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.

UBC’s First Nation building

The last building I revisited on UBC’s campus was the First Nation building. I passed over sx whek’wmet (that which is used to remember) or Memorial Drive and walked down the steps and into a different world once I entered the building.

UBC’s Asian Centre

Behind the Asian Research building was the Asian centre — a secluded hideaway amongst maples and Douglas firs. I stepped behind Tagore’s statue, and felt like I was back in Japan.

UBC’s Institute of Asian Research

UBC is not a practical university like Simon Fraser University. Most buildings on the Burnaby’s SFU campus are clustered together undercover so with Vancouver’s never ending winter rain, students don’t need an umbrella on their way to their next class. UBC however, is like a city within itself where buildings are scattered over a wider area — not practical, but far more attractive.

Vancouver’s best rose garden

It had been a long time since I’d ventured to Vancouver’s UBC endowment lands, but because there was a break in the rain, and a sunny day promised mid-week, I headed to the place of my first employment when I arrived in Canada two decades ago.

Point Atkinson Lighthouse

On a perfect summer day, we hiked through Point Atkinson Park to the lighthouse. Usually, the lighthouse was closed off to the public, but on this and about four other days that summer, this locked off area was open to those who registered with the guides to celebrate Canada’s 150^th.

Vancouver’s hidden treasure

During my daughter’s short visit, she wanted to visit UBC’s rose garden. The university sits on a snout that overlooks the Salish Sea, and while it was too early in the season to find the garden at its best, the view was spectacular.