The Impossible Beauty of Victoria's Butchart Gardens

I love gardens and flowers so I always try to visit the botanical gardens of the destinations that I visit. I've explored many gorgeous gardens and been absorbed by the heady delights of blooming plants and trees. But I've never seen anything like Victoria's Butchart Gardens. It's called a garden but it's more like a fairytale land, as you can glimpse in the photo. The thing is, there's not just one garden at Butchart Gardens, there are many, including a sunken garden, an Italian garden, a Japanese garden,a rose garden and a Mediterranean garden. There's even a carousel with exotic animals!  With a restaurant that serves an afternoon tea service and dishes created from the organic produce grown on the grounds, Butchart Gardens is the kind of oasis that beckons you to spend days, not hours.

Totems and Treetops

One of the things that I love about Vancouver and Victoria is the vibrant presence of First Nations culture. From the time you step into Vancouver International Airport,, aboriginal art pieces,especially totem poles, are on prominent display. Strolling around both cities, I discovered that totem poles are as common as the trees that often surround them.

At Capilano Suspension Bridge Park, totem poles dot the landscape, they tell the story of the people who lived there hundreds of years before. In fact, totem poles are sometimes called story poles.

I learned that totem poles are monuments created by Northwest Coast aboriginal people and they can serve as signboards, genealogical records or memorials. They are typically carved from red cedar and then painted. The poles communicate symbolically across all First Nations groups.

The surprising thing that I discovered about totem poles is that they don't have to be towering heights but that they come in all sizes. There are six  main types of poles: memorials, grave figures,house posts, house front poles, welcoming poles and mortuary poles. Historically, totem poles were commissioned by a chief to mark a special event and they continue to hold deep significance for First Nations culture.

Views From Vancouver's Granville Island

When I landed in beautiful and bustling Vancouver, it was hard for me to understand that I was actually on a coastal seaport. I spotted mountains and buildings everywhere I turned but it wasn't until I headed to the peninsula of Granville Island that I grasped the water connection.

Granville Island is a shopping district that actually requires you to hop a ferry to reach. Floating on the boat, I glimpsed the prettiest aquatic scenes. Vancouver showcases sleek architectural structures like the Science World sphere above.

The city also boasts quaint Victorian building like the ones adorned with Canadian flags above. It didn't really matter where I looked, the water just seemed to make everything that more scenic.

Next Stop: Vancouver, Victoria and Haiti

I'm kicking off my travel year by visiting places that I've been interested in exploring for years. First, I'll be headed to the vibrant metropolis surrounded by mountains and water called Vancouver. Destination British Columbia is hosting me for a dive into the city's culture and natural beauty. I'm especially excited to attend the Coastal First Nations Dance Festival where I'll witness indigenous songs, stories and dance. I'll also be exploring the Capilano Suspension Bridge, Granville Island, Punjabi Market and hiking near the North Shore Mountains, among other things in my packed itinerary. Then I'll hop a helijet to Victoria and take in the famous Butchart Gardens and other sights in this old world city, pictured below.

Next, I'm off to the unspoiled beauty of Haiti for the International Jazz Festival of Port- au- Prince. The strength and pride of Haiti, despite the country's challenges has always attracted me. I'm thrilled to finally experience Haitian culture as well as view famous landmarks like Citadelle Laferriere, the largest fortress in the Americas, built by formerly enslaved Africans and a UNESCO World Heritage Site,shown below. Please stay tuned for posts about my whirlwind experiences.

When Anguilla and Australia Meet

The best part of travel is meeting people who share experiences and stories that reflect how diverse and exciting the world truly is. On the flawless beach of Anguilla's Sandy Island, I met DJ Kristelle Morin, who performed as part of the Livin In The Sun EDM Festival. I'm not a huge fan of EDM (electronic dance music) unless it's the house music that I grew up with in Chicago. I need an element of emotion to enjoy music and most techno and electro music lacks that element. But I learned a few things when I met international DJs in Anguilla, especially a sunny-faced DJ named Kristelle Morin from Australia. Lounging on Sandy Island, Kristelle explained how she started out as a DJ in Sydney and travels between London where she works with  Tribe Records, and the rest of the world, spinning her music.
 It's not easy for women DJs to establish themselves in the EDM industry and Kristelle explained the challenges of pushing past the sexism and misogyny. What really intrigued me was how Kristelle mixes parts of her native Australian culture into her music. Although she specializes in deep soul house, she often weaves aboriginal chants between the beats.She not only blended the soulful singing of house but she added chanting for extra layers of emotion. It was the most evocative EDM music that I've ever heard. I watched her at the booth as the rhythms pumped from her turntables and indigenous chants floated over Anguilla's blue waves. It was almost like Australia and Anguilla were joining right before my eyes and it was an unforgettable feeling.

