TravelStream™ news feed for member barbo on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/barbo en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Mon, 22 Sep 2008 21:41:55 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/barbo/2/1221781500/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/barbo/2/1221781500/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/barbo/2/1221781500/tpod.html Mon, 22 Sep 2008 21:41:55 -0400 Around the World in 56 Days

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Brisbane, Australia

Having left Calgary airport using "The Just in Time Theory", on Tuesday afternoon (their time) we arrived in Los Angeles mid afternoon to await our flight to Australia.  After a thirteen hour flight we arrived in Brisbane at 6.30am this morning, right on time.  Very pleased to be home and looking forward to seeing everyone in Australia again, we hope you have enjoyed reading about each day on our blog as we have enjoyed writing it and hope that you too have been able to travel along with us on our wonderful holiday.  Cheers Barb and Graham
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International Date Line, Fiji

Today went missing in action - we crossed the International Date Line, but this gives us a space to do a little reflecting on our travels.  We went in and out of at least 16 airports and found each one to be generally very good.  We didn't loose any baggage and all our planes left on time and arrived on time.  All airport staff, security and customs were polite and efficient and made our journey easy.  We certainly had plenty of different accommodation - from kind friends who opened their houses to pubs, to the Hiltons and to a couple of really special experiences.  We have come to be experts at plumbing and problem solving.  From turning on the water, making it the right temperature, pulling the plug out, flushing the toilet, switching the lights on and off, using the right plug adapter for the electricity, using the internet and at all the bathroom stops along the way.  We have found an unbelievable amount of ways people have dreamt up to wash and dry hands in public areas.  From waving your hands under taps, touching taps, hitting bars with knee, standing on button with heel on floor and the many others that just alluded us and of course the various toilets and flushing -  the scariest are the automatic flushes which makes you fear "who did that!!!! "  But above all I think the best quote was by a Canadian we met last year who said "We all put our pants on the same way", and I think although we saw many things and many different ways of doing things, basically we are all the same and all have the same basic needs.  I will leave you with the vision of an Innukshuk which is the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olypmic Games logo and is a marker for hunting, direction and for food and a symbol of welcome, which we found everywhere we went.  
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Los Angeles, California, United States

This morning we woke about six thirty to see the full moon going down between the mountains and casting a beautiful light over the lake, reflecting the mountains.  The temperatures overnight fall below zero.  One could not wish for a more beautiful end to our holiday, so I stood taking it all in to have a visual memory of the beautiful morning as the moon sank over the mountains on one side and the sun rays lit up the opposite side with the changing light and shade in the reflections on the tranquil, serene blue Lake Louise.  How blessed we are to have had such a wonderful holiday!!!!!
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Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada

