Category Archives: Adventure Travel

Polar Adventures

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Lincoln and the Nonagenarian

About 5 years ago I was in a bar on a nuclear powered icebreaker talking to a filmmaker who I had just met. We were in the middle of the Arctic ocean seeking a topic for casual conversation, as strangers do. Daniel Day-Lewis’ name came up. That was the year of There Will be Blood. When asked if I had seen it, I said no. The filmmaker, surprised, asked why, commenting that D D-L’s performance was outstanding. I explained that based on the reviews the film appeared to be a one-trick pony. I don’t like films with only one good thing about them. I still haven’t seen it, nor had I seen any subsequent film with Day-Lewis, until yesterday.

The Nonagenarian asked to be taken to see Lincoln. I acquiesced with unbridled ennui. The situation only got worse. I played the wrong music in the car. She hated her meal choice at the restaurant. She had to queue before entering the cinema. By the time we were in our seats, I was prepared for a failure of epic proportions.

Did I mention she hates going to the movies? That she asked to be taken was an event as momentous as the confirmation of the Royal baby.

Opening scene: a muddy, bloody Civil War battlefield. Cliche…and the stuff of nightmares. Then, the scene changed…and the magic that is Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln began. The extraneous faded. I was in a railroad station in the winter if 1865. I was an eyewitness to history, suspending disbelief. Until that moment when the cffinely crafted political argument disguised as dialogue was exposed.

From that moment I was a foreigner appalled that the machinations of American politics had not changed in the intervening 150 years. The political agenda of the carefully crafted script appeared to me to be a call to action. “We’re not going to take it anymore.” Lincoln is a political expose with a foundation of honest intent, and two outstanding performances – Day-Lewis and Tommy Lee Jones.

The Nonagenarian- my family’s intellectual compass – thought the effort of going to the theatre to see the film was worthwhile. That is extraordinary praise for a film that in the end left me cold.

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@SeaWorld: Inspiration is at the core of the experience

Writing for a travel audience one must create a fine balance between one’s personal point of view and the interests of the broader travel audience. My visit to SeaWorld in Orlando is a prime example.

Rollercoaster fanatics, horticultural travelers, live performance audiences and those travelers with a penchant for wildlife will find SeaWorld enthralling. There is something for everyone – even souvenir shoppers. [My whale fluke Santa's hat has become my absolutely favourite holiday souvenir!]

I, on the other hand, love to be inspired and educated when I travel. I want to be challenged by a different point of view. I want to compare my values to those of my destination. Do I come up short? Should I change in the light of a new point of view?

Education has been a core value of  SeaWorld for nearly 50 years.  SeaWorld teaches by example and through outreach programs like their animal rescue efforts. Recently the park announced it was doing away with plastic bags – shoppers you can buy some handsome reusable bags at the park. According to the information found at the park, this decision was in response to the evidence uncovered during rescues of sea turtles and other marine life that have consumed bags floating in the ocean. The consequences are deadly to the animals.

During a behind-the-scenes tour we were shown graphics on a staircase. The bottom step represented the number of people killed by sharks in the previous year around the world. 5. Each step up represented another cause of death. As we rose higher and higher, the number of deaths increased, until we landed at the top. 100,000 sharks were killed last year. That put things into perspective in a highly visual way.

One Ocean with high production values and starring a pod of killer whales was a multimedia water show that explained why we need to protect our oceans. Inspirational, factual and compelling.

Meeting the staff, however, may be the most inspirational aspect of visiting the Park. Everyone we met in a wide range of capacities had a story to tell. Most of them had visited SeaWorld as a child. They were so captivated by the experience that they set their sights on becoming members of the SeaWorld team, either as members of the Education and Conservation team or behind the scenes.

Admission to the park underwrites the rescue program. 24/7, every day of the year the rescue teams are ready to be deployed: Rescuing manatees hit by powerboat engines; beached whales; birds covered in oil from a spill. Those that cannot be returned to the wild are brought back to the park and become part of the education presentations. Reminding visitors to ease up on their outboards in manatee areas; or to pick up trash like fishing line and dispose of it.  One particular moment that I found compelling was learning that beach house lights and street lamps can keep baby sea turtles from reaching the sea when hatching. They mistake the lights for the light of the moon. Turn off the lights people during hatching season.

The Antarctica exhibit will open in the spring of 2013. During construction SeaWorld Orlando’s penguins are not on display. I got to meet a Magellanic penguin on the behind-the-scenes tour, which is way cooler than watching them through glass – just saying. The tour is an additional charge, and worth every penny!