A Night Out in Tokyo

After flying 13 hours from Chicago to Tokyo, I was a tiny bit woozy. Although the ANA Airlines inaugural flight from Chicago to Tokyo's Haneda Airport was smooth and comfortable, the drastic time difference was starting to affect me. Although we landed at 9 pm Tokyo time, it was 6 am Chicago time and that 15 hour difference was screwing with my equilibrium. But I am the boss of my body, not jet lag so I do what I always do whenever I land anywhere; hit the streets! Walking around in the fresh air does wonders for your internal time clock even without the sun. So I grabbed MJ, the fellow Chicagoan in our group and we strolled out of the Imperial Hotel into the streets of the Chiyoda business district. I had researched a small cluster of hotels that lined the subway near our hotel and we located them neatly situated in a lighted alley, pictured above.

On a Monday night at 9 pm, there's not too much activity in Chicago but that's not the case in Tokyo. The sidewalks were filled with people and as we walked down the alley, waiters came out in white aprons to lure us into their restaurants. We walked down the alley for 20 minutes before choosing a place to grab a late night snack. Since nobody spoke English and most of the signs only had photos, we chose the restaurant that actually offered an English menu.(I need to know what I'm eating because of my food allergy and dietary restrictions.) The eatery was crammed with people who looked like they had gathered after work and were relaxing with drinks and food.

This group of men, who were seated behind us, smoked so much that our clothes were full of smoke when we left the restaurant. With the U.S. ban on indoor smoking, it's been a long time since I've been in a smokey place and I consider it part of my authentic Tokyo experience. We nibbled ramen and chicken wings and absorbed the atmosphere until our eyes started fluttering closed. Then we walked through the dark streets, back to our hotel, ready to reset our inner clocks to Tokyo time.

What I Learned From Intense Travel in 2016

The year of 2016 was unrelenting on so many levels. It seems like unexpected scenarios and challenging situations just kept piling up until everyone was numb by the year's end. I felt torn for most of the year. I was heartbroken about the glaring racism, injustice and brutality that kept sprouting up and I fought to keep my spirits and expectations positive. It wasn't easy. On the other hand, I received more invitations to travel than ever before--I took 15 trips in all, exploring 9 countries, three continents and five states. I loved it and appreciated the opportunities but an undercurrent of sadness clung to me. How could I be happy and wander around glorious beaches and mountains and deserts when so many people, especially my people, were suffering?

Through a process of  discussion, analysis, meditation and observation, I learned that traveling with intention, and being present instead of caught up in taking photos, notes and posting to social media, revealed the importance of all of my experiences. People are suffering everywhere but people are also overcoming their challenges and finding joy despite pain. So my 2016 travels exposed many small lessons that have helped me live more authentically. Here are a few:

This is Mark. I met him in Valencia, where he owns the decadent Cafe de Las Horas. The lounge is a popular nightspot to sip Agua de Valencia and hear live music and I reveled in the baroque decor and lively atmosphere. Mark is from Guyana and he's lived in Valencia since the '90s, when he moved as a Spanish language student. He explained how hard it was when he first moved to Spain. There were not many foreigners in the city at the time and the Spanish are notoriously insular. He felt isolated and alone. But he stuck it out and eventually opened the cafe as well as two other restaurants in Valencia with his partner. Now, he's embraced by the locals and feels a part of the culture. He's even moved his mother to Valencia, where she's made lots of friends. Mark's experience taught me that sometimes you have to persevere in tough situations and continue to be true to yourself.

In Dubai, I learned so many things that I can't even begin to explain all of them. It's a complex place that has a lot going on beyond its glittering surface. But I learned the most with my friend Sophia, who moved to Dubai from London. Sophia took me to the local places that you won't find on websites or guides. Most of the locals don't live the luxurious lifestyle that's so visible in much of the city, which was no surprise. What was a surprise was how light the abayas, the flowing covering that many women wear, feels. I tried on several and talked to women about how they get them custom made. These garments appear heavy and suffocating but they are very airy to wear. I learned that you really have to try something first hand, whether it's food or a place or a custom, before you can  honestly form an opinion.

I tried on this blingy abaya, which is layered over a solid version, inside the Dragon Mart, where most locals shop for bargains.

 Although I never travel anywhere with the expectation that people will speak English in Japan, I was caught off guard. I stayed in the heart of the Tokyo business district at the Imperial Hotel and my image of Japan as a major business hub, was that many people would know English. I traveled all over the city, on the subway and walking the streets and never encountered one person who knew English. I laughed when it was explained that while it's true that many Japanese study English, they speak English the same way that Americans who study  high school French or Spanish, which is not very fluently! I learned that there are always different perspectives to even well established facts.

Finally, in Portugal, which is also pictured in the first photo, my love of the Portuguese influences I experienced in Brazil and Macao were vividly confirmed. I adored every aspect of the culture but what I learned was the value of simplicity. I visited castles, flew in helicopters and dined on 10 course meals but the most memorable experiences were gazing at the natural beauty of Portugal's coast and eating flawless meals on sidewalk cafes. The Portuguese live simply and I think that's a key to happiness. I hope to learn more during my 2017 travels, what did you learn in 2016?