Dubai, 29th August 2010
Summer - looked forward to with excitement, anticipated with baited breath, and planned in minute detail over the other nine months of the year. Magazines are full of helpful articles advising on how to get that beach-body, how to make sure the kids get out of the house as much as possible, how to prepare the nicest picnics for those rare days in the sun, how to get the most out of your garden. That is true in some parts of the world. Okay, maybe it is like that in most parts of the world. But not here in the Gulf, oh no.

Here, summer is a four-letter word. Dreaded, feared, and a nightmare in many ways. The kids need to be kept busy indoors, the garden withers and burns, it is difficult to keep heat stroke at bay, and not to get completely frazzled by the sun. Magazines are full of advice on the best way to keep cool during those dreaded moments when you cannot avoid being outside and dash between car and shop, or garage and home, and although we wear summer clothes all year round, the summer brings a new challenge: clever layering to cope with the 50 degrees Celsius outside and minus 20 inside any mall, office, house or car.

The best way to deal with summer here in the Gulf is to pack up and leave. Which is just what anybody who can does. There are always some husbands left behind – somebody has to keep the rental payments up after all; even the odd family stays, but usually only because of work commitments, rarely voluntarily. But generally – the Gulf empties from end of June and starts filling up again in late August. Expats, residents, locals - all follow their inherent nomadic call during this time of year, pack up and desert the desert.

But leaving to go ‘back home’ brings a new set of challenges. Some of us are lucky to have a ‘home’ back home, others have several homes even. Yet others have multi-national families and find themselves in-flight more often than on the ground, trying to catch up with family commitments all over the place; and some of us who regard the Gulf as their home and simply go back to unite grandchildren and grandparents and tend  to stay with them, which is a different story altogether.

Whichever way you spend the summer, a common ailment is that most of us feel a little like a fish out of water when ‘back home’, feeling like a visitor to surroundings that we should know well but that are somehow unfamiliar and changed each time we visit, and an expat on home leave often feels out of place.

It starts with the temperatures – whilst everybody seems to run around in shorts and t-shirts enjoying a warm spell, as Gulfers, although we came for the cooler temperatures, we suddenly find ourselves donning fleeces and seeking out the sunny spots; or it is the other way around and we find the summer heat even more daunting than in the Gulf, as there doesn’t seem to be anywhere that has air-conditioning making it impossible to escape from it.

Then there is the embarrassment at the petrol stations, where we have to help ourselves whilst reeling from the prices, and at the supermarket check-outs nobody helps out with the packing and the entire queue is tutting at the slow-coach trying to buy all the goodies she missed throughout the year.

But hey, there is the shopping and the general catching-up with old friends you can do whilst back home, although it is a touch irritating that people expect you to come to them – while you are in the country and being such a seasoned traveler – rather than coming to see you. Add to that the sad fact that you don’t recognize anybody in Hello magazine anymore, and everybody on TV seems to be new and only 12 years old; you have completely lost the plot of your once favourite soap; you get strange looks when uttering phrases such as “same same” or “Insh’allah”, and are looking for a shawarma place in the neighbourhood - at the end of a long long summer, it is good to go home. Home to the Gulf.

And once we are back, we think to ourselves that it is not so bad here after all. Next year we might stay for the summer rather than spending a small fortune on getting around ‘back home’  - we could spend the same small fortune on four weeks in the Seychelles and come back relaxed rather than stressed from spending too much time with the family.

But then summer approaches again and like migrating birds we get ready to fly off again for the hot season – we can’t help it, it’s what we do. It’s a summer thing.

Dubai, 22nd August 2010
I must say that I could go on and on about my favourite things in Canada, it really was a fantastic trip, but I should share some addresses and places to visit with you just in case you are heading that way:

Seeing bears in the wild has just blown my mind, it was too sad to read the recent article in National Geographic. So, before it is too late, go and see some. To up your chances, one of the best places I can recommend is the Blue River. A River Safari in a boat seating eight people plus an experienced guide takes you along the river to a quiet lake where you can spot bears meandering along the coast, turning over rocks to look for food, sniffing along the tree line and completely ignoring you whilst you are only three or four metres away.  www.riversafari.com

If you are after whales, sea otters, bald eagles and gigantic, lazy sea lions – Tofino is the place to see them. Jamie’s Whaling has a number of boats that take you out and they guarantee that you’ll see at least one whale – otherwise you get another trip for free. Boats range from large (where they serve perfect hot chocolate to warm you up) to small zodiacs, in which you’ll have to wear a survival suit just in case you fall into the icy waters.. But you’ll see some amazing wild life either way.

