November 30, 2006 | Tips from Us >
Richmond, Dining
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Having lived in the Greater Vancouver Regional District for the last 20 years, I’ve had plenty of time to explore my surroundings but somehow I have managed to stay away from Richmond, BC. You could almost say “avoid!” Although, I’ve been told by friends and family, that Richmond has great Asian food. How did a foody like myself not seek out the unique Asian restaurants in Richmond?
It always seemed too far for me to go, really its only 20 minutes from downtown Vancouver. So, really not far at all! However, I would drive by Richmond to White Rock for dinner or to Whistler for a day of skiing – so my “too far” excuse didn’t really hold up under closer examination!
Recently, I started a new job in Richmond and decided that I have no more excuses! My co-workers opened my eyes, and now I finally understand what my friends and family have been telling me for years! The food really is amazing!
Dim sum like I have never tasted before and so many choices! Fisherman’s Terrace in Aberdeen Centre and the Gingeri in Landowne Centre are two of my favourites! I love the hustle and bustle of dim sum! You are surrounded by the sounds of clinking of chopsticks, slurping of tea, shouts of greetings and the crashing sounds of tables be cleared and set. So many people gathered together to enjoy a meal and bit of gossip! It’s always a mixed crowd of family or friends or business groups gathered together, all ages.
It’s been a wonderful to share the dim sum experience with my friends. A few are seasoned dim sum connoisseurs (because I dragged them kicking and screaming to go to dim sum with me many years ago) and others have never been. Among the many bamboo steamers and plates with metal lids are exotic smelling dumplings, noodles, pork spareribs, sticky rice and much more. Hidden within a rice wrapper dumpling is a tasty mixture of seafood or meat and spices. Haw Gow (shrimp dumplings), Sui Mai (pork dumplings), Haw Chung Fung (shrimp rice rolls), deep fried tofu with spicy sau
November 26, 2006 | Tips from Us >
Fernie, Historic & Heritage Sites
I just received the winter issue of
British Columbia Magazine and the front cover is spectacular – a fabulous shot of downtown Fernie all decked out in sparkles and wrapped in a perfect winter wonderland! The snow-sprinkled mountains in the background seem as though you can walk from Main Street to mountain top in less than five minutes. No wonder
Fernie is getting praises from the likes of
Rolling Stone,
Outside,
Conde Nast Traveler, and
National Geographic Adventure. Read a portion of the
British Columbia Magazine article on Fernie here.
Also in the winter issue: a photo essay on
jellyfish; a feature on
Rossland (another B.C. winter resort town); Vernon's
Hot Air Balloon festival; and a kayaking journey in
Haida Gwaii, where decaying Haida carvings compelled two famous artists, Emily Carr and later Bill Reid, to preserve the past for future generations.
Perfect reading for a day like today; the snow has been coming down since last night and I am sitting in front of my fireplace after shoveling the neighbour’s sidewalk, hot chocolate and magazine in hand.
November 26, 2006 | Tips from Us >
Lillooet, Historic & Heritage Sites
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Hello everyone:
Re: ST'AT'IMC CULTURAL TOURS, LILLOOET BCMy name is Deanna Paul. I am currently working with Tourism BC in the Vancouver office. I am First Nations from the St'at'imc Nation -
Tsal’álh community member (Seton Lake Band) . I am very proud and honoured to share the news of a brand new tour that will be available in Lillooet BC.
I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to participate in any/all of my Nation's Cultural Tours.On the weekend of October 14th, several of my co-workers and I participated in a Special Tour in order to see what will be available in the Spring/Summer of 2007.
It was a wonderful weekend, the weather cooperated and allowed us to enjoy every minute of the tour. The community welcomed us every step of the way from our arrival the night before the tour and throughout our stay.
Retasket Lodge & RV Park is a brand new accommodation in Lillooet that we stayed overnight. Ike & Pat were wonderful. They were worried about us traveling the Duffy Lake Road at the late hour and waited for our safe arrival. Everything was brand new and oh so comfortable :) They have just signed on with our SuperNatural BC Accommodations Program and are bookable through our web site:
www.hellobc.com and through our Toll Free #: 1-800-Hello BC. They would love to welcome you to the community.
Retasket Lodge & RV Park
retasket@cablelan.net
1264 Bouvette Road
Box 286 Lillooet, B.C.
Canada V0K1V0
Ph(250)256-2090
Fx(250)256-2091
toll free 1-866-456-2090
Our evenings were very busy and we had the pleasure of going to the Hotel Victoria for an evening of fun, laughter and dancing to the live band that was there. As I am from the area, I was able to meet up with some cousins that I had not seen in years, wonderful service, wonderful atmosphere and all round great fun.
The Reynold's Hotel also hosted a KARAOKE
November 23, 2006 | Tips from Us >
Vancouver, Golf
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Congratulations, BC – the province was named the
2007 Best Golf Destination in North America by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO).
It may not feel like golf season at the moment, but it's never too early to start planning next year's trip.
Find out more.
If you'd like to read the recent press release about IAGTO and the award, here it is. Way to go BC!
