TRAVELING TO SOUTH AMERICA

Having been in all continents, I just find South America the most fascinating. One reason, from a media point of view, the continent gets less coverage – other than the carnivals, Colombian drugs, and Venezuelan President Victor Hugo.
If you are thinking of going to South America, consider these:

Some South American countries like Brazil require vaccination, especially yellow fever, if you are coming from certain areas of the globe – but not North America.

Some countries do not require visas from an unusual list of nationalities such as Filipinos but do require them from Americans and/or Canadians. Three countries come into mind: Suriname, Brazil and Peru.

A "Chat" With The Prime Minister of Canada



The Prime Minister is in front of the second flag from the left. 
I am two seats to his right.

Interviewing the Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper – leader of the second largest country in the world was new territory. I have interviewed the Prime Minister of New Zealand John Keys and brushed air space with the Dalai Lama. In all three situations, a reporter mandated to question is also concerned how much time and access is given or can snatch, given one has to write a story of at least a decent 400 words size plus a photograph.      

Well it was a rainy cold late November morning on a Saturday in downtown Vancouver. I knew I was in the right building when I saw a phalanx of men in black (uniform trench coats), no women, noticeably all fit with an average 31 inch waist. And of course the odd security men in blue with their dogs.

I was assigned a reporter’s seat closest to the PM seat. While we were waiting for the PM, three Members of Parliament mixed with the press – if this was a rock concert, you would say they were the opening act.

We were supposed to start the well-controlled media Q&A at 10:30 am but Prime Minister Stephen Harper came in around 11: 10 am. Due to time limitation, coupled with the delay, we were only allowed one question each with no follow up.

At 6’2” taller than my 5’8” frame, the prematurely silver-haired 52 year-old Prime Minister shook my hands and went around and did the same with everybody else. The PM is a conservative dresser from a blue print necktie, blue-striped grey suit, and starched white shirt to black oxford shoes. He can easily pass as a Midwestern or Prairie pastor who just had a full heavy breakfast about to give his Sunday sermon. The shoes, well-shined and clean all around the edges of the outsole, had seen some mileage as evidenced from the under sole, which was facing me most of the time.

Since we as reporters were briefed by one of the PM’s aides that we will get a transcript asap and an official photograph, it was both a relief that I didn’t have to record the proceeding and listen forward/rewind to it later, and a disappointment that we have to rely on an official photograph, which as it turned out was not “journalistic”.

I was the last one to ask, and since my planned question had been touched upon by another reporter, I had to think of a different approach and yet still focused on the subject of economy. The PM was looking at me intently and I thought I saw a smile at some point as he answered my question.

Then the photo op with the PM came. I was first and I asked Mr. Harper whether he wanted me on his right or left side, as some personalities have preferences. “It doesn’t matter.” A hand shake and that was that.

A few hours later, back in front of my laptop and with an emailed transcript received and a very small size jpeg photo, 40 KB, coupled with research, I was able to write an exactly even 450 word piece (shorter than this 750 word blog) which got the thumbs up from my editor. I must say that in order to write the story, I had to weave in the PM’s answers to other reporters’ questions on economy.

It took a couple of e-mail ping-pong returns, for the aide to finally send me a good-size 2 MB photo. It turned out the aide was sending the picture initially from her blackberry because she was not in her office. The deduction was that the blackberry was reducing the size of the picture.

The editor cc'd me as he e-mailed the page editor to take one last look and for the graphic artist to lay out the story for printing.

Writing a story is like having a baby; you anxiously wait for its arrival and see how it turns out. Where there typos? Was the structure clear yet interesting? You tried to figure out these in the pre-printing stages but now and then there are slips through the cracks. Fortunately none for this one. I was a happy camper.



NOTE: Due to copyright laws, I cannot publish the article in this blog yet, and the article is in paper print, not online so there is no link to provide. If you e-mail me a request, I can send you the text.

