INSPIRATION FOR TRAVELLERS
Home & Away • British Columbia • Colorado • Prince Edward Island • Riviera Maya • Sayulita
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Sophistication Served Sky-high Whether transiting through Frankfurt on the way to Singapore or whiling away a weekend in a Munich museum, connoisseurs of air travel shouldn’t miss the long-haul Lufthansa experience.
Celebrating 60 years of Long-Haul Excellence Renowned for its First-Class lounges – each an icon of epicurean and lavish amenities (think cigar humidors, vintage cuvée, bubble baths, chauffeured transport directly to the aircraft) – it’s no surprise Lufthansa delights in defining the leading edge of luxury air travel. But the real heart of the airline rests in its 60-year history as aeronautic innovator, setting new standards in all classes of service that keep pace with the evolving needs of the long-haul traveller. As the first airline to serve freshly-brewed coffee onboard in 1955, Lufthansa is leveraging its pedigree and applying it to the 21st Century. The results are worth fawning over - it’s positioned to become the Western Hemisphere’s first 5-star airline.
Book your flight now at lufthansa.com
Setting Standards Sky-high “We are listening to our customers, listening for what they want,” says Hans DeHaan, Lufthansa’s Director for Canada. “The consistency of our product is extremely important.” Overseeing 130 long-haul aircraft that fly more than 15 million passengers a year to 1300 worldwide destinations while keeping a close ear to passenger feedback has allowed Lufthansa to establish new initiatives that translates passengers into loyal guests. It’s a strategy Lufthansa has extended to all facets of its service – from the fleetwide wireless broadband Internet, FlyNet, to the celebrity chefs that bring hautecuisine concepts up to 30,000 feet. “I hope Lufthansa guests are just wowed with their eyes and then once they’ve started eating just wowed again,” says Grant Mickels, Executive Chef of Culinary Development, of what he playfully describes as “down to earth” food. By adopting regional menus sourced with local, seasonal ingredients, this is a sophistication of air travel found across the service range and that speaks directly to Lufthansa’s commitment to each one of its passengers.
The Future of Flight Upgrade Yourself Their newest offering, Lufthansa’s Premium Economy Class, is an enticing choice for leisure and business travellers seeking a service upgrade without sacrificing affordability. Located between Economy and Business Classes, Premium Economy passengers enjoy 50 percent more seat room while being permitted a second piece of luggage up to 22kgs. Height-adjustable footrests, extra storage, electrical sockets, travel amenity kits and meals served on porcelain tableware round out this new level of personalized, tailored care now offered on all flights departing Canadian Lufthansa gateways (YYZ, YVR, YUL).
Travellers in 1955 could know little of the advancements that would sweep the airline industry in 60 years. The same might be said for travellers in 2015. Lufthansa already has their eyes set on the next 60, bringing their “Made in Germany” seal of quality to redefine the travel experience.
BOLDMAGAZINE.CA 7
CONTENTS
Summer / 2016
Features 40 Mountain High If there’s one feature that defines Colorado more than anything else, it’s mountains. And every region, it seems, has a notable peak or some other mountain-oriented claim to fame. With feet firmly planted on the ground, Diane Slawych still manages to get elevated in Colorado
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Thompson Okanagan, British Columbia A woman hiking on a rocky ledge in Cathedral Provincial Park; lake forest and mountains.© Destination BC/Stirl and Rae Photo
Wander Land
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The natural landscape of the Thompson Okanagan includes mountains, valleys, desert, and everything in between. Lola Agustine Brown takes a spectacular drive from Vancouver to Osoyoos and explores the area’s renowned orchards and vineyards
53 The Girl on the Island While exploring Canada’s “gentle Island,” Mark Stevens goes on a PEI pilgrimage in search of Canadian icons à la Anne of Green Gables
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DEPARTMENTS
World
Your
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ON OUR RADAR + TRENDS
Meet Mike Ward, our Globetrotter, and get a perspective on how craft beer is changing the drinking game
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CONTENTS
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Here&Now DISCOVERIES + DESIGN
When in Mexico, retreat to Esencia, a hideaway by the Mayan shore; discover Sayulita, a haven for surfers and a centre for Mexican Huichol art
Summer / 2016
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Travel Intel Breeze through immigration around the world with your passport and your trusted access card
Guide The
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BUCKET LIST
Best golf courses to play now
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Publisher’s Note
Sweet Summer I am privileged to call Canada my home, and what I love the most, is the very well noted change in seasons. My favourite season without doubt is the summer. It’s the time of the year when cities all across the country come alive. There is so much to do during the summer - whether that means heading to the beach, or, attending the countless festivals that take place in your city. One of the joys of summer can simply be pouring a refreshing drink and soaking in some of the best summer songs ever made - summertime means finding the time to sit back and unwind. In my childhood, as the school year came to an end, the notion of summer camps was not on our radar. Sending our family of four children to summer camp would have put a huge dent in the well balanced cheque book of my hard-working parents... That said, the summer season has a very special meaning for me. As a family, we opted for something simpler yet vastly more rewarding. I remember as a child packing our bags and overloading our 1992 Dodge Caravan with three Coleman coolers with enough food to feed an an entire battalion. Throw in blankets, mosquito repellant, pillows, camping tents and a quick detour to a gas station to buy a map – pre-GPS system. What made those trips super special was that we didn’t know where we were going until we were all in the minivan and had that map. My younger brother figured out the best route and my little sisters put their knowledge of geography into practice.. Mom and I had the important role of planning the meals and the number of stops along the way. I am forever grateful that my parents skipped the camps and that we inherited something so enriching and more valuable: the sense of adventure and discovery.
Safe travels
Marl
on
Marlon J. Moreno Publisher
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FROM MY TRAVELS Late last spring, I had the good fortune of making an overnight stopover in one of my favourite getaways in Europe: Prague - a friendly, generous place, a mellow city of sandstone, buildings, cathedrals, palaces, punchy graffiti and wide bridges - a city made for walking. Everyday life in Prague revolves around the Old Town Square where wooden apostles in the Astronomical clock give hourly reminders of the passage of time. You could spend a week there; it’s all wonderfully exhausting. Look for more on Prague in our style and culture issue.
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TRENDS SPRING 2017
CONTRIBUTORS
Inspired by our featured destinations, we asked our contributors about their favourite summer escapes. Here is what they had to say...
Lola Brown - Writer
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British Columbia For Lola Augustine Brown, the Okanagan “is just gorgeous, and so vastly different from the rest of B.C. and Canada. There’s so much amazing food and wine, and stunning vistas, you can’t help but fall in love with the region.” Lola lives in rural Nova Scotia with her husband, children, dogs and chickens. She loves exploring near and far, and recent adventures have taken her to Fado clubs in Lisbon, a night rodeo in Cody, Wyoming, late night food trucks in Curaçao and bakery crawling in Toronto.
Mark Stevens - Writer
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Prince Edward Island Although Mark Stevens is known as a Caribbean specialist, he has also written extensively about both Canadian and worldwide destinations. On his visit to PEI, he was taken by “the sheer beauty and the variety of culinary options for a relatively small island in Atlantic Canada.” He’s currently researching story ideas in Cape Breton and is travelling to Quebec’s Laurentian region in August.
Diane Slawych - Writer
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Colorado Diane Slawych is a Toronto-based freelance writer, who has traveled to 92 countries. Her work has appeared in more than 70 newspapers and magazines including Dreamscapes, the National Post and the Toronto Star. “The best feature about Colorado,” says Diane, “is the combination of scenic beauty, innovative and bike-friendly cities and great restaurants.”
