Vancouver and Beyond

New items for April 14, 2010:

• Canada travel and tourism: Looking for Canada’s prettiest little town? Try Ontario

New items for April 9, 2010:

• Canada travel and tourism: Transport Canada eases carry-on luggage restrictions, Will you fit? Find out seat size before you fly

New items for April 6, 2010:

• Canada travel and tourism: 48 hours in post-Olympics Vancouver

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Courtesy of www.canada2mexico.com
Featuring Darlene & Bill Jones from Comox,
British Columbia

We live in Mexico 4 to 5 months of the year. We started going south to escape the cold prairie winters. A couple of years ago we decided to invest in the property market in Mexico and we built
Bungalows Casa Ana. We purchased a lot close to the beach, and the adventure building in Mexico
and living through the construction process is something we will always remember. We chose the
resort town of Rincon de Guayabitos in the state of Nayarit for its’ wonderful beaches, small town feel,
lack of crowds and its proximity to Puerto Vallarta.

We feel we chose wisely as property values along the entire Nayarit coast have appreciated significantly during the past few years. In fact, we are delighted because during our first year in
business we were full for the entire tourist season!

Besides the wonderful weather, we love the camaraderie of the friends we have made, the exercise of body boarding, the food, the music, the margaritas… As, we are in Mexico part of the year only, we are able to enjoy the best Mexico has to offer and maintain the best of our home in Canada.

Of course we have faced some challenges, particularly when we were constructing the bungalows. Fortunately, we had a Mexican son-inlaw working for us and our daughter who lives in Mexico full time speaks fluent Spanish.

Now that the construction is complete, our life is much more relaxed and we enjoy spending our
winters in Mexico, visiting our daughter, and relaxing poolside at Casa Ana. We are learning Spanish and find each year that the town’s people speak more English so daily life is simplified. We still find it wise to be cautious in transactions, to check that the prices are correct and that the correct change has been given as some vendors and store staff will try to take advantage of tourists.

We always carry travel insurance and have had to use it for minor illnesses only. If you are visiting
Rincon de Guayabitos we highly recommend Dr. Lydia, in La Penita, but her English is a bit limited.
We recommend bringing enough of your medications with you, for the time you will be in Mexico. Medications are sold over the counter here, but they are not always the same dosage or prepared as we know them. For a major emergency, go to the San Javier Hospital which is located close to Wal-Mart in Puerto Vallarta. There are two new modern dental offices in town. We have not used them but we hear good things about both.

We have driven from Canada to Mexico, twice and we will not do it again only because it is such a long
drive. The toll highways are great–much easier to drive than the highways in the USA. Our advice is
to stick to the toll highways and find a hotel early to avoid driving in the dark. Local two lane roads
require patience and defensive driving skills, and an understanding that if someone tries to pass, can’t
make it, and has to cut in front of you, you let him in–don’t think the driver is cutting you off deliberately–it’s simply typical of Mexican drivers.

Truck drivers will often signal that it is okay to pass but don’t take their judgement as gospel. What
they think is a safe passing distance and what you think can be two different things. Also, if you have
to slow down suddenly or warn others of something on the road (e.g. animal, accident, construction)
put your four-ways on to alert the drivers behind you, a common practice in Mexico.

In four years of driving in Mexico, we have come to know the Guayabitos area well and know how to
drive there. We have only had one negative experience with the Transit Police in Guadalajara. The policeman said my husband had made an illegal left turn. He was going to take his driver’s license away but then said we could pay the fine on the spot and named a price. Don’t expect a receipt!

There are many things to love and enjoy in Mexico but after 18 years of visiting the country annually, we are always cautious in all our dealings as the fact remains, we are foreigners in a third world country. Living in Mexico is definitely less expensive than in Canada but prices are rising.

Depending on the life style you want, you can no longer expect to live on a shoestring. I would strongly advise anyone wanting to live in Mexico year round, to spend four to six months in the area of their choice before buying–go in the worst heat of the summer–June to October and if you can handle that, you’ll be fine.

Submitted by Darlene & Bill Jones from Comox, British Columbia. Darlene & Bill spend their winters in Rincon de Guayabitos, in the state of Nayarit with their daughter Leeme who lives there full time with her husband Gabriel, and manages Bungalows Casa Ana. Leeme and her husband, are expecting their first child, and have made the difficult decision to sell Bungalows Casa Ana so they can move to Canada so their child can be close to their grandparents, and be schooled in Canada. For more
information about Bungalows Casa Ana please contact Leeme directly by email at saanam@hotmail.com or by calling 011 52 327-274-3291.