FLASH DANCE

Ever since I saw the movie Flashdance, the idea of auditioning as a dancer has been at the very very back corner of my mind.  I have always wondered what a dance audition would be like.  Will it be like the movie, where there are the ultra-confidents, the renegades, and the worriers?

So when I saw an ad at a local Vancouver city paper,

AUDITIONS Open Call for Strong Male and Female Dancers.

I told myself “Why not?  If not now, when?”  I consider myself strong and I have gotten good reviews before in the past with my dancing, that is disco dancing.  So I penciled in the date, November 3^rd, 2011, 10 am Harbour Dance Centre.

Please dress in close fitting dance attire, technical exercises & contrasting combinations will be taught to you at the audition.

A nippy dry autumn morning, I wore cut tank tops, the tightest jeans I have, and a thick pair of socks.  Clutching the newspaper ad clip, I took the No. 3 Bus on Main Street, and then the Sky Train to downtown Vancouver, walked towards 927 Granville Street, climbed up to the third floor, and entered a dance studio classroom with floor to ceiling mirrors and ballet bars.  Inside were mostly women, around 30 and six men including myself.  Everyone looked under the age of 30, young, fit, svelte and elastic as they did their warm ups.  Resumes were lying on top of most bags lined up against the walls. 

 I was the only one over 30, in fact, I was over 40!  But I was trim and fit (after losing 30 pounds in the past few months, I was confident and gung-ho).

Just like in the film Flashdance there were cliques and I felt like the Jennifer Beals character, out-of-place.  Lovely taut youth were doing stretches, odd movements, some standing, some sitting with their legs stretched on the shiny warm wooden floor.

Likewise, I took my shoes off, and sat legs out on the floor.  A friendly smiling guy extended his hand and introduced himself, “Hi, I’m Collin.” 

“Oh, I’m Jake.”  

A bit of a short talk.  He is from up north, Prince George.

Collin asked, “What’s the plan?”

“I am just dreaming.”

 “Good, go for it.”

Finally 20 minutes late, a British-accented man called the group, bald in his 50s with a tummy, identified himself as in charge of recruitment for Carnival Cruise Line’s 20 plus ships.  Each year he said he has around 45 cast positions to replace.

He showed us a few steps, “One, Two, Three … a flip there, a switch there, front, back, slap your hands, one, two, twirl and then bang.  Your thumb, your fingers … point them straight up!”  The entire dance floor shook several times as we glided, thrusted, gyrated, turned around while lightly fast hopping, now and then checking ourselves at the wall-to-wall mirrors.  I was trying to follow my neighbors as I can’t remember the full sequence.

As a whole, we had to do every short routine around seven times.  Whew!  It felt like an intense super-charged aerobics class but more fun.

Then he asked the ladies to line up by height, and accordingly grouped them to fours and fives.  The six men, halved into threes, comprised the last two sets.

To the beat of Usher’s “More” each group did ala Radio City Hall Rockettes style straight eye-high leg kicks.  This was followed by ballet pirouettes, around five 360s, from one corner diagonally across to the other.  That made me dizzy! 

Again – Fun!  

And again!  I thought I will fall down and quickly held on to the bar.  I heard no one laughed nor saw anyone snickered.  Anyway, I was woozy at that point.

Then in a gentle way, the culling began.  First the ladies’ groups.  After a quick repeat of a dance routine, the man would waive the select up front who would stay for the afternoon semis try outs and the rest walked wordlessly back to pick up their belongings.  Surprisingly it was a very dignified quiet way of sifting.  I was surprised that some girls who I thought were good did not make it and some that were not did.  No one cried or said anything.   Gradually the room became roomier and subdued.

Finally, it was the men’s turn.  Of the six of us, guess who got a Thank You? 

It was 12 noon, I was hungry and tired and actually I was glad.  I did approach the audition director and his local assistants to thank them for what I thought was a great experience.

Collin came around and said “You’ve got guts!”  I said with a gleeful smile, “Yaaaah!”

It was time to celebrate.  Off I walked to New Town, a Chinese restaurant at Pender Street, and had their famous House Special – Chow Mein. 