INSPIRATION FOR TRAVELLERS
MARLON MORENO Publisher + Editorial Director MAGDA DE LA TORRE America’s Editor CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Liam Wilkinson • David Locke • Muriel Paras • Michael Smith • Andrew Brudz ART DIRECTION AND DESIGN Laura García • Peter Wootton CARLOS BOLIVAR Photography • CHRISTYAN ESTRADA Production Assistant RAHUL NAIR Web Developer PUBLIC RELATIONS AGENCY Jesson + Company ⁄ jessonco.com / info@jessonco.com 77 Bloor St. West, Suite 1200 Toronto, ON. M5S 1M2 ADVERTISING For Advertising, Promotion, Reprints and Sponsorships inquiries marketing@boldmagazine.ca / phone: 1.416.323.7828 extension 25 CORRESPONDENCE The Hudson Bay Centre / 20 Bloor St. East P.O. Box 75075 / Toronto, ON. M4W 3T3 BOLD® is published bimonthly by Pulso Media Group Inc. Opinions express in BOLD are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the publisher or advertisers. BOLD does not assume liability for content. www.boldmagazine.ca MEDIA SPONSORSHIPS marketing@boldmagazine.ca
Point Prim Lighthouse, Prince Edward Island ©Tourism PEI / Carrie Gregory
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A World of Possibilities
PROMOTION
Take Me There
For Those Who Prefer to Explore Colorado is a great place for travellers. There are the slopes of Vail to ski, of course. Not to mention the endless amounts of hiking trails along the Rocky Mountains, canyons and rivers. But Colorado is also home to so much more than that. Those same ski hills become the mecca of mountain bikes in the summer months. You can sip craft beers in LoHi Denver’s hippest neighbourhood – one day, and visit Mesa Verde – an ancient village of the Pueblo people – the next. This is the Colorado experience that true travellers crave. You see, there are two ways to explore a new destination. First you have tourists; those who are happy to stick to the travel guide itinerary and to take photos of famous and familiar landmarks. But then you have travellers. These are the people who like to wander off the beaten path. They might go down an alleyway just to see where they end up. Travellers eat at the local independent café. They find a city’s third-most popular art gallery and buy a unique piece to display in their home. And sometimes they sit peacefully on a park bench just to watch the locals go about their day.
According to Glenn DeSouza, VP of Retail Cards at RBC, “We have another word for these travellers. We call them Avioners®.” “In the same way that these travellers aren’t limited by the tourist guide, Avioners don’t accept limitations on their travel plans and they would never carry a travel rewards card that would place such limitations,” he says. In fact, with an RBC Avion® credit card you just don’t have to face those kinds of restrictions. You can book any flight, with any airline, at any time.
Explore the world, ON POINTS Easy to understand travel rewards. No seat restrictions. If there’s a seat available, you fly – even during peak seasons. Plus you can also use your points to cover airline fees and taxes.
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With Payback with Points, you can redeem your RBC Rewards points toward anything and everything you purchase using your Avion® credit card. Simply use your points to make a payment directly toward your credit card balance.
Avioners can explore and experience any new destination. So, ask yourself: are you a tourist or are you an Avioner?
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To learn more visit rbc.com/avion All rewards are subject to availability and are subject to change without notice. Some restrictions may apply. For complete terms, visit rbcrewards.com/terms. ®/™ Trademark(s) of Royal Bank of Canada. RBC and Royal Bank are registered trademarks of Royal Bank of Canada. ‡ All other trademarks are the property of their respective owner(s).
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Your
World ON OUR RADAR + TRENDS
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1
World
Your
Two hotels for me share the number one position, and both are polar opposite from each other. One would be the Windsor Manor in Bangalore, India. I travelled a lot to India throughout my 20s and that very colonial, almost slightly uptight old school British leftover hotel experience in the middle of an old Indian city is a magical combination. My second hotel would be Wynn in Las Vegas. Whether you love or loathe Las Vegas the attention to detail, design and service at Wynn is truly mind-blowing.
3
TRAVEL DIARY
3-W.M.
Globetrotter
3-W.
What do President Clinton, Julia Roberts and Tom Cruise have in common? Well, aside from spectacularly toothy grins, they all have one man in common: Mike Ward. Ward is a chef who has cooked for stars of the screen and of politics. But the true stars in his life are his two daughters.
F
or the Australian-born, Toronto-based chef, travelling allows him to “almost become somebody else.” Says Ward, “it’s easy to leave certain parts of you back home and become a different version of yourself.” In early 2000, he expanded his creativity to include writing, producing and directing award-winning cooking/travel/ lifestyle TV series that have been seen in more than 120 countries. Ward’s insatiable appetite for food and adventure continues to drive him to explore and create. We caught up with the busy globetrotter in Toronto.
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My last major trip was in Sydney, Australia. My mouth waters every time I think about it. Sure I grew up there, but I’ve travelled enough now to have lost my biased opinion. I think there’s three things that define it as a leading culinary epicentre; very mixed population, particularly from Southeast Asia and the Mediterranean, phenomenal domestic produce and meats. So much so that virtually nothing needs to be imported, and a population that loves great food, and in turn supports it’s restaurant culture. Throw on top of that almost perfect weather all year round and in my opinion you have of food scene that’s better than New York or any other major capital.
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Japan lives up to its hype. In every aspect of what they do it is a cultural anomaly. If you can deal with the idea that they are the most insular culture on earth it truly is worth the trip.
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I’m often asked what is my favourite meal. For me it’s when I’m cooking for myself. That tends to be seafood dishes, often whole fish. I have a fetish for very fishy tasting fish, give me a whole grilled mackerel roasted with a smear of mustard a squeeze of lemon and a cold beer and I am in heaven. – Marlon Moreno
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Buddhist blessings, jungle safaris, golden temples, elephant encounters, delicious fresh meals, paradise-like beaches, our tour of Thailand had too many highlights to list. Exodus, thank you as always for what was truly a trip of a lifetime. Tom & Patricia Dumont Thailand • March 2016
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Your
World
PERSPECTIVE
Beer just ain’t what it used to be.
The Craft There is no denying it—when it comes to beer, craft is now king
The days of only having a choice of off-yellow, watery, undifferentiated mass market beers are numbered—in their place, come dark roasted lagers, long-lingering ales, velvety stouts, crisp ciders and sensually saturating porters. For each of the past five years, large brewers have accounted for a smaller and smaller chunk of beer sales. Last year, overall beer sales grew less than half of one percent while craft sales grew by an astonishing 17 percent. For decades, the top-selling beers in Canada were all variants of the same pale American-style lager and most consumers had one brand and stuck with it. Big breweries competed with each not through innovative products but with aggressive lifestyle marketing; desperately trying to out-sex, out-funny, and out-man each other. While Canadians were treated to some rather memorable advertisements (who, after all, can’t quote a beer commercial?), not much changed on the shelf. In the early 2000s something started to change and craft beer hit the scene. As a product and culture, craft beer arose
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as a direct response and challenge to the mega-corp. model of brewing. According to Bud Light review BeerAdvocate.com, it turns out people were tired of drinking “Nearly colourless, flavourless… alcohol delivery device with some vague resemblance to beer.” As North American consumers discovered old European styles of beer and sales began to rise, so too did the emergence of micro and craft brewers. Like all counter-cultures, the craft beer movement started small in individualized pockets but its adherents brought a sense of evangelism to the movement and soon it spread. At the end of 2006 there were 88 breweries in Canada, a mere 10 years later that number is now more than 550—nearly all of them small breweries. These craft brewers set a remarkably different tone; not merely changing how beer is brewed, but the business of brewing itself.
