My blog now tops 8,000 page views



Back in March when a friend challenged me to start this blog, I wondered if anyone would care about what I have to tell them.

Well, six months later, over 8,000 of you have let me know that you like coming along with me on my world travels and like the comments, tips, deals and advice in pass along to you via this format.

Over 8,100 are now viewing this blog on a daily basis and I thank you for your support and encouragement.

I'm not in Charlie Sheen's 10 million-plus viewer blog territory yet, but hey, I'm only drinking wine, not taking hard drugs!

Some of my blogs have generated some real passionate responses from you - the one in which I criticized Kate Middleton's wedding dress certainly prompted a lot of comments and I must say, most of you agreed with me that the royal wedding dress did not live up to its pre-ceremony hype.

And one of the most read blogs was the one I posted from Beijing on the biggest Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet in the world which is located in China's capital.

There are many more posts coming your way and I'll be sharing my travels with you on upcoming trips to St. Lucia and Taiwan which will occur in the next few weeks.

I'm humbled by your support and I thank you once again.

Cambridge enjoying a tourism revival thanks to the new Duke and Duchess

Our friends over at VisitBritain, the fine tourism arm of the British government, confirmed a few days ago what I predicted would happen the day Prince William and Kate Middleton were named the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge - that historic Cambridge would quickly become a must visit for tourists.

You didn't have to be a Cambridge professor to figure that out.

And so, just after two months of their marriage, Cambridge's tourism officials say guided tours of the city are up 25 per cent over the same period last year.

And it's all because of two people who don't even live in Cambridge - Prince William is completing his training as a helicopter pilot in the Royal Coast Guard and the couple are living in a quaint Welsh village near his base.

However, that's not stopping the tourists from arriving.

“We’re delighted that Prince William and Kate Middleton were issued the titles of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge,” says Emma Thornton, Visit Cambridge's head of tourism. “William and Kate are a modern and dynamic couple who we believe have and will broaden the appeal of Cambridge as a visitor destination.”

A VisitBritain-commissioned report released earlier this year revealed that history and culture – particularly when linked to the monarchy – contribute significantly to the country’s unique appeal as a holiday destination. More than 10,000 foreign tourists were given a list of 18 things that can only be done in Britain and asked to pick the ones they’d like to do most. The top three choices were, in order of importance:
- To go on a tour of Welsh castles;

- Visit Buckingham Palace;

 - Stay the night in a Scottish castle.

Here's some royal facts you might like to know about Cambridge:

- Two years after his conquest of England, in 1068, William of Normandy built a castle on what is now Castle Hill, Cambridge.

- The city's famed King’s College was founded by Henry VI in 1441 and the college’s chapel, completed during the reign of Henry VIII in 1544 boasts an elaborate interior.

- Trinity College is considered a favoured place for successive generations of royals to be educated – including the late Edward VII and Prince Charles, the new Duke of Cambridge's father.

- The Queen’s mother received an honorary degree from the university in October 1948 making her the first woman to receive one from the University.

- The husband of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, and a number of other royals have graced the University of Cambridge as its chancellor over the years. This honour is currently held by Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, who has been Chancellor of the University of Cambridge since 1976. He is due to step down from the role this year.

Will & Kate are spoiling my weekend

Please allow me to rant for a few paragraphs.

I came home from Panama a day early so I could participate and watch coverage of Canada Day celebrations across the country but all I find when I turn on television is a couple of Brits taking all the attention away from our great nation.

Why are these non-Canadians spoiling our party?

Will and Kate may make great tabloid press and the few remaining monarchists in this country may find their visit orgasmic but I find it insulting.

And before you go off on "he will be our king one day" let me just point out that he's not our king or queen (you can never be too sure with the royal family) right now. In fact, he's a nobody - made a Duke only because they have to give him a title to get his welfare pay cheque - the royals are the biggest welfare family in the world, after all.

I have nothing against the royal family and especially this young couple who seem to be sweet and engaging but why they have to be here during Canada Day weekend and take the focus away from what we should really be celebrating - the greatest nation on Earth - is beyond me.

Kate and William should not attend chuck wagon races at the Stampede

The Stampede's cruel chuck wagon races are needless.