What a Flash of a day.

Portland

Coming Soon

CANADIAN ROCKIES TRIP

Labeled as one of the best world road travels, the drive through the Canadian Rockies, in the province of Alberta, from Banff Springs to Lake Louise to Jasper and back is scenic and panoramic. 

But it’s not free, if you plan to stop at any of the towns you have to pay an entry fee.  At the toll booth gates located along the stretch of Trans-Canada Highway 1, a single adult has to pay C$9.80 for the day or a C$67.70 annual Discovery Pass which is valid at most national historic sites and participating national parks.  If you are planning to stay in the Rockies for at least a week, it would be cost-effective to buy the national pass.  With your entry, you will be handed out a free Parks Canada Mountain Guide which is really all you need as to what to see and where to camp. 

The park guide has a clear listing of the numerous camping grounds.  Note that camping in Canada is more expensive than in the United States.  A tent ground with shower will cost you around C$27 a night whereas south of the border it averages C$15.  For online details, see www.pc.gc.ca

I started from Calgary where renting a car is easier and cheaper than the ones at Banff and Jasper. 

I took Highway 1 which is the old Crowfield Highway starting from Calgary.  Along the way, at Cochrane, I “sampled” delectable ice cream flavors at MacKay’s, so good even locals buy a cone at subzero during winter.  One of the sister owners travel a lot and often adapt flavors from abroad such as the superb Filipino–inspired concoctions Halo-Halo (a fruit medley) and Purple Yam (or “ube”).

From Cochrane, my first stop was the very touristy town of Banff.  Warning: During the summer when school is out, the Rockies can be very crowded, traffic congested along two-lane roads with waiting times of up to an hour for parking.  Plus all prices shoot through the roof.  Best time to go: April to early May and late August to October when the kids are back in the classrooms except when there is a long weekend such as Labor Day.  Then expect a deluge from the cities of Edmonton and Calgary.

There is a package deal for the Banff Gondola, Lake Minnewanka (also in Banff) boat cruise and Athabasca Ice Glacier tour (further north) but it’s not worth it. 

At Banff, to save money and if you have the time take the toll free moderate hike up and down Sulphur Mountain instead of taking the Gondola. 

There is also nothing outstanding about Lake Minnewanka.  Save your dollars for the more expensive bait, the 90 minute boat ride at Lake Maligne in Jasper at a whopping C$55 a head! 

At Athasbaca you can walk to the foot of the glacier.  The C$35 guided bus tour will take you to the top, which you can see anyway from a distance at the information centre. 

Back in Banff, walk along the Bow river trail, and soak yourself for a C$7 dip at the Hot Sulphur Springs, the original reason why the town became popular.  Do the easy trail on Tunnel Mountain.  There is no tunnel, there were plans for one, but it never materialized. 

To save money, buy at the local supermarkets and have a picnic.  There is also a breakfast buffet at Keg Steakhouse, Banff Caribou Lodge, 521 Banff Ave., Tel: 403.762.4442.  Don’t get too excited, the buffet is standard breakfast fare and does not serve steak.

Sometimes there is a lunch buffet at the iconic Banff Springs Hotel (see my post dated   ).   There is a Food Court at the Cascade Plaza Mall’s basement (most meals under C$10).   Parking can be a hassle.  For two hours, you can park at the Visitors Information Center or at Safeway supermarket.

After Banff, my next destination was Lake Louise.  Instead of using Trans-Canada Highway 1, take the older Highway 1A, also called Bow Valley Parkway, a two-lane road with more opportunities to stop and see the sights, such as the Castle Mountain along the way. 

At Lake Louise, there are really just two things to do, walk around the lake and walk a couple of hours up the hill to a Tea House (crowded and pricey).  Make sure you bring a bottle of water. 

Near Lake Louise, on another 20 mile road, are the ten jagged peaks of Lake Moraine.  A sight to behold especially in the worst of weather.  

