Orientation and Coffee (8:30 - 9:30)
Accompanying persons are invited to meet for coffee and orientation after breakfast in the Student Union Building. If you are staying on campus, this is where you will be having breakfast; if you are staying off campus, please come and join us This will provide us an opportunity to hear what the campus and Vancouver have to offer, and to meet each other.
Tour of UBC Campus: Museum of Anthropology and UBC Gardens
Start: 9:30am (immediately after orientation)
End: 4:00pm or when you choose to leave
Guide: Campus: Ilona Hitchcock / Museums and gardens: staff guides
Cost: At the time of the tour you will need $ 24.00 for Museums and Gardens entries
and whatever you wish you spend for lunch.
Registration: We would like to have names of interested people in advance, but at
conference registration or during orientation will be accepted to a limit of 50.
Starting at the Student Union Building we will walk across the UBC campus to visit of the Museum of Anthropology which is located on the Northwest corner of campus. The museum houses one of the world's finest collections of Northwest Coast Indian artifacts. After having enjoyed an informative guided tour through the museum, the group will take a short walk to and a tour of Nitobe Memorial Garden which is considered to be the best traditional, authentic Japanese Tea and Stroll Garden in North America. We will adjourn for lunch at the lovely, new Point Grill and continue from there to the UBC Botanical Garden and recently opened Greenheart Canopy Walkway on the Southwest end of campus. The UBC Botanical Garden is a window into the fascinating world of plants. With more than 10,000 different plants on display, our guide will show us around the gardens to see alpine and Asian treasures, medicinal and culinary plants and the towering tress of BC coastal native forest. The Greenheart Canopy Walkway, which reaches heights in excess of 17.5 meters, enables visitors and researchers to experience the unique biodiversity of a Pacific Coastal Rainforest canopy, which includes treetop mosses, lichens, birds, insects and other invertebrates, and offers “bird’s eye” views of Metro Vancouver and the Fraser River. The tour will conclude with a short walk to the Life Sciences Centre where the VUVX Conference is being held.
Cost per person is $24 to cover the price of entry to the museum and gardens. Lunch at the Point Grill is additional.
Tuesday, July 13: Vancouver City Tour
Duration: 8:45am – 4:00pm
Meeting point: UBC Campus; exact location to be announced
Cost per person: $ 84.00 CAD (includes sales tax)
Tour includes: Motorcoach transfers, experienced tour guide, park fees, picnic
This enjoyable guided tour offers an overview of the city’s history, culture and natural beauty. One of the best guides in the city will take you back in time to Vancouver’s origins and the many exciting anecdotes and urban legends.
The downtown adventure starts with a stop in Chinatown! We will visit exotic Chinatown, the second largest such community in North America, and the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Garden. This is the first Ming Dynasty Garden assembled since the 1500’s, and the first one of its kind outside of Mainland China. We will then continue our journey to nearby Gastown, the birthplace of Vancouver. With its quaint cobblestone streets, steam clock and unique shops all housed in turn-of-the-century buildings, this is a great place to visit!
The next stop of the day will be in Stanley Park where we will take a short walk along the famous Seawall. Spanning 1,000 acres, Stanley Park is noted as one of North America's largest inner city parks, offering an entertaining variety of attractions and amenities. Highlights include the Rose Garden, Lost Lagoon and the Totem Poles at Brockton Point. A picnic lunch in the park will be prepared and waiting for you as we return from our walk.
Afterwards, the tour continues with a transfer to and visit of Granville Island, where you will have time to explore the unique collection of converted warehouses, dockside restaurants, art galleries and craft works, several theatres and a thriving public market specializing in the choicest gourmet items. The tour ends with a drive along seaside beaches back to the UBC Campus.
Thursday, July 15: North Shore Excursion
Duration: 8:45am – 3:15pm
Meeting point: UBC Campus; exact location to be announced
Cost per person: $ 118.00 CAD (includes sales tax)
Tour includes: Motorcoach transfers, experienced tour guide, Grouse Mountain gondola pass,
access to entertainment on Grouse Mountain, Lynn Canyon Ecology Center
mission picnic
This tour will surprise you with the natural beauty of Vancouver’s North Shore and spectacular city, mountain and ocean views. A motorcoach will take you via Stanley Park and the impressive Lions Gate Bridge to the North Shore, winding up the Capilano Canyon to the base of Grouse Mountain. From there we will ascend by gondola to Grouse's 3,700 foot high vantage point. Enjoy a breathtaking view of Vancouver and the Gulf Islands as you explore the summit!
Afterwards it’s off to the Lynn Canyon where a lunch picnic will be waiting for us! Lunch will be followed by a 30-45 minute forest walk. Giant Cedars and Douglas fir trees greet visitors of the park as they cross the spectacular Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge, offering stunning views of the Canyon below. Watch the steam rise from the forest floor and the misty sun rays pick their way through the overhanging branches. Learn about British Columbia's rainforest ecosystem and savour memories of an enlightening encounter with the untamed Vancouver!
Our last stop of the day will be at Jericho or Kitsilano Beach. Here we will stop briefly to look back at the mountains we have just visited and the cityscape on the sea. Participant who wish to remain at the beach to swim, ramble or just enjoy the sunshine are welcome to spend the remainder of the day here and take the easy ride by public bus back to campus. Remember to take along a towel and your swimsuits!