Baila Lazarus is a Vancouver-based editor, writer, photographer and illustrator. She has travelled through 30 countries in North and South America, the Middle East, Europe and Asia and specializes in short road trips in British Columbia.
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Last Seen Tumblr Blogs
Fun Fact
Tumblr was named as a finalist in Lead411’s New York City Hot 125 in Aug 2010.
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All you  Vancouver #travelbloggers out there -- there is a great workshop coming up that will actually include a blogging contest with a chance to win #travel prizes.
BC Association of Travel Writers is putting on its annual Symposium with experts in the travel writing, blogging, photography and publishing industries.
Panelists will discuss how to get your writing into media and the best places in BC to travel.Â
Award-winning travel writer @LucasAykroyd will be the keynote. The national newspaper columnist and will reveal his top 10 keys to impressing editors.
On the editors panel
@vanmag_com travel editor Jennifer ElliotÂ
Western Living magazine editor-in-chief @AnickaQuinÂ
@BradLiski, president and group publisher, My Passion Media j
On the industry panel
@PaulaAmos, with Aboriginal Tourism Association of BC
Heather McEachen, trade and media specialist with @TourismVI
Laura Kittmer, media relations manager, at @BCWineInstitute
Door prizes included hotel stays, adventure travel, zip line tickets, food and wine, and more.
Visit http://bcatw.org/bcatw-2016-symposium/
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Ecotourism: Tread Softly, Write With Impact
Great symposium Stories, blogs, pix and tweets. But, how to get published?
While a haiku might be a strange way to start a travel blog, surprisingly it could actually be a useful way to get a travel story published, at least according to Allen Cox, editor of Northwest Travel Magazine.
Allen Cox
Cox was one of eight invited speakers at the annual symposium of the BC Association of Travel Writers (www.bcatw.org), whose mandate is to support and encourage B.C.-based travel writers. The theme for this year’s symposium – held April 18 at the Century Plaza Hotel – was Ecotourism: Tread Softly, Write with Impact.
Starting the day, an industry panel comprised of Janet Clouston of Salt Spring Tourism, Peter Loppe of Lotusland Tours and Josh Bloomfield of Cycle City Tours gave the audience insights into current trends.
Janet Clouston
Clouston pointed out the focus Salt Spring Island has on the natural environment, including a "preserve and protect" trust that makes it a real ecotourism destination. She also said that scenic beauty and First Nations culture are two main reasons why people are coming to B.C.
Josh Bloomfield
Cycle City Tours, showing its concern with the environment, applies a small charge to reduce its carbon footprint, according to Bloomfield. Is is the first bike rental shop in Vancouver to have a water cooler to reduce bottle use. As a tip to writers, Bloomfield told the audience to have an open mind and not to have the story “already written in your head” before you take the tour.
Peter Loppe
Peter Loppe said Lotusland Tours uses real plates and real cutlery and even brings its own water on trips to keep its footprint green. Loppe had a great positive note for writers. “All news is good news as long as you get the name and phone number right,” he joked. He urged writers to look for a “unique story angle” to spur interest.Â
Jack Christie
Having recently completed 52 Best Day Trips from Vancouver, prolific writer Jack Christie launched into his talk before lunch with the directive: “Our job is to entertain, then educate, then inspire.” For him the definition of “ecotourism” was “where tourism dollars go to help the local environment.”
Some of Christie’s suggestions for ecotours included:
First Nations’ Takaya Tours (www.takayatours.com).
Ziptrek between Whistler and Blackcomb (www.ziptrek.com) - which didn’t use a single nail in its construction, Christie said.
An international geological boat tour at Waterton National Park (www.watertonpark.com).
Biking in the Chilliwack Blue Heron Nature Reserve (www.chilliwackblueheron.com). "It's like a croak from our ancient past," according to Christie.
David Smith
After lunch, David Smith took the audience on a world-wide photo tour with stunning images from his portfolio. To practise ecotourism, help local communities by buying handicrafts or artwork, Smith said. “It's the only way some survive.”
The photo expert gave some great photo tips:
Some of the best images are the split-second candid street photographs. Be patient and be ready.
To spot focus: press your shutter half-way down, focused on what you want, then recompose with finger still holding the shutter half-way down.
When shooting people who know each other, ask them to lean their heads close together.
Don’t forget to bring extra memory cards and batteries when you travel.