Then we’re off to Jasper.  More peaks, more lakes along the 150 mile stretch.  A postcard view most people miss is right across the Saskatchewan River Crossing station.  This rest stop is famous for its exorbitant gas prices and $ 7 hot dogs! (which will cost you about a third at a 7-11).



Spirit Island, Maligne Lake

In Jasper, drive up to Mount Edith Cavell with a withering Angel wings shaped glacier.   But what’s really a must see are Medicine Lake and a few more miles up the road the truly panoramic Lake Maligne.  I took the plunge and paid for the overpriced C$55 cruise.  What to do?  There is only one company which runs the cruise and how many times will I be able to return to this place?

Medicine Lake, Jasper, Alberta

After Jasper, I drove back the same way to Banff then later to Calgary where I took the Greyhound bus, 18-hour ride return to Vancouver.

THREE HISTORIC HOTELS

As I travelled from Banff Springs to Lake Louise and finally Jasper, I made a pilgrimage of some sorts to each place's historic hotel. These hotels were built to encourage rail travel in the late 19th century. The Canadian Pacific Railways (CPR) wanted to recoup its investment in its newly built railroad crossing the Canadian Rockies and what better way to attract passengers and freight? Tourism. But it was the wealthy clientele who can afford a month’s stay or more that came. I wanted to capture, albeit a modern-day account, of what tourists experienced in the late 1800s in these three historic hotels.



Driving from Calgary it took me less than two hours to reach the town of Banff Springs chosen as a resort site by CPR because of its hot springs. I did take a dip in the hot springs but that is in another story. The iconic Banff Springs Hotel overlooks the Bow River. Just like the two other hotels I will later visit, Banff Springs Hotel is now a Fairmount Hotel chain property. Although most of the facade remains what it was since 1888 - with extensions - renovations were inevitable, and at the mezzanine there is a room dedicated as a museum to the hotel’s past. Banff Springs is the kind of hotel you would expect Greta Garbo or Sydney Poitier to check in. The lobby is not as grandiose as one would expect, more like a notch up airport check-in terminal. Nonetheless remnants of the grandeur still linger especially in the banquet rooms such as the Alhambra.

I decided to have a lunch buffet at the hotel’s Bow Valley Grill which at $27.00 was not surprising for the reputation of the hotel. My server was Penelope a French-Canadian from Quebec who told me she has been in the hotel for a decade and she remembers serving a rather shy Robin Williams. There was the usual steak, roast chicken, and salad creations. But the surprise was a chicken Galantina – a Filipino dish one never sees outside Filipino homes. And for the coup d’grace the desserts looked fabulously incredible. Alas, the flourless cake was definitely a day or more old – dry and gritty. The custard flan sparkling in golden caramelized sugar tasted like cough syrup.



After the filling meal, I did take a gander at the balcony overlooking the canyon and the river. Later, I went on the other side of the Bow River to shoot postcard angles of the hotel.

Next day, I drove up to Lake Louise and as body fuel for a day's hike, I had breakfast buffet at the Fairmount Chateau Lake Louise. Not as vintage looking as its counterpart in Banff Springs because it has a concrete hull, the lobby of Lake Louise is what you would expect of a grand hotel: gigantic chandeliers, car-size murals, two-story paintings, and forever lobby ceilings with plush William Morris style carpets. The chateau is where you would expect to bump into Kim Kardasian or Justin Bieber. A contrived air of celebrity with a fleeting sense of fame. The breakfast buffet, $23, was at the Poppy Brasserie at the hotel’s basement. Now the word basement sounds terrible but this one has huge window views right in front of the painting-like Lake Louise. The coconut muesli was good, the eggs benedicts have been standing too long under the warming light, and the sausages, bacon were typical wholesale supplier variety. Fresh grapefruit juice was a delight. My servers were: Maria who wanted to move to Vancouver to escape the minus 40 chill of the Rockies, and Ken who used to work in a cruise ship but discovered the money was not good and at Lake Louise he was doing better. I gave him $4.00 tip which did not elicit a gratuitous smile. I guess small change comparatively.

