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Slaughter the Swine Terror
By Reb Stevenson
Swine flu: when it broke back in April, I was in the eye of the storm. The heart of the action. The centre of the burrito.
Mexico.
My group of Canadian travel journalists was calmly taken aside by a Mexican Tourist Board representative and given a debriefing that began with something to the effect of: “now don’t freak out, but…”
At that point, though, the severity of the virus hadn’t hit home. Most of my companions’ health concerns centred around treating today’s tequila hangover and acquiring tomorrow’s.
A few days later, we connected through Mexico City’s airport and – bam – the panic response kicked in. That’s what happens when one in three people are wearing surgical masks and your breathing holes are naked.
Cougar Cruisin'
Despite the emphasis on young men/older women, Rich Gosse, chairman of The Society of Single Professionals, says nobody will be grilled about their age upon registration.
“If a 60-year-old man wants to date 70 or 80 year-old women, he’s welcome to come,” he laughs.
The guest of honour aboard the cruise will be Miss Cougar America (apparently Demi Moore was busy).
The trip costs from $125 US per person (double occupancy). For more information visit www.singlestravelcompany.com or call 1-888-286-8687.
Ooh! Ooh! Eh!
By Reb Stevenson
The next time you hear a hot n’ heavy racket going on in the hotel room next door, don’t be surprised if you detect an “eh” amongst the “oohs.”
The survey polled 12, 500 frequent travellers in ten countries. Overall, 51 per cent reported that sleep was their top priority when checking in to a hotel, but only 48 per cent of Canadians felt that way.
“Either we have different customs, or we were more truthful than others in answering the question,” says Jean-Luc Barone, General Manager of the Westin Bayshore Vancouver. Read More...
It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's Free Food!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU Porter Air, for being the last airline in Canada to provide free food to customers. Sure, it’s just half a boring sandwich, arid Melba Toast and a wee Babybel, but it’s appreciated, as is the classy glassware.
From Toronto, Porter now flies to Ottawa, Quebec City, Montreal, Halifax, Thunder Bay, St. John’s, Boston, Chicago and New York. So if you don’t feel like blowing $8 on a roast beef wrap that looks like it’s been trampled in a stampede, consider flying Porter.
Photo of the Day: Sunset Wake
Normally, I turn my nose up at sunset pictures (too typical, bad eye-to-camera translation), but I couldn’t resist this dramatic sunset scene last month when I was travelling on The Clipper ferry between Victoria, B.C., Canada and Seattle,Washington, USA. The air was thick with grey storm clouds but somehow the sun managed to peek out before retiring into the horizon.
Read More...Cheese As Entertainment
STORY AND PHOTOS BY REB STEVENSON
You could call it the mother of all cheesy tourist attractions: Little Qualicum Cheeseworks, a place that prides itself on delivering “cheese as entertainment.”
Set against picturesque Mount Arrowsmith in the middle of Vancouver Island, B.C., the Cheeseworks is both a mecca for foodies and a destination for a simple, tasty afternoon in the country. Read More...
The Coffee Buzz
.When simply drinking coffee is not enough of a caffeine fix, why not partake of an entire vacation that revolves around java? Finca Rosa Blanca resort in Costa Rica is offering a three night Coffee Harvest Package this autumn. Guests will be lodged in suites overlooking the coffee fields at this lush boutique
The Coffee Harvest Package runs from October 1 to December 14 and costs $1398 (based on double occupancy. For more info, visit fincarosablanca.com, or call 506-2269-9392.
And a sip...
Where is it? Seattle
Describe it? Everybody and his brother is striding around with a Starbucks cup of some sort these days. Yawn. If you really want to rise above all the cappuccino commoners, you must get yourself down to Seattle’s Pike Place Market, site of the very first Starbucks, which opened in 1971. The ubiquitous green logo is conspicuously absent: this location bears the original brown insignia, harkening back to the days when they sold coffee, tea and spices to Westcoast hippies. Buying a piece of souvenir merchandise like this java vessel here might suggest that you were a fan before Starbucks “got big and sold out.”
How much? $11
FROM MY FOOD AND SOUVENIR COLUMN IN
Wild, wild West
Former boom town is a rootin' tootin' hoot with a touch of tacky and a bonanza of colourful characters
BY REB STEVENSON
VIRGINIA CITY, NEVADA–The Ponderosa Mine is already feeling a bit cramped.
Mainly because ... um, it's a mine. And those don't come in any size but extra small. To boot, a dozen other people are crammed in it.
Then, without warning, guide Mark Lonero blows out the only candle.
"Now that is total darkness," he declares.
I want to squeal and cling to the male next to me. Mind you, he's 7-years-old and that might set off the world's next mine disaster.
It's these very blips of gritty realism that elevate Northern Nevada's Virginia City from a tacky Old West anachronism to an absolute gem of a place – a lost world in which steam locomotives, loveable town whores and dishonest-to-goodness saloons are part of everyday life.
Canada: Sleep Cheap
Super chic Opus Hotels sent me an email regarding a 50% off deal. Book before August 15 and you can score a room in Vancouver for $165/night or in Montreal for $119/night. Click HERE.
Smells like Savings in Toronto
Now that the interminable garbage strike has come to an end (mine still hasn’t been picked up, mind you. I might open my own raccoon zoo soon), Toronto is desperately trying to coax tourists into spending the last of their summer vacation in the big smoke. Check out The Best of Toronto Package, which includes an overnight stay at The Sheraton Centre Toronto or Westin Harbour Castle, a top-priced ticket to a Mirvish Productions theatre performance (such as The Sound of Music), a three-course dinner at one of 14 nearby restaurants and admission to one of the following: the CN Tower, Ontario Science Centre or a Toronto Tours city bus tour. At just $149 per person, perhaps you shouldn’t turn your nose up at it.
Go to www.seetorontonow.com/summer or call 1-800-461-3333.
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