Dig a hole to China

Gung Ho Fat Choy! Today we went to China… well Chinatown - but it is the oldest in Canada - to celebrate Chinese New Year and welcome the Year of the Boar. Unfortunately we would have had to dig a hole through the crowd to see the lion dance, but we could hear the drums beating and firecrackers going off and eventually saw the tops of the lions' heads float by as they departed. Oh well. Chinatown was very festive with businesses hanging offerings of lettuce and lai-cee (red envelopes filled with money) for the lions in hopes of having their business blessed with prosperity. The plan was to follow the parade up with dim sum for lunch, but as you can imagine the wait was too long so we opted for the next best thing… sushi. So, our trip to celebrate Chinese culture was a bit of a bust, but perhaps we’ll have a salad for dinner and hope that 2007 is a year filled with prosperity... or at least good health. You gotta think those lions are pretty healthy if all they eat is lettuce. Personally I'd go for the fortune cookies.

Heartbeats on Hornby

Valentine’s Day has me thinking about the first trip I took with my fly guy. Both of us often think it was a memorable weekend in San Francisco a couple of years ago, but then recall it was actually to Hornby Island that summer. I don’t know why my memory skips a beat when it comes to this trip because it too was very memorable and my first visit to this island. Although the weather didn’t cooperate, we soaked up every minute on this charming island just off the north central coast of Vancouver Island. It was overcast and misty all weekend, but we didn’t let that dissuade us from visiting the beautiful beaches and were rewarded with some of the most amazing west coast sights I’ve ever seen. Whaler Bay was completely littered with purple sand dollars and Tribune Bay was covered, and I mean covered, with jellyfish the look and size of basketballs. We also spent time hiking the Helliwell Bluffs, touring the art galleries, eating well, sleeping well, and well… falling in love. Perhaps the reason I often have a momentary memory lapse when it comes to this trip to Hornby Island is because my heart was skipping a beat. XO

Here I go again

“On my own. Going down the only road I’ve ever known.” So I’m driving down the freeway in Arizona and this classic tune by Whitesnake comes on the radio. How fitting. I turn it up to sing along and call my best buddy, Red. He is the only other person I know who admits to loving this song and we’ve had some good times on the road together with this song as the soundtrack. The life of a Travel Girl has the potential to be a lonely one, but I am so lucky to have a team of colleagues with whom I travel or the company of my fly guy while on the road. So as I embarked alone on my sophomore visit to Phoenix-Scottsdale and decided to rent a car, I was reminded that I have never driven in a strange city on my own. I decided this was the year as Scottsdale does not have a taxi system. It is much like LA and if I can drive the “Goldfinger” the wrong direction down the sidewalk of Wilshire Blvd. in order to make an appointment with Bon Appetit Magazine, I figured it couldn’t be any worse. There were a few missed exits at first, but as the week rolled on I mastered the freeways and was so comfortable that I could turn up the radio, take one hand off the wheel and make the afore mentioned call. Even Tawny Kitane would be proud and so was I! Oh, but then I arrived at a tire dealership instead of the golf course I was supposed to be at, both called Grayhawk. Oops! O.K. maybe two hands on the wheel. And Tawny, get off the hood… it’s a rental.

If you can’t stand the heat

Get out of Arizona. This is the message I am promoting to Arizonians this week in Phoenix-Scottsdale to encourage them to visit our neck of the woods when it is hotter than hell here in the summer. My first visit to Arizona was last year at the beginning of June and I have never experienced a destination so hot. At its hottest that week it was 112 degrees. The closest heat I have experienced has been in Thailand, but it is humid and Arizona, as everyone keeps telling me, is a “dry” heat. Ya, like that makes it bearable. Scottsdale is the definition of urban sprawl smack dab in the middle of the desert with nothing for miles except giant saguaros. And, I wondered if I would see “one?!” But, I like it. It is true to its unique landscape and architecture. Plus, how can I not like a destination that inspired Frank Lloyd Wright to build Taliesen West. Visiting in February this year has made a world of difference to the temperatures. But, it could stand to be a little hotter.