The “All Natural & Socially Responsible” Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company, based near Ottawa, is the textbook tale of big-business counter culture. Started 10 years ago in the first big boom of microbreweries, these big-hearted brewers not only produce some of the most lauded and award-winning beer in the country but have also set the bar for social responsibility. Priding themselves for being everything mega-brewers are not, Beau’s has only ever produced 100 percent certified organic beers and recently announced a plan to shift to an employee ownership model to ensure that they stay independent. Consumers have responded. In Canada alone, from 2009 to 2014, the amount of beer produced by small breweries nearly doubled to more than 2 million hectolitres—that is nearly 570 million bottles of beer.
The “Indie-brand” The big players in the business now recognize that this trend is here to stay and are adjusting their business plans accordingly. Their strategy now seems to be “If you can’t beat ‘em, buy’ them.” In late 2015, Labatt Breweries (and its parent megacorporation AB Inbev) acquired Mill Street Brewery, the indie-brand Toronto upstart and darling of local beer aficionados. While many feared and speculated that this marked the end for the fiercely–independent brewer, the exact opposite seems to have happened. Labatt left Mill Street alone, content to allow them to continue their winning strategy and the results, and the beer, speak for themselves. Just this year Mill Street has launched two major new core brands; their West Coast Style IPA and their Distillery Root Beer, two highly original brews that are having a hard time staying on shelves.
The Bold Brew The consensus seems to be that tastes and expectations have shifted. Consumers, driven by a new generation of beer drinkers, are constantly trying new products and experimenting with increasingly nuanced and out-there flavours. How else do you explain Belching Beaver Brewery’s Peanut Butter Milk Stout? This particular brew has been described as the ecstasy - fuelled love child of Willy Wonka, the Starbucks Mermaid and Mr. Peanut and is an oftcited favourite of craft drinkers. Its olfactory complexity is unmatched with notes of coffee, bitter dark chocolate and sweet caramel. The body is black, rich and creamy; with an unmistakeable peanut butter flavour that makes one wonder how exactly an entire jar of Skippy fits in a beer bottle? Certainly for some, peanut butter will remain an ingredient on their sandwich and not a part of their pint. Most Bud drinkers are going to stay Bud drinkers and these big brands will not disappear. But sure as burps follow beers, brewers will follow the taste of their drinkers and increasingly those drinkers have a taste for craft. – DAVID LOCKE
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& Here Now DISCOVERIES + DESIGN
Tucked amid swaying palms on a quiet coast of the Pacific, Meagan Drillinger discovers a haven for surfers and a centre for
Here&Now DISCOVERIES + DESIGN
The
resort-dotted skyline of Puerto Vallarta rolls quickly into the distance as I cruise up the coast into the state of Nayarit.
The urban beachscape gives way to lush jungle and winding road as Highway 200 curves north. The destination? Sayulita, a sleepy bohemian beach town splashed with mystical colours and sun worshippers. Sayulita is, above all else, laid back. Dreadlocked, leathery surfers don stacked wrists of hemp bracelets, sipping cold beers under fringed palapa roofs. A hotspot for surfers and art lovers, the beach, however, is the main draw to Sayulita. But, for the sun shy, the town itself is buzzing with art galleries, coffee shops, restaurants and streets that explode with colour as bright Mexican flags flutter overhead in the breeze. But by history’s standards, life in Sayulita is smooth sailing. Once upon a time, travellers had to access the shores by traversing dense jungle, only to discover untamed coastline where waves crashed onto barren beaches through the haze. While threads of its wild past remain, Sayulita is, by all means, a luxury destination. I check into Grand Sirenis Matlali Hills Resort & Spa, a five-star luxury resort tucked into the hills of La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, about 15 minutes outside of Sayulita. The allinclusive, all-villa resort has a full-service Makawe Spa, infinity pool and private beach club. For something equally luxurious, consider the iconic St. Regis Punta Mita at the tip of the small peninsula near Sayulita. This resort is more of a destination in its own right, but makes day trips to Sayulita easy.
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Another hotel to consider is Casa Mis Amores, an oceanfront hotel on its own stretch of beach that oozes backpacker chic, with lazily swinging hammocks, a large main villa and two separate bungalows. Guests can enjoy the spa, infinity pool, hot tub, sauna and tennis courts. Haramara Retreat is yet another magical option set amid idyllic jungle and secluded sea. The retreat is all about wellness, renewing yoga and relaxation, while remaining “at one” with the spirit of the land. Yogis might also want to consider Playa Escondida, a beach-jungle bungalow and spa hideaway known for its tree-house style yoga platform overlooking the ocean. I head into town. It’s July and the heat feels thick and still. During high season, from November to April, Sayulita hums with throngs of tourists. But in July, the stagnant, wet humidity turns the town seemingly back to its original ghost town roots. I don’t mind the heat – that’s what the ocean is there for. A succulent, fatty steam fills the air along Calle Delfin, one of the main arteries that lead directly to the beach. A few tall tables with wooden chairs sit on the sidewalk, while a woman grills fresh tuna and marlin at The Real Fish Taco stall. Slathered in lime juice and topped with fiery salsa, the fish is folded neatly into tortillas. I devour them. Taco-philes will also be rewarded at Mary’s, a wooden sidewalk lunch counter that slings frozen limeades – the perfect antidote to beating the heavy heat. The tacos de camarones is what you’re ordering here: Shrimp, roasted poblano peppers, melted cheese and fresh avocado. For food something a little more upscale, take it off the street corner and into Los Corazones, a red-splashed restaurant right in the heart of town. Candlelit tables are soon covered with mushroom-stuffed shrimp, steak and sweet potato chips and salsa.
Sated and sleepy, I meander the beach to find that perfect chaise lounge. The beach restaurants rent the lounge chairs out for the day – perfect for al fresco napping. But my time in Sayulita is limited, and I want to bring a piece of it home with me. Fortunately, Sayulita is one of the best spots in Mexico for gorgeous souvenirs. I make my way to Evoke the Spirit, an airy and beachy shop with handcrafted home goods, jewellery and clothing. The Thousand Prayers necklaces are something to marvel at, handcrafted by the local Huichol tribespeople that are native to Nayarit. For gemstones, you can’t beat Sayulita Sol Jewelry, specializing in gemstones, vermeil, gold fill and sterling silver. All the jewellery here is made by owner and designer Kimberley Keehn, or someone from her team. In keeping with the flower child vibe of Sayulita, Pacha Mama is a haven for free spirits. The owners are the Mignot sisters who call from France, and who have opened this boho-chic boutique, brimming with fringed vests and hardbacks, leathery necklaces and hand-embroidered Mexican wedding dresses. As the sun smears the Sayulita sky in the most vibrant pinks and oranges, it’s time for the ultimate cap to the day. Wander to La Esperanza, a whole food restaurant with a menu that is peppered with words like “vegan,” “quinoa” and “cold-pressed.” For something a little more alcoholic, there is El Patio, the perfect place to watch the ocean, sip a cocktail and listen to the sounds of surfers returning home from their escapes from reality.
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Here&Now DISCOVERIES + DESIGN
Riviera Essence When in Mexico, retreat to a hideaway by the Mayan shore
The pristine sands of Xpu-ha beach. Opposite Clockwise from left: Pool Villa ground floor terrace; Villa Bel-Ha Salón; Master suite terrace’s view.
