Wanderism Travel

I smoked opium once. I saw God.

They say God has many faces. In this instance, she took the form of an elderly Asian woman dressed head to toe in black. She hovered above me – a face creased with age, framed with straight gray hair and punctuated with a toothy, betel nut-stained smile. Who knew how many tourists she’d led down that laneway in the old Red Light district off Jalan Alor. How many adventure seekers had lain where I now laid – on a day bed in a back room of her bustling restaurant in the wee hours of a Tuesday morning?

The room was stifling and the air was a heady mixture of candle wax, opium smoke and French cigarettes. There was a hint of Jasmine tea – it was the one smell that seemed out of place, even in a part of town that was known more for its intoxicating food than its illicit drugs.

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When most people think of heading out of Vancouver and down I-5 to Bellingham, they’re either focused on Seattle or have designs on cheap socks at the Bellis Fair Mall.

But there is a not-so-hidden gem of a destination, just off the interstate in Bellingham.

The American Museum of Radio and Electricity is located in the centre of downtown Bellingham. Surrounded by small shops, restaurants and cafes, it makes a great day trip from either Vancouver or Seattle.

Bellingham (pop. 70,000) is a lot livelier than you might think. Improv guru and TV’s “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” funny man Ryan Stiles runs the Upfront Theater and the Boundary Bay Bistro has been brewing great things since 1995. And it’s just an hour from Vancouver, and about ninety minutes from Seattle.

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If you live in Canada and love travel, then this news is for you.

CTVGlobeMedia, Canada’s largest private television network, has sold its specialty travel-based channel to a broadcast media group headed by two media icons, Raja Khanna and Jay Switzer.

Launched initially as CTV Travel back in 2001 the channel was re-branded as Travel+Escape five years later. Programming was similar to Cox’s Travel Channel in the United States and Britain’s Travel Channel International (TCI).

In recent years one of CTV’s other specialty channels, OLN, has been programming travel-based fare and seemed to eclipse Travel+Escape as the travel TV venue of choice in Canada – Word Travels would be a prime example of that.

I’ve worked with Raja in the past on projects, and know Jay through reputation (he was President and CEO of former powerhouse broadcaster CHUM Limited in Toronto). Between the two of them I can’t see this acquisition being anything but a well-deserved boost for new travel programming. Specifically, with Raja’s pioneering online media background, I can foresee a significant, and possibly primary online component for the channel as its content is spread over different outlets and released to mobile devices. I’ve produced and directed a number of travel series for Travel+Escape over the years, and I’m personally happy to see any change here that brings new and compelling travel content to the airwaves (and WiFi!) My two cents.

The CRTC (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, Canada’s broadcasting regulatory body, similar to the FCC in the United States) still has to approve the sale.

Bottom line: This is good news for those of us who love travel television. Hey, we all need a vicarious hit once in awhile when we’re landlocked or desk-bound, yes?

Stay tuned, as they say.

[REW]

Do you like to watch…? Comments below.

I’m writing a new book at the moment. It’s a biography about the first woman to travel around the world by car. The attempt would be amazing enough for anyone, but realizing that she accomplished the feat at an early age during the Roaring 20s in a converted Model-T Ford is nothing short of remarkable. Automobiles had only been in general use in North America for a few years, and in post-WWI Europe they were still a novelty. There were parts of Africa that had no roads at all to speak of. Then there were the perils of being a beautiful young woman traveling through parts of the world that had never seen a white person before. A fascinating and entertaining story if I do say so myself.

Which brings me to Nicolas Rapp and his Round The World expedition in an old 4×4.

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The new book I’m writing has been a source of continuous excitement to me. This has been due in no small part to the global travel involved during the long research phase. Luckily, Hawai’i has been a part of that phase. Specifically, the research has taken me to the Bishop Museum in Honolulu on three different trips. Each time I have marveled at it’s unique architecture and design as well as its devotion to Hawaiian history and culture through their exclusive collection of important documents and artifacts. It was easy to forget my original purpose on these trips as the surroundings eased me into full-tilt tourist mode.

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