On Travelling

They say travel broadens your horizons. (Sadly, it isn’t my just my horizons that have gotten broader; my waistline really should be included in that equation.)  Traveling as much as I have has given me a perspective on certain things in life that I would not have had I stayed closer to home.

On my Facebook profile page I have two tabs for maps. One is of countries I’ve visited; the other is cities I’ve been to. The international cities were pretty easy to fill in...the US stuff’s been a bit harder, because there’s been so many. I hadn’t really realized how much I’ve traveled until I filled in the maps. I’ve been to Canada, Mexico, Guam, Japan, Ireland...and have been in just about every state in the union. I have the pictures, by and large, to prove it. Most of them have been taken from the time I was in high school on. Traveling is generally a safe, fun thing to do (unless you are moving, and then it’s a royal pain). It can, however, have its dangers: I have a flat spot on the bridge of my nose where some serious yardage of Daytona Beach, Fl. sandblasted it away body surfing. (Ask me about that sometime.)

In the last few years I’ve had a chance to go to a couple of the Hawai’ian Islands. I can hardly wait to go back. I’ve also recently been to Victoria and Vancouver, BC. I’m already thinking about what I want to see when I return there.

Having gone to Hawai’i as an adult means that I ate in more of the local restaurants, saw a few more sights than I might have otherwise, and learned more about the culture and appreciated it more as a result, instead of the “been there, done that” which would have resulted had I gone there as a teenager. 

And that’s one of the problems of having traveled so much as a younger person. You have to go back to see what has changed and sometimes it’s better, and sometimes you find places that were more fun or more “magical” at the time have changed. You look at them and wonder what the big deal is/was. I still feel somewhat that way about Las Vegas. I’m going back soon for a few days, and I intend to see a few more things than I did my last trip. Having said that, there’s not all that much I really want to see. A few days should do it.

They say wherever you go, you can’t see everything in one trip. Once again, “they” are right. When we went to the Grand Canyon, we didn’t try to see it all in a day. The same held true for Las Vegas, Montreal, Killarney and Cork, and several other places we’ve been. (And yes, there are places we’ve been that if we never go back it won’t really break our hearts, if you know what I mean.)

This article really comes down to places I’d like to go back and see more of. For example, on O’ahu, since we were there for a Sweet Adelines convention, I want to go back and explore some more of the island, without having to worry about getting Deena back for rehearsals and competition. I want to spend more time on the beaches, especially Waikiki. As an aging surfer, I’d like to leave a lei at the statue of Duke Kahanamoku, and have a chance to actually surf there this time. I want to spend more time on the North Shore in general, and at places like Waimea Bay and Hale’iwa. And there’s more I’d like to do even after that.

On the Big Island, I want to take the observatory tour. I’d like to go back to Volcanoes National Park, and see lava flowing this time. I’d like to tour the Mauna Loa macadamia nut plantation. I’d like to see more of Hilo, and spend a whole day just loafing around Kona proper. I’d like to surf here, too. 

This only covers the two islands I’ve been to. I also want to go to Maui.

I’d like to see what Killarney looks like these days. I’d love to take the Ring of Kerry tour again, this time with a digital camera. Same with Blarney Castle. I’d like several days to really explore Cork. I want to go back to Montreal (again, without a barbershop convention like we did in 2003) and spend several days there poking around a bit more. I’d like to spend a whole day in Niagara Falls, ON. See the falls, from both sides of the water again. See a bit more of the city itself. I enjoyed going back to Victoria, BC for a day last month. I hadn’t been there since 1983. I knew I couldn’t even begin to do that city justice in a day. Two days in and around Vancouver, BC wasn’t enough, either. I need to return to both because there’s just so much more to see.

Oddly enough, I don’t care if I go back to Guam. The few memories I do have are kind of special, and I don’t want them ruined by what things look like today, because I know there’s been a lot of development there over the last batch of years.

Enough for now.

2010 Vacation, part two

Tuesday, August 17:

This morning was the only morning we set an alarm. We had to- we needed to  board the ferry not later than 7:45ish, passports in hand. The ferry took us from Port Angeles to Victoria, BC. I haven’t been to Victoria since I was in high school. But I had been there, so I got to play tour guide today. 