The Royal superstars, Kate and her Willie - a.k.a. the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge - have found themselves in a bit of a pickle as they get ready to embark on their first "official" foreign tour to Canada.

One of their major scheduled appearances will be at the Calgary Stampede, one of Canada's biggest tourist attractions. Calgary is pulling out all the stops to make sure the Royal cuties like the city - I hear the palace was asked to submit the couple's shoe sizes and each will be getting their own handmade cowboy boots upon arrival.

However, animal rights groups on both sides of the pond are urging the Royal couple to sidestep Calgary's big show because they claim events at the Stampede, like chuck wagon racing and bull riding, cause harm to the animals.

People I know at Calgary and Alberta tourism are very nervous because the Duke and Duchess will be followed by an army of international media on their first "official" venture abroad and you know the cruelty to animals story line will keep coming up, thus bringing unwanted attention to the Stampede.

The animal rights' folks are right, of course. Over the Stampede's history, there's been many instances where horses have died because of what they've had to endure. And the Stampede's claims that "precautions" have been taken to make sure horses, especially, get plenty of tender loving care before they are required to pull heavy wagons around a dirt track course, is a weak response.

Here's an idea - replace the horses with Stampede organizers and have them pull the carts around the ring.

The Stampede's claim that this is all part of Calgary's heritage, is a lot of horse dung. The day the car was invented, was the day the Stampede should have switched from horses to horse power and had a tractor pull instead of chuck wagon races.

Why the Palace ever agreed to put the young couple in a potential embarrassing situation is mind boggling, to say the least.

The Royals will attend the Stampede - not to do so would cause an international incident because Canada's PM Stephen Harper, often called a horse's ass, is from Calgary. But let's hope Kate and Willie don't attend the chuck wagon races or bull riding events.

What Kate and Will can see and do while on honeymoon in the Seychelles

They can enjoy the island nation's natural beauty. 

Or just relax in one of the country's great spas.

Take a long walk along the Indian Ocean shoreline.

Just sit in their resort's infinity pool and soak up the sun.

Visit the wonderful fish market in Victoria.

Admire the mini-Big Ben.

Sample cinnamon right from the tree.

Or just sit back and admire their regal surroundings like I did.

Wills & Kate off to the Seychelles

I awoke this morning to the news that Prince William and his new bride Kate Middleton - better known in royal circles as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge - have taken my advice and are reportedly en route to the Seychelles to enjoy their long-awaited honeymoon.

Last week the British press was reporting that an Indian Ocean location was in the cards for the honeymoon and I suggested the Seychelles, one of the most beautiful grouping of islands in the world and reportedly the original location for the Garden of Eden.

I spent a glorious week in the Seychelles a few years ago and can honestly say they and neighbouring the Maldives are my favourite islands in the world - I'm currently working on my Top 10 islands in the world list and will let you know when they are posted on travelife.ca.

In the meantime, since we now know the royal couple is reading this daily blog and taking my advice on where to honeymoon, let me give them some advice on what they should get out and see in the Seychelles.

Hey Wills (that's what the Prince likes his trusted friends like me to call him) take Kate to the local market in Victoria, named after your great, great, great grandmother Queen Victoria. There you can buy her some lovely hand made crafts made by decendants of slaves from Africa who first populated the once uninhabited Seychelles. The spices and fresh fish sold every day at the market are truly remarkable. The school kids in their uniforms are only too eager to stop and let you photograph them.

There's also a small shopping area in the downtown area of compact Victoria and don't miss the city's mini Big Ben clock.

Also, make sure you have someone take you to the cinnamon groves where you can taste the bark of the sweet tree that enhances your Starbucks cafe latte each day.

The food on the Seychelles, most of which was swimming in the Indian Ocean a few hours earlier, is spicy and sweet and a lot of it has an African flavour. There's also a big Asian community on the Seychelles and the Thai food is amazing. Just don't eat ther fruit bats - the massive wide-wing bats are what the early slaves relied on to survive and some people told me that the creatures still show up in local stews.

But the romantic sunsets and virgin beaches are what you'll really like best. The Seychelles setting brings out the romantic in all visitors so put the clock on this couple becuase this honeymoon may produce a heir to the throne of Great Britain.

