Frommer's Travels Complete

Islands' travels are over, at least for the time being, and in essence, I was delighted with what I found. Yes, tourism is down. Yes, some businesses have faltered. But far from doom and gloom, I found a resilience that was heart-warming. Perhaps it's the population make-up of the islands: artists who are accustomed to creative ways of living; retirees with a set income; and families with a logging and fishery heritage who have already learned how to multi-task different careers, and reinvent themselves all together to weather the storm.

The islands are still happening places. Now that a beautiful September is on the horizon, now's the time to really enjoy them at their very best.

On the road for Frommers

Updating my Frommer's guide to Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and San Juan Islands is always a fabulous excuse to roam the roads. Sure, I clock up the mileage but in a Mazda Miata convertible, with glorious sunshine, it doesn't always feel like work.

In May, when I traveled the length and breadth of Vancouver Island, the miserable weather certainly didn't encourage hanging around a beach with an ice-cream cone. But it kept my nose to the grindstone. I wanted to see how the island had managed the recession, and is the reason why I'm visiting the San Juans and Gulf islands with such a keen eye, and tuned-ear.

Tourism is such an important economy for all these islands, and nothing beats finding out the 'state' of the nations', first hand. We all know that Americans are staying closer to home and, in spite of what the current US Administration is touting, unemployment and taxes are up; opportunities and optimism are down. And when you're away from the city cores, you're more than likely to witness a growing disaffection to the BO reality of promised change.

That in itself makes for interesting talk. But I digress. It's time to get movin'

Thailand Teaser

Have just spent the last while touring Thailand from the less traveled roads of Ko Lanta in the south to the northerly hills towards the Burmese border. Slash-burning and little rain made the atmosphere somewhat claustrophobic but never distracted from my time with the elephants.

There are many tourist-style elephant activities to enjoy but they can leave me cold - much like making caged, 'tamed' tigers into a visitor attraction, but to learn and participate in elephant care at Patara is quite a different matter. Taking apart elephant dung and brushing their long eyelashes is a bonding experience like no other.

Look out for my articles to come. Until then, suffice to say that the charm of the country and its people is as gracious as ever; and the impact of highways and a skytrain in Bangkok has really shifted the smoggy chaos that once so characterized this city.

If you've not 'done' Thailand is the last 10 years, put it on your agenda

NBC says thanks, for the memories

Before continuing on with my own observations, and in case you missed this, I'm posting it as a feel good read. It was written rather graciously by Brian Williams, anchor and managing editor, NBC ..... with an outsider's perspective with an insider's knowledge.

After tonight's broadcast and after looting our hotel mini-bars, we're going to try to brave the blizzard and fly east to home and hearth, and to do laundry well into next week. Before we leave this thoroughly polite country, the polite thing to do is leave behind a thank-you note. Thank you, Canada:
For being such good hosts.
For your unfailing courtesy.
For your (mostly) beautiful weather.
For scheduling no more than 60 percent of your float plane departures at the exact moment when I was trying to say something on television.
For not seeming to mind the occasional (or constant) good-natured mimicry of your accents.
For your unique TV commercials -- for companies like Tim Hortons -- which made us laugh and cry.
For securing this massive event without choking security, and without publicly displaying a single automatic weapon.
For having the best garment design and logo-wear of the games -- you've made wearing your name a cool thing to do.
For the sportsmanship we saw most of your athletes display.
For not honking your horns. I didn't hear one car horn in 15 days -- which also means none of my fellow New Yorkers rented cars while visiting.
For making us aware of how many of you have been watching NBC all these years.
For having the good taste to have an anchorman named Brian Williams on your CTV network, who turns out to be such a nice guy.
For the body scans at the airport which make pat-downs and cavity searches unnecessary.
For designing those really cool LED Olympic rings in the harbor, which turned to gold when your athletes won one.
For always saying nice things about the United States...when you know we're listening.
For sharing Joannie Rochette with us.
For reminding some of us we used to be a more civil society.
Mostly, for welcoming the world with such ease and making lasting friends with all of us.

Loved it, Miss it but glad to have my city back!

What do I miss?

• The roving packs of national teams exploring the downtown core; hundreds foreign accents always within an earshot or two, and media cameras always positioned to catch the latest street colour.