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N
estled in the breathtaking bay between Playa del Carmen and Tulum on the eastern coast of Yucatán, lies the palatial Hotel Esencia. Far from the sprawling resorts that have come to characterize the experience of so many visitors to Mexico, Esencia is a hidden gem for those looking for something more refined. Swaddled by the dense jungle, this exclusive resort is further hidden behind the traditional Maya house that first greets guests. The room’s dirt floor and soft candle light give little hint of the luxurious gems awaiting further up the path. Crossing this threshold one sheds the concerns of the outside world for the indulgent luxury of this secluded retreat. The humble exterior quickly gives way to villas of increasing splendour until the jungle yields completely to the pristine sands of Xpu-ha at the water’s edge. Here is the ultimate sunrise vista, one of the very last remaining undeveloped shores of the Mayan Riviera. That this resort was built as the vacation home of an Italian Duchess will come as no surprise to those lucky enough to be staying there. This main building is the heart of the hotel. Here, guests will congregate for the Duchess’ longstanding tradition of afternoon tea and luxuriate in the finely appointed salon. Whitewashed both inside and out, the design is accentuated with lighting that reveals intention and select pieces of furniture in original mid-century style. Though it has long since grown from the original Main House, the entire property retains an effortless elegance and a hominess that permeates every aspect of its stylings and service. A short walk away, past the pools and through the carefully curated gardens, lies the outbuildings where most patrons will stay. While only a select few suites feature seaside views, all are splendidly appointed in keeping with a modern white-sand beachside aesthetic with select, and surprisingly complementary, colourful pieces in the Dunbar style. The rooms feature private plunge pools, large indoor and outdoor showers, Bluetooth stereos and remote-controlled air conditioners and blinds.
Guests will revel in the attention to detail in the smaller, more thoughtful, touches like pre-breakfast pastries, which magically appear on your terrace, plugs precisely where you want them, as well as complimentary robes, sandals and beach bags suited to every season. Though the buildings are not all that far apart, considerate and careful design of the structure’s angles and gardens ensures near total privacy. Outside the suites, however, the atmosphere is social. Though increasingly renowned as a honeymoon destination, the resort does not cater strictly to couples. Its many guests and families find themselves chatting easily in the central spaces and wisely designed garden paths. The staff of the Esencia are well-practiced in the subtle art of hospitality and deliver it effortlessly. Anticipating almost every request before its given, their relaxed manner and genuine smiles go a long way in creating a truly welcoming and tranquil space. Nowhere is this truer than in the circular Mayan palapa, which houses the all-organic Aroma Spa where guests will be treated to the ancient holistic treatments with ingredients taken from the nearby jungles and waters. Hotel Esencia is so named because it is the very essence of an escape. In this idyllic paradise, time stands still and worldly woes melt away. The white powder beaches and warm turquoises of the ocean paint a seascape that is intensely rejuvenating and aweinspiring. If tranquility has a home, then it can probably be found in the blissful seclusion of Hotel Esencia. hotelesencia.com – LIAM WILKINSON
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Nature
The
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Things
TRAVELLER’S PROMOTION
of
Serenity, beauty and peace abound in Thailand where cities, monuments and people are intrinsically connected to nature.
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A River Runs
Through It
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TRAVELLER’S PROMOTION
T
hey call Thailand the ”land of smiles,” and it doesn’t take long to realize that there’s a lot to smile about: breathtaking beaches, majestic monuments, lush jungles, and exotic animals. City and nature combine in the most spectacular fashion, where unearthly grandeur is always rooted in warmth and heart of the Thai people. The history and development of Bangkok, the
Thai capital and home to more than 8 million people, can be deeply linked to the Chao Phraya River. Since ancient times, locals have made their homes along its banks. And it was an invaluable line of communication and transportation hub for teak and rice. The lifeblood of the Thai people, the river is an integral part of festivals, particularly Loy Krathong, a celebration paying respects to the water gods. Today, the river still plays a central role in Bangkok life. Locals sell their wares by the river, living a lifestyle seemingly untouched by time. Board the Ruea Hang Yao, the iconic longtail boats, for a tour of the Bangkok Khlongs, an intricate network of canals and the source of the city’s old nickname, Venice of the East. Resting stately on the banks of the Chao Praya is the Grand Palace. Built in 1782, the palace was the official residence
on the king until 1932, the end of absolute monarchy in the country. (Today it is mostly used for official ceremonies.) The complex collection of golden spires, courts, pavilions, gates, and residences spans some 2,351,000 square feet. Within the grounds of the palace is the Wat Phra Kaew, the most sacred temple in Thailand and home to the mysterious Emerald Buddha sculpture.
Surely, Temples Eighty kilometres north of Bangkok is Ayutthaya, or what remains of the once lavish city. From 1350, it was the second capital of the country, one of the world’s wealthiest cities, and the most populated on earth—with over 1 million people. In 1767, invading Burmese destroyed many of its most opulent structures. Since many of the temples were made of stone, they managed to survive and are still an impressive reason to visit. The largest, Wat Phra Si Sanphet, with its distinctly-Thai chedis, once housed a 16-metre tall, gold-covered Buddha. Sadly, it was burned and destroyed by the invading Burmese. Restoration on the area began in the late 1960s, and it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.
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Ch
asing Waterfalls
A three-hour drive from the hustle and bustle of Bangkok is Kanchanaburi, a small city of 30,000 people, which by all accounts, shouldn’t be that well-known. It is, however, the location of the River Kwai, made famous (or infamous) by the atrocities that occurred there during WWII, and immortalized in the film, The Bridge on the River Kwai . During Japanese occupation, POW and civilian labour was used to construct the Burma Railway (aka the ominous Death Railway), a Japanese transportation network for war supplies stretching across Thailand and Burma. Disease, mistreatment and murder caused deaths in the tens of thousands. The Kanchanaburi War Museum (which is more a memorial) and the War Cemetery offer visitors a chance to pay their respects. The nearby Erawan National Park presents a less sombre reason to visit the area. The popular 550-square-kilometer park offers endless hiking trails, swimming in pristine waters, and creatures including monitor lizards, playful macaques, and even wild elephants. But the most alluring part of the park is the picturesque seven-tiered waterfalls, named after the Erawan, the three-headed white elephant of Hindu mythology.
The Hills Have Tribes Deep in the jungle of the Thai highlands live the Hmong hill people (or mountain folk as they’re called by locals). Don’t let their simple, traditional lifestyle fool you. They are a fiercely independent people, who migrated from China in the 1800s. They also helped American forces and the CIA during the Indochina conflict. With a population of over 150,000 today, they have maintained their own lifestyle, cultures and customs. A three-hour trek into the jungle gives visitors an up-close and personal experience with the tribe, and the chance to learn traditional Hmong dances and stay in bungalows built in the Hmong style (thankfully with a few luxury comforts, including a bed, hot water and Western toilets!)
To Beach Their Own And, finally, what better way to connect with nature than by sitting on a gorgeous beach? Hua Hin, on the Gulf of Thailand, provides the perfect mix of city and sea, combining everything you want from urban life, only steps away from palm-tree lined beaches synonymous with Thailand. Equal parts cosmopolitan and tranquil, the heart of the town features an eclectic night market and a lots of restaurants, as well as long stretches of white sand beaches and smooth waters. Hua Hin provides a great jumping off point for a day trip to the Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park, ( Three Hundred Mountain Peaks in English), with its towering limestone pinnacles, mysterious caves, and colourful birdlife, and the famous Tham Phraya Nakhon, a cave that houses a Royal Sala for one of the Thai kings, Rama V.
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Travel Intel GLOBAL
ENTRY
How to breeze through immigration around the world with your passport and your trusted access card By Michael Smith
CUSTOMS
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Hopefully you managed to have a nap on your flight and watched a good movie. It’s best to be in a relaxed state of mind before entering the slow labyrinth that is the airport immigration check-point. Thankfully more airports are embracing precheck technology to help speed up the process. A simple scan of your passport, a quick photo and you’re on to the next round to pick up your bags.
VIP COMING THROUGH
Here are some of the security systems that are getting you to your hotel or home a little quicker:
Airlines have their way of getting you through security quickly. Here is what the Canadian airlines have to offer:
A QUICK WANDER DOWN UNDER
THE GOLDEN TICKET
Across the pond (UNITED KINGDOM)
(AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND)
The most famous and obvious option on the list is NEXUS. The card we always tell ourselves we will get every time we go to the U.S. If you haven’t already looked it up, it’s a bit of headache. It takes 4-6 weeks to be pre-approved, after that you have 30 days to schedule an interview and once you’ve passed that you will get your card in 10 days. There is also a $50 fee.