The final panel of the day was the editorial panel that included Cox, Kirsten Rodenhizer of WestWorld Alberta and Jett Britnell, a freelance writer and underwater photographer extraordinaire.
Kirsten Rodenhizer
Rodenhizer said that editors have their preferences for story pitches, so writers should try to find out what they are. Many magazines are working one year ahead of schedule so keep that in mind when pitching your stories, said Cox. He also surprised the audience by suggesting a story pitch in the form of a haiku would be a great way to grab an editor’s attention. All the panelists agreed the pitches should be kept very short and subject lines should be kept to only six words or so.
Jett Britnell
Other takeaways from the event: Sometimes a writer may not have a story published right away. That’s OK as long as you are in communication with the tourism operators to let them know what’s happening. (Janet Clouston)
Try to meet an editor in person; that will create a good start to the relationship and will increase chances of getting published. (Jack Christie)
As if the fabulous speakers weren’t enough for the day, attendees were elligible for prizes from a Twitter contest, photo contest and amazing sponsor donations.
That’s me on the left with fellow Twitter contest winners John Geary and Leslie Santos. Photo: Alan Katowitz
Jett Britnell won first place in the photo contest for this amazing shot called “Shark and Awe.”
Second-place photo contest winner Brian Keith Smith: “Kayaking near Desolation Sound.“
Third place winner Karoline Cullen: “Orcas from Shore.“
 Links and handles
Speakers
Cycle City Tours www.cyclevancouver.com Salt Spring Island Tourism www.saltspringtourism.com Interface Images www.interfaceimages.com Lotusland Tours www.lotuslandtours.com Century Plaza Hotel www.century-plaza.com Westworld Alberta www.westworldmagazine.ama.ab.ca NorthWest Travel Magazine www.nwtravelmag.com Jack Christie @jackchristie www.jackchristie.com Jett Britnell @jettbritnell Peter Loppe @peterloppe David Smith @interfaceimages Kirsten Rodenhizer @kirstenhizer Allen Cox @allencox1
Sponsors
www.eat-vancouver.com www.travelteerism.com www.tourismnewwestminster.com www.bestway.com
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A Walk on the (High) Wild Side
I've jumped out of airplanes, rapelled down a 20-storey building and paraglided over cliffs in Mexico; but recently, the biggest challenge and scare I've given myself is walking and climbing through the ropes challenge at @WildPlayParks in Maple Ridge.
The course starts out with tricky, but manageable swinging planks, web climbs and ziplines.
As you move from one level to the next, the course gets higher and harder. But as you go through each level, you can decide to stop and get down, or continue to the next level.
Course guides are on the ground watching as participants go through the course so if you're unsure which direction to go, or decide you've had enough, or get stuck in a web, they're right below to help you out.
The two main physical elements I think are most required are balance and upper body strength. There are a few areas where you are holding yourself up by just your arms (especially in the rope webs and rope swings). So if you're planning on doing the course, a few training sessions in the gym working on triceps and biceps would be a great idea.
Overall, this was a fabulous experience but not a walk in the park. The whole course took about two hours, and there is a kids' area as well as one for adults.
Wild Play Elements Parks are in Maple Ridge, Squamish and Nanaimo each with different courses and different activities.
Visit http://www.wildplay.com/
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Dreaming in Techni-fashion – Bard on the Beach: A Midsummer Night's Dream
If Lady Gaga hooked up with The Rocky Horror Picture Show’s Frank-N-Furter and they spawned a child, I imagine he might drop into the delivery room looking like this year’s Puck from Bard on the Beach’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
And for siblings? The fairies, of course – each one looking as though costume designer Mara Gottler dipped into a reserve of an other-worldly imagination. As the play progresses, it often seems like a tickle trunk has exploded, covering the stage with wild tops and tights, shoes and sashes, goggles and glitter, hats and hair. Mara – were you trying those new hallucinogens at Boonstock recently?
Kidding aside, Midsummer has always been a great forum for a costume designer to let loose. Taking place in a forest reverie, it’s one of the few times where Shakespearean players are taken out of corsets and collars that characterize Elizabethan dress (notwithstanding the modern interpretations of the Bard’s period outfits). Â
This year’s results look particularly stunning against the curvilinear backdrop that frames the stage, a perfect border as the setting sun illuminates downtown Vancouver – perhaps one of the most stunning settings for a Shakespearean performance that you’ll ever see.
