by ·Comments Off on Trip List Update

Well I thought i should pull my finger out and Update what I have completed on my trip list. So here it is.

Photos of each thing will come once I have started uploading photos (probably at the end).

1. Drink a glass of French Champagne in France
2. Drink a glass of Champagne onboard a long haul flight (Onboard Air NZ Flight AKL>LAX)
3. Run Through Central Park
4. Pastrami on Rye at Katz’s Deli NYC
5. In’n’Out Burger (LAX In N Out)
6. Drive a car in the USA
7. Walk over the Brooklyn Bridge
8. Ride a “Bullet Train” in Japan
9. Hot Dog from a Cart (Japadog in Vancouver)
10. Food from a Truck in Portland
11. Sushi for Breakfast at Fish Markets in Tokyo
12. Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace
13. Visit Borough Market
14. Fly Upper Deck on an A380
15. Visit Hiroshima (Japan)
16. Visit Normandy (France)
17. Touch the Berlin Wall
18. Ride a Train on 3 Different Continents
19. Sit in a Backwards Facing Airline Seat
20. Plane Spotting in San Francisco, Vancouver & Narita (Vancouver Completed)
21. Catch a “Flying Fish” in Seattle
22. Visit Alcatraz
23. Ride a Cable Car in San Francisco
24. Go Hiking in the Rockies (Went Hiking in Jasper) 25. Ride a Bike
26. Go White Water Rafting in Canada (Jasper as well)
27. Visit a Location where Macgyver was filmed (Several Locations Around Vanvouer)
28. Eat a Celebrity/Celebrity Chef’s Restaurant
29. Eat Chicken Rice in Singapore
30. Buy Clothes at a store in New York
31. Visit Macys
32. Go to the Rodeo in Canada
33. Drink a Glass of Wine in the Napa Valley
34. Visit a Brewery (Jasper Brewing Company)
35. Visit a Temple
36. Visit a Cathedral
37. See the Mona Lisa
38. Make new friends (All the time on Holidays)
39. Go Airline Lounge Hopping (Brisbane & LAX so far)
40. Try to Meet a Flyertalker/Milepointer
41. Do Something Crazy (Ziplining In Whistler)
42. Go to a Baseball Game
43. Eat a Voodoo Donut
44. Visit the UN
45. Walk up the Eiffel tower
46. Wasabi Kit Kat
47. Buy Football Jerseys in the USA
48. Visit “China”
49. Buy a Fake Rolex
50. Spot a Retro Jet
51. Pay Tribute to a Flyertalk/Blog idol
52. Write a Trip Report (Underway)
53. See a Broadway Musical/Show
54. Meet up with some “Tweeps” (2 so far @pacificairphoto & @futureofflight)
55. Go to a Whole Foods Market – Top Chef Style (Seattle)
56. Eat a “Giant Cob of Corn Husk on” at Calgary Stampede
57. Eat a Canadian Baked Potato at Calgary Stampede (Did Not Complete)
58. Spend the entire day at Calgary Stampede all the way to closing time
59. Walk the Highline in NYC
60. View a Ceremony that not many people ever get to experience
61. Eat in Restaurant that was famous for a General/President who ate/stayed there
62. Eat a “Concrete”
63. Visit a Crumpler Store Overseas
64. Drink some Siphon Coffee (Seattle Coffee Works)
65. Tell a Good Looking Stranger Its “My Birthday” on My Birthday in New York City
66. Go Spotting in LAX with a Travel Blogger (Went Spotting with Brett from Cranky Flier)
67. Eat a Dennys Grand Slam (Canadian Grand Slam in Kamloops)
68. Find the Most Random Food at the Stampede & Eat It (Mac & Cheese Pizza)
69. Pretzel M&Ms (Eaten at the movies in Seattle)
70. Climb a Mountain (Grouse Mountain)

by ·Comments Off on I still

God I love this city.  I really do.  Seattle was always going to be the city that I would move to if I got my green card.  Even though I didn’t I will try not to let that dampen my mood of the city.

This city is like heaven to me.  Here’s a few reasons why:
* Pikes Place Market – fresh market produce, gorgeous artisinal foods, atmosphere, pure awesomeness
* Boeing
* Coffee (not just starbucks)
* Boeing
* Beautiful scenery
* Museum of flight
* Boeing

Ok so I slipped Boeing in there a lot but its a big thing for me in this city.  One of the reasons I love this city is because it is heaven for avgeeks.  Where else can you openly be an avgeek and not be ashamed.  But, its not for everyone and frankly I don’t care haha.

After we got off the train on Saturday we had an easy day planned that first day.  Bit of orientation, pick up some essentials and the movies to see Captain America.  I also got to wipe off one of my trip list items.  First thing we did after getting some sim cards was head to Seattle Coffee Works where I could get a cup of Syphon Coffee.  The experience was fantastic.  The whole process was a great spectacle.  Best cup of coffee I have ever had.