Similar to NEXUS is the Registered Traveller UK, which comes at a cost of £70 per year. The program is open to several countries including Canadian and U.S. passport holders over 18. The registration process shouldn’t take you longer than 10 minutes online.
As one of the longest flights you will ever have to take, it’s good to know on the other end you won’t be waiting in line too long. New Zealand and Australia have made it easy with SmartGate, which is open to Canadian ePassport holders (the newer passports with the chip in them). The advantage is that it’s free and there is no registration process! Be warned though, agriculture is big for both these countries and customs will be thorough. So don’t bring anything you shouldn’t or you will be stuck in a different line.
(USA)
ABC... EASY AS 1,2,3 (CANADA)
There’s nothing like returning home and Canada is making it easier with the Automated Border Clearance (ABC) selfserve kiosks. The kiosks are currently located at Vancouver International Airport, MontrealPierre Elliott Trudeau Int. Airport, and Toronto Pearson International Airport. The ABC is open to Canadian and U.S. passport holders and Canadian permanent residents.
Coming soon…
hopefully With an incredibly bureaucratic system like immigration, the roll-out is not always quick. However with the technology in place, the following systems may soon allow Canadians to skip the line. Privium in Netherlands is a popular option for those who find themselves frequenting Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. For $205 a year you get access to the Privium ClubLounge, priority parking and check-in and other benefits. Our American friends are able to join if they are Global Entry members.
Similar to NEXUS, Viajero Confiable, México is for those who travel between the U.S. and Mexico. U.S. passport holders who are Global Entry members can join by applying online, once approved they will need to have an in-person interview at one of the airports the service is provided at. It takes less than 12 seconds to use South Korea’s Smart Entry according to their website. Currently only Korean and U.S. Global Entry members are eligible to apply online before being accepted for an inperson interview.
AIR CANADA Business Class, Altitude Super Elite 100K, Elite 75k, Elite 50K and Elite 35K, and Star Alliance Gold members (at airports offering Star Alliance Gold Track) will have expedited access through security with an exclusive lane. It will depend on the airport and there are only certain times the service is available, to find out more, go to aircanada.com/en/ travelinfo/airport/priority/ security.html WESTJET Priority security screening is available for those who purchased Plus fare and departing from the participating airports. Simply present your boarding pass at security to be directed to the priority lane. For more info, go to westjet.com/en-ca/travelinfo/check-in/securityscreening PORTER Member of the VIPorter Passport and VIPorter Priority will enjoy the priority security line making flying from the island even more convenient. flyporter. com/VIPorter/Overview
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High Flying Tech Our top picks for the tech-conscious traveller By Liam Wilkinson
Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 Although a bit pricey, these active-noise-cancelling Bluetooth headphones have found their way to the top of the category. Gorgeously designed, crafted for comfort, and featuring detailed and full-bodied sound, the Momentum 2.0 begs the question you why you ever bothered with ear buds. The textured leather and gold stitching are slick enough to be worn as a statement but the added portability over previous generations and competitors, thanks to a new folding design, makes them carryon convenient. Perhaps lacking in enough bass for the most ardent audiophile, these headphones deliver unparalleled performance in every other way. Bluetooth, NFC, and hardline compatible, these beauties even come with an airplane dual-jack adaptor. From $550 en-us.sennheiser.com
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Rimowa Electronic Tag Suitcases For the savvy traveller who shudders at the thought of lines, this luggage from renowned German company Rimowa might be the answer. Featuring the iconic polycarbonate and aluminium case that made the brand, this suitcase also has an E-ink screen. Sync with the Rimowa app before you leave home and your luggage will automatically display all relevant travel information and barcodes – no need for the baggage checkin. So far they only work with Lufthansa (rumours abound that large American carriers will soon follow) but for the early-adopter looking to make a statement, this suitcase is a must-have. From $1,112 rimowa.com/en-us
Amazon Kindle Oasis At nearly $400, there is no getting around it, the Oasis is an exorbitantly-priced indulgence. This device’s design, however, is gobsmackingly faultless. With some of the best-conceived integration ever, the cover doubles as an external battery, providing enough juice for weeks and a stunning package to boot. Lighter and thinner than any competitor, the Oasis seems at first to be almost too minimal until you hold it for more than 30 seconds and realize it was made to be an extension of your hand. With so many perfectly competent alternatives, no one will debate that this Kindle is an extravagance but it also might just be the perfect E-reader. From $399 amazon.ca/Kindle
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LIVE The Essential Reference for the Fashionable Traveller boldmagazine.ca / INSPIRATION FOR TRAVELLERS
RBC AVION PRESENTS: COLORADO ®
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One of the two Pawnee Buttes turns gold at sunset Image by Andrea Golod/Miles
Mountain
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high With feet firmly planted on the ground,
Diane Slawych still manages to get
elevated
in
Colorado
One of the two Pawnee Buttes turns gold at sunset
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there’s one feature that defines Colorado more than anything else, it’s mountains. And every region, it seems, has a notable peak or some other mountain-oriented claim to fame. With several mountain ranges and more than a thousand peaks over 10,000 feet, the variety is staggering, as I discovered on a recent trip to the north and central part of the state. There are the brilliant white Chalk Cliffs near the Mount Princeton Hot Springs; the Flatirons – a series of clothes iron flat rock formations in Boulder; the “Kissing Camels,” which resemble a pair of amorous dromedaries, in Colorado Springs; and the Collegiate Peaks, named after various universities (ex. Mount Harvard, Mount Yale) and which bridge Colorado’s Continental Divide. Pikes Peak is probably one of the most famous thanks to Katherine Lee Bates, who wrote the ballad “America the Beautiful,” after being inspired by the view from the top of this 14,115-foot-high mountain. Hike, drive, or take the cog railway to the top and judge for yourself. But if you’re itching to see more 14,000-foothigh peaks (12 in all) than anywhere else in the state, head to the artsy community of Salida, which also boasts the largest historic district in Colorado. Where there are mountains, there are mountain climbers, and in Colorado the most ambitious among them aim to ascend the “fourteeners,” which refers to the 58 peaks in the state that are more than 14,000 feet high.
I did not aspire to join their ranks. I was not even interested in partially ascending a steep mountainside, or for that matter, engaging in any outdoor activity considered “adventurous.” But when I checked the itinerary for our group trip, my heart nearly skipped a beat. The planned activities included a mountain hike in Boulder; a zip line in Manitou Springs; and an aerial adventure over Browns Canyon - something about jumping, swinging and crawling through “66 unique challenges!” Yikes! I kept wondering if it was possible to truly appreciate Colorado without physically exerting oneself? I was initially drawn to the state by its scenic landscapes (which I hoped to enjoy from the ground) bike-friendly cities and liberal and innovative thinkers. Fort Collins, the first stop, satisfied all three. The city, which the Smithsonian Museum called the most fertile ground in the U.S. for great ideas, also received the League of American Bicyclists’ highest designation for bike-friendly communities. The historic Armstrong Hotel, where we stayed, even had complimentary bikes for guests – great for riding on the nearby Poudre Trail or through the Old Town, so attractive and tidy it was the inspiration for Disneyland’s Main Street USA.
COLORADO VITALS WHEN TO GO Colorado is a four-season destination offering unparalleled adventure and recreational pursuits, a thriving arts scene, a rich cultural heritage, flavourful cuisine and 25 renowned ski areas and resorts. HOW TO GET THERE There are several daily flights to Denver, Colorado from Toronto and Montreal with Air Canada.