Vancouver has been recognized as the 2008 Best Walking City in Canada by the Canadian Federation of Podiatric Medicine. Factors contributing to Vancouver’s win include the city’s natural beauty, extensive parks, and the city’s transportation plan which makes walking one of the top transportation priorities. The city invests in transportation options such as widening sidewalks, neighbourhood traffic calming, and increasing greenways. In addition, land-use planning has resulted in higher densities, and a very walkable downtown core, making it a pleasant host city for meetings and conventions. Vancouver was also recognized for the number of kilometres of trails in the city, its ideal year-round temperatures, good air quality and many points of interest. The award was established to raise awareness of the need for safe, accessible and practical urban walking routes which encourage and enable residents to walk as part of their daily life, and lead to healthier citizens and more vibrant communities.

The City of Vancouver has been chosen as one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers for 2009 by Mediacorp Canada Ltd., the nation’s largest publisher of employment guides and job-hunting periodicals.

The Top 100 Employers list is the result of a national competition recognizing employers who offer outstanding work environments.

Entries are evaluated on eight different criteria: physical workplace; work and social atmosphere; health, financial and family benefits; vacation and time off; employee communications; performance management; training and skills development; and community involvement.

The City of Vancouver employs more than 9,000 staff through the City, the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation, the Vancouver Police Department, Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services and Vancouver Public Library. The City was cited for many of its employee programs including:

providing mentoring and in-house training, educational and professional development courses, and tuition subsidies for courses related both to an employee’s current position and to their long-term career goals
giving employees discount passes which allows them unlimited access to all pools, rinks and fitness centres managed by the City’s Park Board
providing a number of flexible work arrangements, including a 35-hour work week and telecommuting options
offering comprehensive benefits and an employee savings plan that includes employer-matched funds
providing six-month work experience terms to individuals recovering from drug addiction in partnership with community organizations across the city.
Canada’s Top 100 Employers list will be featured in October 6 issue of Maclean’s magazine, and on the job search website Eluta.ca. Further details are available at www.canadastop100.com.
For more information:
Corporate Communications, 604.871.6336

Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet brings its exquisite brand of hypnotic choreography to Vancouver for the first time.

Where: Centennial Theatre Centre
2300 Lonsdale Avenue
North Vancouver, BC V7M 3L1
When: Oct 09-10, 2008 8:00 pm
Details: Regular $45, Student $35, Senior $40, Eye Go $5

For 25 years, this world-renowned San Francisco-based company has been sharing its vision of transformative, revelatory dance — of vulnerability and tenderness, but also of furious abandon and exhilarating freedom. These two works exemplify Alonzo King’s vision as a choreographer and bring to life a vibrant new language for Western classical ballet.

In Irregular Pearl, choreographer Alonzo King uncovers the freedom that lies inside of form and movement itself. His choreography transcends virtuosity to achieve a unique beauty, a sense of unforced artistry; a luminescence that comes from within.

Rasa features the rhythmic virtuosity of Grammy-award-winning composer and tabla master Zakir Hussain. This collaboration between choreographer King and composer Hussain is both a continuation of a deep tradition and an expression of the contemporary global vision of both artists.

Here is the place you are sure to find some great home remodelling ideas.

Where: B C Place Stadium
Vancouver, BC
When: Oct 16-19, 2008
Details: Adults $14.00 at the door; $12.00 online, Seniors (55+) $10.00, Kids 7–16, $5.00, Children 6 & under Free

The Vancouver Home & Interior Design Show is the one place where you’ll find hundreds of quality products and services for home remodelling, redecorating, landscaping, recreation at home and fine home living. Plus, you’ll enjoy entertaining features and special guest speakers.

http://www.bchomeandgardenshow.com/ME2/Sites/default.asp?

Discover some of the stories behind the cranberries garnishing our Thanksgiving dinners.

Where: Fort Langley National Historic Site
23433 Mavis
BC V1M2R5
When: Oct 11, 2008, Sat 10:00 am-5:00 pm

Fort Langley was exporting cranberries internationally long before Vancouver was even built. Cranberries don’t come from a can! At Fort Langley, First Nations people brought canoe loads of cranberries to trade. These were then shipped to San Francisco to be sold to gold prospectors – a vital source of vitamin C long before oranges were widely cultivated in California.

Bring the family and celebrate our proud berry history by enjoying the cranberry harvest at the 13th annual Cranberry Festival.