Have fun Wills and Kate.

Cambridge in U.K. tourist spotlight

Old university town will be getting lots of visitors
now that it's linked to Kate and Will.

When the Queen bestowed the title of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on her grandson Prince William and his new bride Kate Middleton, she unwittingly – or maybe wittingly – cast the tourist spotlight directly on the university town with the ancient history.

Cambridge is one of the loveliest towns in Great Britain and is sure to become a destination of choice for many tourists wanting to see all things relating to Will and Kate.

So, knowing this, Ted Flett, the congenial Public Relations/Communications Manager for VisitBritain – the U.K.’s fine tourist organization – thoughtfully forwarded me the best attractions Cambridge has to offer tourists. And they are:

- The famed university itself, the second oldest in the English-speaking world, where most guided tours of the city start. A two hour city tour costs about $20 CDN and covers all the major sites. For information, go to: www.visitcambridge.org/TicketServer/DailyTours

- Magnificent King’s College Chapel, which is seen by millions every Christmas who watch the Carols from King’s service. Visits to the chapel usually include a performance by the choir at Evensong. www.kings.cam.ac.uk

- Punting in a square-ended wooden boat on the River Cam – or let a professional do the work and you enjoy the ride.

- The Fitzwilliam Museum, home to a world-class collection of art work that spans centuries and cultures. Highlights of this museum include treasures from the 14th century and antiquities dating back to ancient Egypt and Greece. www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk

- Kettles Yard, an art gallery displaying modern art in a unique homey setting. www.kettlesyard.co.uk

- Cambridge Botanic Garden, which features over 8,000 plants displayed in 40 of the most pristine acres this side of Eden. The garden is located right in the heart of the city.

- Take a walk along the Cam to the nearby village of Grantchester and the Orchard Tea Rooms, frequented by poet Rupert Brooke and others.
www.orchard-grantchester.com

- Duxford Air Museum, part of the Imperial War Museum, which is located a short distance from the city centre. www.iwm.org.uk

- Note: Cambridge holds a number of festivals annually, one of the most famous being the Cambridge Folk Festival in late July. www.cambridgefolkfestival.co.uk/

- The Scott Polar Research Institute, an amazing place where secrets of the polar explorer are on display.

- The Eagle, a traditional English pub dating back to the 16th century with many historical features, including its RAF bar with its world famous ceiling. It even has a resident ghost.

For more information on the city now ruled by the newly crowned Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, go to www.visitcambridge.org

Kate, Will heading to Indian Ocean


Everyone has been trying to pin down the honeymoon location Prince William and his new bribe Kate have chosen.

Well, British newspapers are reporting the royal newlyweds are heading to very romantic and very isolated Robinson Crusoe Island in the Indian Ocean, where the stilted villas go for a cool $6,000 a night – but that does include butler service.

When I got wind of their decision, it brought back a flood of wonderful memories that are still vivid years after my visits to two Indian Ocean holiday hot spots, the Seychelles and the Maldives.

The Maldives, where protests against the government in recent days have put that enchanting group of islands off limits to tourists for a while, is one of my favorite islands in the world.

Sadly, most of the islands that make up the Maldives are sinking faster than I can type thanks to global warming. But the two Four Seasons’ hotels on the Maldives where I stayed are two of the most beautiful resorts I have ever checked into.

The Seychelles, where, according to local lore, the original Garden of Eden is located, is a group of islands populated by descendants of slaves brought there from nearby Africa by the French and British before being dispatched

The Seychelles are home to some of the most pristine beaches I have ever walked on and the resorts there are all 5-star.

The Indian Ocean, sandwiched between Africa and Southeast Asia, are often overlooked by North Americans because of the time required to get to them from here. However, it’s time well spent because there is no more romantic place on Earth than the Indian Ocean – especially for honeymooners.

I get a 'dressing down' from readers



Princess Grace looked angelic.

Oops! For the past 24 hours I’ve been getting a “proper dressing down”, as the British would say, from readers upset over the “Plain Jane” comment I made yesterday about Kate Middleton’s wedding dress.

“Zip it!” is what readers are telling me. Hey, I warned you I was no fashion critic.