The education program for Antarctica is under development. Based on the programs already in existence, visitors to the park will come to understand how the choices we make in our every day lives impact the habitat of the Antarctic penguins.

If you equate education with boring, then you have never visited SeaWorld. Next time you visit Orlando, make sure you packed an open mind and deep curiosity for the natural world, and include SeaWorld on your itinerary.

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10 minute nails and Orlando, Florida

When I left yesterday morning snow was imminent. I was under dressed because of the anticipated temperature at my destination. A normal occurrence when travelling from Canada in the winter to warmer climes.

For once, I felt as if I had completed the necessary tasks prior to departure, all but one. As I spend most of my day at a keyboard my nails were a mess. No time for a manicure. Bothersome because I would be shaking hands over and over when I reached my destination. I crossed my fingers that I would find a solution when I reached the airport.

My gate was F67. Pearson has long departure hallways, and passengers clear US Customs so long walks and waits are the norm. A best practice is to go directly to the gate. Fortuitous – directly in front of the gate was a 10 minute manicure kiosk. The last time I wrote about them I was scathing. This time nothing but praise. The manicurist was brilliant, my hands were no longer embarrassing, and I was able to listen for flight announcements.

Yes, I was too complacent, because when I was ready to enter the departure lounge area, my flight was not listed, and it should have been. The gate had changed. Pearson doesn’t announce gate changes. Passengers are expected to review the monitor listings. Luckily I had arrived early enough that I had time to walk back to the new gate.

The flight was uneventful. The weather spectacular at the Orlando end. So much so that we were inspired to rent a Mitsubishi cabriolet. No trunk space for luggage, but a push button soft top! Impractical, powerful and a joy to drive. By the way, Floridians don’t drive with the top down in November.

The GPS was another matter entirely. We’re taking it back this morning. Useless and overpriced! Don’t get me started! The GPS was not in the vehicle. It was a separate rental.

Today is a behind-the-scenes tour of SeaWorld. Can’t wait.

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Dale Woods adds to my Bucket List

YorktownMy last post generated an email from a former traveling companion, who may be the best customer service guy in the travel biz, my pal, Dale. He sent me a link to an online brochure about a Mississippi Cruise in the spring of 2013. Looks absolutely fabulous: Springtime on the Mississippi.  This is a small ship adventure through the deep south on Old Man River. How romantic is that?

I love small ship cruising. My first cruise was aboard a small ship, 109 passengers out of Seattle bound for the Inside Passage and the small ports of Alaska. All my touring in the polar regions was on small ships. I’ve never sailed on a ship that carried more than 110 passengers. I’m not a midnight buffet and gambling kind of cruiser. I prefer a game of Scrabble in a lounge with a fabulous cocktail with people who are about to become lifelong friends. I love the intimacy of a guest lecturer who shares your table for breakfast – or lunch – or dinner. Conversation is in fashion on a small ship.

The Yorktown looks like my kind of vessel. The itinerary is just my style. Thanks Dale, you just added to my travel bucket list.

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Sandy vs Hazel: Superstorm Lessons

Lawrence Avenue crossing the Humber River, con...

Lawrence Avenue crossing the Humber River, connecting Weston Road and Scarlett Road. The water level had been completely over the bridge as a result of Hurricane Hazel. By the time this picture was taken, the main river was in its course, but was flowing very fast, so that it was banked up against the curve of the bluff, and there was a standing wave head-high above the level of the bank on this side of the river. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

In 1954, Hurricane Hazel hit Toronto and the city was never the same. I was 2. The only memory I have of the event are family legends:

 

  1. Father was an invalid, unable to work, recovering from a life-threatening illness.
  2. Brother was 10, he bailed water, because the sump pump couldn’t keep up with the surge.
  3. Mother donned her mack and wellies to face the rain and wind en route to the only source of income for our family.

 

In response to the disaster the city changed the building codes, no building on flood plains. We have Hazel to thank for the riverside park system that we take for granted today. Watch this CBC report about the impact of the storm.

 

Sandy will make her presence known late this evening, with the peak hitting us Thursday morning. I am wagering she’ll be downgraded to a tropical storm by then. I’m not dismissing the possibility of a disastrous impact. By I’m calm, like the Nonagenarian. The city is prepared. We have advance warning. The cupboard is full, and bottled water is on hand.

 

OK – I do hope the plumbing holds up!