Star's Grand Tour travels to Cape Town, South Africa...And a brief taste of Maui

The Star is profiling ten top world destinations as part of our Grand Tour series. Check Saturday's Toronto Star Travel section for Adrian Brijbassi's report on Cape Town. In the meantime, here's a blog posting from him to get you in the mood. I'll have a note about Maui right after Adrian's posting.

Cape Town, South Africa — It’s been nearly four months since the World Cup ended and while the games themselves may have left soccer fans underwhelmed (where were the goals, what happened to the Brazilians, why did the vuvuzela steal the show?) one sure winner was the city of Cape Town. South  
Africa’s most popular tourist destination was already recognized as one of the world’s great cities and it only built on that reputation during the tournament. The party atmosphere that took over the streets on gamedays impressed visitors, many of whom were media members.

We predicted prior to the World Cup that Cape Town would wow the planet. Not only does it reside in some of the most glorious scenery there is, its tourist industry also has a lot of marketing savvy — a rare thing in South Africa. The city was ready to host games in May, a month before the tournament started and well ahead of the rest of the country.

What I learned during my few days in the city is there’s a lot more to see than the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Robben Island and the soccer stadium. Cape Town has a mix of cultures, beautiful beaches and affluent neighbourhoods. Even more, it’s outlying areas are gorgeous and not to be missed.

That’s why Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula are the focus of this week’s edition of The Grand Tour, Star Travel’s weekly look this fall at the finest destinations on earth. I looped around the peninsula in a car, enjoying vistas from the M4 Highway that included the colourful town of Muizenberg, the fishing village of Kalk Bay, antiquated Simon’s Town, spectacular Houts Bay and a suburb called Camps Bay that makes Yorkville seem low key and homey. The Chapman Peak’s toll road is the highlight of the drive with more than 100 curves over a stretch that lasts about 20 minutes. It’s like taking a slalom-course test while driving California’s Pacific Coast Highway.

Also not to be overlooked (because it’s impossible to do so) are the baboons. Loads of them crowd around the highway and amble up driveways. They’re not the friendliest primates, but they are a sight. You’ll catch a few photos of them in Saturday’s edition of the Star and online at thestar.com/travel.

Travel Editor Jim Byers has already spotlighted Rome and Tokyo on the Grand Tour, which wraps up December 18 in a destination to be determined by you. Send an email to travel@thestar.ca to tell Jim where he should go on the last Grand Tour trip. Your choices are Paris, Mumbai and Bangkok.

Here are some more articles we’ve published on Cape Town this year:

Grace and grandeur in Cape Town
http://www.thestar.com/travel/africamideast/article/812188--2010-world-cup-travel-grace-and-grandeur-in-cape-town

Visiting Robben Island on South Africa’s national holiday
http://thestar.blogs.com/travel/2010/04/a-visit-to-robben-island-for-freedom-dayadrian-brijbassi-in-south-africa.html

South African tourism still counting on Nelson Mandela
http://www.thestar.com/sports/soccer/worldcup/article/818581--world-cup-2010-counting-on-nelson-mandela

FIRST NIGHT IN MAUI

Back to Jim here. I landed late in the afternoon on another lovely day in Maui and high-tailed it to Mama's Fish House, a renowned spot on the coast just south of the town of Paia. I'd heard of it for years but never made it.

Big mistake. The place is awesome; right on the beach with lovely tiki torches and a giant outrigger canoe out front, and a very open and inviting decor with lots of wood and great photos and knickknacks. The food is to die for, with an incredible poisson cru (raw fish marinated in coconut milk with spices and garlic and cilantro; a vast improvement over what I've had in Tahiti), not to mention a baked Ono with caramelized Maui onions. Yum.

It's easily one of the best restaurants in all of Hawaii, with a tremendous setting and food to match. Great people, too.

Stayed the night at the small Paia Inn, which is in the considerably funky/charming town of the same name. Didn't see much last night but there were some colourful characters playing a guitar in the doorway of a closed shop and lots of folks milling about eating pizza or ice cream in a town that seems to have forgotten that the hippie era is dead. Definitely a great little town, and more on that when the Grand Tour gets to Maui in a few weeks.

 

A chat with Mike Weir, and Star Travel writer offers tips for visitors to Colombia

These two blog postings have NOTHING WHATSOEVER TO DO WITH EACH OTHER. Just so you know I'm not smoking anything weird, or drinking or something...

I'll get to Adrian Brijbassi in a moment, but I didn't want to bury a brief account of my short chat with Canadian golfer Mike Weir today. I spotted him at the Air Canada Lounge, as he'd been in Toronto for meetings with his Thompson Reuters backers and others, I think, and was on his way back to Salt Lake City.

He's been nursing a sore ligament in his elbow, but told me he's been chipping and putting and will see his doctor in Utah tomorrow or soon, and hopes to get cleared for a bit more of a real practice swing. He said it's getting better, but he didn't sound like it's been a picnic if you know what I mean.

A few folks around him were chatting with him a bit about the Canadian Open this year at St. George's. One guy sat down next to him and, I had to laugh, said, "Has anyone ever said you look like Mike Weir?" 

Anyway, Weir said he hopes to return to action in mid-December at the Shark Shootout, Greg Norman's tournament in Naples, Florida. Weir seemed relieved to hear that longtime Toronto Star golf columnist Dave Perkins likely will continue covering the major golf tourneys for us, even though he's only writing a column a week at the present time. I don't think that's a secret, and Weir has always enjoyed Perkins' legendary stories, most of which appear to be true. I miss having Perk around the newsroom, as does everyone in the sports department I would think.

Anyway, that's my golf magazine editor's hat I'm wearing at the moment. And, yes, the Star still plans to put out another fine magazine next April. All the other papers have pretty much given it up, but we're still going strong with our golf mag, which has features and the best maps in the biz. Look for some travel components in next year's edition, including my recent trip to Pebble Beach and Monterey, California (see photo at Spanish Bay) and a February trip I'm taking to see some of the tremendous new courses in New Zealand. We'll also take a glance around southern Ontario to see what hidden gems you might have missed in your local travels.