So I went back and had another look at the wedding dress designed for the woman who will be queen by Alexander McQueen’s top designer Sarah Burton to see what left me unimpressed yesterday.

On second look, the lace-lined gown with the V-neck meant to accent Kate’s lovely long neck - it looks a lot like the wedding dress Grace Kelly wore when she married Prince Rainier of Monaco so many years ago (I’ve supplied proof with the accompanying photographs) – was indeed a knockout.

But the longer I looked, the less impressed I still was.

Why?

Then it hit me. By comparing Duchess Catherine’s dress – no more Kate for this girl - with Princess Grace’s wedding gown, I was able to pin it down – the veil.

While Grace’s wedding veil flared out to make the gorgeous Grace look angelic, Kate’s just laid on her head like mosquito netting

It’s almost as if Burton forgot to account for the veil in the design and just grabbed something at the last minute.

I challenge you to have another look.

From now on, though, I’m sticking to reviewing Tilley travel gear!

Royal wedding dress disappoints me


 I’m back home after my 26-hour flight from Singapore via New York and through blurry eyes I watched the Royal Wedding this morning – damn jet lag has thrown my clock off again.

I’m no fashion critic but after all the hype of who would and would not design the wedding dress worn by the Duchess of Cambridge (formerly plain old Kate Middleton) and what it would look like, I must admit I was somewhat disappointed – a bit too Plain Jane in its design. Maybe Princess Di’s elaborate wedding dress has ruined me forever.

However, London looked radiant!

No other city in the world looks as good as London when it puts on its regal look.

William and Kate’s wedding will certainly help inject new energy into the Royal Family and the wedding ceremony and the pomp and circumstance surrounding it will no doubt have many tourists booking passage to London.

CBC and other networks offered feeds from St. Andrews, where Prince William met Kate while attending the ancient city’s renowned university.

I was there a few years ago and TV pictures today reminded me how beautiful the campus there is. I soaked up the sun in the very courtyard where crowds gathered today to watch the wedding on giant TV screens.

London, St. Andrews and Kate’s hometown of Bucklebury – located 80 kilkometres west out London – will be overcrowded with tourists in coming weeks and months as the wedding ceremony hysteria continues well into the future.

Reminds me that it’s almost time for me to return to England.

Go to http://www.travelife.ca/ for my stories on St. Andrews.

Facts about the Royal Wedding

London is gearing up for the hordes of tourists expected to show up for the Royal Wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton on April 29.

Don't have a hotel room booked for the big event? Then don't bother showing up. Just about every hotel in the British capital is booked the weekend of the wedding.

VisitBritain, the British tourist authority, is estimating hundreds of thousands of foreigners will book passage and line the wedding route for the biggest event in London since the wedding of William’s father Prince Charles to the late Princess Diana.

Visitors are expected to give the sluggish British economy a $1 billion jolt thanks to Will & Kate Inc.

And over a billion people worldwide will watch the wedding on TV and London police are expecting upwards of 1 million people to line the wedding route.

Others facts and news I dug up about the Royal Wedding:

*When Kate walks down the aisle she will be the oldest Royal bride to get married;

*At the Royal Couple’s press conference Kate indicated that she would like to be called by her given name ‘Catherine’, rather than Kate;

*Prince William’s nickname in college was “P-Willy”;

*If Prince William had chosen to marry before his 25th birthday he would have required the consent of his grandmother, the Queen;

*The Royal Crown Derby porcelain factory, which was on the verge of closing thanks to slow sales and a change in casual dining habits, is back in business thanks to the Royal Wedding. The company, the official maker of Will and Kate memorabilia that has the blessing of Buckingham Palace, has ramped up production of such things as commemorative plates and taken on 150 new workers to keep up with global demand.

*Westminster Abbey, where the couple will take their vows, was not where Prince Charles married Princess Diana in 1981 – that honour went to St. Paul's Cathedral down the street. However, Westminster Abbey was the venue for the funeral service of Diana in September 1997 just days after she was killed in a car crash in Paris.

*Someone wondered if, when he becomes king, Prince William will be called William the Conqueror after one of his ancient predecessors. When he ties the knot with Kate, I think he should be called “William the Conquered.”