We decided to drive north along the Icefields Parkway which goes to Jasper.  It is reported as being one of the most beautiful roads in the world with world heritage scenery.  It's a scenic drive, not a transportation corridor so large trucks are banned.  It was completed in 1939 and the road follows the Bow, Mistaya, North Saskatchewan, Sunwapta, and Athabasca valleys, providing stunning views of glacier-clad peaks (including 11 of the 50 highest in the Rockies), glacially-fed lakes and 5 of the 12 icefields (large upland glaciers) that flank the route. Although the road goes to 2088m above sea level it was a good wide road and at no time did it feel high as the valley that it goes through is extremely wide.  There are pulloffs along the road with information about the viewing areas.  We stopped at Hector Lake, Bow Lake, Bow Glacier where the meltwaters cascade down massive cliffs.   To the left is crowfoot glacier, where a century ago, the crowfoot glacier had three toes of ice.  Since then the glacier has melted back and the lower toe has been lost.  These days the middle toe is disappearing too. Bow Summit is the highest point on the road where we stopped and after a short uphill walk from the parking area Peyto Lake came into view.  It is supposedly the bluest lake which is glacially-fed and was a brilliant turquoise.  We only went as far as Saskatchewan River Crossing where there is gas (I'm cottenin' on to this lingo!!), food and lodgings near the confluence of the Saskatchewan, Howse and Mistaya rivers and turned around and came back to Lake Louise.  The scenery in Canada is very beautiful with the mountains covered in glacial ice possibly thousands of years old.  We could see the scars on the mountains where avalanches had taken all in their path as they slid down the mountain side.  The trees are just beginning to change colour and add bright yellow and orange splashes to the scene.  Coming to Lake Louise completes the loop for us that most people do in the train (Rocky Mountaineer)  when they come to Canada as last year we went through Jasper to the north in the train but continued across Canada to Toronto.  Unfortunately we didn't see any wildlife and I was particularly keen to see a Moose for Jack, my Grandson, but although we stopped and peered and even called at Moose Meadows, none appeared.  We saw plenty of bear proof bins (even Barbara proof at first), but no bears.    We saw a few Steller's jays at the hotel and that was about all.  We were back at the hotel to sit quietly in the Lakeview lounge and take in the beautiful lake scenery as the sun went down and the full moon rose.  It can't get much better!!!
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Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Saying our goodbyes to Mary-Anne and wondering when our paths will meet again and thanking her for her wonderful hospitality in showing us her beautiful part of the world, we got on board our Air Canada flight to Calgary. What an amazing flight over the Rockies.  So sharp and jagged, so expansive and glistening!!!.  Calgary was different to what I had imagined and from the air was very sprawling and large.  There were lots of red round circles in sporting complexes which we could see from the air and I gather that they were baseball grounds.  On the ground it was very flat towards the east and the Rockies loomed in the West.  We set sail in our hire car - on the right side of the road (we've got this down pat now!!!) for Lake Louise through Banff National Park.  We entered the park at the town of Canmore, 106 km west of Calgary and then the highway reaches the town of Banff a further 22km to the west. We then went on the older and quieter road along Bow Valley Parkway another 58km to Lake Louise.  Lake Louise is 1731meters above sea level and is Canada's highest hamlet with a population of 1,500.  We arrived at the legendary Chateau Lake Louise a grand hotel which was built in 1888 by the Canadian Pacific Railway.  On arriving in our room and looking out over Lake Louise to the Victoria Glacier, one could not imagine a more perfect view.  Exquisite - picture perfect.  We were not very hungry but managed to squeeze in a small shared entre of air dried Swiss meats and of course the chocolate toblerone fondue at the Walliser Stube restaurant in the hotel.  
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Shawnigan Lake, British Columbia, Canada

Today we travelled via the extremely good, well maintained highway, not the scenic route, back south and by late afternoon we had arrived at Shawnigan Lake.  Mary-Anne and Mike have a cottage on this picturesque lake and so we watched as the kids skied and Mike drove the boat for them.  It is a beautiful lake, dotted with houses around the edge and plenty of activity.  We went in Mike's boat for dinner on the lake before returning to Victoria.
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Mt Washington, British Columbia, Canada

Today it was from the sea to the mountain top.  We went to Mt Washington and all through the island the scenery, whether it be snow capped mountains, glistening glaciers, rushing rivers, tranquil lakes, alpine meadows, emerald forests, rocky shorelines or sandy beaches are all close and unbelievably beautiful.  A good wide road took us up to the ski resort where we then went by chairlift to the summit.  We saw a rare marmot and feed the whiskeyjacks.  The marmots at Mt Washington were nearly at extinction until a program was put in place and hopefully they are on the increase again.  The average snowfall of 30 feet here makes it a skiing and snow boarding magnet in Winter, but in the off season, the slopes are used for mountain biking and we saw plenty putting their bikes on the ski lift and then riding the slopes.  So in just a 25 minute drive from sea level, we were overlooking the Pacific Ocean, 1400m above sea level and enjoying the spectacular views.  Back at Campbell River, we caught the small boat for the ten minute ride across the strait to the sister lodge at April Point on Quadra Island and had dinner there.  We could see the change in the water patterns as we crossed the Discovery Passage which is the narrow, swiftly flowing waterway between Campbell River and Quadra Island.  We were somewhat amazed at the lack of Health and Safety measures in place as we sped through the dark back to Campbell River, but we are here to tell the tale.  This swift narrow straight is why saltwater fishing is one of the regions major attractions here as all fish and marine traffic must pass through here, hence the abundance of salmon.  To become a member of the Tyee Fishing Club here you have to catch a 30 pound salmon on a hand operated reel from a boat in the Tyree Pool in the Discovery Passage.  Challenging!!!! 
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Campbell River, British Columbia, Canada