I'm currently typing away at the airport in Phoenix, as I'm headed to Maui for the Star's Grand Tour of the world series, which has been running a couple weeks now in the Travel section. From there I'll be heading to Sydney, so keep an eye out for my blog posts from Hawaii and Australia. As well, I'll soon be posting some stuff from Star entertainment writer Linda Barnard, who's taking a re-positioning cruise (the boat, not her) to Europe and will be filing what I expect to be very funny blogs next week.

And now, over to my Star Travel colleague Adrian Brijbassi, who's been hanging out in Colombia. He's got a post here on South America, but look for his report on Cape Town, South Africa in Saturday's Toronto Star Travel section. He's got a terrific account of his time there as part of our Grand Tour of the world series, and the photos by Julia Pelish are simply wonderful. I'll post one of his South Africa blogs tomorrow, as well, so have a look for that. In the meantime, here's some useful warnings from Adrian about travel to Colombia...

CARTAGENA — The U.S. Embassy in Bogota emailed a warning the other day to American citizens and green-card holders travelling to Colombia. “All U.S. citizens are encouraged to exercise caution and avoid areas where foreigners are known to congregate — like shopping malls, restaurants, movie theaters, and the bi-national centers, among others,” said the warning, which came after the Colombian minister of defence alerted media that the FARC rebel group may be planning a terrorist attack in the capital city.

 It may seem like more alarmist talk from the U.S. So here are a few tips for when you do travel to Colombia that may be a little more helpful than just advising you to duck your head under the covers.

1. Know some Spanish. Many of the signs and menus have English as well as Spanish, but most of the citizens only have a little understanding of English. While language barriers can make for some fun encounters, it’s always helpful (and polite) to know at least the basic phrases of the language spoken in the country you’re visiting. You can pick those up from guidebooks, smartphone applications, Rosetta Stone programs or Internet chatrooms. Or, you can do things the old-fashioned way and sign up for a course. Barlovento (www.spanishto.com) in Toronto offers Spanish courses for about $145 for six one-hour classes. The group sizes are small and you’ll pick up some conversational tips that may not be available if you’re studying only through electronics.

2. Do not run out of cash in Cartagena (see photo of the city's marina above). I just did and when I went to an ATM and swiped my Canadian bank card, I was told I would be charged 780,000 Colombian pesos for a foreign-card transaction. That equates to $435. And that’s before you take out any cash. And that’s not cool.

3. Rely on your hotel. The hotel industry has a lot invested in Colombia and from the places I dropped in on, there’s an emphasis on customer service and catering to Anglophones. Arrange with the front desk for an airport transfer prior to your arrival and for transportation around town during your stay. The Hotel Charleston Bogota and Hotel de la Opera are both outstanding in the capital. In Cartagena, you can walk everywhere in the old city, but will need a cab to get to some of the newer parts of town. Hotel Tcherassi is a gorgeous place and so is the Sofitel Santa Clara, and both will help get you where you need to go.

4. Budget effectively. Although the exchange rate is good for Canadians ($1 equals about 1,750 Colombian pesos), things aren’t cheap here (nor are they expensive). A night out will cost about the same as in Toronto. In Zona Rosa, the trendy Bogota spot for restaurants, clubs and shopping, you’ll spend about $4.50 for a beer and $50 for a steak dinner with drinks. To get a bargain on food, you’ll need to find some of the spots that serve up authentic, homemade cuisine. We’ll fill you in on those in coming editions of Star Travel.

5. Bring your dancing shoes. You won’t know Colombia until you salsa. There are plenty of spots to strut your stuff, and some friendly residents who’ll help you learn how. So, don’t be afraid. You’re on vacation, let loose!

6. Watch your stuff. If you’re carrying valuables, such as professional photography and video equipment, you’re going to get attention. So, be aware, as you should no matter what country you’re in, and don’t walk with more equipment than you need. The streets in the old part of town are narrow and, in Bogota, hilly, so you’ll want to be as light and nimble as possible.

7. Keep an open mind. Colombians are working hard to change the country’s reputation. Journalists from as far as New Zealand have voyaged here to write about the nation’s dramatic change that has seen it transform in less than a decade from an extremely violent place ruled by drug cartels to an increasingly attractive spot for foreign investment, conventions and tourism. New golf courses, high-end hotels, fine dining, welcoming people and a terrific nightlife scene in the big cities are some of the reasons to come. The country still has things to improve on, for sure, and we’ll fill you in on everything in the Toronto Star Travel section about what you can expect on your visit.

Keep an eye out in December and January for our articles, videos and photos from Bogota and Cartagena.

 

Priscilla Queen of the Desert quite the Australia treat - pink boa's for everyone!

You gotta love the Aussies.

As manly as that country is - heck, Manly is the name of one of Sydney's top beaches - they're still able to get some major laughs out of gay culture. Witness Priscilla Queen of the Desert, which I was lucky enough to see on Tuesday night at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto. I didn't quite know what to expect, but I came away hugely impressed by the acting and the costumes and the sheer audacity of whoever thought up the movie that sparked the play.

Wild doesn't begin to describe it. I mean, I hadn't seen a good skit involving dancing transvestite cupcakes for weeks.

Seriously, it was spectacular. But a little backstory first, if you like, and you can insert your own joke right now about checking the rearview mirror. The story involves a drag queen in Sydney who sets out to rough and ready Alice Springs to visit the six-year-old son he's never seen. He enlists an aging queen and a young, bitchy cohort to go with him and do an act in Alice Springs, but they have a few adventures along the way as they motor their way across the outback in a bus named Priscilla, encountering a few rednecks and some interesting characters along the way. The scene with the cupcakes involves the main character going outside the bus one morning and finding the aging drag queen - played spectacularly by Tony Sheldon - asleep with her head in a cake. This prompts the main character (Tick as a guy, Mitzi when he's in drag) to say how he's always wanted to sing the really stupid 1960s song, Macarthurs Park, which includes lyrics about someone who "left the cake out in the rain," as well as lyrics about sweet green icing flowing down and other cultural oddities probably appreciated most on acid, or at least some really strong dope.