British Columbia Selected as 2007 Golf Destination
of the YearNovember 23, 2006, Vancouver, BC – The International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO) has selected British Columbia as the “2007 Golf Destination of the Year” for North America at the IAGTO Awards, held as a part of the 9th annual International Golf Travel Market in Marbella, Spain. This evening’s awards ceremony will be attended by major golf tour operators and golf travel media from around the world.
Votes for these awards were cast by IAGTO’s 260 golf tour operators from 40 different countries. Each operator was asked to nominate what they considered to be the best performing golf destinations this year according to their clients. A winner was named in five regional categories: North America; Latin America and Caribbean; Europe; Africa and Gulf States and Asia and Australasia. Criteria for the Award included: customer satisfaction, quality of golf courses and accommodation, value for money, professional conduct of suppliers, support from the local tourism industry and accessibility to tee times. Among the sixteen other destinations nominated for the North American award were Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Palm Springs and South Carolina.
“Receiving the prestigious title of North America’s Golf Destination of the Year, is yet another example of why British Columbia truly is the Best Place on Earth,” said Stan Hagen, Minister of Tourism, Sport and the Arts. “Briti
November 22, 2006 | Tips from Us >
Prince George, Gardens
Once the snow falls, Bella, my yellow lab and I head to Ginters-an off leash dog park to frolic in the fresh powder. Located at the very end of the west side of Massey, Ginters is a spacious, treed meadow and a dog’s paradise.
We enjoy walking up the hill on our circuit to the foundation of the home once owned by the infamous
Ben Ginter. Some stonework and a concrete foundation is all that remains today not to mention a picturesque view of the city below. I feel safe walking this loop, as there are most often other friendly dog owners out and about to walk and talk with. On any given weekend, Ginters is peppered with a few die hard snowboarders who hike up the hill to make a few turns in the fresh snow.
If you and your pooch are thinking of heading out after 4:30pm I’d recommend bringing a flashlight to light the way!
November 21, 2006 | Tips from Us >
Whistler, Backcountry Skiing
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This year for the first time I'm venturing off the groomed slopes and into a backcountry ski adventure. In preparation for my trip, I'm taking a Recreational Avalanche Course to help avoid bad decisions on the wrong slopes. If you're planning a backcountry trip yourself, you should definitely do the same. You can find information on courses at
Canadian Avalanche Association. The course is a combination of classroom and field-work, and a really crucial part of preparing for backcountry conditions. The CAA is generally a really great resource for folks headed into the backcountry, as it also maintains avalanche weather reports and danger level bulletins. I'm taking my course through
Whistler Alpine Guides, which is held over a weekend in Whistler, a convenient way to take the course, and a great excuse to spend a weekend in Whistler. I also need all new ski gear, as my downhill equipment is not going to suit a ski touring expedition. But instead of shelling out many hundreds for a new setup, I'll start with renting at least some gear:
Mountain Equipment Coop has a rentals as well as sales for both AT and Telemark gear, as well as beacons, probes, shovels and skins.
November 20, 2006 | Tips from Us >
Richmond, Sightseeing Tours
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Ever since
The Fairmont opened at the
Vancouver International Airport I have wanted to spend a night there, thinking that it would be fun to order room service and watch planes comes and go. Last week I got my chance and my expectations were blown away. My 5-year-old son loved the coupon he was given for free milk and cookie delivery. The two-feet-deep kiddie-pool is right beside the hot tub, so I could soak and keep on eye on the kids at the same time. Our room had a luxurious tub and a scrumptious bed. A comfy chair was set up for sitting by the floor-to-ceiling soundproof windows and watching the action. Binoculars provided. The room looked north into the International arrivals and departures areas. Ground crew moved about below like a real-life Little People Airport. Due to the stormy weather, the view of the North Shore Mountains was replaced by close-ups of airplane tails tattooed with markings from WestJet, Air Canada, Fiji, Alaska, and KLM. We turned off all the lights and spent hours in the dark staring into the microcosm. Overall, a perfect mini-vacation 20 minutes from home. p.s. While wading in your bathing suit at the pool, walk to the windows and wave to the passengers checking in for International flights below!
November 10, 2006 | Tips from Us >
Cache Creek, Historic & Heritage Sites
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It was one of those crisp fall days when my family and I pulled into the
Historic Hat Creek Ranch in the Fraser Canyon, just north of
Cache Creek. The ranch is on one of the few remaining sections of the original Cariboo Waggon Road – the same road that miners, pack-train operators, stagecoaches, and wagon trains took to head north for the gold rush in the late 1800’s.
Here are the highlights we encountered: stepping down into the kekuli pit house at the Shuswap National Interpretive Centre and imagining 25-30 Stuctwesemc people living in it; riding atop an original stagecoach along the famous dusty road; spying on chickens in the sunflower garden; crossing a footbridge over Hat Creek; walking though the original Hat Creek House, complete with original wallpaper, antiques and well, everything; watching clouds pass over the sod-roofed chicken coop; and of course, finishing the visit off with ice cream cones from the Roadhouse Restaurant.
The kekuli can be rented out for overnight camping trips, which would be a great way to spend a night next summer. I’ll add it to my growing list.