A day later I was off to Jasper. Unlike Banff Springs and Lake Louise, Fairmount Jasper Park Lodge is not a gigantic towering edifice but a two-story lodge with satellite cabins spread all over the grounds. You have to walk outdoors from the lodge lobby to get into your cabin, with some house-like in proportion. The Jasper Park Lodge has a western cowboy decor. John Wayne or Lady Antebellum will feel right at home here. For a breakfast buffet, I dined at Cavell’s Restaurant, again at the basement level but this one had good views of Mount Edith Cavell which I had visited the day before. My servers were: Peter, a short stocky guy who had a fixed granite face, and April said she was bored with the smallness of Jasper. Now this breakfast buffet offered some unusual fare: poached eggs, an apple cinnamon bacon mousse and clotted cream.



Now I can say I have “tasted” the lifestyle of the rich at the turn of the 20th century. It was fun!

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A FAT ILOCANO?

Three of the top causes of mortality among Filipinos are (according to the Philippine’s Department of Health 2007 report): heart diseases (no. 1), vascular system diseases that affect the circulatory system (no. 2), and diabetes (no.9). Possible contributing factors to all three can be an unbalanced diet and lack of exercise.

DAY TRIP FROM VANCOUVER – SUNSHINE COAST

In often wet cold British Columbia, it is a bit odd to hear of a place called the Sunshine Coast. When you hear sunshine as a modifier, you think of places like Boracay, California or Mexico.

DAY TRIP FROM VANCOUVER – BOWEN ISLAND

Carless but itching for adventure? Minimum wage earner with maximum curiosity? Bewail no longer – your intrepid traveler aka columnist is here to help you experience the desires of your heart.

I share the dilemma of many who wish to see more of British Columbia but do not have the wallet of a Don. Recently I discovered day trips that are fun to do on your own or with your family and friends. So here is one of many getaways for the light wallet or purse carrier.

VIVE LE CANADA!



The Debaters: Jack Layton of the National Democratic Party, Gilles Duceppe -  Bloc Québécois, Stephen Harper – Conservative Party, and Michael Ignatieff, Liberal Party

In the recently televised Canadian Débats Des Chefs – the debate was not about the best tarte tatin; rather it was regarding public policies on which the four leading political party leaders were verbally sparring to win scores with the Canadian public. The second-largest country in the world will be having a federal election on May 2nd. The party that wins the majority of electoral districts or “ridings” as they are called gets the plum Prime Ministerial post.

AMERICAN IMPRESSIONS





One evening I was having dinner with two friends in a New York City high-rise apartment. My friends were naturalized Americans, meaning they had been immigrants, and I was a foreign student then. For some reason, our conversation turned to America. And all of us came to the conclusion – that Americans are for the most part kind people – not only to their own kind.  

Media Coverage in the Middle East

As a journalist, I commiserate with the dangerous work of covering demonstrations happening this month in volatile places like the Middle East.


The Georgia Straight, a Vancouver newspaper published in their web site Straight.Com my take on media coverage of a mob, particularly in Egypt and Bahrain. Please download the link below:

http://www.straight.com/article-376162/vancouver/joseph-lopez-media-mob-and-middle-east-protests

LIVING IN AN OLYMPIC CITY

It has been a year this February since the 2010 Winter Olympics were held in Vancouver. The Athletes Village - a complex of a thousand flats – most of which remain unsold, is a ghost town. Walking midday in what should be a frenetic downtown space, the village streets were empty, and there was only one person in sight, a city sanitation worker who remarked, “It’s good, not much garbage to pick up.” The sleek three-story fitness centre, used by the athletes during the games, had four office staff, and two ladies working out in the weight room. Just like the outside, the whole building was very quiet.

WHAT THE WORLD SAW AND HEARD FROM OBAMA’S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS

As the pundits parsed over President Obama’s State of the Union address last January 25th – mainly on the budget deficit, the need for more jobs, the sputnik moment for research and innovation – little is mentioned on three parts of Obama’s speech which resonated to non-American ears as reflective of American values.