That evening we caught up with Cory for some dinner and a movie as Captain America was showing as it was released the day before.  Movie was awesome but that’s for another day.

Yesterday was a late start after our free breakfast at the hotel. O how good it was to get a bowl of cereal.  Pure bliss.  We hit Pikes Place Market in the morning, it was great.  I spent the morning grazing over amazingly good fruit and veg (cherries are definately in season right now).  I got to tick off item list number 2 for seattle as I got to catch a flying fish at the Pikes Place Fish Market.  It was an awesome experience.  Also got to add some gum to the chewing gum wall.  It was gross but awesome.

In the afternoon it was getting pretty warm so we retreated to the hotel to cool off.  It was here that I found out that there was a wholefoods store closs to our hotel.  Time to tick off another item.  I scooted over to the store and started to explore.  My god it was awesome.  I was astounded by the sheer scale of the fresh food on offer.  I was going to return for lunch that’s for sure.

For dinner again we were going to meet up with cory but I had tweeted out for recommendations for dinner.  One that came back was the Steelhead Diner.  So with approval from the others we booked it in.  It was fantastic, and with an indulgent few scoops of local ice cream for dessert I was spent.

Today was a big day for me, it was time to free the avgeek, to let it fly with free abandon, to hell with what others think.  Off to the Boeing Factory and the Future of Flight.  It was also another chance to meet up with a tweep as Sandy who looks after the @futureofflight account was friends with a twitter friend of mine, so with a bit of organising I got to meet another “tweep” and get my photo taken.

The tour was great, even if u can’t take photos.  So many sites to see, so many sites to spot.  787s from JAL, ANA, Air India, China Southern, Royal Air Maroc and Etheopian. 747s from Lufthansa, Cargolux, Cathay Pacific and Korean and lots more.

I missed two take offs but you can’t have it all.  I spent up big in the stores ($130) on lots of geeky goodies.  After lunch at Wholefoods and a coffee from a donut shop that Obama frequented we checked out the Experience Music Project and Sci Fi Museum.  It was great to get in and finally see these museums and then I did a Duck Tour around Seattle as well.

Tomorrow its off to the Museum of Flight and also a tour of Safeco Field hopefully and then Wednesday we hit the road.. jack.

Current Location: Holiday Inn Express Seattle City Centre

by ·Comments Off on Trip Report – Around the World on a Star – Vancouver to Seattle – 23rd July

Up at OMG o clock today for the first Journey South on this trip. So far I have headed east, north and now headed south (no West Travel yet). But this was not to be a tough one, this was to be a relaxing journey today. This was also the start of my journey with Brad really. We had been on contiki together but from this point on, it was just Me & Him.

With morning formalities out of the way and a quick trip to reception to get some credit card statement issues out of the way, we were in a cab heading for the station. Thats right, I said station. Heading south over the border today by Train. Rather than fly the 20 minute segment and spend hours in security at the airport, we had planned on the Cascades south to Seattle. The train was an easy choice, with AAA discount, a nice big comfy business class seat for $12 extra and free wifi, i mean seriously, why not!!

We had picked up tickets nice and early for cheap ($45 one way in business) so the costs were pretty good. With pre clearance of immigration at the station in Vancouver it meant that the turn around would be quicker rather than sitting at the border for a train load of people. Easy as!! We arrived at the station in the pre dawn twilight to see half the terminal either shut or under construction…. damn. Looks like a final breakfast of Tim Hortons. O well.

Walked into Pacific Station and saw that nothing was open other than MacDonalds so while Brad waited, I ducked over to Tim Hortons to grab a coffee and some breakfast/snack supplies for the train. When returned, still nothing so time to fill out the Customs forms and wait.

Amtrak Cascades – Train 513
Vancouver to Seattle
0640-1105
Business Class – Car 2 – Seat 5A

Boarding: 0530
Departed: 0655
Arrived Border: 0800
Departed Border: 0830
Arrival: 1115

Around 0525 a line formed around the customs area for documentation check. This looked about right so we kinda snuck over into the line a head of a few people (suckers) and headed to the check in area. Boarding began shortly after with Business Class line given preference into the documentation check and we were amongst the first group through immigration.

Was grilled at immigration about absolute random topics but meh, didn’t care and the security screening was non existant. No taking out of laptops, no shoes off, no belts off, fully intact dignity at all times! That wont last for sure. Once through “security check and baggage screening” you are funneled down a chainlinked area (since you are technically in the United States now and out of Canada towards the train.

Checked luggage was collected directly at the train itself (didn’t realise this earlier) and we headed for our seats, all the way at the other end of the train, meh what can you do! A little bit of walking never hurt anyone. As we approached our seats we dropped our gear, and i went for a little walk around to suss out the train, take a few snaps for the report and then came back and fired up the laptop thanks to the power port at the row and then logged into the wifi ready to do some work.

