Doug's Rambles...

Friday, February 12. Beautiful.

We are almost into normal living again. We have a full size fridge, washer, dryer gigantic balcony facing the beach and lots of interesting activity below us. We can eat what we want and where we want and no car or parking to bother about. Last night's dinner was pineapple and pizza on the balcony!

We had our leisurely breakfast, [cereal], on the balcony watching Waikiki Beach come to its full level of activity. First are some joggers as the darkness begins to fade, some walkers and believe it or not the surfers are already paddling out. They sit on their boards about 200 yards out and watch the sun come up all the while watching for that special wave to come in.

Eventually we ambled down to catch the Hilo Hattie Free Shuttle that takes us on a tour as it makes it's way to Honolulu proper. The ride is about 1/2 hour and it in itself is an interesting ride. None of us know Honolulu really. [The last time all of us were here was in 1999 on Oriana].

After our obligatory stroll through Hilo Hattie's, which is a Hawaiian Tourist Clothing Retailer, we took another free shuttle to Aloha Tower and strolled, and gawked and had a light lunch on the waterfront. It was all very low key and casual.

Our pace of activity has dropped ever since we walked in the door here. Great to relax after a very busy five weeks on the move.

During the day I had a communication from Luci regarding the Olympics and Vancouver's face to the world with the Olympic and all.

We four had a discussion on which is the most beautiful city. That question needs qualifying. Some cities look great from a plane or a ship coming into them but can be nasty to be in. So, I will ramble a bit.

If you ask any 10 seasoned world travellers a question regarding sailing into a city, hands down the majority will say Sydney Australia. We all agreed. In this case it does not matter if you sail, fly or are in the city it is fantastic. The weather helps a heck of a lot. The Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge being so close together also helps. It is a very happy and vibrant place as well. On the downside, they only have one season as far as I am concerned. So does Hawaii.

Istanbul, Turkey is a fascinating place to sail into as well, sunset and sunrise are especially beautiful as a result of the smoky haze that enhances photos and chokes your nose. The Mosques look so exotic and mysterious it is spine-shivering. The city itself is an acquired taste.

Rio de Janeiro is also an amazing place to sail into, with the gigantic statue of Christ and Sugar Loaf mountain,dominating the entry with towering hills and mountains, also interesting Rio suburbs along the long shores on the way in. The city itself is amongst the grubbiest if you get out of it. The beaches are full of beautiful men, you heard me, and scantly-clad busty women.

New York, San Francisco, and a score of other large cities have their own appeal, either by ship or air. London, to me is a wonderful sight from a plane as the green spaces are dotted with wonderful ancient buildings that seem to look better from the air than the ground in some cases. An absolutely beautiful looking building with glorious gardens that was at one time a stately home may now be reduced to a series of rented office spaces.

Now, with acknowledgement of tremendous bias, we come to Vancouver, [and British Columbia].It is without a doubt in the top 10 of almost any body's list, sometimes ranking right up there with Sydney. We have the weather against us however, and we are more conservative than Aussies. We live in the shadow of our American neighbours and have an inferiority complex I sometimes think. Most tourists however, see Vancouver in all its glory. The sea, the mountains, the harbour and actually a relatively compact and easy place to get around in. Even people that have travelled extensively rate Vancouver up near the top. It is also a safe, clean and known as a very friendly city. [So are Canadians by the way folks.]

As a separate issue, Vancouver is rated a one of the "Best Places in the World to Live". And this is not coming from Premier Campbell or the Vancouver Mayor, this is from people who know the real world out there.

.

So, Luci, your judgement is right, Vancouver, and BC. is a fantastic place to live and it is not just because you happen to live there. Read your licence plate, 'Beautiful British Columbia'!

Most people, no matter where they are from in the world, have a pride in their town, city, or country. Our pride is not misplaced, it is just reinforced by impartial opinions.