Oh, Canada!
April 4, 2006 | 12:00am
I immediately agreed when Top Vacations, a consortium of seven Philippine travel agencies (Action Holidays Tour, Airborne 7 Travel, Far Eastern Travel, Filman Travel, Fortune Travel, Swire Travel and Trader’s Travel), invited me to go on a whirlwind tour of British Columbia for nine days.
The long trip involved taking Philippine Airlines to Hong Kong and then Air Canada to Vancouver.
Upon landing in Vancouver, the fresh, unpolluted air gave a sweet impression of things to come. Vancouver is a melting pot of different cultures, making the food authentic and excellent. Japanese, Chinese, Greek and Vietnamese restaurants are all around and everything I tried was, for a lack of a better term, superb. Salmon is bountiful in this part of the globe so imagine what fresh and generous portions one can get when ordering this grilled, poached, or as sushi or sashimi! It was even season for the Alaskan king crab which we were able to savor – thanks to the hardworking and very organized tour planner, Traders Travel’s August Ong, who took us all to one of Vancouver’s top restaurants, Sun Sui Wah. The Holiday Inn Downtown proved to be a very centrally located hotel, as did the Sandman Hotel (try the delicious food at Sandman’s Moxie’s Grill).
It was a scenic route to Whistler Mountain the next day as the group had several stops for photo-ops in the heavy snow. We checked out the vibrant nightlife at Whistler Village where I was shocked to find people waiting in queue in the freezing weather just to get into a hip bar! The next morning, we all had an opportunity to go ziptrekking. Zip Trek Ecotours was the first to offer ziplining ("flying by wire") in Whistler. It was founded by Charles Steele and David Udow who created a unique adrenaline experience in the context of a nature-based learning experience. Aside from ziplining (safely done with a sturdy harness) between Blackcomb and Whistler Mountains over the Fitzsimmons River, we learned a lot about the environment. All totaled up, the seven ziplines between the mountains run almost two kilometers and can let one cruise along speeds up to 100 kilometers per hour! Cute couple Romina and Monchu Gonzalez, other hardworking Top Vacations operators FETA’s Jennie Verano and Fortune Travel’s Zeny Chua and I couldn’t stop taking pictures of each other as we had ziplined from mountain to mountain. At last, I think I have overcome my fear of heights! Ziptrekking can be done all year round. We stayed at the cozy and perfectly situated boutique hotel Crystal Lodge (where even pets are welcome) and had lunch at the impressive Hilton Whistler Resort & Spa. Dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory and breakfast at Ric’s Grill proved Canadians really know the meaning of good food.
En route to Harrison, we stopped by George Flynn’s Blue Heron fruit winery to try such unique treats like blackberry port or iced apple fruit wine. Here we saw the remnants of a plot where cranberries were just harvested (they are harvested by flooding the plot and the cranberries float to the top and are gathered by a net) and tried out the homemade cranberry wine. We arrived in Harrison Springs Resort & Spa (its Copper Room provided dinner and ballroom dancing with a live band) where some tried the naturally hot swimming pools amidst a snow-capped mountain background. The highlight of Harrison was the Sasquatch Tour operated by Willy Charlie. He toured us around his boat and told us stories about First Nations’ (Native Canadians) culture as he showed us petroglyphs on caves around the river.
Midway on our hectic but fun tour of British Columbia, we departed for Kelowna (which I will write about in this column soon) but stopped by Merritt, the country music capital of Canada. It is in this town that the country music walk of fame (think L.A.’s Hollywood walk of fame) is located and where a country music festival is held yearly. This is also the location of a great restaurant, the Smokin Barrel Steakhouse. Chef de Patron Charlie Avison prides his restaurant for having the top of the line Canadian beef aged and smoked in his own premises.
The City of Hope is another stop for us. This quaint town is cradled between cascade and coastal mountain ranges. This city is famous as the shooting location for the movie Rambo: First Blood. It is also famed for its giant chainsaw woodcarvings, all carved from one piece of wood. This day tripper’s paradise also offers antiques, art pieces and gold panning.