Managed to get a number of things done on this train journey, managed to organise some tours/attractions for the coming week or two, managed to work out other things and also enjoy the ride south in peace, quiet and gentle rocking motion. We ended up departing late but had been working for so long on the wifi, never really noticed apart from the few lurches as we crossed switcing points.

Pretty soon we were smashing our way south on the train at speed. The cascades went a fairly decent clip so that was great. Once ticket check was done we were free to “move about the cabin” so I jumped up and grabbed a coffee as we were warned that once we got to the border it was “sit in your seat and DONT MOVE” time and they would give a 30 minute warning. I was in the line to get coffee when the 30 minute warning was given, and the 20 and 10 minute warning… dear lord could this line move any slower. Thankfully i was just getting liquids and not trying to eat my breakfast at the border!!

Business class gives you a $3 discount on all drinks and food and they accept Canadian Note Currency at a 1:1 ratio of CAD:USD so that was a good way to get rid of some of the smaller notes. A coffee, water & juice with $3 discount came to $3.25. When asked to wait for change I said keep it and scurried back to my seat. With the border fast approaching it was time to hit the bathroom as well before it closed at the border crossing.

We arrived at the border with pretty stern warnings of not touching technology equipment (laptops, phones etc) or moving or really even breathing until customs had inspected the train fully. First customs officer into our carriage was carrying a massive backpack with arm scanner (probably looking for some form of explosives or something), 2nd one on was carrying a geiger counter by the looks of it and the 3rd was grilling people and collecting Customs forms. With our carriage done, laptops went back on, so I joined them and got back to reading stuff.

Within 30 minutes the train was done, a blast of the trains horns and we were rolling out of the border. Hello USA! Pretty soon we were at speed againt hurtling down the Washington coastline headed for seattle. The Cascades can get up to a fair clip and it makes it just nice and comfortable, with a coffee or drink and free wifi, I am in heaven. Even had a stash of Tim Hortons Tim Bits for a sneaky snack onboard.

Pretty soon we were approaching Everett (no sign of any 787s etc) and that meant we were getting close to seattle, so with the stop before seattle made we had picked up a bit of time since we were running about 20 mins late at that point but with some good signals and plenty of schedule padding, they were announcing a departure from Seattle on time.

We arrived around 1115 or so, and they were already starting to turn the train around for the further south journey and restocking once we barely even pulled up to the station. It was off and into another Station that looked like a construction site. Crazy. Bags took quite a while and then we were out, through the taxi touts, having to tell Brad to keep on walking through them, dont stop, out to the metered taxis. Soon enough we were hurtling along the elevated Waterfront I5 north to our hotel near the Seattle Centre.

by ·Comments Off on V-Town

God I love Vancouver. It is one of those cities i could easily live in. I mean seriously, why wouldn’t you. The city is amazing. Unlike the first few days pre tour, i had a decent amount of time to explore the city this time and do heaps of stuff, and I was going to enjoy doing it 😀 I had a few things planned but other than that it was all good to just explore and do random things.

Of the things I wanted to do, the main thing was the Grouse Mountain Grind. Why catch up a Gondola up a mountain when I can challenge myself to a grueling trip to the top on foot. Commonly reffered to as the “Vancouver Stairmaster” this was going to be fun for me. One of the girls on the Tour Christina was up for doing it as well, my day looked up as I would have some company rather than doing it alone.

The Grind was great, even in the cold temperatures (8c) and the wet with cloud everywhere. I still managed to have fun doing it. It was not easy, step after step up we went. It was done fairly well though the steps were fantastically set up with lots of stone steps along with wooden as well with only a small percentage of dodgy looking steps.

The time on the Grind was 1h20m47s. A great achievement for me and christina. It was a great feeling at the top to have concurred the mountain. But with so much cloud and fog at the top, it was not worth sticking around as you could not see anything, so I came down the mountain and ended up working my way back to Vancouver on the Seabus (like a ferry pretty much).

The other days in seattle were spent just enjoying the outdoors and either catching up with friends or exploring the city and doing a little bit of shopping. With plenty of canadian dollars leftover, it was good to know that I could just buy whatever I wanted without an issue. I even sent home 2 boxes of souveneirs so far at a cost of $177 CAD. Ouch :/ Might have to curtail the souveneir collecting a little…. NAH!

During my time in Vancouver we did some special things. One of them included a nice dinner at Tojo’s Sushi. A tour buddy, Cory, was organising a dinner at this special sushi restaurant that everyone raved about so I just had to go. It was an amazing night, now it was not cheap at all ($85 each including drinks for 7 people) but to be honest, I did not care. The food was amazing, the company great and I had a fantastic time spoiling myself the night before the Grind. We also trekked out to La Casa Gelato out in the inner suburbs around Vancouver. This Gelateria has over 218 flavours out daily out of a range of 518 flavours they offer. CRAZY! it was great. Some of the sampled options (you can try as many as you want) included Curry Peanut Butter, Chilli Chocolate and Vegemite, yeah thats right, vegemite!

