Explore BC's Beautiful Gulf Islands Be sure to visit at least one of the beautiful Gulf Islands if you and your family are thinking about a vacation to British Columbia, Canada. A magnificent string of around one hundred small, large and mostly inhabited islands situated between the mainland of British Columbia and beautiful Vancouver Island. Located in the Strait of Georgia, the islands are easy to gain access to from either the mainland … [Read more...]
A Sea to Sky Journey, Vancouver to Banff with Rocky Mountaineer
In 30+ years the Rocky Mountaineer has created a memorable experience incorporating some of the Rocky Mountain's finest scenery. A trip on the rails is one to enjoy, savor and spend quality time with loved ones - a chance to truly escape from the hectic fast paced life of the "real world". Few train rides on the planet can deliver such inspiring and jaw dropping vistas as the Rocky Mountaineer. The train follows historical railways to and from a … [Read more...]
From Sea to Clouds, Vancouver to Whistler
With two days in Vancouver before jumping on the Rocky Mountaineer train on the way to Banff, we decided to visit the mountain town of Whistler. Greyhound offers a relatively affordable option by combining a round trip bus journey with unlimited tram/gondola rides on Whistler/Blackcomb Mountains. This makes it quite doable to see Whistler in a day with an early start from Vancouver. As soon as we arrived in Whistler Village (partly home to … [Read more...]
Dining on Vancouver Island
John M. Edwards, the only smoker ever allowed onto the premises of snooty “Sooke Harbour House,” visits Vancouver Island in the Pacific Northwest on his own terms. As a paying contributor to “The United Negroe College Fund,” for sage reasons of philanthropy as well as tax evasion, I was a little surprised to find in the maritime city of Vancouver, British Columbia, absolutely no black people—only Commonwealthy Europeans and Asians, plus a few … [Read more...]
Stop in Quito Ecuador
I've been to South America quite a few times (focusing on Peru) but it has been too long since I was last here - so it was quite nice to finally touch down again on the continent very late this evening. It often feels like you are imposing and or are under acute suspicion when you enter some countries - stopping in front of grim faced immigration officials who give you suspicious glances. Not so here - the officials were laughing and joking … [Read more...]
Quick trip up to Vancouver
I had last visited Vancouver about 20 years ago - needless to say, I was long overdue for a visit to this cosmopolitan city. I remember all the cranes dotting the skyline last time I was here. While there are still plenty of cranes the skyline is now filled by many modern looking residential buildings. Like other Pacific Northwest cities, Vancouver does a good job of incorporating urban and rural. It is hard not to when you are surrounded by … [Read more...]
Exploring the outskirts of Seattle
July and August are great months to visit Seattle. The weather is generally mild to warm and there usually isn't much rain (as one knows, Seattle has a reputation for rain much of the year). We took my friends car which he kindly let us use for a few days and headed out of town. Our goal was the Snoquamish Falls - a massive drop off of water that one can view from several viewpoints. Lovely. Except we were so tired from jet lag we ended up … [Read more...]
Canada wildlife experiences
Where can you find Canada's best wildlife? If you're a wildlife lover looking for a holiday full of incredible creatures, why not try Canada for your next adventure? Canada's vast and largely unspoilt wilderness is home to a diverse ecosystem, including seals, bison, moose and many other animals, which it is incredibly rare to see outside of a zoo and in their natural habitat. However, the real star of the show as far as wildlife is concerned … [Read more...]
A Local’s Guide to Vancouver’s Top Ten Free Attractions
I grew up in Toronto, Canada. While Toronto is a tremendous city - boasting eclectic neighbourhoods, lush city parks and a vibrant cultural scene - it's also a place people get really practiced at leaving. Every Friday night in summer, the 400-series highways leading out of town are jammed with cars crawling towards the promise of fresher air and a lakeside cottage up north. I've left Hogtown for good and for the past six years have called … [Read more...]
Canada Experience Part 1: Entering British Columbia and Victoria
It was the summer of 2010 and we wanted to escape our city life in Austin, Texas and visit the Pacific Northwest. We had ten days off and decided to drive from Texas, to Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia (3000+ mile car trip). We had just bought a new VW and thought it would be fun to drive it across country and have an adventure along the way (and, boy did we ever)! We entered BC the "round-about" way by ferry from the NAS base on … [Read more...]