I have already recommended Tojo’s restaurant in Vancouver and Pescatores in Victoria in a previous post, but here are a few more:

Chill Winston is a restaurant lounge in the Gastown district in Vancouver that serves an array of beers, cocktails and has a fantastic food menu. The pan-fried halibut was simply to die for, and sitting outside you can watch some of Vancouver’s quirkiest characters walk past.

The Raw Bar in the Hotel Arts in Calgary is a popular restaurant/ bar, trendy inside, but even nicer by the pool outside, weather permitting. They serve great cocktails and fantastic fish and chips, yummy tuna tataki and a nice spicy dish of crispy calamari.

C Restaurant in Vancouver is one of the best fish restaurants in town, overlooking False Creek with its busy ferries toing and froing (do you spell that like that??) and attracting the fashionable crowd. Gorgeous fish, but – as I realized there seems to be a theme here of mostly sea food recommendations – also lovely choices for meat lovers, as do all the other above restaurants, honest!

We stayed in two different hotels in Vancouver, both of which I can highly recommend: The Listel on Robson Street is right in the heart of buzzing Downtown, you literally step out into shopping and café heaven, whilst the Opus is a little further from the hustle and bustle, but literally only a 10 minute saunter or five minute walk from all the shops. The Opus is something a little different with the staff wearing pink polo shirts and pink and black two-tone shoes and the rooms and suites being decorated a little more lively than most subdued beige decors. I loved it there!

And just to have you know, I did not get any freebies, so the recommendations are genuine.
 

Dubai, 15th August 2010
My visit to Alberta and British Columbia has left me brimming with new experiences and impressions and it’s difficult to think, let alone put into words, what I liked best. But I’ll try – here are some of my favourite memories, in no particular order.

1. Bears – It is so lovely to know there are still some places in the world which we have not destroyed and where wildlife lives as it should and you are able to see bears climbing trees, rooting around by the lakeside and simply going about their business. My favourite bear encounter was the one hanging in a tree munching leaves, or maybe the one that toddled along a path in the middle of Whistler scaring the living daylights out a jogger – too funny. Our Grizzly encounter was cool, too. He ‘spat’ at me twice before I finally conceded defeat and leapt back into the car!

2. The rivers in the Rocky Mountains – be it the Fraser, Bow or any of the others. The rivers are so wide and lively that they are simply awe-inspiring. Myriad of waterfalls cascading down from the rather impressive mountains and feeding the rivers make the forested countryside into a water spectacle that is utterly breathtaking. I’d love to come back in September when the salmon are spawning, what a sight that must be.

3. The enthusiasm of the visitors – one of the fun and funniest encounters were with the other drivers through the Rockies when stopping for wildlife. Everybody is constantly scanning the countryside for animals and when you see one, you pull over onto the hard shoulder and attract the attention of the following cars. “What have you seen?” “What is it?” are the immediate questions and everybody is enthralled by finding and sharing the sight of bears, Bighorn sheep, Mountain goats, moose and deer with others. Even the humble ground squirrels and chipmunks get their fare share of attention, especially as they seem to love posing for the cameras.

4. Vancouver – I had heard so much about this city and had a sneaky suspicion that I would like it, but I was still surprised by how lovely it is. It is bright and breezy, surrounded by water that is teeming with sailboats, the cutest little ferries, kayaks and even seals, brimming with lovely restaurants and cafes, art displays at virtually every corner and a cosmopolitan population that must be second only to Dubai. I have already located my apartment for when we are moving there… overlooking False Creek and Granville Island. (Donations are welcome and necessary.)