Yesterday on my final day in Vancouver, well I had a great day planned. The Aviation Geek in me demanded some time out in the open, it wanted to be released. Thanks to twitter there is a giant collective of #avgeeks around the world. One of them who I have mentioned in the past Leighton (@pacificairphoto) offered to take me out to YVR (Vancouver Airport) and let me do some spotting and was going to make the day special. What I didn’t realise was that the day we were going spotting was also the day of the Vancouver Airport 80th Birthday celebrations! AWESOME!!!

Special events were being held around the airport and i ended up taking around 1700 photos while out there. I shouted Leighton lunch at the Flying Beaver bar which is part of the Seaplane Terminal down on the River. It was a great lunch spot, with good food, good company and lots of Seaplanes coming and going around us.

I also caught up with my friend Trista who took me up to the top of the Harbour Centre (for free thanks trista!) and we had a good catch up for a couple of hours over coffee and random shopping. All in all a great time. I was pleasantly suprised at how great Vancouver was, it is a city i could get used to and if my friend Chantelle has anything to do with it, it may be possible. She put the idea in my head to apply for my Canadian work visa. I dunno if I will but we shall see.

Managed to tick off more things on my list including a Bike Ride, Plane Spotting and the first of the Train trips. More on the train trip in the trip report (later tonight probably while I do my washing). Farewell Canada… i will be back, not sure how long for but stay tuned!

Current Location: Onboard Amtrak Cascades Train 809 – Bellingham, Washington
Countries: 3
Canadian Proviences: 2
US States: 2

by ·Comments Off on Cowboys, Country Music & Beer

When my friend Brad made the off to do this tour, stampede was going to be my big big reward to myself. How could it not be. If you haven’t heard of the Calgary Stampede before, well think of a country rodeo, then add in a heaping dose of crack and you have what is described as the greatest outdoor show on earth.

We left Banff pretty late morning allowing for a good rested morning, before what was sure to be the reason people were coming on this tour. We got into Calgary around 12 and it was evident the party atmosphere was not going to just be at Stampede Park. The main mall was full of bars and restaurants in the middle of the street, live music, lots of BBQ on offer. Looking good so far. Did a bit of shopping to finish out my cowboy gear (shirts mainly as already had my hat and wasn’t getting boots).

The afternoon was spent pretty chilled before we headed off around 730 to our first big Stampede Party at Ranchmans. The night was fantastic, lots of quality “talent” everywhere, lots of good company and plenty of fun. I bailed a bit early to make sure I fully enjoyed the next day, but not before watching a number of people on the mechanical bull.

Stampede day came along. The 17th July, the final day of the Calgary Stampede. I had a good work out in. the morning to make sure I was fully clear and ready to go. Light breakfast so as to leave room for the crazy and awesome food to come. Once everyone was all kitted out in their cowboy best (some went all out) we headed off to Stampede on the tram. The ride was short and my anticipation was evident.

A few photos at the gate and then it was through the gate. First stop a guest services booth to grab a map and directions to a few stops. The day flew by in a flurry of random events and fun things. I got to test drive some GMC vehciles including a GMC Sierra 3500, Camaro Convertile and a Cadillac CTS-V, all for free. Also got my photo taken with a proper RCNP mountie, replicating a draft horse pull and also while wearing some helicopter pilot gear.

The cowboy part of the day was fantastic. The weather was bright blue sky, lots of sun so they had turned it on. The day looked perfect. Our seats where in the sun so lots of sun burn expected but who cares. The afternoons events included Steer and Bronc riding, Ladies Barrel racing, calf tieing and the bareback events. I didnt stay till the major finals of the rodeo events as i was turning to lobster pretty quick, so escaped for a while.

The evening show was the chuckwagon races. This is not what you are thinking. The chuck wagons are designed purely for races and only look slightly similar to the old version used back in the day. The races were hugely competitive and absolutely fantastic. The people are fanatical about the sport as well. There may have been some betting on the races in the stands around our seats 😉 After the final race was done, the tropheys presented (to much fanfare and explosions of course) the big finale show was put on. This was definitely a lot different to what was expected by everyone. The first thing was that it was huge. Massive does not give it justice. The stage took up most of the ring area and it had several levels and floating spaces. CRAZY!!! Then there was the style of the show. It was a lot more artsy and storyline ish a la Cirque de Soleil. But it was good, very well done and the fireworks at the end… FANTASTIC way to end the night.

