Test Your Travel Vocab

The world is-a-changing and it seems as though our vocabulary is trying desperately to catch up. Over the past few weeks, I've been exposed to some interesting new travel terms and thought I'd share my new found knowledge:

Bragabonding: boasting about travel
He couldn't stop bragabonding about his BikeHike trip to Costa Rica last month.

Deflydrated: descriptive term for dried-up post-flight skin
I need moisturizer - the flight completely made me deflydrated.

Flashpacker: a backpacker who travels in style or with a larger budget than most backpackers
He's staying at a three star hotel; what a flashpacker.

Gastro-tourism: travel undertaken to experience the food and drink of a region
She took a tour of Italy to indulge in gastro-tourism and came back 10 pounds heavier.

Jetiquette: the hospitality / manners of flight and airport staff
My flight attendant had fabulous jetiquette.

Puddle-jumper: a small regional airline
I'm taking a puddle-jumper from Lima.

Shock Tourism: tourism to war zones
BikeHike does not promote shock tourism due to safety concerns.

Sluggage: luggage that comes out of the baggage claim last
I'm sorry I'm late! I had to wait for my sluggage.

What new travel terms have you learned? If you have an interesting new travel term, add it to this post as a comment. :)

Anny Chih

News: Travel with Trish

In a world where more and more customer service lines are operated by automated pre-recorded responses, it’s hard to fathom the idea that the owner and founder of a well-established travel company would take the time to personally take your phone call and guide you on your escape from the rat race. But, that’s exactly what Trish Sare, Owner and Founder of BikeHike Adventures Inc. is doing!

In April of this year, Trish will be guiding two of BikeHike's most popular Central American adventures:

Rumble in the Jungle – Panama (10 days) April 15 - 24, 2010
This is the ultimate adventure for the adrenaline junkie. In 10 days, you’ll traverse the country from Pacific to Atlantic on your own sweat and steam. You’ll bike along twisted trails in deep fertile valleys, hike and zip-line through lush rainforests teeming with exotic wildlife, bounce down thumping rapids on a frothy world class river, snorkel in translucent seas filled with tropical marine life, and sea kayak amongst twisted mangroves and coral reefs.

Turtles and Trails – Costa Rica (9 days) April 24 - May 2, 2010
This trip is an even combination of adventure, ecotourism and voluntourism. The 9 day adventure begins with whitewater rafting down the Pacuare River, biking, hiking, zip-lining and relaxation in the steamy hot springs of the Arenal Volcano region. After heading East to the Caribbean, you’ll be assisting researchers patrolling the beaches where Leatherback and Green sea turtles lay their eggs. Only 1 in 1000 hatchlings survive to adulthood, so your work patrolling, gathering and relocating these eggs has huge implications for the survival of these species. You’ll come home feeling energized and full of great karma!

If you're thinking about joining Trish on an adventure, call (1 888 805 0061 toll free in North America) or e-mail us (info@bikehike.com) asap! Whenever Trish guides a trip, it sells out *fast*.

Anny Chih

Funcouver: Everything You Wanted to Know About Visiting Vancouver

We've gotten several new Twitter followers this week (Yay!), and we asked one of them how he found us. He said he was searching for things to do in Vancouver and found the BikeHike site. Well, this got us thinking...

There are a lot of people nowadays looking for information about Vancouver because of the upcoming Winter Olympics. As all travellers know, the best way to find out more about a place is to ask a local. BikeHike is based in Vancouver so we know the place pretty well. Here are some links and info that we think you might find useful if you're thinking about a trip to Vancouver:

Food
If you're searching for a good restaurant, try the Dine Here website. It has a great search option and loads of reviews.

Some of our favourite restaurants:
Bon's Off Broadway - breakfast
Provence Marinaside - brunch
Burgoo - lunch / dinner
Japadog - streetside vendor
The Foundation - vegetarian
The Balkan House - meatatarian
Vij's Rangoli - Indian dinner
Les Faux Bourgeois - French bistro dinner

Music / Concerts
The Georgia Straight (a free indie paper in Vancouver) has a fab listing of concerts around the area. Here's a link to the free concert events happening during the Olympics: http://www.straight.com/vancouver/winter-olympics-calendar-events

For concert listings year-round, check out: http://www.straight.com/timeout/search/music

Night Scene
Club Zone is probably the premier website for club listings in Vancouver.

Some recommendations for the following clubbing categories:
Pub with Live Music: Ceili's, Blarney Stone
The Tried and Tested Clubs: Caprice, Ginger Sixty Two
Hit or Miss (depends on the night and your preferences): Pop Opera, The Cellar
Gay / Lesbian: Celebrities (except on straight nights - phone ahead)

In general, if you're looking to go clubbing in Vancouver head to Granville Street. If you go before 10pm, you can usually ask the bouncers to let you check out the place before paying the entrance fee. Almost all clubs in Vancouver require a valid drivers license for entry - they scan it and keep it in the database in case something happens and the police need to know who was in the club that night. Always bring at least two pieces of valid identification.