Not that the story is secondary, but essentially it entails star-crossed lovers, angry parents, people getting lost, mistaken identities and global truths that are revealed in the end. So, pretty much another Shakespearian comedy. [Click here for a longer plot summary: http://bit.ly/1si5ru6]
But thankfully there’s nothing routine about the acting. Standouts include @KyleRideout as the forest sprite Puck and @_ScottBellis as the weaver Bottom, both of whom take the play beyond the expected amusing diversion into exospheric entertainment. I’ve been lucky enough to see Bellis in numerous performances in his two decades with the Bard, and seeing him trot around the stage sporting a donkey’s head has to be a highlight.
Watching the performance with a group from #YVRBloggers included a pre-show chat with creator Christopher Gaze – ever the gracious host. And we were able to get a quick summary of the play at the “In a Nutshell” presentation. (Shown before each play at 6:45 for the 7:30 show)
Midsummer runs until September 20 on the BMO Mainstage. Visit http://www.bardonthebeach.org for tickets. This year celebrates a quarter century of @Bard25 on the Beach.
Watch the trailer: http://youtu.be/CMrbmQ1g3RA
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High above Victoria in a float plane
The mission: explore British Columbia from as many geographical perspectives as possible.
The means: a 10-day road trip on Vancouver Island.
The locations: whatever would take us off the city or country roads.
The result: the top 10 ways to see the province like you’ve never seen it before.
Seeing BC From Different Angles: From the air
An aerial view of Victoria with the Inner Harbour at centre and Beacon Hill Park in foreground. Harbour Air Seaplanes (http://www.harbourair.com, @harbourairltd) has a great deal of a 30-min flight for $104 that takes off and lands from the harbour in front of the Empress Hotel. It circles over the Capital Region, offering views of Butchart Gardens.
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Royal BC Museum
Completing a tour of the Inner Harbour in Victoria, we step into one of the best museums on the West Coast – the Royal BC Museum.
The current exhibit,Vikings, provides an expanded look on what has traditionally been seen as a two-dimensional warrior/explorer cadre. The exhibit explores cultural activities, rites and symbolism, weaponry, clothing and, of course, their ships. Some of the artifacts are being seen in North America for the first time.
Somplementing the exhibit is the show Vikings: Journey to New Worlds in the IMAX theatre.
@RoyalBCMuseum
http://royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/exhibitions/current/vikings/
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Victoria Observatory
The mission: explore British Columbia from as many geographical perspectives as possible.
The means: a 10-day road trip on Vancouver Island.
The locations: whatever would take us off regular city or country roads.
The result: the top 10 ways to see the province like you’ve never seen it before.
If you’re interested in getting a bird’s eye view of the Capital Region, but still want to be standing on terra firma, two locations near Victoria offer outstanding vistas.
Driving up the Island Highway about 30 minutes from Victoria, take the turnoff to Whittaker Road and keep right to go up Ebedora Lane. At the top – where the Aerie and Prancing Horse are located – you’ll have stunning views up Saanich Inlet.
Across the inlet, stand in the shadow of history as you make your way up Observatory Hill. Built in 1918, the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory was for a short period the largest functioning observatory in the world. Observatory road winds up the hill offering lookouts with views to most of Saanich.
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Butterfly Gardens in Brentwood Bay
Finally got to Butterfly Gardens in Brentwood Bay. Top left: Plain Tiger. Top right: Postman. Bottom two are the Blue Morpho (inside blue to attract mate, outside spots to fool predators. This one was really hard to photograph with the blue showing because it almost never landed, and as soon as it did, it would close its wings.) — at Victoria Butterfly Gardens.
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Masthead Restaurant
Great food, homey atmosphere and a stunning view to Cowichan Bay.
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Horne Lake Caves
The mission: explore British Columbia from as many geographical perspectives as possible.
The means: a 10-day road trip on Vancouver Island.
The locations: whatever would take us off the city or country roads.
The result: the top 10 ways to see the province like you’ve never seen it before.
Seeing BC From Different Angles: From underground
Don a helmet with headlamp, some sturdy shoes and some gloves and you’re ready for some caving in Horne Lake Provincial Park. About an hour from Nanaimo, these tours – offered through the park’s caving programs – give a glimpse into the world of beautiful crystal and rock formations and geological history. Tours range from a Family Cavern 1.5-hour tour for $26 to a High Adventure four-hour tour for $125. Note this is not a walk in the park. There is very rough terrain and the caves are very cold. http://www.hornelake.com
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Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort & Conference Centre.