Hooters

I am currently obsessed with owls. And, everyone knows I am afraid of birds. But, for some reason there are owls EVERYWHERE right now. On the fence, in the park, on the fence, in the backyard, on the fence, on my running route, and on the fence. Could it be possible that it is the same owl? Perhaps the owls are an omen. Owls are associated with wisdom and spirituality. Owl eyes are fixed, forcing the bird to look straight ahead. As a result, owls can turn their head a full 270 degrees. Maybe they are a sign that I am too focused on the future and I need to look at the past? Maybe they are a sign that I am about to take flight? Hmm... the smallest owl in the world lives in a cactus in the desert and I am on my way to Arizona, but I don’t think that counts as I’m a Travel Girl… I’m always running for a flight. Maybe they are the re-incarnation of my owl-loving grandmother watching over me? O.K. even I don’t buy that. Or, maybe there are just a lot of mice in the neighbourhood. Whatever the reason, I will enjoy the unique beauty and company of these birds… from afar (note reference to fear of birds above) until they fly away.

Open sesame

I received many lovely cards and best wishes for my birthday, and I thank everyone who was so thoughtful. Flowers, wine, spa treatments, Louis Vuitton and jewellery were also among the gifts I opened… what else could a girl want?! Well, you’d think new luggage might be the heart’s desire of a Travel Girl, but this one wanted a garage door opener. Yes, you read that right… a garage door opener. You are probably thinking, “Could there be a less personal gift?!” Well, actually, in a relationship first we acquire the key to one’s heart, then the key to one’s home and then the key to one’s… garage. At least that was the succession in my relationship. Although the only key I really care about keeping a lock on is the first one, I cannot tell you how happy I am to finally drive my car in and out of the garage with ease.

33

Today is my 33rd birthday. To celebrate we went to Argentina. Well, not quite, but we did go last fall so when I heard about a local restaurant that was offering an international dinner series, I jumped at the chance to experience the Argentina dinner and wine pairing. It was wonderful with langoustine and mango cilantro salad; chili corn flan with mole; escolar with prawn and butternut squash risotto; and of course it wouldn’t be Argentine without beef with chimichurri sauce and dulce de leche for dessert. This was actually the second birthday dinner I enjoyed. The first was created by my fly guy himself who’s cooking easily tops any in-flight meal. Butter lettuce salad with avocado, pine nuts and balsamic; sautéed scallops and prawns in white wine and garlic; Virginian pork with peaches and peppercorns; and chocolate mousse complete with candles for dessert. Dinner was enjoyed with my family followed by a gift opening and lots of hugs and kisses. Well I may be 33, but “Don’t cry for me Argentina"... I’m a very lucky girl.

Sin and the City

“The best trip I have ever had to Vegas is still the time I went with you,” said my fly guy over the phone before he has even completed his testosterone-filled Super Bowl weekend in Sin City. He has been almost a dozen times now, but I guess gambling, golfing and gaggling over women with a bunch of other guys isn’t all it’s “stacked” up to be… pun intended. My first and only trip to Las Vegas was for a conference a couple of years ago and my fly guy tagged along. Vegas wasn’t at all the 24-hour party I expected it to be and I actually ended up liking it. We did some amazing things… kayaking from the Hoover Dam down the Colorado River into Arizona, hiking in the desert mountains, behind-the-scenes tours of Cirque de Soleil and Blue Man Group, a night-flight helicopter tour over The Strip, V.I.P access to some of the hottest nightclubs and went to countless shows. I know you are supposed to be wild and crazy while visiting Sin City, but somehow we ended up having this incredibly romantic time?! And, to add insult to injury it was upon our return home that my fly guy asked me to move in with him. Sorry, Sin City! Not tonight, I have a headache. Photo credit: Kerrick James

“Shake” the winter blues

My fly guy is off on a private jet with 18 other men looking to “party like it’s 1999” in the mancation capital of the world… Las Vegas. Or is it mancursion? What will this Travel Girl do while he’s gone you ask? Well, party like it’s 1999, of course! I have 18 of my closest girlfriends, and a few strangers, coming over each with a martini glass in hand to “Shake” the winter blues. The weather this winter has been exhausting, work is crazy and enough time has passed that we have all broken at least one new year’s resolution. So, before the winter blues set in it’s time to shake things up with a bunch of smart, interesting women getting together for an evening of comradery, laughter… oh, and martinis!

T minus 10k

Flight from Denver on-time at 4:15 pm. Check. 10k running clinic begins at 6:30 pm. Check. I took up running a little over a year ago because as a Travel Girl it is impossible to join any fitness classes. You miss half the classes because you are always on the road and end up wasting your money… and incidentally you do not get fit either. So, I figured if I’m going to be on the road all the time I might as well slap on a pair of running shoes. You can run anywhere, anytime and I love touring the neighbourhoods and sights of the cities I’m visiting by running. I did my first 10k clinic and race last year. My goal: To run the TC 10k in Victoria, BC in less than an hour. Check. My time was 56:46. This year’s goal: To beat that time. Check… back after Sunday, April 29th.