Events
If you're visiting Vancouver during the Winter Olympics, this is a great site for free event listings: http://www.citycaucus.com/2010free

Our resident Vancouver blogger is Miss 604 is also a good source for general Vancouver-based events and news.

Other Popular Things To Do

1. Visit the Vancouver Aquarium - one of the best aquariums in the world; highly educational, fun and interactive
2. Science World (officially: the Telus World of Science) - fun for the family with lots of brain puzzles and interesting factoids about your body and the world around you
3. Biking / walking along the sea wall - you'll have lots of company since this is something just about all Vancouverites have done at least once in their lifetime
4. Visit Stanley Park - it's a beautiful park with views of the ocean and the city; you might even see a seal!
5. Shopping along 4th Avenue or Robson Street - you'll find the regular chain stores on Robson; 4th Avenue is where all the local designers set up shop
6. Visit Granville Island - there will be lots of events happening on Granville Island during the Olympics, but it's a great place all year round to enjoy a stroll, eat some freshly baked bread, and have a beer after the theatre with friends
7. Go hiking - one of the most popular activities amongst Vancouverites
   

Quirky

1. Visit the Vancouver Flea Market. The entrance fee is $0.75 and promises an afternoon of "treasure-hunting"
2. Look for local Vancouverite eccentrics like the Duck Lady around downtown. I haven't seen her in a while, but she is usually found with her duck (real) and a basket of fortunes. She used to charge $2 per fortune (don't know if that has changed).
3. Wander through Chinatown looking for the cheapest umbrella. Chinatown is filled with small "dollar store" type shops with lots of interesting finds. Chinatown also has Hong Kong style diners that serve an unusual Asian version of British afternoon tea that is more of a full meal than an afternoon snack.
   

Happy Travels! :)

Anny Chih

Photo Credits:
Japadog http://www.schemamag.ca/archive2/2008/03/japa_dog_perkily_perfect_hotdo.html
Vancouver Club Scene http://vancouverclubsandbars.com/
Vancouver Flea Market http://www.bearspage.info/h/tra/ca/bc/va.html

Canadians Sure Can Sing

If you're travelling to a new destination, a good way to get to know the people you're about to meet is to listen to their music. Sumi, Quatchi and Miga agree (and Muk Muk too). ;)

The world will be coming to Vancouver for the upcoming 2010 Olympics, so we thought it'd be nice to share a Canadian playlist with you in preparation. Keep in mind, Canada has loads of great artists who have tons of fabulous songs and we couldn't very well list everything. So, this is an assortment of classics, new music, and super Canadian tunes. Enjoy!

Our Ultimate Canadian Playlist
(in no particular order)

Home For a Rest - Spirit of the West (If you're going to a pub that plays live music during the Olympics, learn this song!)
Les Etoiles Filantes - Les Cowboys Fringants (French)
Haven't Met You Yet - Michael Buble
Pinch Me - Barenaked Ladies (in case you didn't know, they're not actual naked - nor are they ladies)
Camilo (The Magician) - Said the Whale (we thought we'd throw in an up-and-coming Vancouver-based band - you heard it here first!)
Heart of Gold - Neil Young
Leaving on a Jet Plane - Chantal Kreviazuk
Free - Jann Arden
I'm Like a Bird - Nelly Furtado
When I'm Up (I Can't Get Down) - Great Big Sea
Hasn't Hit Me Yet - Blue Rodeo
Benediction - The Weakerthans
50 Mission Cap - The Tragically Hip
Building a Mystery - Sarah McLachlan

If you're coming to Canada for the first time, you should also watch this CLASSIC commercial: Molson Canadian's I Am Canadian.




Anny Chih

PS If you're interested in catching some concerts during the Olympics, check out The Straight for free concert listings. A few of the artists in our playlist will also be playing in Vancouver next month!

Shake Hands / Hug / Bow / Kiss Hello?

I'm about to state the obvious: Different countries have different customs. We all knew that. But how many faux pas are you making unknowingly?

Here are a few cultural blunders I've seen people make lately:

China
When putting chopsticks down, never place them upright in a bowl of food. It makes the chopsticks look like the incense sticks that you use when paying respects to the gods and is considered very rude.

Europe
Take off your gloves before shaking hands unless you are a woman wearing indoor gloves as a fashion statement - it's considered rude not to. I actually made this mistake a few weeks ago when meeting a Russian friend (we were outside and I forgot to take them off). Oops.

Japan
It doesn't matter how sniffly you are, do not blow your nose into a handkerchief. The Japanese call snot "hanakuso" which literally means "nose shit" so the idea of walking around with a cloth full of it is repulsive.

Africa and India
The left hand is considered the dirty hand, so when you eat you should use only your right hand.

India
Though it's polite and customary in North America to thank your host(s) at the end of a meal, it's considered impolite to do so in India. "Thank You" can be seen as a form of payment and may insult your host(s).

Asia in General
Never point your feet or show the soles of your shoes to anyone because feet are considered unclean and to do so is a sign of disrespect.