The mission: explore British Columbia from as many geographical perspectives as possible.
The means: a 10-day road trip on Vancouver Island.
The locations: whatever would take us off the city or country roads.
The result: the top 10 ways to see the province like you’ve never seen it before.
Seeing BC From Different Angles: From the a kilometre offshore
It’s not often you can get a view of a shoreline from a kilometre out without standing on a boat or floating platform of some kind, but at low tide near Tigh-Na-Mara in Parksville, it’s a beach-walker’s dream. Meander through ankle-deep puddles or stick to the sandy flats, examine tracks left by crabs or other marine life and lose yourself in the vastness. Turn around, and the buildings on the shoreline look like miniatures.
In 2004, the International Log Builders’ Association held its annual conference at Tigh-Na-Mara and as part of a pre-conference workshop they built a log gazebo – now a popular outdoor location for meetings, weddings and events with panoramic views of the expansive sandy beach.
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Prancing Horse Retreat
We had an elegant (and HUGE) breakfast at this lovely B&B overlooking Saanich Inlet in the Malahat near the old Aerie.
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Coombs
A favourite site if you're touring around Parksville/Qualicum – the Coombs goats on the roof. But don't just get out and snap a shot or two. Give yourself time to wander around the market and relax for lunch.
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Bear watching near Tofino
The mission: explore British Columbia from as many geographical perspectives as possible.
The means: a 10-day road trip on Vancouver Island.
The locations: whatever would take us off the city or country roads.
The result: the top 10 ways to see the province like you’ve never seen it before.
Seeing BC From Different Angles: From the water
Tofino and Ucluelet – indeed much of coastal B.C. – are known for their popular whale-watching excursions in open water. But for an alternate and more pleasant option, try a bear-watching trip instead.
These boats ply the inlets and shorelines, giving the passengers a more varied view of B.C. topography and making it easy to spot and follow wildlife. (Unlike trying to anticipate in which square metre of wide open ocean a whale is going to breach.)
On a tour with Jamie’s Whale Watching, we spotted a mother and two cubs and were able to watch them forage for food right by the water’s edge for about 45 minutes, giving everyone the opportunity to get a good look – and good shots. @jamieswhalingÂ
www.jamies.com
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BC From Different Angles. Day 1: Horne Lake Free Spirit Spheres
The mission: explore British Columbia from as many geographical perspectives as possible.
The means: a 10-day road trip on Vancouver Island.
The locations: whatever would take us off the city or country roads.
The result: the top 10 ways to see the province like you’ve never seen it before.
Seeing BC From Different Angles: From the air
Nothing says “new perspectives” like sleeping in a ball suspended from three trees about 15 feet in the air. Making Lonely Planet’s 2014 list of top 10 extraordinary places to stay, the Free Spirit Spheres near Horne Lake, about 45 minutes north of Nanaimo, accomplish just that. Designer Tom Chudleigh has built three perfectly round wooden “rooms” about 10 feet in diameter so guests can feel like their actually sleeping in a tree, with all the amenities of hotel guest room. A perfect “glamping” scenario, the rooms have electricity and are outfitted with dishes, a small fridge and a few appliances, and the site has showers, a full kitchen and even a sauna. Prices start at $155 per night.
www.freespiritspheres.com
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Ziplining
The mission: explore British Columbia from as many geographical perspectives as possible.
The means: a 10-day road trip on Vancouver Island.
The locations: whatever would take us off the city or country roads.
The result: the top 10 ways to see the province like you’ve never seen it before.
Seeing BC From Different Angles: From the air
Search ziplines on Vancouver Island and you’re bound to come up with three: WildPlay, south of Nanaimo; Adrenaline, west of Victoria on the way to Sooke; and West Coast Wild, 45 minutes east of Ucluelet. We chose the latter due to its number of lines (six) and lack of suspension bridges (a request by my co-traveller). The $99 cost was a great deal for two hours of stunning scenery, guided nature walk and exhilarating zipping. Even for non-risk-takers, this is a perfect adventure. Sit and hang on for a smooth ride or test your mettle by hanging upside down and striking a pose. www.wcwild.com
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