World Travel - Good & Bad

I love to travel and see how other people and cultures live in their own environment and countries. To be honest if I just want to see other cultures, I could probably visit Toronto for the day and I’ll see all the colours of the rainbow. One thing about Canada, we’re a melting pot with multiculturalism coming out our butts. But that’s another rant I can go on another time.

I’ve been fortunate to see many parts of North America and the Caribbean but I have yet to travel overseas to Europe, Africa or Asia. I’ve been to the United States (several States but mostly Florida), Mexico, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Belize, Costa Rica and Panama.

I consider myself lucky to have had the opportunity to visit these places as I know there are many people, like my parents, who have never traveled much. Sure they go to Florida once a year but that doesn’t show you different cultures really as the Americans are more or less like Canadians…just not as polite.

One thing I’ve found with traveling, it gave me a real appreciation for home and my country of Canada. If you’ve ever thought “I’ve got it bad”, then you’ve obviously never been to places where survival and day to day life are not taken for granted.

Living in Canada and having to pay so much money for taxes, gas, food, housing and just the necessities of life can be draining on your emotions and your bank account but I’ve been to places where people don’t have homes or much money to survive.

One of my least favourite trips had me in Jamaica and in particular Montego Bay. If you’ve been to Jamaica to a resort you might not see how bad things are if you don’t venture off the resort property and I certainly don’t recommend it as you could be mugged, robbed or worse. There are some wonderful people in Jamaica and the Red Stripe beer was tasty but of all the places I’ve been this is where I felt the least safe. That’s saying a lot considering our tour group in Panama had an armed escort with two guys on a motorcycle…one driving and the other carrying a nice sized gun.

Montego Bay was a very dirty place and as a tourist stop you were hounded everywhere to buy stuff. People were lined down the middle of the road trying to sell items through the windows of the cars as we stopped in traffic. There are some side streets in the town where you wouldn’t want to venture for fear of being rolled. The small river through town was filled with garbage and stunk. The roads and sidewalks were very dangerous with huge holes. Overall, it wasn’t too pleasing to the eyes.

Upon arriving by cab in Montego Bay, I had a young man (early 20’s maybe) who attached himself to me as my personal tour guide. He ignored my friendly protests saying I didn’t need him to show me around and stayed with me. He tried to lead me down one street which looked like trouble and that was enough as I headed back to where the cab dropped me off. Before I said goodbye to him he informed me that I owed him $40 for the guided tour to which I told him I wasn’t paying for it as I never asked for it. Wanting him out of my hair, I told him I’d give him $5 and that didn’t go over well but when I said it was five or nothing, he took the five and went on his way looking for the next unsuspecting tourist. I got in a cab and quickly got out of there and I have no plans to ever return.

The only cool thing about that day was that the Queen and Prince Phillip were there to dedicate the new town hall (clearly the newest and cleanest building in the town). There were snipers on the roof tops and lots of security around so I can only imagine what my visit might have been like had the security been sparser. I only managed a quick view of the Royals as they were coming into town as I was heading out.

Oddly enough my visit to Cozumel, Mexico was a lot of fun but considering the number of Canadians in recent years that have been killed, injured and arrested in Mexico since then, I probably visited at the right time.

With what has happened to Brenda Martin in the news recently and of course all of the other well publicized killings of Canadians in that country, I will avoid it like Montezuma’s Revenge and I certainly wouldn’t recommend any of my friends visit Mexico either.

My favourite places were Limon, Costa Rica and Grand Cayman. In Costa Rica I went white-water rafting through the rainforest with my brother and it was incredible. I was dead tired by the time we got to the launch point but it was worth it as we hit some amazing rapids and had an awesome time. The rain was coming down and it was one of those moments I’ll always remember and cherish.

When I went to Grand Cayman I had a chance to swim and snorkel with the Stingrays and that was incredible. Keep in mind this was prior to the well publicized death of Croc Hunter Steve Irwin after he was attacked by one. I might think twice about it today. There were hundreds of stingrays all around us and they were obviously used to human contact so it wasn’t quite as risky. You had to be careful not to step on one though as they would defend themselves.

Before I pass on I’d love to see Scotland where my ancestors are from, England and Paris. It would also be cool to go on a Safari in Africa but I think if the lions or tigers saw me they’d think a smörgåsbord had arrived and I’d be quickly placed on the endangered list.

