The Great Canadian Staycation

Looking to stay in Canada this year instead of visiting the USA??? 

Here's a solid list of tourism activities you can do in Canada instead of heading to the U.S., and honestly, a lot of these are just as good (or better):

Nature & Outdoor Adventures

Explore the Rockies in Banff National Park – hiking, turquoise lakes, mountain views

Visit Jasper National Park for wildlife spotting and dark-sky stargazing

Walk the cliffs and beaches of Cape Breton Highlands National Park

See polar bears in Churchill Manitoba

Go whale watching off Vancouver Island

City Experiences

Spend a weekend in Montreal – festivals, food, old-world architecture

Explore historic streets and waterfront in Quebec City

Enjoy museums, theatre, and food in Toronto

Visit the coastal charm of Halifax

Unique Canadian Journeys

Take a scenic train trip on VIA Rail across the country

Drive the Cabot Trail for one of the best road trips in North America

Explore the Icefields Parkway between Banff and Jasper

Adventure & Wilderness

Canoe in Algonquin Provincial Park

Go backcountry camping in Kluane National Park and Reserve

Experience the Northern Lights in Yellowknife

Relaxation & Scenic Spots

Visit Prince Edward Island National Park for beaches and red sand cliffs

Tour the wineries in Niagara-on-the-Lake

Relax in the mountain town of Whistler

Culture & Festivals

Attend the Calgary Stampede

Experience winter festivities at Winterlude

Go to the Just for Laughs Festival

History & Heritage

Walk through Old Quebec (UNESCO World Heritage Site)

Visit L'Anse aux Meadows

Explore Parliament Hill in Ottawa

Water-Based Activities

Cruise the Thousand Islands (on the Canadian side of the border)

Kayak along the Bay of Fundy (world's highest tides)

Fish in remote northern lakes across Ontario or Manitoba

Winter Experiences

Ski in Whistler Blackcomb

Dog sledding in Yukon

Ice skate on the Rideau Canal

You don't actually need to cross the border to get world-class experiences. Canada has everything: Mountains, oceans, culture, wildlife, and history, often with fewer crowds and a more relaxed pace.

If anything, skipping the U.S. trip might just lead you to discover places you didn't even realize were in your own backyard.

Uber, the First Ride

Took Uber for the very first time today because of an emergency at home.

Honestly, Uber was arguably easier and simpler than taking a taxi and I was overall impressed. I would definitely do it again.

The Taxi Industry clearly needs to step up their game if they are planning to compete because the simplicity and ease of use of calling an Uber with an app, not having to deal with directions, the Uber driver taking the route you want them to take... so much simpler and ideal. And automatic payments means, wow. Get in, go, get out. Done.

Impressed*

The Skylon Tower + Red Bull

Today I am going to be writing two reviews at once.

The first is about the Skylon Tower at Niagara Falls. I went up the tower back in 1985 when I was just a kid and for years afterwards I thought with childish confusion that the Skylon Tower was the CN Tower and that Niagara Falls was in Toronto. Like I said, I was a kid at the time and didn't know any better.

To this day I have been living in Toronto for 12+ years and I still haven't been up the CN Tower. I suppose partially because that distant memory of the Skylon Tower was enough for me. I also recall walking around above the falls and we also got a tour behind / underneath Niagara Falls in the tunnels / caves owned by Ontario Hydro. (I am not certain if they still give tours down there, but back in the 1980s they did.)

Since then I haven't really been up many towers. I recall going up a lookout tower in the Appalachians and I have been up the Seoul Tower in South Korea twice.

What I have discovered I really enjoy however is mountain climbing, something I picked up while living in South Korea. Part exercise, part exploration, part the enjoying the scenery when you reach the top. So to me mountain climbing combines the scenery of going up a really tall building with the exercise and feeling of having accomplished/discovered something.

And lets face it, I live in Canada. And there is a lot of mountains to climb if I want to give myself a challenge. Just so long as I don't fall or get killed in an avalanche.

Which brings me to my 2nd review for today: Red Bull Crashed Ice.

Now before you think Red Bull Crashed Ice is an energy drink with ice in it (which I admit, is what it sounds like) let me explain what it really is: High speed racing on hockey skates.




So yeah... Its not what you think. Its just "Ice Cross Downhill" with a brand name sponsor. Sorry for the confusion.

I actually wish companies would stop purchasing buildings or events like that and then sticking their brand name on the item. eg. The SkyDome in Toronto being purchased by Rogers Telecommunications and being re-branded as "The Rogers Centre". I am sorry but it is always going to be the SkyDome to me, I don't care how much re-branding those marketing morons at Rogers do.


Anyway, back to the whole ice cross downhill topic. It is rather similar to BMX racing like in the video below which I first witnessed during the 2012 Summer Olympics.



There is also Ski Cross and Snowboard Cross, but I have to wonder about the athletes who get into these niche sports and whether they consider it a serious career. If they do, I wonder how many times they've forgotten to wear a helmet and injured their head.

Which begs the question, will be seeing Ice Cross Downhill at the next Winter Olympics? Probably not in 2014 in Sochi Russia, but we might see it become an event at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.

In which case I might find an excuse to visit South Korea and go mountain climbing just so I can be there for the Olympics that year. Should be fun.

Canada is Best in International Survey

As a brand, Canada is the best brand in the world according to a survey conducted by New York-based consulting firm "FutureBrand". Canada beat the USA (which came in #2) on the basis of Canada's quality of life, healthcare, stable economy, low crime rate and low level of violence and political upheaval.

America has apparently been slipping in recent years. Last year the United States was #4, beaten by Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

Canada's tourism appeal, quality of life and value systems were the big deciding factors in the survey. Some argue however that its not what Canada has, but what Canada DOES NOT have that helps Canada's image on the international stage.

Namely crime, violence and warmongering leaders (although Stephen Harper is pretty damn close to that).

The USA's unstable economy and high crime rates are big reasons why the USA lost the #1 spot this year.

But it may be difficult to unseat Canada from the top spot in the future. We're so damn nice and polite that it appeals to foreigners. We're not arrogant and pushy like Americans.

Branding Canada is not an easy feat, according to Jeanette Hanna, founder of Trajectory Brands in Toronto. “It’s a difficult thing to do without resorting to clichés. The key is not to think of the Canadian brand in traditional, two-dimensional terms. It’s much more complex,” she says.

Michele McKenzie, CEO of the Canadian Tourism Commission, believes the Winter Olympics in Vancouver helped lift Canada’s image on the world stage.

4 years ago Canada was ranked 12th but has been climbing steadily.

The worst performing country brands are Zimbabwe, Iran and Pakistan.