We stopped for lunch at Minter Gardens in Chilliwack. These gardens are 32 acres of pure floral artistry with 11 themed gardens. I was amused when they showed they were so proud about having a banana tree in their garden. The historic Fort Langley was our next stop. Built in 1827, this Fort was part of the Hudson’s Bay Company’s network of fur trading posts across Western Canada and it was in this site that British Columbia was proclaimed a Crown Colony in 1858.
As we got closer to Vancouver, our point of origin, we headed to the nearby city of New Westminster. We stayed at the very comfortable Inn at Westminster Quay, right beside the Royal City Star Riverboat Casino (where I won C$40 in computerized poker care of coupons given by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation!) and near the huge River Rock Casino Resort which has a variety of shows for guests to enjoy… not to mention an extensive dinner buffet where I had (again!) stuffed myself with crab legs, shrimps, salmon and scallops. Nearby, too, is the Paddlewheeler Riverboat tour along the Fraser River. The river tour reveals the abundance of wildlife and various industries that dominate the shores of the river. British Columbia’s largest shopping and entertainment center is Metrotown, easily accessible by the Sky Train from New Westminster or downtown Vancouver. The massive complex has over 500 shops, 17 movie theaters, three game centers and over 92 restaurants. Instead of shopping, I opted to take the hop-on-hop-off Sightseeing Trolley with David Celdran, Ellen Desear-Espiritu and Michael Gonzales and checked the sights of Vancouver. We passed through the beautiful Stanley Park on the way to Granville Island. Granville Island is a little quaint shopper’s paradise, filled with unique restaurants and shops. They even have their own smokery where the Filipino staff gave me a pack of smoked salmon!
Vancouver also has three must-see attractions. First is Storyeum where Canada’s history is seen through pictures and a live theatrical show featured in different rooms. People are transported down a massive elevator as all these take place underground in historic Gastown. Then there is Capilano Suspension Bridge, a 450-foot bridge of swaying planks 230 feet above the Capilano Canyon. The tree top adventures and the views are breathtaking. Lastly, there is Grouse Mountain, the peak of Vancouver, which is only 15 minutes away from downtown. Skiing and snowboarding are popular here but you can also see the wolves and two orphaned grizzly bear cubs.
Our itinerary was arranged by Top Vacations but bear in mind that they can custom-make an itinerary for a group, inclusive of transportation from one city to another.
As I took a long direct flight to Manila on Philippine Airlines, I pondered on the wonderful experiences I had in this beautiful country.
I asked myself: Are long distance to British Columbia worth taking again? The answer is a definite yes.
(Philippine Airlines flies direct to Vancouver every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Check www.philippineairlines.com or contact Top Vacations at 524-0001, 817-3120, 817-1082, 241-5101, 242-2001, 751-8701 or 245-7087 or e-mail them at [email protected])
The Oriental Spa on the top floor of the Mandarin Oriental Manila has an established reputation for the quality of its treatments, products and legendary service.
Spa consultant Ronald Decter, who has a strong interest in traditional and natural healing methods, has introduced hilot, the Philippines’s own traditional healing modality to the spa’s menu of services.In addition to hilot, The Oriental Spa has incorporated other traditional treatments such as bentosa and dagdagay foot therapy.
Hilot has been practiced for more than a thousand years. In the practice, the therapist identifies areas of energy imbalance through touch diagnosis and then customizes the treatment to alleviate the imbalance. The Oriental Spa also launched new products and treatments from Decléor of Paris, nominated as Best European Spa Cosmetic Product at the European Spa Exhibition in Monte Carlo.
Decter said, "In every country, we see a growing appreciation, an awakening, to the value of traditional, natural medicine. The incorporation of these treatments into our Spa’s treatment options is a perfect fit, as I believe that a visit to The Oriental Spa should not only provide a guest with relaxation, but should also contribute directly to his or her health and well being."
Other speakers at the launch included Elizabeth Nelle from the Department of Tourism, technical-commercial manager of Luxasia Carla Enage and Bibiano "Boy"Fajardo, president of the Association of Traditional Health Aid Givers (ATHAG).
