The Calgary Tower

Are you into towers? Well, we've got one in Calgary. What would a city be without a tower? And, my son and I thought, since I've been living in downtown Calgary for 1 1/2 years, it wouldn't be right for me to go a day longer without visiting the top of said tower. Especially since it's so cheap. (General admission is $18, seniors are $16, and children are $9.)

Apparently, one could:

Experience a spectacular 360° view of the foothills and majestic Rocky Mountains. Step onto our glass floor for an unforgettable perspective of the bustling streets below and learn more about our history in our brand-new theatre room.

                   The Calgary Tower Standing Tall with a Candy Apple Red Globe at the Top.

So, we made plans to take my grandsons up the tower for dessert on my eldest grandson's birthday --February 15th -- or close to it. We called the phone number for it and made a reservation. Although it's not necessary to make a reservation, the guy on the other end of the phone suggested that it was a busy day and that if we wanted to have a seat in the restaurant, we should. So, we did.

Mind you, this was on February 18th which is a stat holiday --Family Day, which is probably why we needed to make a reservation. We were off in the car, found a lower level parking spot no problem, and boarded the elevator to the level where the tower entrance was. There was a security guard at the door to greet us with,

"I'm sorry, but the elevator to the tower has been shut down."

"WHAAAT?" we all four of us looked at each other puzzled. And I said, "What are the odds?"

If you think about it, isn't it a bit strange that at this very moment in time on this very day we chose to finally go up there, the tower elevator is shut down?

"Why?" we asked.

"On the way down, water started to leak into the elevator from melted snow or whatnot and it fritzed up the electrical works," the guard explained as best he could.

We sort of stood there, looking at him, trying to absorb what he'd just said, getting pictures in our minds of people stuck all the way up there in an elevator that's being flooded with water, wondering how long it's going to take before we can get out of there.

I can't speak for the others, but, I was coming up with a dozen questions like: Are there people still stuck up there? How many people were or are stuck in the elevator? How long did it take to get the people out? Will the elevator be running again soon? Does this happen every time it snows? Can we expect the elevator to get stuck again or will it be permanently fixed? Is this on the news?

At least two of us breathed a heavy sigh of relief and looked down at our feet that were standing on solid ground. Neither of us asked about the poor elevator passengers nor inquired about exactly how much water we were talking about. I don't think we even asked the guard whether this was a common occurrence. Maybe it was partly because he didn't seem to be in the mood to answer any more questions and partly because --you know-- we'd find it on the internet.

I found this on the official site.

Milestones

1967 Construction began February 19, 1967 and was completed in June 1968 at a total cost of $3.5 million dollars.
1971 On November 1, 1971, the Husky Tower was officially renamed the Calgary Tower as a tribute to Calgary citizens.
1985 In 1985, the Tower completed a renovation of the observation areas at a cost of $2.4 million. This project added a grill and souvenir shop.

1987 A natural gas-fired cauldron is installed on top of the Calgary Tower by Western Canadian Natural Gas to serve as an official Olympic Flame during the upcoming Winter Games.
1988 A hand-held replica of the Calgary Tower with an Olympic flame crosses Canada during the Torch Relay. Tens of thousands of international guests and athletes visit the Tower during the Calgary Olympics.
1989 Fresh off its Olympic exposure, the Calgary Tower initiates and is a founding member of the World Federation of Great Towers (WFGT).
2005 A glass floor spanning 36' wide by 4.5' was installed on the Observation Deck as a gift to Alberta on its Centennial.
2014 LED lights are added to the exterior of the Calgary Tower complementing the downtown skyline nightly with spectacular light displays.
2018 The Calgary Tower celebrates its 50th anniversary as an internationally recognized and iconic symbol of the city.


Sky 360 is the restaurant we'd made reservations for that was now unreachable. They graciously cover the cost of the elevator ride when you purchase an entree. You're also allowed to visit the observation deck for up to half an hour before and after eating. But, since this was no longer a possibility, we looked around for another restaurant that would please two young teens.

We ended up driving to the Cheesecake Cafe where we dined on chicken stir-fry, fish 'n chips, clams, and a cheeseburger. They brought the Birthday Boy a piece of cake with a sparkler on the top as a gift. (The cheesecake is to die for!)

Perhaps we'll get up to the tower in March (around my Birthday) after the elevator is no longer under construction. If we have the nerve to try it.

Spring is Here so Merry Christmas!

It's been a long time since I contributed a new post to this blog but this crazy weather in Calgary has given me something to say. And, what I have to say about the weather is,

"'T-ain't funny, McGee!"

As I wrote on my Facebook profile, it's starting to be like a really bad joke. And, I'm one person who hates bad jokes. Sorry, but, zero tolerance. For some reason, a bad joke can ruin my whole relationship with someone. That's pretty severe, I know. But maybe I just figure that if somebody has to try so hard, they should quit the funny business.

So, here I am going across the street to buy some yogurt. (For some reason, I had a craving for real, unflavoured yogurt that night. And, no, I'm not pregnant. That's another bad joke.) So, I feel the wet snowflakes whipping my face, pull up my fluffy hood and head out. On the other side of the street, I see an elderly fellow and shout out, "Happy spring!" He replies,

"Merry Christmas!" We both laugh and carry on down the street.

I buy some peanutbutter cups, having not found any yogurt at the gas station convenience shop and as I'm coming out of the store, I greet another person who calls out,

"Merry Christmas!"

I think we Calgarians and Calgary dwellers are FED UP with this extension of winter. It's just not funny anymore. Not that it ever was. But, at least winter during winter is much more tolerable than Christmas weather in spring. Even the birds seem to be fed up with it. They seem a little cranky when they flip the snowflakes off their feathers as if to say, "Come on! Enough snow already!"