Have you noticed anyone commit a cultural faux pas lately?


Anny Chih
Picture taken from http://justhungry.com

Posting Pictures on Facebook

Ahoy Adventurists!

We received an e-mail this morning from one of our fabulous clients asking how to upload photos onto our Facebook Fan page. I logged onto my Facebook account and found that the 'upload photo' option definitely isn't obvious. I think a lot of people don't upload their travel pictures because of this, so I thought I'd shed a bit of light on the matter:

Normally when you upload a photo to your Facebook profile, you click on the Photos tab and either create an album or upload a photo to an existing album.

There is no 'upload' option in the Photos tab of a Facebook Fan page. Fans aren't allowed to upload entire albums (this is all Facebook - if we could, we'd allow easy album uploads).

Instead, to upload an individual picture you have to click on the picture icon underneath the text box where you can write a message on the Fan page wall (see picture below). Once you've uploaded your picture, click 'Share' to post it onto the Fan page. It will automatically appear in the Fan Photos album.

We hope to see more of your travel photos on the BikeHike Adventures Fan page! :)

-Anny Chih

Help Haiti

Everyone's heard about the massive earthquake in Haiti last night. It's a tragedy that this has happened to a country that has already struggled for so long as the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.

If you want to help Haiti's people, there are dozens of organizations that are accepting monetary donations on the country's behalf. Some of the quickest ways to send relief right now:

If you live in the US

1. Donate $10 to the Red Cross relief effort immediately by texting "HAITI" to "90999". You will see the charge on your next cell phone bill.
2. Click HERE for the American Red Cross' Donation Page. Select 'International Response Fund' to contribute to the Haiti rescue mission.
3. For a list of other US organizations that are helping out in rescue efforts, click HERE.
   

If you live outside of the US

1. To make a donation in Euros or Francs, click HERE for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' Donation Page.
2. To make a donation in Canadian dollars, click HERE for the Canadian Red Cross Donation Page or call 1-800-418-1111 (toll free) with your credit card information.
3. To donate to UNICEF's Earthquake in Haiti relief fund from anywhere in the world in your currency, click HERE. You will be asked to select a specific type of relief effort you would like to contribute to.
   

During world crises like this, it's sad to think that there are people who might take advantage of the situation for their own gain; but it does happen. Please be wary of smaller unknown organizations claiming to send 100% of all your donations to the relief efforts in Haiti. The best way to make the biggest positive impact is to donate to well-known and established relief organizations like the Red Cross and UNICEF. They are the ones that have the infrastructure in place to make a significant difference right away.

All our best to the people of Haiti,

The Team at BikeHike

Destination of the Month: Belize

Our feature destination of the month is none other than beautiful Belize!

Why: Belize is a tropical paradise with more than beach life to offer for adventurists. As one of the few destinations that offer entrance to the underworld, 300ft drops into the dark, and swims alongside rare manatees and reef sharks, Belize is a hot (in both senses of the word) destination from December - April.

Upcoming BikeHike Adventures in Belize
The Belize Blast starting every first Saturday of the month until May. You can start a new date with as few as two people.

Highlights of Belize

The Mayan Ruins of Xunantunich (pronounced "shoo-nahn-too-neech")
These ruins are arguably the most popular remnants of the Mayan civilization in Belize. The population in Xunantunich never exceeded 10,000 but they left a lasting impact with their architecture built in the 7th century AD.

Interesting Factoid: The friezes you see today at El Castillo are actually replicas; the originals are kept underneath for safekeeping.

Underwater Cave Systems
These dark caverns house more than stalactites, stalagmites and crytalline formations. The Maya believed that these caves were the homes of important dieties including the rain god, Chac. They would build ceremonial shrines for these gods and sometimes offer human sacrifices.

Interesting Factoid: According to Mayan beliefs, people were first created from corn dough taken from the flesh of the Maize God, the principal deity of creation. Mayans still consider themselves "corn people".

The Black Hole Drop
The abseil down this 300ft sinkhole called the Actun Loch Tunich takes you through forest canopy, past the mouth of a sacred Maya cave and down into a tropical forest paradise.

Interesting Factoid: One of the most popular questions people ask when they get to the bottom is "how do we get out?"

The Barrier Reef
The Belize Barrier Reef is the second longest continuous reef system in the world (the first is Australia's Great Barrier Reef). The reef can be accessed in Ambergris Caye, where rare manatees (aka sea cows) and reef sharks live. No need to worry about the sharks though, they're even more scared of people than we are of them.

Interesting Factoid: In the popular Disney movie Finding Nemo, Nemo's father stays male after his mother dies. In reality, if the head female clownfish dies, the head male clownfish will change its sex to become female.

Other Interesting Factoids About Belize

• Although many languages are spoken in Belize, it is the only country in South America where English is the official language.
• Over 40% of Belize's land is under legal protection.
• Belize's national anthem is "Land of the Free by the Carib Sea".
• Belize was known as the "British Honduras" until 1973.