at the dock in Hot Springs Cove you will first walk through a rainforest and on the end of this walk are the hot spring pools, a waterfall and some great views of the Pacific Ocean.

Meares Island

Meares Island is an island close to Tofino and Vargas Island. There are two hikes on the island. The first hike is the Big Trees Trail. This trail will lead you through world’s largest Western Red Cedar Trees on a boardwalk. The second hike is for more experienced hikers. This hike will get you up the Lone Cone Mountain. It takes around 4-6 hours to go up the mountain and back.

I hope I informed you guys enough about the activities. Next week there will be an update about the schedule! If you would like to know more about the camping trip, then check out our event page. There is only one more week to sign up, so come by the office and sign up to ensure your spot!

– Janel

INTERNeX International Exchange
International Village,
Suite 2077, 2079 – 88 West Pender Street
Vancouver, Canada -V6B 6N9-
Web: http://www.internexcanada.com
Email: pr@internexcanada.com

Vargas Island Tour Guide: Places

In the weekend of the 9th of June till the 11th we will go on a trip to Vargas Island and Tofino! With the following tour guide blogs we hope to inform you more about the places we will visit, the activities and the schedule.

During the weekend we will camp on Vargas Island. A water taxi will take us there from Tofino and we will set up our camp on one of the campsites for the following 2 nights. On Saturday we will go back to Tofino for one day to do some activities.

Vargas Island is a Provincial Park close to Tofino. The park contains 5788 hectares of land. It has 3 amazing wilderness campings, two at Ahous Bay and one on the north beach of the island. If we are lucky we might even see whales pass in the distance. The Ahous Bay has a west-facing beach looking straight out at the Pacific Ocean. Vargas Island is home to wolves. The wolves are used to the people, but food must be stored out of reach.

Tofino is a small village on Vancouver Island. It is a really easygoing and friendly town with only around 2000 inhabitants. The village is a big tourist destination in summer and it attracts lots of surfers, hikers, campers, whale watchers, fishermen or just anyone looking to be close to nature. Tofino was even named best surf town in North America in 2010. As Tofino is part of the Pacific Rim National Park, there are also lots of hikes around the village.

I hope I informed you guys enough about the places we will visit. Next week there will be an update about the activities! If you would like to know more about the camping trip, then check out our event page.

– Janel

INTERNeX International Exchange
International Village,
Suite 2077, 2079 – 88 West Pender Street
Vancouver, Canada -V6B 6N9-
Web: http://www.internexcanada.com
Email: pr@internexcanada.com

HOW WAS YOUR WEEKEND?

Belated Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Last Friday we had a Thanksgiving Dinner at the revolving restaurant on Robson Street.
I know I already told you about that in my previous blog
post but I would like to tell you more about this awesome night we passed above Vancouver’s roofs. Especially the view was just gorgeous. During the Dinner the restaurant revolved, as its name already implies. So we had a 360-degree-view on several “sights” such as the Lions Gate Bridge, North Vancouver, the Pacific and Stanley Park. Regarding this holiday we had a 3-course-menu with traditional roasted turkey and stuffing. After the Dinner some us went to Steamworks to have some drinks.

As I also mentioned in my last blog post I went to Victoria this passed weekend. We had an amazing time there and a trip from Vancouver to Victoria is definitely worth it! Compared to Vancouver, Victoria is more like a village than a city but that’s why it’s so beautiful. In my opinion our whale watching tour was the best part about the trip. Yes right, we were whale watching and it was just awesome!
Moreover it was not that expensive than we would have expected. Luckily we saw many whales and a lot of seals. Even three of the whales dived under our boat. It was an unlikely feeling because actually the boat must observe a certain safety distance. Probably this safety distance is more for the whales than for the humans but however I had a bad feeling in this moment. At the beginning I thought it’s a kind of boring, that we wouldn’t see any whales and that it wouldn’t be worth it but instead I’m so glad we did it. We also went to Fisherman’s Wharf to feed the seals there. They are so cute! You can buy some fish for them at the small stalls and they aren’t shy quite the contrary they steal the fish out of your hands.

Victoria is probably much more beautiful in the summer than in the fall/winter but you have to go to Victoria during your time in V
ancouver, at least for a daytrip.
Tonight our Pub Night is at Moose’s Down Under. It’s Trivia Night!

See you later!