Now we come to one of the things I was looking forward to. The crazy ass food! Now I had a few beers (first beers in like almost a year) and then here are a few highlights of the food from the day that I consumed… There will be full details in photos when I upload the photos:
* Moowich (Ice Cream Sandwhich)
* Pulled Pork Sandwhich with home made BBQ Sauce
* Deep Fried Pickles with Blue Cheese Dressing
* Wagon Wheel Cookie with Milk
* Clamato Juice (Clam & Tomato Juice)
* Wagon Wheel & 2% Milk for $1 (Cookies & Milk)
* 2 Scoops Ice Cream – Stampede Breakfast & Beer for My Horses (Pancakes, Maple Syrup, Bacon & Beer Flavoured)
* 2 Muffins bigger than I have ever seen before for $1 (that’s total)
* Corn on the Cob
* Mac & Cheese Pizza

It was an absolutely random day but I loved every minute of it. Now we are back on the road heading back to Vancouver. Today was spent on a bus pretty much with a long ass road day. The day has been spent getting over the day yesterday, trying to be healthy again to make up for yesterday (although we had an ice cream stop again today and it was GOOD, ps Orange & Licorice flavoured ice cream is awesome), but I will keep running with the fitness level up. Need to tackle a big hill trek on Wednesday.

Current Location: Sandman Inn & Suites Vernon – Vernon, BC

by ·Comments Off on Mountains, Snow & Ice..

Now that I have some free time it is probably a good idea to give you guys a full on update since it has been several days since a decent one. Internet has been totally unreliable the last 4 days but then again it has been a mixture of crappy hotels and then rooms so far from the hotspot its not funny.

Jasper was great, I had a fantastic time playing up in the mountains with the hiking etc and then we headed to Banff via the Columbia Ice Fields. All I can say is WOW. I had never been to a Glacier before and holy cow was it awesome. I loved it!! Got to experience how a Glacier is formed and exists and that was great, plus driving up onto the Glacier in an Ice Explorer Vehicle was totally cool. It was FREAKING COLD though.

After the Glacier we went straight to the Helicopter point and i decided to drop a large chunk of $$$ and do a 25 min Wilson Glacier Helicopter Flight. It was well worth it and managed to take 530 photos in the 25 mins (thats right roughly 1 shot ever 2-3 seconds). The scenery with the mountains was absolutely unreal and blew my mind. After the helicopters it was back on the bus and off to Banff. We had a good time that day and was expecting a big night in Banff but to be honest I have been enjoying the relaxation and not really up for partying every night.

For instance in Banff i was craving some ice cream and after a big day of movement, decided to just indulge, but by the time I had finished, I was sleepy! So gave in and ended up ditching the group and heading back to the hotel (turns out it got VERY messy). Banff was unreal! Again more mountains, lots of hiking and exploring, a few highlights from my free day there. Got up early and went for a run up Tunnel Mountain, managed to get about 2k before totally running out of breath and having to turn around and walk back, ashamed! The Gondola ride to the top of Sulphur Mountain was great, and the 2k walk at the top was even better!

I hiked down from the Gondola to the Fairmont Hotel. This hotel from the 20s was built Chateau style and is absolutely stunning (can’t wait to compare it to Lake Louise) and made for something different. Managed to explore the village of Banff (it is definately only really a village) while scouting out gear for the Stampede.

That evening we had a Horse Ride and Steak Fry optional. Now to give you a bit of info, I have never really liked horses. I rode one when I was like 10 and a scout, during the ride I fell off while the horse was trotting down hill, not a good thing, and have always had problems with them since. So since I have been trying to combat these issues for a while now, well you can see where this is going. I signed up to do the Horse ride but was quite hesitant. I jokingly commented that I wanted a horse that was “almost dead” in the hopes that it would be so placid I would not need to worry.

Well that didn’t happen. I got a horse by the name of “Target.” He was ok on the way out to the campsite for dinner, he was a bit stand offish at times, ignoring commands etc, but all in all he did as he was told when needed. Dinner was great (the beans phenomenal) but on the way back, things started going differently. I was one of the last horses to be remounted and by this time the corral was jam packed with people and horses and target did not seem to like this one bit. He was pushing his way around, going crazy and all the time making me more and more nervous.

No matter what I did, he just did not want to listen at all. Several times I had to yank so hard on the reins I was thinking I was going to rip his head off, but he just ignored it. In the end he went crazy as and one of the guides had to come up, hold him still and calm him down while I got off and then refused to get back on. I had had enough! They offered me other horses but by that stage I was in full on panic attack mode and just decided to walk. Fuck it, I’m going home. I was jittery as all hell. The walk did me good, It was great to get out and hike some more, hell I even trail ran the last 1km back to the stables.

After that we had a beach party at the hostel next door to the hotel, but to be honest I was still a bit all over the place, so made an appearance at the party for 30-40 mins and then bailed to calm down and get a good nights sleep.