Anyway, as he sings out come a bunch of queens with giant green cupcakes around their middles like some sort of hyper-caloric hoop skirt, complete with green icing and coloured smarties, with towering plastic umbrellas over their heads. Hilarious and incredibly inventive.

I'm not a fan of the music they feature in the play, being more inclined to classic rock or Elvis Costello in the 1970's/1980s versus Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive and anything that got played in places with glittering disco balls. But it's just fine and it fits perfectly with the script and the singers are tremendous and the campy nature is just so overwhelmingly in your face that you can't stop smiling.

I kinda thought the play would paint Outbackers in a bad light, but many of them come across as pretty decent guys, especially Bob, who is exceptionally played by C. David Johnson. He was quietly spectactular, and even tossed off a great ad lib when one of the sets froze in mid-stage. The workers had to come out to get something unstuck, so as he walked off the stage Johnson smiled at the audience and said, "Well, they spent a lot of money on the bus."

I have a couple quibbles about the dialogue, which often snapped but far too often sagged (insert Freudian note here, too). A couple of the lines were simply dumb, including one where an Aboriginal character was asked about something and said, "Don't mind if I didgeri-doo." Ugh. That's about as bad  as "adieu, adieu, to yuh and yuh and yuh" in "Sound of Music."

That issue aside, it was a smashing success and thanks to Australia tourism for the Aussie champers to start the night and for a fine show. I'll be in the outback meself in about 10 days time. I've seen Sydney and Melbourne and the Ocean Road and the Great Barrier Reef, but the Outback is purely virgin territory for me (sorry, I can't help it).

I'm so thrilled at the prospect, I'll reach into the (pseudo) disco era and quote Oakland, California's own  Pointer Sisters, "I'm So Excited, and I Just Can't Hide It."

I'll be visiting Ayers Rock or Uluru, just as the characters in the play did. But I won't climb it as it's considered an affront to the aboriginal people. And I probably won't take the pink feather boa that the Mirvish people kindly sent my way.

Then again....

 

Colombia improving its reputation as it continues a turnaround...Whistler snow!

Toronto Star travel writer Adrian Brijbassi is making his first-ever tour of Colombia, which has been getting a lot of press lately. Here's his initial report...

BOGOTA — Mexico’s bicentennial has received a lot of coverage this year, but it’s not the only Latin American country that gained independence from Spain in 1810.

Colombians celebrated their nation’s 200^th birthday on July 22 and for a country that not long ago was considered among the most dangerous in the world, there’s a lot to rejoice every day. The economy — ranked 35^th in global GDP according to the International Monetary Fund; putting it ahead of Portugal and the United Arab Emirates — is booming, thanks to the soaring price of minerals, especially gold, as investors have turned to resources while the U.S. dollar struggles. The government last month raised the outlook for 2010 GDP growth to 4.5 per cent from 3.5 per cent. Loads of Canadian resource companies and banks do business regularly here, and tourism from North America is growing. 

Bogota is the most popular Colombian destination for business travellers. The city receives more than half of the country’s almost 1.5 million foreign visitors. But tourists still prefer Cartagena, a major port for cruise ships, and the islands of San Andres and Santa Catalina as vacation spots. The Colombian capital, though, is selling itself as a place where visitors can enjoy the history, art and culture of a nearly 500-year-old city. Air Canada has started direct flights from Toronto, and that’s been a help in getting Canadians to come down. 

Bogota butts up against the Andes, the peaks of which can be reached by cable car or funicular. From the top, you’ll find historic churches, including Monserrate, which draws a crowd for its 17^th-century statue of Jesus falling from the cross. During Easter week, more than 1 million people make the trek up the mountain, says tour guide Fabio Quiroz (see photo below with Stephany Romero of the tourism board).

Monserrate is 3,200 metres above sea level and 600 metres from the base station in Bogota. Even on a cloudy day, you can see the city sprawl before you from the mountaintop. More than 8 million people live in Bogota and that’s made for diverse neighbourhoods and a lot of vibrant nightlife, especially in the Zona Rosa area, where the partying goes on until 4 in the morning. 

It’s a fun spot, with salsa dancing, all kinds of cuisine, an Irish sports bar (of course), nightclubs galore, a huge shopping mall, some fine hotels and an easygoing feel that puts you at ease. Zona Rosa is upscale and trendy, kind of like Queen West.

A bustling spot for tourists and locals is Juan Valdez Coffee Shop, named after a fictional character who is the most well-known Colombian icon after Shakira. Valdez’s beans don’t lie: the coffee is fantastic. The chain, which is a Latin American version of Starbucks but with much better brews, has expanded into Chile and the U.S. (No plans for Canada, so you won’t be tempted away from your Timmy’s double-double just yet.) 

The city is still edgy in some spots where tourists will want to go, including the historic district, and getting around from neighbourhood to neighbourhood isn’t easy. There isn’t a subway, the buses take a while to get you where you want to go and taxi drivers will take you for a ride in more ways than one. But it’s a dynamic place with a lot going for it. 

Stephany Romero of the trade and tourism board says the contemporary art scene in Bogota has attracted major curators from Europe and elsewhere in recent months. Big-name hotels are coming into the capital; Marriott opened its second location in as many years this summer. The government is offering a 30-year income tax exemption for any hotel renovation or new construction projects completed in the next eight years. Medical tourism is a growing income producer for Bogota and the rest of the country, which is known as a centre for inexpensive cosmetic surgery. And convention business is increasing. Bogota recently came in 79^th out of 288 cities for number of meetings hosted, according to a report by the International Congress and Convention Association. That’s up from 229th in 2002.