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“Three Graces” in the Garden of the Gods in Colorado.
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“Three Graces” in the Garden of the Gods in Colorado. Courtesy of Brandon Satterwhite
Boulder
Fort Collins is known as the eastern gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park, while Boulder sits on the Front Range where the mountains meet the plains. Our next destination was the Colorado Chautauqua Park founded in 1898 as an educational and cultural summer retreat; it’s now a National Historic Landmark with access to 48 miles of hiking trails. I was relieved to learn we would hike the Mesa Trail (rated easy), which followed along the dramatic Flatirons, not far from the cozy cottages where we would spend the night. It was in the fields below these giant rock slabs that the founders of Celestial Seasonings first came to collect herbs and flowers for their tea blends that are now sold around the world. To think this wilderness area is just minutes from downtown Boulder. Soon we were walking along the beautiful pedestrian section of Pearl Street, enjoying the laid back vibe, browsing in local shops, and admiring the public art and flowers brimming from hanging planters. I pondered borrowing one of the bikes from B-cycle (free for 30 minutes) and exploring the University of Colorado’s gorgeous campus built in a distinctive architecture style known as Tuscan Vernacular Revival.
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From left to right: Summer hiking with friends near Vail; View from Pikes Peak; Cycling through the vineyards in Palisade, Colorado Wine Country.
COLORADO VITALS
WHERE TO STAY Luxury The Broadmoor The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs first opened in 1918 to welcome the country’s most seasoned travellers. Located at the gateway to the Colorado Rocky Mountains, the property’s dazzling character and breathtaking scenery has made it a cornerstone and is America’s premier resort. With a legacy of impeccable service and attention to detail, this Forbes five-star, AAA five-diamond resort hosts 3,000 lush acres and 756 rooms and suites, along with three championship golf courses, shopping, indoor and outdoor pools, and 19 unique dining options in restaurants, cafes and lounges including the five-star, five-diamond Penrose Room. There is also a five-star full service spa. broadmoor.com
Mount
Princeton
Back at Chautauqua Park, I inhaled the crisp mountain air one last time, before leaving what felt like the healthiest environment my lungs had been exposed to in months. I needn’t have pined long, because the sense of well being soon returned at the Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort in Nathrop. Along with fresh air was the added bonus of healing waters. In the afternoon, we soaked in one of the four thermal pools. The temperatures ranged from 85F to 105F and the Chalk Cliffs served as backdrop for some of the pools. After dinner we retreated to our modern fireplace-equipped log cabins on a hill.
Colorado
Dreamin’
Altitude
Travelling in Colorado is a high in more ways than one. For some, an altered state is reached after a visit to one of the shops selling legal marijuana. Then there’s the geographic high. Colorado has the highest elevation of any state with an average altitude of 6,800 feet above sea level. To avoid feeling queasy, unacclimatized travellers have to go slow for the first few days and always drink plenty of fluids, preferably non-alcoholic. But don’t abstain for too long. Colorado has more craft breweries (230 at last count) per capita than any other state. Several offer free tours including the New Belgium Brewing Company in Fort Collins and you don’t have to be a beer drinker to enjoy it. Other breweries have restaurants. We found tasty lunch offerings at the Fort Collins Brewery Tavern (in Fort Collins) and the Manitou Brewing Company in the charming Victorian town of Manitou Springs.
COLORADO VITALS Rustic and Quaint Colorado Chautauqua Chautauqua is one of Boulder’s oldest treasures as it is a designated National Historic Landmark. As a historical gem, Chautauqua represents much of what Boulder is about. Right at the Chautauqua trail head with concerts and educational events scheduled in its various venues throughout the year, it is a perfect blend of urban and nature. chautauqua.com Unique Hotel Teatro This historic hotel, located in downtown’s theatre district, features 110 rooms, upgraded amenities, gorgeous views of downtown and the mountains, and an upscale, vintage feel. “Best Hotel in Denver” according to Zagat and “World’s Best Business Hotel” according to Travel + Leisure. hotelteatro.com
Blame the beer or the altitude or maybe my imagination, but it seemed as if Colorado had a good number of places with dreamy sounding names. There was Buena Vista (where my pals did the aerial adventure as I watched from the sidelines), and Cave of the Winds in Manitou Springs, where we saw every major sort of limestone formation including cave flowers, flowstone and rare anthracite crystals. Near the cave, by the way, I decided to ride the zip line after all, partly because it seemed less scary than the Terror-dactyl ride, the other option. But the dreamiest name of all was the Garden of the Gods, in Colorado Springs. It had the dreamiest admission price, too (free). The Visitor Center’s terrace offered a stunning view and a great spot for capturing photos of snow-capped Pikes Peak and the “Kissing Camels.” But the towering red-coloured sandstone formations were the main attraction. We walked passed unique features such as the “Cathedral Spires,” “Balanced Rock” and the “Tower of Babel.” It was here, on the paths, which were mostly flat, and sometimes paved, that I realized you don’t have to climb steep mountains to fully appreciate the outdoors in Colorado.
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Joy Road Catering’s Chilled cucumber & buttermilk soup with heirloom cherry tomatoes, bush basil, mint & espelette. 46 BOLDMAGAZINE.CA
Joy Road Catering’s Chilled cucumber & buttermilk soup with heirloom cherry tomatoes, bush basil, mint & espelette.
wANdER
LANd
Yoho National Park. Courtesy of BC Tourism by Carrie Cole
Driving the Perfect Week in the Okanagan By Lola Augustine Brown
Cabins nestled in the trees along the shore of Lake O’Hara in the mountains of Yoho National Park. BOLDMAGAZINE.CA 47
Clockwise from top left: God’s Mountain Estate; Covert Farms charcuterie platter; guests dining al fresco at God’s Mountain Estate.
The spectacular drive
from Vancouver to Osoyoos, the first stop on my weeklong trip through the Okanagan Thompson region in the interior of British Columbia, should have been a four hour drive. There were so many interesting places to stop along the way, however, it took me closer to six. I couldn’t resist pulling off the road to browse antique stores, buy peaches and cherries and homemade beef jerky at a store in the middle of nowhere. My first planned stop was just before hitting Osoyoos, at the organic winery Rustic Roots, one of 133 licensed wineries in the region. Going back five generations, Rustic Roots serves up a delicious selection of wines in a very pretty setting, and even if you aren’t drinking, it is worth a stop for the great organic fruit stand, and farm store. They are also more than happy for you to wander the farm and go pet their donkeys. Reaching Osoyoos itself, I checked in to the lovely lakefront Watermark Resort. Situated at the end of the town’s main street, the location was perfect, and after dipping in the pool to refresh myself after that long hot drive I enjoyed tapas at the on-site restaurant and then crashed out as soon as I got back to my suite. I hadn’t quite been prepared for how scorching hot it was, and in mid-July that dry desert heat made me feel like I was in Vegas. Before it got too warm the next day, I headed to the Osoyoos Desert Centre and learned that this area is in fact a real desert, complete with rattlesnakes and tumbleweed, despite the fact that much of it has been tamed into vineyards and orchards. 48 BOLDMAGAZINE.CA
Then it was on to Nk’Mip Cellars, North America’s first Aboriginal owned and operated winery, for lunch. I sat out in the patio restaurant there eating braised wild boar tacos with pea stew and ripe cherries, a gentle breeze whispering through the vines below, and it was such a perfectly serene experience. The attached cultural centre and gardens were beautiful, and there was plenty of aboriginal artwork throughout the tasting rooms. Onwards I drove to Oliver, along twisting turning mountain roads, past vineyards, farms, and lakes, in awe of how gorgeous this place was. My next stop was Covert Farms, where I’d scheduled an agricultural tour. The tour was conducted by the farm’s hospitality manager, Derek Uhlemann, in a bright red 1952 Mercury truck, and we drove through gorgeous vineyards (they grow 13 kinds of grapes, and third-generation farm owner Gene Covert says that his grandfather was the first person to try growing grapes in the Okanagan), and fields of fruits and veggies. The tour ended with a tasting plate of local cheeses and charcuterie in the converted horse barn that serves as the Covert Farms store, and of course tastings of some of their very delicious wines.