But now we come to the whole reason for this trip (and I will cover it more in depth with a post Calgary update). I am sitting here in Calgary. The whole reason I came on this tour was for the stampede, and now that reality is possible. All bets are off today. Mal will eat and drink and damn sure put a dent in the hard work I have done over the last 18 months, but FUCK IT! I deserve it! Here is to an awesome day… YEE HAW!!!

Current Location: Sandman Hotel Calgary Downtown – Calgary, Alberta
Countries: 3
Canadian Provinces: 2
US States: 1

by ·Comments Off on Quick Update…

Well its been a few days but i figured I would throw out a quick post update (full one tomorrow morning probably). The last few days have been great since leaving Jasper. I have done and seen some amazing things.

Highlights have been hiking some more in the mountains, managing to run out of breath while running, trying to combat some fears with horses and failing and also getting to step foot for the first time on a Glacier.

Tonight is going to be crazy, off to Ranchmans here in Calgary. O dear! I might even take a stab on the mechanical bull!

Current Location: Sandman Hotel Calgary Downtown – Calgary – Alberta

by ·Comments Off on Lakes, Canyons, Rivers & Mountains

What a wonderful last few days. We left Whistler after lunch for a few hours drive into Kamloops where we had just a one night road stop before continuing on the next morning. Kamloops was good, Brad and I had a “suite” at our hotel which was huge, lots of space, plus free wifi means Mal is a happy chappy. Dinner that night was pretty average till dessert. My day of being a good boy went to absolute SHIT! We had dinner at a place called “Frick & Fracks” This was a place that reminded me of a mix between a TGI Fridays and a Hooters. The girls all wore skimpy outfits but the atmosphere was very friendly and not very sports barish (which is what hooters really is meant to be). They had some desserts and Ahmed, Fiona & I decided to share one, we were recommended the “Peanut Butter Chocolate Avalanche”

Holy cow was it YUM!!! It was a giant tower of chocolate ice cream, oreo cookie base, a big thick layer of peanut butter (gotta love that salty peanutty taste) and then covered in whipped cream, chocolate sauce and crushed nuts. Dear god in heaven, sinful, rich, decadant and totally way outside of my normal eating habits. I had joked about having one to myself, till it came out. The next morning didn’t help either. The breakfast was served at Dennys. It was the first time I had ever eaten at a Dennys in the 3 times I had been to the US & Canada, I had somehow always managed to never eat there. Well we were served their traditional Canadian Breakfast, the Grand Slam. 2 Eggs scrambled, 2 Pancakes with Maple Syrup, Bacon & Sausage. Now my normal breakfast is Oats or Cereal and a Banana or some Toast and a Piece of Fruit. This was overload for my stomach. I managed to eat it all, but I don’t think I should have.

We were on the road for most of the day and I managed to wipe out a book (expect a review to follow this afternoon some time), and then it was a matter of how to entertain myself as the other physical book I brought with me was in my suitcase. So I managed to write up a book review, write several long emails to friends and keep myself busy occasionally chatting to Mike who I was sitting next to on the bus. All in all a good way to spend the morning.

We had a picnic lunch by Mt Robson with the mountains in the back ground. Now that was the kind of lunch stop you gotta love. Sunshine, sandwhiches, fruit, cookies, a beautiful backdrop. What more can you ask for. It was a good precursor to what was an adventurous afternoon. I went White Water Rafting on the Fraser River. The portion of the Fraser we were doing was only Class 3 rapids so they were not as strong as the Tully River Rafting I did back in November with my sister. It was fun still though 😀

Had an awesome time. Wish it could have been longer though, as it was over pretty quick and then we were back on the bus, heading to Jasper. Over the border into Alberta for my 2nd Canadian Province of the trip along with a time change to (Now in Mountain Time). That’s when for some reason, Cranky Mal tookover for the evening. Not quite sure why, but he reared his ugly head. Mal was in a cranky mood for the rest of the evening and rather than try to be sociable, I retreated to the hotel on my own and just chilled out before going to sleep.

This morning though, things started off much better, I determination to have a healthy day, a 30 min run in the morning around the streets of Jasper in the Clear air, but unfortunately lots of clouds to ruin the views. A healthy breakfast and a good morning out at Lake Maligne and Maligne Canyon meant that the day was filled with plenty to see and do. The Lake was stunning and the views were just picture perfect, can’t wait to get those photos home. Then upon my return to Jasper in the early afternoon, I quickly grabbed the healthiest looking sandwhich I could find, a bag of carrots and headed out onto a hiking trail, intending on walking out to Patricia Lake. Unfortunately it seems I didn’t quite make it their and got sidetracked before it, but hell, who cares I was hiking in the rockies, 2 days, 2 ticks off the list.

Now its time for a relaxing night tonight, for tomorrow, I add another flight to my log book, several hundred camera photos I am sure.