The exchange rate is favorable (with $1 Canadian equalling about 1,750 Colombian pesos) and the people are friendly. Considering the issues with increasing crime and violence that other parts of Latin America are having, Bogota and Colombia have a chance to make big strides in tourism in coming years as long as they continue to maintain the turnaround they’ve seen in the past decade. 

I’ll have more on Colombia in the coming weeks in the Star.

SNOW SEASON IS HERE...BUT NOT IN FLORIDA

The folks out in Whistler/Blackcomb report they got a couple dozen centimeters of white stuff on the weekend, and the forecast is for more in the coming days. Similar news came my way from Colorado, so it looks like ski season is almost upon us.

On the other hand, it's been lovely down in south Florida, where they're getting ready to officially open a new JW Marriott Marquis. Looking at this story in the Miami Herald, however, it seems they've been accepting guests for a few days.

We'll try to get someone down there soon and get a report on our own on what's happening in Chris Bosh's new home town, and my apologies to Toronto Raptors' fans if I appear to be rubbing it in as I'm actually a fan and not too happy at the demise of the team that GM Bryan Colangelo was supposed to have turned around years ago or am I wrong?

 

Tokyo and Japanese Gardens are a magical combination...Tell me where to go

TOKYO - I don't quite know how they do it.

You can go to gardens all over the world. And I have, from (lucky me) Barbados to Bordeaux. But there are few things more astonishingly perfect than a Japanese garden.

Even when the garden isn't the central feature of an attraction, like at the Sensoji Temple in the Asakusa district of Tokyo, they somehow manage to get the perfect bridge over the perfect part of a perfect pond, with a small building placed perfectly on the horizon. It's quite amazing, actually.

The parks around the Imperial Palace are perfection as well, with a lovely moat and trees trimmed just so to frame the view.

(Incidentally, do you know how deep the moat is around the Imperial Palace in Tokyo? My tour guide asked me, and I, naturally, replied that I had no idea. "Neither do I," he said. "Nobody knows. It's a state secret.")

Anyway, it's something I noticed everywhere I went in Japan. A rock garden at the Hoshinoya inn in Kyoto was perfect, as were the views around the Golden Temple. Everything is just perfectly arranged and perfectly balanced to suit the eye on just about any walk you take around Kyoto's temples, and it's something the Japanese should be very proud of.

They obviously take decoration to a new height. When I was at the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo, they had enormous, ripe plums that were delicately wrapped in bright pink paper and then boxed just so. I honestly don't think the city needs a museum of art, because they treat their entire lives like some kind of treasured art piece.

The Sensoji Temple has a small garden, but if you want something bigger try the Imperial Palace or Yoyogi Park or the Meiji Jingu Garden. There also are plenty of options in and around the famous Ginza shopping district, including Hibiya Park (see photo). So next time you're in Tokyo and need a breath of fresh air and a few Zen moments, you won't be far away from the perfect spot.

My trip to Tokyo was part of the Star's Grand Tour project, a visit to ten iconic spots around the world. The story on Tokyo is available today on our website, so have a look.

We started with Rome last week, and next week we'll profile Cape Town. We've got nine of the ten destinations nailed down, but we want your help to decide where to go for the final spot. We're asking readers to choose between Paris, Bangkok and Mumbai for Grand Tour spot number 10, so drop me a line at travel@thestar.ca and tell me where to go!

 

 

 

Car-eating rabbits in Denver...Wonders of Peru...San Francisco connections...

I had to laugh at a report about how wascally wabbits are appawently gnawing on the wires of cars parked at Denver's Airport. I laugh because I don't ever park at Denver's Airport and I don't think it's going to happen to me, and also because of the sheer absurdity of it.

According to MSNBC, a chap named Dexter Meyer told local TV station KUSA that he had just bought a car and drove it to the Pikes Peak Parking Lot at Denver International for a nine-day vacation.

"I turned on the ignition and all these lights started flashing, I pulled out the manual and it said I had a big problem so I took back to the dealership," Meyer said.

"The service manager said, 'Your wiring has been eaten by a rodent probably.' I said, 'I live in Stapleton.' 'I'm not aware of any rodents running around Stapleton.' And then he said, 'You didn't have the car parked at DIA did you?' And I said, 'Actually, yes that's where I picked the car up.' And he said, 'We've had a significant number of problems with rabbits eating through the wiring in people's cars.'"

I was praying the guy was driving a VW Rabbit but it turns out to be a Volkswagen Jetta. Still, there's a certain poetry to it, doncha think?

PERUVIAN SPLENDOUR

Managed a few minutes with folks from Peru's Tourism Board on Tuesday, and it was eye-opening stuff. We all know about Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca and Cuzco, I suspect, but not so much about Lima or Paracas and the beaches on the coast or the massively deep Canon del Colca (see photo) or the national rainforest parks or the glaciers or the Amazon rainforest in the north or the old ruins of Caral; what some say is the oldest community in North America.

It's a pretty stunning picture of diversity, and things seem to be on the upswing in Peru. The economy is growing and they're shipping lots of stuff to China. Next year marks the 100th anniversary of the "discovery" of Machu Picchu by Hiram Bingham, so I might just have to check it out soon!

SAN FRANCISCAN NIGHTS

Thanks to Angela Jackson from San Francisco tourism for a nice get-together at Scarpetta at the Thompson Hotel in Toronto, where we chatted about what's happening in SF. The food and wine were quite good and I enjoyed the meal more than I did when I went a month ago for Star Travel (see story soon).

San Francisco is hosting a major media/tourism event next year, called Pow Wow, so they'll be getting hundreds of overseas journalists in town to see the city's many attractions.

What was really fun was discovering Angela grew up in the same small town outside of San Francisco that I did, a two-bit (sorry, guys) spot called Castro Valley (photo at right). It's got its charms, most notably a great lake called Lake Chabot and some lovely, tree-covered hills often dotted with horses or cows, but it's not quite the big city.