Graham, Mary-Anne and I set off this morning for a couple of days to explore the northern part of Vancouver Island.  It is indeed an extremely pretty part of the world - water views through the pines, Mt Baker's snow topped peak always on the horizon and islands studding the Strait of Georgia.  We started off at Royal Roads University where Mary-Anne lectures student teachers.  The Uni is in Hatley Castle which stands guard at the waters edge.  We then saw the giant red cedars at Goldstream Park and stopped at the lookout on Malahat Drive.  We then continued through valleys, forests and farmlands to Brentwood Bay, Mill Bay and Duncan to come to Cowichan Bay which is a small fishing village that has captured the tourist trade by having boutique shops such as a bakery grinding its own flour and selling organic products as well as a gourmet cheese shop.  Of course we couldn't go passed without sampling some of their wares!!!!  Continuing on we came to Chemainus with its 38 wall sized murals depicting the town's history of forestry, and then to the amazing Englishman River Falls where the water had cut an enormous groove through the fault in the rocks.  Amazing scenery!!!  We then came to Coombs where goats graze on the grass on the rooves of the shops.  We were enjoying all our sight seeing so much we were late getting to our accommodation at Painters Lodge in the town of Campbell River, known as the salmon capital of the world.  It was a beautiful resort overlooking Quadra Island in the Strait of Georgia between the mainland and Vancouver Island. 
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/barbo/2/1221085140/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/barbo/2/1221085140/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/barbo/2/1221085140/tpod.html Mon, 22 Sep 2008 18:25:08 -0400 Around the World in 56 Days

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Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Mary-Anne and her son Robbie had been in Mackay in April and stayed with us and also Mary-Anne's cousin and her partner, Roz and Kelly had stayed at Pleystowe, so it was good to catch up with everyone as well as Mary-Anne's husband and daughter, Mike and Tia.  Kelly and I went to Butchart Gardens which is 20 hectares and one of the main tourist attractions of Victoria. The gardens were established in an old limestone quarry about 100 years ago and were magnificent.  The flowers were so vivid and had such depth of colour. There is a serene and tranquil Japanese garden, a bright and colourful Italian garden and a pretty rose garden amongst fountains and paths.  I then went to visit Roz, at her new school.  The school has just opened in the last two weeks and was built to accommodate the students from 4 other schools in the area which were closed as they were getting too small.  Roz has Year 4 and the students were keen to hear about Australia, although Roz has just returned from a long holiday in Australia, so has plenty of photos in the room of Australian animals.  The kids and curriculum were very similar to Australia.  We then had a drive around the Saanich Peninsula area including Sidney, a delightful seaside town with gorgeous ocean views.  Vancouver Island covers an area of 32,261 sq km and is extremely pretty.  Victoria is known as the City of Gardens and the residents seem to take great pride in and care of their beautiful gardens.  A bit like Toowoomba used to be before water restrictions.  We concluded the day with a nice dinner at Maryanne's with Roz and Kelly and Mary-Anne's family. 
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/barbo/2/1220952660/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/barbo/2/1220952660/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/barbo/2/1220952660/tpod.html Mon, 22 Sep 2008 05:38:30 -0400 Around the World in 56 Days

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Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

This morning we are flying from Heathrow to Vancouver.  The duration of the flight is eight hours but we only put our watch forward one hour.  We went through the newest terminal at Heathrow, terminal 5 which we had heard was very inefficient when it was opened, however we found it to be very quick and we were soon all aboard our British Airways plane.  The flight and seats were definitely the best we have been on.  We find Vancouver Airport one of the most people-friendly airports and the best we have been in.  It is aesthetically pleasing with waterfalls, displays depicting Canada and the First Nation people, nice shops and places to eat.  It also has plenty of people movers so that you are not walking long distances as you do in many other airports.  We also found, and I think it has to do with the environment, that the people working there in customs, security and ticketing are particularly friendly and helpful.  We had met John and Nikki from Vancouver, on our Russian Cruise and were pleased to see them again at Vancouver airport.  Nikki met us and then we went outside to find John waiting in his vintage Rolls Royce.  Well we really did feel like royalty as we were driven to all the tourist spots of Vancouver in this magnificent car.  It even had a makeup drawer complete with hairbrush and mirror in the back for the ladies and writing desk and bar in the back for the men.  We had a delicious dinner with them on the waterfront at Vancouver and they took us back to the airport for the short flight to Victoria on Vancouver Island.  Thank you to them, it made our short time in Vancouver very memorable.  In Victoria, we were met by Mary-Anne who we stayed with last year in Victoria and it was delightful to see her friendly face again.   
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