Current Location: Athabasca Hotel – Jasper , Alberta
Countries: 3
Canadian Provinces: 2
US States: 1

by ·Comments Off on Whistling away…

So on Saturday I left you guys in the morning as I was about to head off on my contiki tour. Well the tour has been fantastic so far. Loving every minute of it. We haven’t had much time on the coach as whistler is roughly about a 90min drive from Vancouver but it was such a beautiful and scenic drive. I have spent a lot of time without touching my pc up here so this is the first time I have touched it since leaving Vancouver. If I needed to get in touch with someone urgently I always had my phone and could wip it out if need be but to be honest, a couple days without internet enjoying the outdoors has been AMAZING!

Whistler is an amazingly beautiful place, when we arrived there was still snow up on the top of Whistler and Blackcomb mountains, that was a site to behold for someone who has only ever seen snow once before but this place is a fitness junkies paradise (and I think I am kinda heading that way haha). There is mass amounts of walking/running/bike trails (hell I got majorly lost on one this morning while out running) and then you have the lakes, the mountains, hell you can even ski still at the moment on one of the glaciers.

As I sit here in the sun, its not to hot and its not to cold, its just right, I sip my coffee, enjoy the music, free wifi, the sound of the birds chirping as life just kinda speeds on by. It is an amazingly surreal experience. Yesterday was a fun day. Spent 3-4 hours yesterday morning canoeing through Alta Lake and then down some of the streams, which was fun as hell and a good workout for my arms, then after a quick light lunch we went off and did some Zip Lining which was heaps of fun! I never thought I would of done it, so I am ticking off tasks more and more. That counts as something crazy unless it gets topped between now and when I get back.

The food has been amazingly good and I will show some pictures when I get around to it, but there has been some crazy ass food! Cookies the size of my head, toffee apples that look so decadant even a 4 year old would be in a sugar coma for like a month, Steaks that were just cutting like butter and coffee, o god the coffee! I am starting to ask “where is the best coffee” when I get into places and people are just not wrong! I am loving it!

Anyway only a quick post, I wanna get off this internet and get back to doing some photography, the mountain bikers have some runs set up on the side of the mountain near here so I am hoping I can get a heap of photos of them on the runs, if not, me thinks a bit more shopping is in order!

Current Location: Lift Coffee Company – Whistler Village, BC, Canada

by ·Comments Off on Trip Report – Around the World on a Star – Los Angeles to Vancouver – 7th July

Once we were released from our aircraft into the Terminal, it was a mad dash towards immigration. Anyone who has ever been to LAX before will know what I am talking about. LAX is a NIGHTMARE for transit. The facilities are crap, the staff are as slow as hell. But so many people do it, and I was doing it for some crazy ass reason. I was going to chatise myself at least a dozen times during this stopover for transiting at LAX.

As we got to the escalators down into immigration, we were spread out amongst people coming in off Virgin Atlantic from London. A full 747 load of passengers. Now unfortunately (and I don’t know why) but they don’t offer any sort of express service for priority passengers. This is ludicrous because the scene that was in front of me was like pure and utter bedlam. Crazy++ There was just hundreds of people in line ahead of me. The line was barely moving. I knew this was not going to be pretty.

I was meant to meet some people here in LAX for a bit of Aviation Geekage but I laughed when they said I would be out around 4pm (since I was due to land at 1445. They were not wrong. I was in line for a good hour and then once I got my bag, I still had another 15 minutes to get through customs. Yeah worst hour and 15 of the trip so far. But it was done, and I was clear.

As I dropped off my bag at International connections, and off into the main area I went. Met up with Derek from Cranky Concierge who was picking me up and we were quickly into his car, and off to In n Out. O yes, that’s right, I am already 2 down on the list and its barely even 24 hours into the journey. Now the In n Out near LAX is pretty famous amongst Aviation Geeks as it is directly under the flight path for Arrivals into Runway 24R. This is often the heavy aircraft runway. And I was not going to be disappointed this time.

I had been looking forward to these burgers for months now. I already had my order ready in my head (though I ended up getting fries as well when I got there). Both Derek and I met up with Brett from Cranky Concierge and also www.crankyflyer.com and we all had a great time, chatting about planes, travel and me with Camera in hand taking in heaps of photos. Awesome afternoon. Got some fantastic spotting photos. Some highlights include:
* Hawaiian A330
* Lufthansa 747
* Air China 747
* Singapore Airlines A340-500
* A rare Southwest Aircraft (737-300 with Winglets)
* Horizon Dash 8 – 25th Anniversary
I will throw up photos online at some stage but this was an awesome afternoon. Derek got me back to Terminal 2 and ended up dropping me right infront of Premium Security (o yeah) and I was through into the terminal within 10 mins. Now we had timed this so that I should have just enough time for a shower, quick drink and to the gate. Good timing to. I high tailed it from Security to the NZ Koru Club for a shower, no problems getting in at all. I had what was probably the quickest shower in their lounge history and felt relatively human again.

