Vancouver’s Chinatown

Vancouver’s Chinatown covered more than three square blocks. Its heart was either side of Pender Street East but there were other streets where I glimpsed every kind of remedy inside Chinese herbal stores, grocery shops stocked a variety of Chinese vegetables and tea shops with a distinctly different aroma.

A city by the sea

The Trans-Canada Highway runs right across Canada from Victoria where I was headed on the west coast, to Newfoundland on the east coast, nearly eight thousand kilometres. Not surprisingly, it’s the longest national highway in the world. I had been to its eastern extreme so was keen to visit the highway’s starting point. (featured image)

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple

I may not have seen any tooth inside Chinatown’s Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, but it didn’t matter. This was the most elaborate temple I’d stepped into in Singapore. The building was huge while inside I lost count of the number of Buddha statues that festooned the walls.

Melbourne’s Chinese Museum

Fortunately, the hike up Little Bourke Street into Chinatown was worth it because of the Chinese Museum. Many of the pieces on display were on loan from a local interested in Chinese history.

Because ancient Chinese believed in the after life as in ancient Egypt, jade burial suits were a relatively common discovery. Despite the extravagance, it was believed that the jade would preserve the body.

Chinatown architecture

Like the Arab Quarter, Singapore’s Chinatown was surrounded by modern highrise buildings. However, within the network of streets that made up this unique area of the city, old buildings were well maintained.

Melbourne’s Chinatown

Stretching across two blocks of Little Bourke Street, Chinatown’s entrance was impressive. Once inside however, I found there were more restaurants from other parts of Asia than China.

Sri Mariamman Temple

It may have been in Singapore’s Chinatown, but on Pagoda Street stood a Hindu temple in all its rainbow glory.

Sien Lok Park

With the Bow River on one side and the end of Chinatown on the other, Sien Lok Park sat on a slightly quieter section of downtown Calgary.