Crossing the Straits of Juan de Fuca was quite the journey. The Straits were a little rough; and as this was a smaller craft (no cars, just people) we had quite a ride. Once in Victoria, however, we actually saw quite a bit.

We started off with a tour of the Parliament building. It’s rather nice as government buildings go. From there, a block or so over and a walkthrough of the Fairmont Empress hotel. It is lovely, and if you have the opportunity (and deep enough pockets) to do a high teas there, you really should. The Empress is also home to the Victoria Convention Center, which we walked through and then out to Douglas Street then back around to Government Street. 

We continued up Government to the site of the former Fort Victoria, part of which is now a wonderful little Irish pub called Irish Times. The special today was Irish stew with Rosemary dumplings and it was a winner. 

After lunch, we continued up Government street to Chinatown, then doubled back down Broad Street, stopping in a few interesting little shops and a Starbucks to cool off for a bit as it was getting quite warm) and then taking some time to check out the Bay Centre. 

The Bay Centre is anchored by The Bay, as in The Hudson’s Bay Company (“since 1670”), and I did some shopping there. It’s a cross between a Macy’s and a Kohl’s: A lot of high end stuff, and some clothes that those of us on a budget can afford. I bought a t-shirt. It doesn’t have anything on the front or back; I can wear it wherever and whenever I want. 

From the Bay Center, we walked over to Munro’s bookstore and Murchie’s Tea shop. Munro’s has a lot of good books; if you like books this is a must stop and explore. Murchie’s has some wonderful teas there, and a lot of very nice looking goodies. We decided that a gelato was in order, however, so we wandered back down Government street to a gelato place and enjoyed some of that as the day continued to get warmer and muggier. (It was only about 78 degrees F--I was quoted 26 C by a mall rep in The Bay Center--but it was also 60 percent humidity.) We all did a little more souvenir shopping, then wandered around the back of the Parliament building and took some pictures there. Wandered into the Queen’s printer’s, then over to Confederation Square to take some pictures. 

Something to drink was now in order, so we wandered into Jonathan’s restaurant in the Royal Scot hotel. After cooling down a bit, we walked down Quebec street and found the Harbour Towers--where I stayed last time I was here--and then finished the day by strolling around Laurel Point Park. 

Finally, though, we had to board the ferry to return us to the States. (A much smoother trip than this morning, I might add.) Once back, we dined at the Hiway 101 cafe in Sequim then returned to camp. 


Pictures:
Victoria, BC

Wednesday, August 18:

Today was a travel day, so not too much exciting stuff. We packed up camp and said goodbye to Port Angeles. It was time to leave the land where “Twilight” was set and move our base of operations to Lynden, WA. After a stop at Fort Worden State Park, some wandering around Port Townsend, and lunch at the Bayview, we boarded a much larger ferry than the one we rode yesterday over to Victoria, and headed over toward Keystone. A leisurely drive across Whidbey Island, and finally hitting the I-5 North. 

Today also marked the easiest boarder crossing I think I have ever had. No questions, nobody bugging me for a passport...just walked across the border. And back. And over again to take some pictures, then back again. And nobody stopping me and playing 20 questions. 

You can do it yourself at Peace Arch Park. There is this little island of relative calm where you can park just short of the border, and walk around and cross the international border. (In all fairness, though, you can’t get too far before you hit customs. I recommend you have your passport on you just in case.) Washington State maintains Peace Arch State Park on the US side, and BC maintains Peace Arch Provincial Park on the Canadian side. It is this lovely little chunk of calm in the middle of a lot of traffic. I did have one good laugh there: in the Peace Arch itself, there is a set of gates with the wording “May these gates never be closed.” 

I don’t think you’ll have to worry too much about that...they’re bolted to the inside of the arch. 

After wrapping up there, it was off to the Lynden, WA. KOA to unpack and set up camp. A drive through Lynden was next on the list, then dinner was at Jake’s BBQ. There is some good steak here and you should take advantage of it. 


Pictures:
Peace Arch Park

Enough for now.