From the NZ lounge (no photos was to focused on going to the Maple Leaf Lounge) I ran next door to the Maple Leaf Lounge operated by Air Canada to try and keep up my Goal of going Lounge Hopping but mainly to see if they will reissue my boarding pass onto Air Canada stock. Nope, do it at the gate the Lounge Dragon told me. Fine. Walked in, dropped my bag, took a heap of photos, grabbed a can of club soda and then out to the gate I went. Once I got to the gate the flight had just arrived and people were spilling out everywhere. The gate agent wasn’t originally going to reprint my pass, then I asked if there were any other seats available. She said 1D. Aisle Seat, first row. Think Mal, Think. Yep take it.

Gave me a few minutes to sit down, fix some stuff up in my bag, take a photo of the Best Buy vending machine that dispenses gadgets and every other tech nerds dreams and then the flight was called.

Air Canada
AC557
Los Angeles to Vancouver
1915-2257
Embraer – E190 (C-FMZU)
Executive First – Seat 1D

Boarding: 1855 (Gate 24)
Push Back 1915
Take Off Roll: 1922 (Runway 24R)
Top of Descent: 2120
Touch Down: 2143 (Runway 26R)
Shut Down: 2150 (Gate 53)

With Priority Boarding called I was in the first wave onboard behind the families unfortunately. I was greeted onboard with a slight French Canadian Accent and then remembered something I had forgotten about the Embraer. Small overhead lockers… ahhhh crap. Thankfully my bag did fit. So that is always a good feeling. No sign of any headphones anywhere, figured they would hand them out later so grabbed my book and settled in.

Pre departure beverages were offered and I took a water. Back to being good after my indulgent lunch that’s for sure! We were soon all boarded pretty quickly (small aircraft means quicker turn arounds) and we pushed back dead on time. Nice work Air Canada can’t complain there. Now one thing I will mention about Air Canada is that their Transborder (US/Canada flights) out of LAX are all on E190s. This means that the seats are just plain old Cradle Seats, which for a 2 and a bit hour flight is perfectly fine. Anything longer and it would be a bit meh.

The seat was comfortable, adequate space and because I was in Row 1, the Monitor was fitted to the bulkhead so I could use it straight away (had they given out headsets). We were pushed back from the gate and then had a quick 7 minute taxi direct out to the runway to take off from where I had been sitting about an hour before.

The takeoff was quick, and we powered out over the water and turned north, and north we went. Apparently we flew up along the coast line and for some reason the Seat Belt sign stayed on for quite some time. A good 10-15 mins before the chimes sounded to release people from their seats. With that the flight attendants started handing out plain old earbuds. PASS! If I had of known this was going to be the fact to start with, I would of grabbed mine from the start of the flight.

Once that was done, arrival documentation handed out and then drink orders taken. Again I went with a club soda for reasons I am not quite sure in my head and this was served with nuts on the side. It’s a North American thing but all the airlines serve nuts of some sort. These were skin on roasted peanuts and cashews, not warm though but they were good, tasty and a touch salty.

Menus were handed out shortly there after while I started watching about the only movie that looked half decent (Unknown). Dinner choices didn’t look to bad and after having Beef for dinner last night, went for Salmon this time around. It was served with a side salad, Vegies and some sort of Rice thingy. It was good, a touch overcooked but meh can’t complain. The whole dinner was served with a small slice of Strawberry Cheesecake which was the best cheesecake I have eaten in a long long time (even beats the cheesecake shop).

Served with another few cups of coffee and I was a happy content avgeek. I settled in to keep watching Unknown and soon enough we were given a top of descent warning by our Female Co Pilot. We ended up coming into land with still light outside which was kinda trippy for almost 10pm at night. Guess things are not going to be getting dark until late around here. But that is just something I will need to get used to.

We landed with a very nose high attitude on the aircraft and it felt very wierd. But we cleared the runway and then we were off onto a taxiway and there we sat. At this point I had thought we were pulling up to a bus gate. But I was wrong. It was just a hold point on the taxi way. Thank god for that. We pulled into our gate right next to a new colours Continental 737 (sporting united badging). Into the terminal we were released and there is where the endless walk from one of the far international gates to immigration.

Now I got to immigration quickly and there was no one in front of me at this point so I was looking good. However the Staff member just decided to grill the crap out of me. Question after Question after Question. Hell the guys at the US didn’t even ask me much more than “how long are you here for”. It seems he wanted to know every minute detail of my trip, not sure why though. Once through that it was over to get bags then out through customs (not even a stop, he just took the form and said “off you go” before I had even stopped walking) and out into the Terminal. I met up with one of my twitter friends for my evenings entertainment!