Cycling alongside vineyards on the Kettle Valley Rail Trail. Courtesy of Destination BC by Andrew Strain
Cycling alongside vineyards on the Kettle Valley Rail Trail.
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Next stop
was a sweet suite at the Summerland Beach Resort, where I plonked down my bags, took a quick dip in the pool and readied myself for the winemakers dinner I was to attend at God’s Mountain Estate. Even with GPS I found it tricky to find the place, but where I thought it might be I saw an old Volkswagen bus signal then swerve up a dirt track, so I followed it, snuck through the electric gate behind it and drove up the twisting driveway hoping that I wasn’t about to get shot for trespassing. I found the rest of the party on a huge patio that had stunning views out over the lake, and a long table set for the crowd mingling there with wine and canapés. Within minutes I had a glass of my own and the winemaker, Severine Pinte of local winery Le Vieux Pin, was chatting with me while we ate perfect bitesized seared wild sockeye salmon cakes. Soon Dana Ewart, one of the head chefs and owners at Joy Road Catering, who puts these dinners on all through the summer at a different winery every week, was ringing a little bell that summoned us to take a seat, and dinner began. Every delicious course, from the squash blossoms stuffed with goat cheese and mint to the rabbit (the loin cooked with prunes, hind legs braised in house-made bacon, the front legs cooked in duck fat) to the decadent Mille-feuille that came for dessert, started with a brief and fun introductions to both the wine and food from Pinte. The dinner was wonderful, and many of my tablemates had attended before, at both God’s Mountain and other locations. Many were staying overnight in the sprawling, eclectic, antique-filled villa, which offers bed and breakfast, and after poking around inside I desperately wished I was staying there, too. I later found out one of the guest-rooms there is ceiling-less, and you get to sleep under the canopy of stars.
Next morning
I checked out downtown Summerland. The main drag is populated with antique stores, little boutiques and an excellent bakery named True Grains. It smelled heavenly in there, and the croissants were perfectly light and delicious. My other Summerland stop was the Kettle Valley Steam Railway, where I took a trip through the mountains onboard a steamtrain complete with conductors and engineers in authentic uniforms, and was serenaded by a banjo player who went from carriage to carriage, taking requests. It was a fun trip along 10km of preserved tracks, with a stop to buy cherries and admire the engine before climbing back onboard to head back to the station. I drove on further, to Kelowna, enjoying more stunning scenery all the way. Stopping downtown, I walked along the lively lakefront for a while and had a tasting of, then bought a few bottles of, artisan booze made with local fruits at Okanagan Spirits, a small batch distillery that makes gorgeous gin, as well as various liquors. While in Kelowna I stayed at the historic and rather fabulous Hotel Eldorado on the shore of Okanagan Lake. I walked along the busy beach before bed, feeling happy and very, very relaxed. Breakfast at the hotel was lovely, and I sat looking out over the lake as I read the paper, thinking that in almost a hundred years things probably hadn’t changed very much at all. As I happened to be in town on a Saturday, I got to browse the huge Kelowna Farmers’ Market. All the Okanagan’s bounty was spread out on table after table, with entire stalls dedicated to peaches, to basil, to blueberries. There were baked goods, and all manner of ethnic foods to try, as well as crafts by local artisans. My road trip was coming to an end, and my last stop in the Okanagan was the peaceful gardens of the Okanagan Lavender Farm. An intoxicating wall of scent hits you as you walk in, and then you see the lavender wreaths, teas, herb mixes, and all kinds of sweet lavender concoctions. There’s a café with a huge deck overlooking the gardens, and I treated myself to a warm and perfectly crumbly lavender and rose petal scone with delicate lavender jelly. This was washed down with a tall frosty glass of lavender lemonade. Perfect.
Iskut River photo by Paul Colangelo
Previous Page Top: Apples at a fruit stand in West Kelowna Bottom: The patio at Nk’Mip Cellars, North America’s first Aboriginal owned and operated winery. On this page: Aerial view of the Iskut River winding through forested land.
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Anne of Green Gables Courtesy of ©Tourism PEI / John Sylvester
Anne of Green Gables
The Girl
Island ON THE
A Green Gables Pilgrimage By Mark Stevens
N
o surprise a haunted forest frames my view of this green-gabled Prince Edward Island farmhouse: a family of well-loved spirits lurks inside the humble dwelling. Who says fictional characters can’t be ghosts? And who says they are not worthy objects of a pilgrimage in search of Canadian icons à la Anne of Green Gables? For yonder lies the object of my quest. Truth be known, it’s not my first Green Gables pilgrimage. That happened when I was eight. On that trip my father regaled me with tales of his PEI childhood while my mother, my sister and I recalled scenes from that seminal series of books by Canadian author Lucy Maude Montgomery. Confession time: I devoured the tales of that redheaded rapscallion like PEI mussels. Now my parents are gone. Memories abound. Ghosts abound. Now I, like Anne, am an orphan. But I, like Anne, am here. And this is no mere tourist junket, despite a pit stop at nearby Avonlea Village—combination theme park and recreated historic hamlet, despite a drive past mini-golf emporiums and waterslides and motels that could hold their own in Myrtle Beach. Nor would I rush helter-skelter to Green Gables itself. One must first prepare oneself spiritually. So I begin with the big picture. I would first take the measure of Canada’s “Gentle Island.” Think undulating mist-shrouded meadows, pumpkin-coloured bluffs, vistas of Northumberland Strait, scarlet-painted sunset waters calm as mirrored glass.
One morning we explore on bikes rented at Dalvay By The Sea, a historic hostelry—a set piece in both the original “Anne” movie and the television series Road to Avonlea. We glide along a lonely seaside road, bordered by voluptuous dunes on one side, emerald forest on the other, birdcalls accompanying our tires’ hiss, the surf’s grumble. We stop and stroll around a historic lighthouse (PEI has the highest concentration of these aids to navigation anywhere in Canada), we pause for refreshment at low tide in a fishing village where lobster traps guard a row of weather-beaten shanties. One morning we climb more dunes, we beach-comb amber sands unmarred by any sign of humanity, wind whipping surf into meringue froth. We drive into PEI National Park where foxes frolic roadside. Now we discover the island’s other claim to fame—sampling French Fries at the Potato Museum, discovering more than we ever needed to know about the apples of the earth. We book a historic walking tour of Charlottetown— for Anne is hardly the only draw here—and are regaled with tales of Canada’s history by members of Charlottetown Players, interpreters in period costume. Here, outside the neo-Greek façade of Province House, we reflect on another facet of our birthright. Here was Canada born.