It's not much of spot on the map, but I remember once talking with Pat Gillick when he was GM of the Blue Jays, and it turned out he had worked as a teenager at a chicken ranch in Castro Valley, right across the street from the one my Uncle Jerry owned back in the 1950's. Small world.

 

St. Lucia tourism riding high; new casino could do even more...Whistler changes

St. Lucia's tourism director was in town on Monday and we managed a few minutes over lunch.

"Canadian visits to St. Lucia are up 109 per cent" in the last year, Louis Lewis told me. "That's amazing at a time when many countries would be happy with a rise of nine per cent."

Yes, they would. Most of us would be happy with an increase of that size in our economic portfolios, too, but that's another story.

Lewis said they've made a concerted effort to boost tourism from North America and that U.S. visits were up 40 per cent so far this year compared with 2009; also a terrific number.

"We had a good winter, and summer outpaced winter for the first time," he said.

More flights - there are now four per day from Canada - have helped a lot. So has the boost given the country's website, stlucianow.ca, which earlier today was offering all-inclusive rooms for as little as $109 per night per person and was advertising fall deals of 60 per cent off.

As good as things are, Lewis said St. Lucia isn't standing still. A new casino north of Rodney Bay, on the northern part of the island, should open in December, the first casino on the island.

Casino City Times reports the casino will include 350 slot machines and 14 gaming tables and will be managed by Treasure Bay Corp. LLC of Biloxi, Mississippi. It's said to be about 15,000 square feet and will employ 300 full-time workers in St. Lucia.

I told Lewis about how I'd visited the country music bar in Castries, the Nashville Palace, when I was there and we chatted at length over lunch about his country's fascination with hurtin' tunes and how they don't like modern country music.

"There's a joke on the other islands that they can always tell who the St. Lucia workers are by turning off the Caribbean music at a club or bar at night and turning on a country-western song. If anyone dashes onto the floor for the country music, they're from St. Lucia."

Romance remains a huge part of the attraction of St. Lucia; not surprising when you see the beaches and forested highlands and the grand Pitons that dominate the skyline on the south end of the island.

WHISTLER CHANGES

Things are heating up, or , rather, cooling down nicely in Whistler, host (in part) of some pretty famous sporting events a few months back. The Olympics are firmly in the rear-view mirror, but the first FIBT World Cup events take place Nov 25-27 during Whistler's opening weekend, with bobsleigh and skeleton slated for the Whistler Sliding Centre. It will be great to see Canadian medallist Jon Montgomery in action, with or without a post-race beer on the main streets of town. For more information, check out the link.

Whistler/Blackcomb also has an Early Booking Offer, where guests can book by November 15, 2010 and receive the best deal of the season and a price guarantee. Lock in at the current rates, and if the price drops for the equivalent package during the season, they’ll match it. Families can save even more, as kids 12 and under stay, ski, rent, and receive airport transfers for FREE. Early booking packages are available from just $86CAD per person per night

Amber Turnau of Whistler/Blackcomb tells me they're "really looking at leveraging the awareness built up from the games (both internationally in Germany and Australia) and at home here in Canada."

Turnau says that based on a study conducted by Tourism Whistler in partnership with Tourism British Columbia, awareness of Whistler increased significantly in the key overseas markets of United Kingdom, Germany and Australia. The study measured awareness of Whistler before and after the 2010 Winter Games (November 2009, January 2010 and March 2010). Increases by market:
              - United Kingdom - awareness increased from 32 per cent to 45 percent
              - Germany - awareness increased from 19 per cent to 42 per cent
              - Australia - awareness increased from 48 per cent to 62 per cent.

Guests this season can ski/ride where the Olympians raced on the Dave Murray Downhill and Women’s DH, she points out. Not me, but thanks anyway.

GOOGLE TV AND GOOGLE TRAVEL?

A fellow Star worker was just telling me how Google is going to be available on TV's, or some such. It probably is already and I just don't know it. I remarked to her that I also had heard Google was getting into the travel business, which kinda scares me in a way I can't even begin to explain.

We both agreed we're totally screwed with technology once our kids leave home, although I'm pretty sure I'll be able to get the toaster to work all right.

TRANSPORTATION WOES in TORONTO

So, last Friday I get off the subway at Lawrence Station, and for the second time in a few weeks, only one of the escalators at the north end - five flights worth - was working. And it was, for the second time in a few weeks, the DOWN escalator that hardly anyone uses at rush hour. My goodness, folks, is is THAT hard?

Then, yesterday, BOTH escalators at the north end were out of service in the evening. Today, I went in the south entrance and one of the four escalators wasn't working. Glad to see my hard-earned tax dollars are being well-spent, guys.

It's also been a strange few trips. On Monday morning, some poor fellow sat on the floor of my subway car and cried and repeatedly banged his head. Poor fellow. On the way home, some guy stopped a buddy and I and looked at our Blackberries and wondered if we worked for the Secret Service. Today, a young Anglo woman started hurling racial epithets at a young, black woman, who wasn't taking any lip and gave it right back to her until the TTC finally had to call the cops and hauled the Anglo woman away, thank goodness.

Phew. Of course, on Sunday I tried driving into work and got caught up in the Toronto Marathon madness. Yes, the road closures were in the paper but would it have hurt the city to tell drivers that the Gardiner ramps to Yonge and Bay Sts. would be closed BEFORE WE GOT THERE and then found out we had to go to SPADINA and then double back in city traffic, only to find a huge backup of cars trying to get off the eastbound Gardiner at Jarvis? Just a couple signs, guys? Honestly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lonely Planet travel awards recognize Tokyo, Barrier Reef, Rio, Reggae, Rum

It's perilously close to year-end, folks. I mean, I hate to say it, but Christmas is only two months and a week away. They're already getting the Christmas ornaments ready at some of the malls, I bet. Anyhoo, year-end also means travel awards are being collected/doled out by a number of publications. Lonely Planet Magazine and lonelyplanet.com just put out their first-ever awards, and it makes for some interesting reading.