• The innovative broadcast venues such as NBC atop Grouse Mountain, the Swiss on Granville Island and the Russians in Science World (a local radio station enabled nations to broadcast in mother tongue to local immigrants – Cool because it reflects Vancouver’s remarkable ethnic diversity.


• The pedestrian-only streets; I can only hope that city-forefathers will take heed and at least try to recreate the sculptural and busker entertainment zones for periods in the summer.


• The nightly firework and pulsating laser light shows.


• The unparalleled camaraderie between visitors, everyone who sported anything red and/or white, the palpable buzz which in truth NEVER let up so there’s something to be enjoyed about claiming the city back!

And a concluding comment:
The British Press started off in a snipey mood (most notably The Guardian newspaper), but grew somewhat more conciliatory over the two week period. Well, it’ was good politics since they’re next in the firing line.

Having just returned from London I have a comparison to where Vancouver was two years out.

Vancouver is a much smaller city but it’s all relative, and I don’t envy London's already crowded metropolis trying to host a games three times the size, three times the headaches and many more times that in terms of accessibility to tourists and terrorists.

Londoners are bemoaning the expense (being somewhat nearer the financial brink than Canada), as well as the unnecessary location of certain events such as moving horse jumping to Greenwich Park when there are spectacular facilities at Windsor and other near-to-London communities.

At least Vancouver held a plebiscite and could wave a ‘yes’ flag in front of the naysayers. I’m not sure Londoners would give the same support. But we’ll see.

Anecdotal Olympic Legacy Items

A smart new transit line from an expanded airport, a faster and safer road to Whistler, community venues such as the Richmond Oval, improved social housing and emergency units for the homeless (an issue always inflames debate), and an expanded convention centre are among the most written about legacies.

Here are some others:

• Apprentice craftsman made the medal-ceremony podiums; many were First Nations earning their way to a career while inspiring their peers to vision self-responsible lives outside of reservation lands.



• The XXI Games was the first true social media Olympics embracing online debate via Facebook, Blogs, Twitter and other social vehicles. It has set the stage for how all future games will be seen.



• Opening ceremony artists lead iTunes downloads – Hallelujah by k.d. lang (who only agreed to perform if she could sing it LIVE – other artists lip-synched) and Nikki Yanofsky’s I Believe



• The circular flags that were installed along Vancouver downtown sidewalks (http://www.flagwalk.ca/) representing the 80+ participating nations. Still a tourist attraction, catch them while you can since many of finding their way into suitcases – honest!



• Post Olympic polls increased numbers from 63% to 86% of those who felt the Games were good for the province.



• One developer claims to have sold $50 million of condo real estate during the Games including one Coal Harbour (downtown) at $22 million.



• As a result of a tent city that sprung up during the Games in Vancouver’s poorest district, the East Side, 46 homeless were found space. Amazing what can be done when under a world lens.

What I miss? see next blog ...

For the Olympic Anecdotal Record

Who would believe some of these figures .....?

• Public Transit welcomed some 200 articles a day including an average of four passports/day, the majority of which are Canadian. Go figure?


• Vancouver International Airport processed a record breaking 39,000 travelers in one day vs its daily average of 26,000. Small numbers for some big cities but a major stepping stone for YVR.


• Within a few days of opening, traveling the Zip Line over Robson Square meant an eight hour wait with many a hopeful zipper starting the line-up at 2:30 AM!


• The Molson Hockey Pavilion served at least 5,000 (large) glasses of beer during the Canada/USA games. Heard that the Heineken pavilion served a shade more than that a day.


• In addition to pin trades, costumes and revelry, the next most common sight were ticket buyers/sellers wearing neck-boards advertising their desire to pay $1,000 for any Canada/USA hockey tickets. Top price was reported in excess of $10,000 for the Gold Medal Hockey finals.


• In TV viewership numbers, the Gold Medal hockey game in the US was second only to those who watched the Obama election; it was the largest in Canadian television history.


• Considering the above (and let’s remember the TON of security personnel too - see earlier blog), it’s little wonder that crime figures during the Games period plummeted, especially B&Es that went from 46 percent to 37 percent.


• Whistler’s two, 80-metre-long composting tunnels swallowed up to 35 tonnes of bio-solids (per week) and are now churning it out the other end as rich, black loam for landscaping.
  
  Legacy thoughts to come ….