DAM… they’ve got good art

Have you ever been to Denver? No offense to the Mile High City, but there is NOTHING to do there. My first trip to Denver found me asking everyone what I should see and do? And the response was, “Oh, you have to go to Cherry Creek!” Great, I thought. The local ski resort? A beautiful park in which to run or hike? A hip neighbourhood to explore? Nope. Turns out it’s a shopping centre. So, when in Denver I shop. This year, however, the Denver Art Museum (DAM) finally opened their new building designed by Daniel Libeskind; the same architect who was chosen to re-build the World Trade Centre in NYC. I have been waiting years for the modern, angular building to be complete and was so excited to visit that I even bought my ticket on-line before arriving in Denver. The collection was minimal compared to other major U.S. art museums, but I wasn’t so much interested in what was in the frame as the frame itself.

Cleared for take-off

Last week I started my “World Tour 2007.” Every year, I travel the same circuit with a few additions or deviations just to keep things interesting. It always begins in Seattle. But, this year it almost didn’t begin at all. I love Seattle, but it is arguably the least exotic destination I travel to as it is literally in my backyard. Just an easy hop, skip and a jump across the pond. At least that’s the way it is supposed to be. The day of my departure was a beautiful, sunny morning and the valleys and ocean surrounding the airport were covered in an ethereal fog. Hmm, I wonder if this will affect my flight I thought? Yep, my flight was cancelled. But, I can practically see Seattle from here! Well, except for the fog. Ah, the challenges of living on an island. The bad news, back home to wait it out. The good news, I did fly out that afternoon and arrived in Seattle just in time for my event. If only I had my own tour bus.

We built this city

That’s the ditty I chose to belt out like I myself was Jefferson Starship while singing karaoke for the first time on a recent visit to Vancouver. The theme of the trip: An Asian Vacation in Vancouver. First stop: Aberdeen Centre in Richmond. What is this place? I had never heard of a single store in the shopping centre; each one Asian and every vendor in the food court offering authentic Asian fare. Thankfully there were photos depicting the menu options. I played it safe with sticky pork buns and hot and sour soup… oh, and an ice tea. O.K. I guess not everything in the mall is Asian. And, I was determined to return for soft serve red bean ice cream; a fly guy favourite. Next stop: The Daiso. A Japanese dollar store where everything is $2. The challenge: To practice the Japanese ritual of gift giving by purchasing a gift for one of our colleagues. I selected a pack of fake disposable cameras filled with candy. On to Granville Island for a Sake tasting, hopped an aquabus to Yaletown for a 10-course dinner at a Japanese isakaya and then the show-stopper… karaoke! I thought about faking sick to get out of it, but by the end of the night you couldn’t pry the microphone out of my hand. Except while Emily was singing Hungry Eyes by Patrick Swayze for the third time!

Blog or barf

Have you heard my rant about blogging? It goes something like this... "If I have to go to another conference that waxes on about blogging I'm going to barf. Who has that kind of time? Who thinks that reading about what someone else had for dinner is interesting? Who thinks in this day and age someone is going to read anything longer than 250 words?" So what am I doing starting a blog, you ask?! Good question. I guess if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. If truth be known when I need a little mindless distraction from work I often slip onto the blogs of those I know who have them and read about their lives (if they keep it short!). I mainly like looking at other's photos. I'll have to endeavor to work up to that. In many respects I think blogs are a good way to keep in touch with family and friends who live far away... or maybe I'm the one who lives far away? See previous post. Ugh, post. I'm even using the lingo. Barf. No... blog.

Around the world in 80 days

Welcome to Travel Girl! Since I seem to spend more time in airports and hotels than my own home, I decided to give a travel blog a whirl so that you can travel along with me. I think my family and friends are getting tired of trying to keep track of what city I was in last week and where I'm going tomorrow, so Mom this is for you! The parameters... Blog entries will be short enough to fit on a postcard and will only focus on travel. From time to time, I may also chronicle some past travels before the inception of this blog as last year saw first-time visits to some amazing destinations. So, in preparation for take-off please fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the read!