Rather than simply listing the top 100 hotels or some such, which is fine, they changed the categories around a bit and got folks to list such items as their "greatest outdoors experience," greatest food experience" and favourite place to relax." It makes for a more interesting read, I think, so good on ya guys. Here's a rundown of some of the category winners and runners-up, with a few thoughts from yours truly.

"Most Incredible Journey": This award, not surprisingly, went to the Trans-Siberian Railroad, followed by driving a 4x4 along the Silk Road from Uzbekistan to China, Cruising the Amazon, Taking an overland truck from Cairo to Cape Town (people DO that?) and driving the Pacific Coast Highway from L.A. to San Francisco. I'm a big fan of the latter, but an Amazon cruise would be far more interesting and incredible as a cultural experience. More than taking a train across Siberia, too, I would think. But likely with more bugs and sharp-toothed piranhas in the water than the train trip.

"Greatest Food Experience" Eating a steak in Buenos Aires. Now, I'm told that they have great steaks in Argentina. My fellow travel department guy, Adrian Brijbassi, is going soon and will report back. But it's still a steak, guys. Can't we be a bit more adventurous? Number two was Pad Thai at a place called Chote Chitr in Bangkok, which sounds more up my alley. I actually make a decent Pad Thai at home, if I do say so myself. After that was sushi at the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo, which I did for breakfast two weeks ago. It was unbelievably good. And, of course, remarkably fresh. Definitely a memorable experience.

"Greatest Sporting Experience" The Monaco Grand Prix came out on top, and I'm thoroughly baffled. This might anger some friends of mine in the Wheels section, but I can think of almost nothing in the world more stultifyingly dull than watching a car race. I guess if you're gonna do it, though, at least have the common sense to do it in Monaco versus Indianapolis or on the Toronto lakefront. Second was the Rugby World Cup, but I think we have to keep in mind that this magazine is based on England and we all know how crazy they are when it comes to sporting choices. Their number three choice was Wimbledon tennis (blatant homers!), then a football match at Camp Nou in Barcelona (great town) and, finally, The Olympic Games. Not sure that's the message Brits want to be sending out in advance of the London Summer Olympics in 2012, but there you go. And where's the World Cup on the list? They're bidding for the darned thing and it's not in Britons' top five sporting events? I'd take the Olympics over any of those. Camp Nou would be a close second. But I'd personally prefer the British Open Golf, having never had the pleasure. Many folks, of course, would rather watch a toenail-clipping contest than watch golf, so I understand if some of you are reaching for the telephone to harangue me about being impossibly middle-class and boring.

"Greatest Historical Experience" Tops was climbing the Mayan temples of Tikal, followed by touring the pyramids of Egypt, visiting the Taj Mahal, listing to Aboriginal stories around a camp fire in the Australian outback and exploring the Angkor temples of Cambodia. Hard to argue with any of those.

"Event You'd Most Like to Attend" Carnival in Rio topped the list, followed by Chinese New Year in Hong Kong.

"Greatest Cultural Experience" Reggae on the beach in Jamaica topped the charts, follwed by ballet at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. I'm not a ballet fan but I did see a performance once at the Bolshoi in Moscow when I was there for Toronto's losing campaign for the 2008 Summer Olympics. I sat in the audience with Star sports columnist Dave Perkins and Vladimir Putin walked right past us. I was afraid to breathe, to be honest. Truly scary. But a wonderful thing to say I saw a performance at the Bolshoi.

"Greatest Outdoors Experience" Swimming the Great Barrier Reef in Australia topped the charts. Makes sense, although when I did it in 2000 I must've had a bad tour guide as we didn't really see that many interesting fish. Numbers two to five went to trekking to Everest Base Camp in the Himalayas, husky-sledding in Lapland, Sweden, climbing Mt. Fuji in Japan and hot-air ballooning over Cappadocia, Turkey.

"Greatest Place for a Drink" went to drinking a mojito (ugh, nasty things; I'll take a mai tai over a mojito) at Bodeguita del Medio in Havana, Cuba, while "Favourite Place to Relax" was Ko Kood in Thailand, followed by a treehouse in Costa Rica and a farmhouse villa in Tuscany (see photo).

"Greatest Wildlife Encounter" went to watching gorillas at Mgahinga National Park in Uganda, followed by checking out the "big five" animals on a safari in Kenya, seeing giant tortoises in the Galapagos Islands, visiting orangutans in Indonesia and...the only mention I could see of Canada in the whole shooting match...seeing the polar bears in Churchill, Manitoba. A close sixth for greatest wildlife encounter was Rob Ford and George Smitherman in a ring full of jello.

Being a British publication, they asked for the most underrated British day out. Winning that category was "walking Scotland's wild beaches." Next was exploring British cities in August when workers are on holiday, and doesn't that just end any thoughts you might of Brits being dull???

The Lonely Planet folks also did some fun categories, including "You Wouldn't Go There If We Paid You," which was topped by checking out an all-inclusive resort in Benidorm, Spain. (Sounds about right if you've ever listened to the Monty Python travel agent sketch, and if you haven't you should).

Finally, and here's the segueway you've all been waiting for, readers were asked the person they'd most like to travel with. Topping the list was Michael Palin, currently a travel TV guy and formerly a Monty Python guy (who played the travel agent in the sketch I mentioned, I believe). The next four were Stephen Fry, Joanna Lumley, Charley Boorman and Simon Reeve.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Toronto Star Travel's Grand Tour of the World...a modest proposal!

Not as easy as it sounds.

The boss asked me recently to come up with a series of ten great spots we could feature in the paper between now and roughly Christmas. They had to be a mix of places around the world, with some ancient and some newer cities, some northern and some southern spots, and a nice mixture of cultures.

Check my column on the front page of today's Travel section for more, but suffice to say it was a lot of work to come up with the places we'll be profiling over the next couple months, starting this Saturday.

