1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #485 - Hebridean Sky expedition ship

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #485

- Hebridean Sky expedition ship, Ushuaia

(The Hebridean Sky was as good inside as it was good-looking from the outside. We boarded it at 3pm at the harbour, and was immediately taken by the big-size Promenade cabin, with its large rectangular window for its sea-view. But what took the cake was a built-in wardrobe! Very nice. The ship's main restaurant for all dining was elegant, with free-flowing coffee just 10m away from our cabin. The expedition organisers, Polar Latitudes, spared no effort in making us feel welcome, with their red Helly Hansen waterproof-parka jacket sitting nicely on the beds upon our check-in. We knew we were going to have a very comfortable 10-nights on this expedition ship, with the other 110 people onboard)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #484 - Tierra del Fuego National Park, Ushuaia

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #484

- Tierra Del Fuego National Park, Ushuaia

(Before hopping onto our Antarctica expedition ship, we took a coach trip to the Tierra del Furgo National Park, some 40minutes from Ushuaia. This vast national park has all the natural lakes and inlets that characterise this region, including a boat ride away from the country of Chile. The country boundary here is a mere 5 min boat-ride away from this park. The standout story from here is the indigenous tribe here called the Yamanas. They lived with no clothings, even during the bitter winter months, staying warm by applying seal oil on their skin, as well as living on their boats - what a tough tribe. Sadly, only 1 real Yamana is left, and she lives in the Chilean side of this region)

 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #365 - McArthurGlen Premier Outlet, Vancouver Airport

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #365

- McArthurGlen Premier Outlet, Vancouver Airport

 

(What a great way to end your holiday - over 8 hours at a premium outlet, before hopping right on to a plane. Yes, who can pass up this experience - this McArthurGlen airport outlet is easily reachable through the skytrain, and just 1 stop away to get to the airport. What's even more appealing was that we could walk to it from the skytrain station itself - genius, just 5mins. Although the outlet can't compare with the biggie in Woodbury or Vienna, we manage to get some good deals from clothing/footwear stores like Under Armour and Nike. No favourites of mine, like Gucci or Prada, though)

 

 

 

 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #364 - Whistler-Blackcomb Peak2Peak gondola, Canada

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #364

- Whistler-Blackcomb Peak2Peak gondola, Canada

 

(It holds the Guinness World record for the longest and highest gondola - the Whistler Blackcomb Peak2Peak gondola - at almost 4.5km long. It was a weird feeling seeing and touching snow in mid-June. This grand view, connecting both mountain tops, must be a stunner during winter. We chose the glass-bottom gondola, which gave us a different feeling from that high up, even seeing a black bear roaming about - how do those bikers avoid them? On the way down, we decided to take the open-top ski-chairlifts for 2 - and it was the highlight of this scenic ride for us, with cool wind in the hair - very nice!)

 

 

 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #363 - Whistler Mountain resort, British Columbia, Canada

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #363

- Whistler Mountain resort, British Columbia, Canada

 

(This charming resort village, Whistler is the host city of the 2010 Winter Olympics. It took us 90min to get up there from Vancouver, immediately after hoping off the cruise ship and onto Epic Rides. The cool 18C temperature greeted us there, but the village itself is the draw, with quaint shops and hotels all around, and at this time, shops fill to the brim with mountain bikes - the Whistler mountain has been turned into a biking paradise at this time of the year. We may have had one of our best hamburgers there, and the maple choc from Rocky Mountain Chocolate, made fresh right in front of us, was too good to pass up)