The Oriental Spa is open from 8 a.m. to 12 midnight daily (last booking is at 10 p.m.). Hotel guests may enjoy in-room service 24 hours per day.
(For inquiries, call 867-4461.)
E-mail me at [email protected]
The long trip involved taking Philippine Airlines to Hong Kong and then Air Canada to Vancouver.
Upon landing in Vancouver, the fresh, unpolluted air gave a sweet impression of things to come. Vancouver is a melting pot of different cultures, making the food authentic and excellent. Japanese, Chinese, Greek and Vietnamese restaurants are all around and everything I tried was, for a lack of a better term, superb. Salmon is bountiful in this part of the globe so imagine what fresh and generous portions one can get when ordering this grilled, poached, or as sushi or sashimi! It was even season for the Alaskan king crab which we were able to savor – thanks to the hardworking and very organized tour planner, Traders Travel’s August Ong, who took us all to one of Vancouver’s top restaurants, Sun Sui Wah. The Holiday Inn Downtown proved to be a very centrally located hotel, as did the Sandman Hotel (try the delicious food at Sandman’s Moxie’s Grill).
It was a scenic route to Whistler Mountain the next day as the group had several stops for photo-ops in the heavy snow. We checked out the vibrant nightlife at Whistler Village where I was shocked to find people waiting in queue in the freezing weather just to get into a hip bar! The next morning, we all had an opportunity to go ziptrekking. Zip Trek Ecotours was the first to offer ziplining ("flying by wire") in Whistler. It was founded by Charles Steele and David Udow who created a unique adrenaline experience in the context of a nature-based learning experience. Aside from ziplining (safely done with a sturdy harness) between Blackcomb and Whistler Mountains over the Fitzsimmons River, we learned a lot about the environment. All totaled up, the seven ziplines between the mountains run almost two kilometers and can let one cruise along speeds up to 100 kilometers per hour! Cute couple Romina and Monchu Gonzalez, other hardworking Top Vacations operators FETA’s Jennie Verano and Fortune Travel’s Zeny Chua and I couldn’t stop taking pictures of each other as we had ziplined from mountain to mountain. At last, I think I have overcome my fear of heights! Ziptrekking can be done all year round. We stayed at the cozy and perfectly situated boutique hotel Crystal Lodge (where even pets are welcome) and had lunch at the impressive Hilton Whistler Resort & Spa. Dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory and breakfast at Ric’s Grill proved Canadians really know the meaning of good food.
En route to Harrison, we stopped by George Flynn’s Blue Heron fruit winery to try such unique treats like blackberry port or iced apple fruit wine. Here we saw the remnants of a plot where cranberries were just harvested (they are harvested by flooding the plot and the cranberries float to the top and are gathered by a net) and tried out the homemade cranberry wine. We arrived in Harrison Springs Resort & Spa (its Copper Room provided dinner and ballroom dancing with a live band) where some tried the naturally hot swimming pools amidst a snow-capped mountain background. The highlight of Harrison was the Sasquatch Tour operated by Willy Charlie. He toured us around his boat and told us stories about First Nations’ (Native Canadians) culture as he showed us petroglyphs on caves around the river.
Midway on our hectic but fun tour of British Columbia, we departed for Kelowna (which I will write about in this column soon) but stopped by Merritt, the country music capital of Canada. It is in this town that the country music walk of fame (think L.A.’s Hollywood walk of fame) is located and where a country music festival is held yearly. This is also the location of a great restaurant, the Smokin Barrel Steakhouse. Chef de Patron Charlie Avison prides his restaurant for having the top of the line Canadian beef aged and smoked in his own premises.
The City of Hope is another stop for us. This quaint town is cradled between cascade and coastal mountain ranges. This city is famous as the shooting location for the movie Rambo: First Blood. It is also famed for its giant chainsaw woodcarvings, all carved from one piece of wood. This day tripper’s paradise also offers antiques, art pieces and gold panning.