We kick things off Saturday with a look at Rome, the Eternal City, where I was blown away by an outdoor concert in August at the bottom of the Spanish Steps. It was just incredible.

From there, we'll tackle Tokyo and, in no particular order, Buenos Aires, Jerusalem, Sydney, Maui, Dubai, St. Petersburg and Cape Town.

Anyone with a keen eye for copy editing will notice that I named nine destinations in the last two paragraphs. But I also said the boss asked me to come up with ten places in the world. The discrepancy is that I came up with nine spots, but we want to get readers involved by asking them what should be our tenth and final destination.

In other words, you get to tell me where to go; likely a tempting thought for many of you out there, mostly my family. We thought about leaving it open-ended and letting folks choose from any place in the world, but it would've been too hard to tally up all the votes. So, in the interest of brevity, we're asking readers to choose from the following three spots: Paris, Bangkok and Mumbai. They're all great places, but only can be my final destination.

If you want to cast your ballot, just drop us a line at travel@thestar.ca and put the words "Grand Tour" in the subject line of the email so we know what you're writing about. Then you can tell me where to go.

Sound like a plan? We'll look things over and announce the "winning destination" in a few weeks, and I'll drop in for a few days later this fall and write up a story for the final Grand Tour episode.

Thanks for reading, and be sure to cast a vote.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT....THE LATEST FROM THE CARIBBEAN

If you're heading to the Caribbean this winter, and many of you are, you won't want to miss the update that freelancer Jo Matyas provided yesterday. So, in the interests of keeping her information out there, I'm re-publishing Jo's blog from Wednesday. Thanks again for the file, Jo; it's greatly appreciated.

Regular contributor to the Toronto Star travel pages, Josephine Matyas, gave up a weekend of turkey and cranberry to attend a Caribbean Tourism Organization conference on the island of Barbados. In addition to an island tour, a stop at the excellent Barbados Museum and some time bobbing in the water with a mask and snorkel, she got the scoop on what’s new for visitors to the Caribbean this winter.

Every winter-shocked Canadian knows that the Caribbean is a place with a “kick back and chill” vibe. Every island is different – a good starting place to plan, and find deals is www.caribbeantravel.com. The site has information on hot deals, festivals and events and you can search by your area of interest.

As for some specifics about what’s new for the winter 2010/11 (yes, the snow is almost here) . . .

Barbados wants visitors to come for the food, as well as the sun and the turquoise waters. From November 19-22, 2010 the island is holding the first annual Food & Wine and Rum Festival. A number of celebrated chefs will be on island to show off their skills, including Canadian Ricardo Larrivee, host of Ricardo and Friends on the Food Network. Local Barbadian chefs will be doing a few cooking demos themselves, holding tasting events and interactive sessions. Drinks will be flowing as a part of the festival (how could they not be, on the island that is home to the world’s oldest rum, Mount Gay) – wine experts and mixologists will produce demonstrations and tastings around the island. www.foodwinerum.com

A few Bajan food facts:

• There are 3,000 rum shops (think very tiny, local bars) on the island. And next door there is often a church (although the island has substantially fewer of those – just over 300). The locals like to say that they aim to “keep all the spirits in one place.”
• The national dish is flying fish, rice and peas, and a side dish called “pie” which is an oven-baked macaroni and cheese.
• Another traditional favourite is callaloo soup, a delicious dark green, iron-packed soup made with callaloo leaves (much like spinach).

St. Lucia is well known as a destination for romance and honeymoons (ABC filmed The Bachelor on island) but it’s also a popular cruise stop and full of activities for families. The lush, hilly island is full of history, and fruit and vegetable plantations that the tourism people would like to open up to visitors. St. Lucia lies in the “cocoa belt” (a zone plus or minus 20 degrees latitude from the Equator). On December 29, 2010, Hotel Chocolat opens a new property on the historic Rabot Estate, an operating cocoa tree plantation (yes, the air does smell like cocoa) with a killer-view of the island’s stunning twin Piton Peaks. www.thehotelchocolat.com. The popular summertime Go Bananas program will probably run again in 2011 (for those who like to plan ahead) – room upgrades, complimentary babysitting, free meals and stays for kids under age 17. www.stlucianow.com. More in the adult realm, a new casino is scheduled to open by November 2010 in the Baywalk Mall in the Rodney Bay area at the north part of the island (the marina here makes Rodney Bay very popular with the boating set).

The sister islands of St. Kitts and Nevis (I am coming clean with a bias – these are two of my favourite Caribbean destinations) claim that studies show visitors come for the beaches (well, yeah) and for the rainforest tours and ecoadventures. There’s no hiding that these are two of the pricier islands in the Caribbean. St. Kitts is starting construction on a private air terminal (service should be up and running at the end of 2012), so if you’ve got a private jet, you’ve now got a place to park it. The Four Seasons Nevis will be re-opening on December 15, 2010 offering special package rates – the island’s premier property has been closed for a two-year refurbishment. www.fourseasons.com/nevis. If horseracing interests you, the new Beaumont Park on St. Kitts hosts races on a ¾ mile oval track. The new Silver Reef Resort on St. Kitts has completed 36 of the planned 62 units – built eco-sensitively the sale/rental units recycle grey water, employ solar power and use local building materials to reduce the carbon footprint. The Beach Club at Sandy Bank Bay is set to open in early 2011 – it’s the first stage of a luxury development called Christophe Harbour on St. Kitts (mega yacht harbour, marina, Tom Fazio championship golf course, boutique shopping and five-star hotels). The open-air Beach Club will have private dining patios, a natural-edged pool, waterfall showers and direct access to Sandy Bank Bay beach and the Atlantic Ocean. www.christopheharbour.com

Bermuda is even closer for Torontonians since WestJet launched service in May 2010. This November through March has been branded Bermuda’s Golf & Spa Season, with eight courses participating and spa specials for the golf widows. Eighteen of the island’s largest hotels have signed on for The Compliments of Bermuda promotion – every two-night stay gets you a third night free for travel between November 15, 2010 and March 15, 2011. www.bermudatourism.com. The Reefs Hotel & Club – voted Bermuda’s Best Hotel by Travel & Leisure and inducted onto the 2010 Conde Nast Traveler Gold List – recently doubled their size with a new fractional wing, www.thereefs.com.