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But Anne irresistibly beckons. So do we approach, with trepidation and veneration both, the object of our quest. First we take a cooking class at the Table, a themed excursion that includes a visit to the birth place of L.M. Montgomery herself, which culminates in a channeling experience wherein we cook a repast straight out of Lucy’s own cookbook in a converted church mere metres from that house where it all began. Next we browse the official Anne of Green Gables store on Queen Street, we book an evening where Anne comes alive. Housed in the Charlottetown Festival Theatre, Anne of Green Gables—the musical—is the longest running musical in Canada. Something like three million people (just like us) have roared at her antics come alive on stage, have tapped feet in time to the “Ice Cream song,” have wept as Matthew, her male guardian, passed away. So do I laugh. So do I weep. But we have yet to visit the Valhalla of fiction, the country home where it all began. And now I find myself standing in the parking lot, girding my loins in preparation for the last chapter. I’m hardly alone. License plates galore: Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, Connecticut, Maine, Pennsylvania. But this is procrastination. The house,whitewashed shingled walls, fronted by white picket fence, decorated with red pansies, with sky-reaching sunflowers behind,
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awaits. So I cross this final threshold. I experience a flood tide of feelings, a tsunami of memories, my emotions inexplicably reminiscent of the time I visited the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam. Once inside, heart racing, I search for Matthew, I seek out Marilla. I climb the stairs to Anne’s room, all the while wondering: can fictional characters have ghosts? And then I read something inside that Lucy Maude herself wrote about this place, about these feelings overwhelming me. “She was so real to me,” Montgomery wrote, “I deny her when I say she was fictional.” And that’s when it hits me, staring out toward the Haunted Wood from one of those green gables. Anne a ghost? She is full of life as she ever was.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON visiting PEI–the Gentle Island–visit www.tourismpei.com. For all things Anne–including a themed itinerary–continue on to www.tourismpei.com/anne-of-green-gables
Confederation Players Credit: ©Tourism PEI / John Sylvester Point Prim Light Station ©Tourism PEI / Carrie Gregory Lobster Party ©Tourism PEI / Stephen Harris Anne Green Gables reading ©Tourism PEI / John Sylvester
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Confederation Players; Point Prim Light Station; Urban Red Fox; Lobster Party.
P.E.I in her full summer glory Courtesy of ©Tourism PEI / John Sylvester
P.E.I in her full summer glory
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Guide The
BEST GOLF COURSES TO PLAY NOW
Aerial view of Cabot Cliffs Opposite: Sunset at Pueblo Bonito Oceanfront Resorts
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From strokes of design genius to Mother Nature’s most challenging, we take a drive on the top fairways. Anita Draycott steps up to the tee and gets on par
GOLF NIRVANA
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Guide The
BEST GOLF COURSES TO PLAY NOW
W
hat’s the greatest golf course in the world? In my opinion, golf has no single highest temple. Certainly a number of courses come to mind when creating bucket lists, but each swinger steps up to the first tee with his or her own personal criteria. I adore the ancient links of the British Isles. But tempt me with a tropical seaside course or the mountain marvels of the Canadian Rockies and I’ll be packing my clubs. Here are three of my favourites in Canada.
1 Into the new at Cabot Cliffs After playing a sneak preview round at Cabot Cliffs last summer I vowed that if Cape Breton’s newest seaside sensation wasn’t ranked the Number One course in Canada, if not North America, I’d eat my putter. Fortunately, I was right! Golf Digest named it “Best New Course in America” for 2015 and third in its list of America’s 100 Greatest. This is remarkable, considering that Cabot Cliffs didn’t officially open to the public until June 2016. Fairways tumble and twist down from a forested glade high above the sea. They meander up and over dunes, cross meadows and ravines and skirt ragged cliffs. There’s an empathetic harmony between the design by Coore & Crenshaw and the rollicking terrain—an ebb and flow with endless sea views. There’s a rhyme, a reason and a natural rhythm to this masterpiece. Most photographed are the green at 16 and the tees at 17, both located on jagged, windswept promontory. Number 17 is a cliff-hanging drivable par-four. Birdie this one and you’ll be on cloud nine. Finish your day by tucking into some fabulous seafood in the Panorama restaurant, watching the sun slide into the St. Lawrence River while the last golfers sink their putts on number 18. The folks at Cabot deliver golf as it was meant to be played and life as it was meant to be lived. cabotlinks.com
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2 Rocky Mountain high at Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge Probably nowhere else in this country is the classic Hollywood image of the Great Canadian West better portrayed than at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge. You can almost picture a Mountie emerging from the forest with a distressed damsel in his arms. Designed by Canada’s foremost architect, the late Stanley Thompson, the Jasper course has been ranked number one in Canada by SCORE Golf magazine. Thompson’s wit and genius shine throughout. He named the par-three 9th Cleopatra because of its voluptuous mounds. Every fairway is aligned to frame the Rocky Mountain setting. On the 11th, the shapes of the bunkers mirror the outlines traced by the snow on the distant peaks of Pyramid Mountain. When you combine scenery that Teddy Roosevelt noted, “would bankrupt the English language” with Thompson’s brilliance, it’s tough to top the Jasper experience. fairmont.com
Top: Cabot Cliff Golf Course. Bottom: Rocky Mountain Golf Course hole #9, Jasper Park Lodge.
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Guide The
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3 Cottage Country Cool at Muskoka Bay Club
2 Hola to the New in Baja at Quivira
Imagine golf in a Group of Seven painting. Though only minutes from the town of Gravenhurst, a round at the Muskoka Bay Club is a romp in the wilderness with fairways winding through mature forests and across majestic wetlands and beaver ponds that have been incorporated and preserved in the layout. Designer Doug Carrick elevated many of the five tee decks to give golfers extraordinary fairway views and eliminate blind shots. The phenomenal number 9 requires a high-flying tee shot from a precipice over wetlands to an uphill and increasingly narrowing fairway squeezed on both sides by granite outcroppings. Swing thought: thread the needle! muskokabay.com
Quivira reigns as the most spectacular new public course in Los Cabos, Mexico. I was there when Jack Nicklaus officially opened his epic layout in December 2014. Quivira has more oceanfront exposure than any other course in Los Cabos. From December to March you are likely to spot whales leaping in the wild blue yonder. Your “all-inclusive” golf day starts with a complimentary shuttle service to the club. Warm up on the range where a full array of beverages and snacks are offered. I like to loosen my swing with a Bloody Maria. After the first four holes, experience the “greatest drive in golf” as you manoeuvre your cart to the first comfort station perched 200 feet above the ocean. Enjoy more snacks and drinks. You’ll need fortification in order to tackle the 5th hole. The fairway, slanted below a shouldering dune on the right, traces the edge of sheer granite cliffs to the left as it tumbles downhill to a transition zone before dropping to the green. Long hitters can attempt to drive it, but it’s adios if you miss the cliff-hanging green. The Oasis halfway house offers inventive Baja cuisine and a deluxe tequila bar. Indulge, it’s all part of your green fee. When asked to predict how Quivira will impact his legacy, Nicklaus said, “I think some people will say it’s the most spectacular and best golf course they have ever seen and others will say, ‘You have got to be kidding.’ I don’t think there will be a lot of middle ground. If you look at the game of golf as having a fun experience, and playing in an exciting and beautiful place, you will absolutely love it.” I can’t argue with you there, Jack. To play Quivira you must be a resident or guest of one of four Pueblo Bonito Oceanfront Resorts and Spas in Los Cabos. quiviragolfclub.com
PLUS Global golfing at its best 1 A Wale of a Good Tee at Nefyn Playing Nefyn & District Golf Club was probably my most giddying golf experience. Dubbed the “Pebble Beach of Wales,” Nefyn is a 26-hole track with 10 outward fairways and two separate inward eights called the Old and the New. For sheer cliff-hanging drama, I recommend the Old that clings to the top of a narrow peninsula. One golf writer remarked that it was “like playing on the deck of an aircraft carrier.” Perhaps no other hole in the world confronts the golfer with the distractions of number 12, with its blind drive, blind second shot, public thoroughfare populated by hikers and a crater-sized pit. After draining your putt on number 15, follow a footpath down to the Ty Coch Inn, located on the beach at Porthdinllaen, for a quick pint. It’s a Nefyn tradition. nefyn-golf-club.co.uk
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Clockwise from left: Muskoka Bay Club; Nefyn & District Golf Club; Quivira Golf Course.
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