We stopped for lunch at Minter Gardens in Chilliwack. These gardens are 32 acres of pure floral artistry with 11 themed gardens. I was amused when they showed they were so proud about having a banana tree in their garden. The historic Fort Langley was our next stop. Built in 1827, this Fort was part of the Hudson’s Bay Company’s network of fur trading posts across Western Canada and it was in this site that British Columbia was proclaimed a Crown Colony in 1858.
As we got closer to Vancouver, our point of origin, we headed to the nearby city of New Westminster. We stayed at the very comfortable Inn at Westminster Quay, right beside the Royal City Star Riverboat Casino (where I won C$40 in computerized poker care of coupons given by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation!) and near the huge River Rock Casino Resort which has a variety of shows for guests to enjoy… not to mention an extensive dinner buffet where I had (again!) stuffed myself with crab legs, shrimps, salmon and scallops. Nearby, too, is the Paddlewheeler Riverboat tour along the Fraser River. The river tour reveals the abundance of wildlife and various industries that dominate the shores of the river. British Columbia’s largest shopping and entertainment center is Metrotown, easily accessible by the Sky Train from New Westminster or downtown Vancouver. The massive complex has over 500 shops, 17 movie theaters, three game centers and over 92 restaurants. Instead of shopping, I opted to take the hop-on-hop-off Sightseeing Trolley with David Celdran, Ellen Desear-Espiritu and Michael Gonzales and checked the sights of Vancouver. We passed through the beautiful Stanley Park on the way to Granville Island. Granville Island is a little quaint shopper’s paradise, filled with unique restaurants and shops. They even have their own smokery where the Filipino staff gave me a pack of smoked salmon!
Vancouver also has three must-see attractions. First is Storyeum where Canada’s history is seen through pictures and a live theatrical show featured in different rooms. People are transported down a massive elevator as all these take place underground in historic Gastown. Then there is Capilano Suspension Bridge, a 450-foot bridge of swaying planks 230 feet above the Capilano Canyon. The tree top adventures and the views are breathtaking. Lastly, there is Grouse Mountain, the peak of Vancouver, which is only 15 minutes away from downtown. Skiing and snowboarding are popular here but you can also see the wolves and two orphaned grizzly bear cubs.
Our itinerary was arranged by Top Vacations but bear in mind that they can custom-make an itinerary for a group, inclusive of transportation from one city to another.
As I took a long direct flight to Manila on Philippine Airlines, I pondered on the wonderful experiences I had in this beautiful country.
I asked myself: Are long distance to British Columbia worth taking again? The answer is a definite yes.
(Philippine Airlines flies direct to Vancouver every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Check www.philippineairlines.com or contact Top Vacations at 524-0001, 817-3120, 817-1082, 241-5101, 242-2001, 751-8701 or 245-7087 or e-mail them at [email protected])
Spa consultant Ronald Decter, who has a strong interest in traditional and natural healing methods, has introduced hilot, the Philippines’s own traditional healing modality to the spa’s menu of services.In addition to hilot, The Oriental Spa has incorporated other traditional treatments such as bentosa and dagdagay foot therapy.
Hilot has been practiced for more than a thousand years. In the practice, the therapist identifies areas of energy imbalance through touch diagnosis and then customizes the treatment to alleviate the imbalance. The Oriental Spa also launched new products and treatments from Decléor of Paris, nominated as Best European Spa Cosmetic Product at the European Spa Exhibition in Monte Carlo.
Decter said, "In every country, we see a growing appreciation, an awakening, to the value of traditional, natural medicine. The incorporation of these treatments into our Spa’s treatment options is a perfect fit, as I believe that a visit to The Oriental Spa should not only provide a guest with relaxation, but should also contribute directly to his or her health and well being."
Other speakers at the launch included Elizabeth Nelle from the Department of Tourism, technical-commercial manager of Luxasia Carla Enage and Bibiano "Boy"Fajardo, president of the Association of Traditional Health Aid Givers (ATHAG).
The Oriental Spa is open from 8 a.m. to 12 midnight daily (last booking is at 10 p.m.). Hotel guests may enjoy in-room service 24 hours per day.
(For inquiries, call 867-4461.)
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