And finally, tiny Anguilla, where the focus is on celebrity and stylish living will once again host the popular Moonsplash Music Festival, timed to coordinate with the full moon in March 2011. The festival is four days of reggae talent, ranging from cutting edge sounds to founding legends. www.bankieban.net 

Josephine Matyas is a Canadian travel journalist who often writes about ecotourism and the Caribbean. You can find her at www.writerwithoutborders.com.

 

 

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What's new in the Caribbean...an update from Star Travel regular Jo Matyas

 

Regular contributor to the Toronto Star travel pages, Josephine Matyas, gave up a weekend of turkey and cranberry to attend a Caribbean Tourism Organization conference on the island of Barbados. In addition to an island tour, a stop at the excellent Barbados Museum and some time bobbing in the water with a mask and snorkel, she got the scoop on what’s new for visitors to the Caribbean this winter.

Every winter-shocked Canadian knows that the Caribbean is a place with a “kick back and chill” vibe. Every island is different – a good starting place to plan, and find deals is www.caribbeantravel.com. The site has information on hot deals, festivals and events and you can search by your area of interest.

As for some specifics about what’s new for the winter 2010/11 (yes, the snow is almost here) . . .

Barbados wants visitors to come for the food, as well as the sun and the turquoise waters. From November 19-22, 2010 the island is holding the first annual Food & Wine and Rum Festival. A number of celebrated chefs will be on island to show off their skills, including Canadian Ricardo Larrivee, host of Ricardo and Friends on the Food Network. Local Barbadian chefs will be doing a few cooking demos themselves, holding tasting events and interactive sessions. Drinks will be flowing as a part of the festival (how could they not be, on the island that is home to the world’s oldest rum, Mount Gay) – wine experts and mixologists will produce demonstrations and tastings around the island. www.foodwinerum.com

A few Bajan food facts:

• There are 3,000 rum shops (think very tiny, local bars) on the island. And next door there is often a church (although the island has substantially fewer of those – just over 300). The locals like to say that they aim to “keep all the spirits in one place.”
• The national dish is flying fish, rice and peas, and a side dish called “pie” which is an oven-baked macaroni and cheese.
• Another traditional favourite is callaloo soup, a delicious dark green, iron-packed soup made with callaloo leaves (much like spinach).

St. Lucia is well known as a destination for romance and honeymoons (ABC filmed The Bachelor on island) but it’s also a popular cruise stop and full of activities for families. The lush, hilly island is full of history, and fruit and vegetable plantations that the tourism people would like to open up to visitors. St. Lucia lies in the “cocoa belt” (a zone plus or minus 20 degrees latitude from the Equator). On December 29, 2010, Hotel Chocolat opens a new property on the historic Rabot Estate, an operating cocoa tree plantation (yes, the air does smell like cocoa) with a killer-view of the island’s stunning twin Piton Peaks. www.thehotelchocolat.com. The popular summertime Go Bananas program will probably run again in 2011 (for those who like to plan ahead) – room upgrades, complimentary babysitting, free meals and stays for kids under age 17. www.stlucianow.com. More in the adult realm, a new casino is scheduled to open by November 2010 in the Baywalk Mall in the Rodney Bay area at the north part of the island (the marina here makes Rodney Bay very popular with the boating set).

The sister islands of St. Kitts and Nevis (I am coming clean with a bias – these are two of my favourite Caribbean destinations) claim that studies show visitors come for the beaches (well, yeah) and for the rainforest tours and ecoadventures. There’s no hiding that these are two of the pricier islands in the Caribbean. St. Kitts is starting construction on a private air terminal (service should be up and running at the end of 2012), so if you’ve got a private jet, you’ve now got a place to park it. The Four Seasons Nevis will be re-opening on December 15, 2010 offering special package rates – the island’s premier property has been closed for a two-year refurbishment. www.fourseasons.com/nevis. If horseracing interests you, the new Beaumont Park on St. Kitts hosts races on a ¾ mile oval track. The new Silver Reef Resort on St. Kitts has completed 36 of the planned 62 units – built eco-sensitively the sale/rental units recycle grey water, employ solar power and use local building materials to reduce the carbon footprint. The Beach Club at Sandy Bank Bay is set to open in early 2011 – it’s the first stage of a luxury development called Christophe Harbour on St. Kitts (mega yacht harbour, marina, Tom Fazio championship golf course, boutique shopping and five-star hotels). The open-air Beach Club will have private dining patios, a natural-edged pool, waterfall showers and direct access to Sandy Bank Bay beach and the Atlantic Ocean. www.christopheharbour.com

Bermuda is even closer for Torontonians since WestJet launched service in May 2010. This November through March has been branded Bermuda’s Golf & Spa Season, with eight courses participating and spa specials for the golf widows. Eighteen of the island’s largest hotels have signed on for The Compliments of Bermuda promotion – every two-night stay gets you a third night free for travel between November 15, 2010 and March 15, 2011. www.bermudatourism.com. The Reefs Hotel & Club – voted Bermuda’s Best Hotel by Travel & Leisure and inducted onto the 2010 Conde Nast Traveler Gold List – recently doubled their size with a new fractional wing, www.thereefs.com.

And finally, tiny Anguilla, where the focus is on celebrity and stylish living will once again host the popular Moonsplash Music Festival, timed to coordinate with the full moon in March 2011. The festival is four days of reggae talent, ranging from cutting edge sounds to founding legends. www.bankieban.net 

Josephine Matyas is a Canadian travel journalist who often writes about ecotourism and the Caribbean. You can find her at www.writerwithoutborders.com.