I’m sure everyone’s experiences are different and places I didn’t like others will visit over and over again. I just hope you don’t visit a place one time too many and regret it.

Down Under Madness

I've never been to Australia but I've known may people who have gone there on trips, for school and I know a few who have lived there for many many years.

Despite the fact that I've never stepped foot on the soil down under, as an educated man I know there are many good and not so good things about the country. Like any civilized land it is a country of mostly good people and a wonderful living environment. However, I also know that like here in Canada it has its seedy areas and dangers but certainly nothing worth warning visitors about.

Any traveler with half a brain knows that trouble can be found no matter where you go in the world, you just have to be smart about where you go and what you do. I certainly don't need a government agency warning me about such things.

That doesn't appear to be the case in Australia however as their government has released one of the dumbest travel advisories I have ever heard.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's Smart Traveller website warns of terrorism, dangerous winter driving, heavy snow, ice and wind chills, as well as tornadoes, earthquakes and forest fires in Canada.

It also lists Canada in its second safest category (Exercise Caution) with places such as Chile, South Korea and Latvia as being safer and with terrorism being the top concern.

What are these people smoking? "We advise you to exercise caution and monitor developments that might affect your safety in Canada because of the risk of terrorist attack," the website reads. Knock on wood and please correct me if I'm wrong but has there ever been a terrorist attack in Canada? Sure it could happen but it could happen in any country for that matter.

To warn travelers about Canadian tornado's or earthquakes would be akin to warning visitors to Australia about the chance of a Tsunami or Hurricane (Cyclone, or whatever they call it down there). When was the last time anyone was killed by an earthquake in Canada? Sure a tornado can pop up in a summer storm but it is a rare occasion at best. You're more likely to be attacked by a Dingo at the Toronto Metro Zoo.

The section on climate almost reads like a horror novel. "Heavy snowfalls and ice in the winter can make driving dangerous. The wind-chill factor can also create dangerously cold outdoor conditions. ... The province of British Columbia in western Canada is in an active earthquake zone. Alberta and British Columbia are also subject to avalanches. ... Tornadoes can occur in some areas of Canada between May and September. Bush and forest fires can occur any time in Canada."

Let me examine this statement a moment. I won't argue that we can get the odd heavy snowfall but for most parts of the country that only means a foot or two at most and the weather folks always give you plenty of warning. You can see much higher amounts in the mountains or on the East coast but odds are good if you've planned a trip to either of these places in the winter, you know this already. In my 40 years of living in Canada, I can't recall any storm in Ontario that has overly concerned me. My biggest fear was how long my back would last while shoveling.

It can get very cold and the wind chill at times can make things quite bitter but do you know what we Canadians do to combat this? We either don't go outside or we wear winter clothing which keeps you nice and toasty warm. If you're dumb enough to show up in Canada in January with a spring jacket and sandals then you probably deserve the frostbite you're going to get.

And then there's the talk of forest fires. Here's a tip...if you're walking through the Canadian wilderness and you see smoke, go in the opposite direction. Sure a forest fire can be very dangerous but honestly, how often do you hear of anyone being caught or killed in one. If you're in the wilderness then odds are you have a canoe or a pontoon plane. My advice would be to get in one or the other and haul your asses out of there.

The whole report is a disservice to both Canada and any Australians who might like to visit one of the most beautiful countries in the world.

There are dangers here just like anywhere. If I was to warn visitors or give advice to our Australian friends before they came to Canada, here's what I would suggest.

Between November and March I'd suggest you bring warm clothes or visit a mall when you get here and purchase some. If you're renting a vehicle, make sure you keep it gassed up and a keep a couple of blankets in the car. If by some stroke of bad luck you do happen to slide off the highway and get stuck, a full tank will allow you to keep the heat on and the blankets don't hurt either. I'm thinking if you're planning on doing some winter camping in the wilderness then you probably don't need my advice since you no doubt already know what to expect.

From March to November you can expect nice weather. In fact, when summer rolls around it can be hotter here than in Florida at times with temperatures reaching the mid 30's Celsius. Bring sunscreen, wear sandals and be prepared for both heat and rain. Pickpockets, muggings and other small crimes are no more likely to happen here than they are in any Australian city.

By the way, there is no warning for Canadians about Australia on Canada's Foreign Affairs website, except for an advisory to be wary of pickpockets and to avoid demonstrations because they could turn violent.

Does this mean if I go to Australia any time soon I should bring some riot gear just in case? I'm guessing no.