Path of Philosophy

At the foot of Higashiyama Mountain Range, this walkway was peaceful with the sound of water rippling under lush trees and a handful of hikers here and there. But if I thought I’d escaped the tourist shops, I was wrong. They kept appearing along the route.

Brisbane’s City Hall

This building once towered over every other Brisbane building. Today it’s dwarfed by every new building in the vicinity.

Burnaby Lake

Situated in the city of Burnaby, this lake stretched for approximately four kilometres with lilies covering its surface in several locations. Home to countless Canada geese, it wasn’t uncommon to observe a flock glide and land on its still waters.

Kyoto’s Eikando Temple

This temple was burned down during the Onin Wars, but reconstructed in 1497. Later other buildings were added to the grounds for another sect of Buddhism.

Brisbane’s street market and beyond

Close by the Brisbane River, crowds lingered amongst the city stalls sprawling the pavement. Macadamia nuts and Kingaroy peanuts were displayed, fresh strawberries and avocados, small cakes and jewellery.

UBC’s Botanical Gardens’ North Gardens

A group of university students rushed ahead of me leaving the Asian gardens. They turned into the tunnel that went under South West Marine Drive to the North Garden.

Beyond Nanzen-ji’s temple

Past the temple’s aqueduct I climbed higher along the Kotoku-an trail where only two hikers ventured ahead of me. Although this was not a long hike, the sounds of tourists and buses were lost to the sound of running water.