5. Granville Island – one of Vancouver’s favourite tourist haunts this market is a delight to all the senses. The fresh food market is simply heaven with its displays and eateries inviting you to throw calorie-caution into the wind and indulge, and then indulge a little more. In one morning I managed to sample some sausages, a muffin, fresh raspberries and cherries, the best macaroon ever (an accolade up to then held by macaroons bought in La Rochelle, France), still warm bread – and all followed by crispy calamari with tzatziki. And yes, I did feel utterly sick afterward!

6. Vancouver Island – reached by ferry from the mainland this island is huge and offers absolutely everything: Pacific Ocean beaches with waves big enough to attract surfer dudes from around the globe; forested mountains that give shelters to bears; creeks that rival Norway’s fjords (well, nearly anyway); whales, sea lions, and a population of Bald Eagles that make you snort at the suggestion that they may be endangered. Tofino is a chilled town run by students on summer vaca where despite the temperatures (summer average around 17C according to a local) there is a true holiday feeling that is catching.

7. Sea Otters – when I rattled off my ‘to-spot’ list to a friend, he nodded to the ‘bears, moose, marmots, wooly goats, eagles and even whales, but shook his head at ‘sea-otters’. “Those you don’t get to see”, he advised. Ha, saw some! Floating around the open Pacific, in freezing temperatures with waves that made my fellow sailors feel green around the gills, we saw two islands of sea otters, one a pair and one a family of four. Floating on their backs, flippers in the air, looking as content as a sun-worshipper on a lilo in the Med. Seems they were extinct at some point not long ago, but were re-introduced and are now thriving. When back in Vancouver we saw more otters in the lovely Vancouver Aquarium, where the poor souls banged their heads against the glass at each turn and had a mere puddle to frolic in as compared to an entire ocean. But without those guys at the Aquarium they would not live in the sea anymore at all. So, kudos and thanks!

Too much in one go? I’ll continue with a few more favourites next week! Do you have any ‘must-see’ places and cherished memories of that part of the world? Please share, as I will certainly be back for more at some stage.
 

Calgary, Canada, 8th August 2010

I must apologize for this week's absence, but I am inching my way back through the time zones from western Canada to Dubai and am never awake at the right time to either be able to write or access the internet. Sorry.

I will be back next week. See you then!

Victoria, 2nd August 2010
We have finally arrived at Canada’s west coast and after having enjoyed a few days in Vancouver we are now on Vancouver Island, in its capital Victoria. Vancouver had already wowed us with its international atmosphere, constant festival feeling and fantastic locations such as the Granville Market which wooed us with an array of fresh foods that we can only dream of in Dubai, not to speak of the excellent restaurants such as Tojo’s, the hands-down winner of all the Japanese restaurants I have visited to date, including those in Japan.

Just when we thought Vancouver couldn’t get any better, we happened upon the Festival of Lights’ fireworks display which drew a crowd of some 600,000 people, and we luckily managed to snag a space on a boat so we were in the middle of English Bay watching a 30 minute display of the ooohs and ahhs- invoking spectacular.
Now, a mere one hour drive and 90 minute ferry-ride from Vancouver we are on Vancouver Island which stretches along the coast literally a stone throw away from the US border.

Unsure of what to expect from Victoria we again managed to arrive during a festival with market stalls all around the little marina bustling with mini-ferries, sea planes and plenty of sail boats, and another fireworks display.

But there are a couple of places I fell in love with straight away – a bookshop that drew me in and would not let go, and a fantastic seafood restaurant that matched its unusual interior with succulent dishes:

The bookshop is Munro’s – set in an old building with incredibly high ceilings and murals on the walls with books displayed in wooden shelves and piled around columns and on tables. Classical music fills the room and you can spend literally hours just browsing. Heaven.

If you like fresh fish or are a sucker for oysters then look no further than Pescatores near the harbour. High vaulted ceilings with several slow moving fans, dark wood set off with burnt orange walls and a chattering ever-changing clientele makes for a great ambiance and as for the fish – let’s just say that we’ll be stopping in again on the way back from our island exploration.

Anyway, got to get going on our Canadian safari – this time to do some whale watching. After seeing anything and everything from bears to moose, from an assortment of ground squirrels and chipmunks to mountain goats, it’s time to give the sea mammals a go. Wish us luck!