Anyway, when the weather finally breaks and we get an actual spring day for a change, I'm sure we'll all appreciate it even more than if it had happened on schedule. You know. Or not. We'll see.

Calgary and the B.C. Fires

 

The Calgary Summer

This summer, Calgary has been a lot warmer than I had expected with weekly highs up into the 30's on a regular basis. Hot.

In the tropics, 32 degrees was the norm BUT it was constant. It was a consistent heat. You would wake up in the morning knowing that it was going to be 32 or so all day long. And the next day, pretty much the same. The temperature might dip slightly by nightfall. But, the temperature every day was pretty consistent, even during thunder storms. You'd never feel "cold".

So, the high temperatures in Calgary (or anywhere in Canada) seem rather extreme when you compare them to the winter weather. From plus 36 degrees to minus 45 degrees means there is an 80 degree difference in the temperature. That covers a lot of ground and it's a huge differentiation. Isn't it?

But Calgarians love the heat! They flock to the Bow River, stripped down to as little clothing as possible, wearing flip-flops and sunglasses. Just thriving on the sun. Soaking it up while they can.

Bow River Rafting

We (my son, his wife and 2 kids and I) went rafting on the Bow River last week-end. WHAT A BLAST. Who knew a piece of latex filled with air could be so much fun? And the river was rapid. There were Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3 rapids. We put the raft in north of the city and let the river take us. Of course, our steering man sat at the front to guide us.

Those of us in the back yelled at him from time to time,

"Rapids! Rapids! Shoals! Shoals! Rapids and shoals!"

Of course, he was already well aware of what was up ahead but sometimes he needed another rower or two to speed us off the track of the danger. Twice we were hit with big waves that soaked us through and filled the bottom of the raft with water. Then there was the river security in their motorboats flying past, whipping the waves into rock 'n roll action. That's when we women screamed. Fun!

B.C. Fires 

Along with the intense heat, Calgary has been under a cloud of B.C. smoke quite often these days. It has usually been a haze that blankets in the weather on us. But, lately, fire burning in nearby Banff has sent bigger clouds to us.

Animals Escaping to Water

Fires Raging in British Columbia

 

Where there's Smoke there Must be Fire

Homes were Lost and People were Forced to Leave Them

These fires are out of control and have cost many people their homes. Hundreds are living in tents while the burning rages throughout the northern part of the province.

Whenever there's cloud coverage, a stench of rotten eggs accompanies it. At least, that's the way it is where I live in Elgin. Who knows where the stench comes from? It might be from an old dump nearby.

Mahogany Lake

These housing developments were built on swamp land and former dumps. Clever contractors had the swamps dug deep to bring up the water level and create a lake. Then they moved the excess dirt away and added chemicals to the lake to clean it up.

Abracadabra, please and thank-you and you have lakeside property ready for brand new lake homes. How clever is that? Brilliant. Property prices have now jumped! Useless stinky swamp land is now highly sought-after lake front property with a view. They even have a sandy beach.  Well, a dirt beach anyway.

And fishing is great! One of my grandsons caught a 7 lb trout in Mahogany Lake. That's a big meal. Of course, he uses corn for bate. That's another story.

Mahogany

Mahogany Lake

Brand New Lakefront Property

Ontari - ari - ariO

When I was a kid, there was a song about Ontario and it went "Ontari-ari-ario", so that's why the title. I'm BACK IN CANADA. yay. What a winter I chose to return to.

 This may look like a lot of snow, but there's twice as much now. There are mountains and mountains of snow growing up around us. This is the view out my front door in Barrie, Ontario.

 For those of you who just love the color, white, I have news for you: white is not a color. LOL. But, it is very pretty and pure-looking and refreshing. I guess.

My sister reminded me of how we used to suck on icicles when we were kids. It never occurred to us then that they were chock full of contaminants and toxic waste. They look so clear and crystal clean.

   

And the sun sets slowly in the west. It's not going down quite as early as it was in December. Now it stays light out until 5:50pm.

I suppose if it wasn't so difficult to walk around, I'd go outside a lot more, but the sidewalks here are piled with snow and slush with a thin layer of sneaky ice underneath it all which makes walking very treacherous. I use the word treacherous with all sincerity.

You have to go out sooner or later. I went to the grocery store which is about ten blocks away. A lady who had been walking out in the road came up on the sidewalk beside me and asked,

"How is it over there?" pointing to the sidewalk I'd just come along. I answered,

"Horrendous."

A little further along, I came to a sidewalk with ten-foot walls of snow on either side making it feel like a long tunnel. Or, like you were walking through the Red Sea after God raised up the water on either side. It was a wall of frozen water carved into white walls. Ha.

"Good-bye, Vietnam!"

 A university in Guiyang emailed me to say that I am hired. So, with that, I packed my bags and got on the bus to Saigon, then took a taxi to the airport. However, I still want to remember my sweet find of a guest house in Muine because (who knows?) I might want to come back here for a vacation. 

To the left of the Sea Winds Resort is a Mexican restaurant run by Russians. The pretty owner can speak perfect English, too. They play Spanish music all day and night. It's happy music.

Anyway, onward and upward. I took the bus to Saigon and a taxi to the airport and before I knew it, I was in China. Again. And, boy was the weather a shock to my system. I didn't have the right clothes for it so I was freezing. It was rainy, chilly, breezy and I was unprepared.

In China, they take the weather as it comes, leave their windows and doors open year round and don't usually use heaters or fans. Air conditioning is unheard of. For the first week, I wore the coat I had bought while teaching in Maisai. But, my feet were in sandals, getting soaked in the rain. No wonder I got a cold straight off.

The dear agent who met me at the airport took me to a room in an apartment on the 23rd floor of a brand new high-rise. This is the view from my bedroom window.

 I'm surrounded by towers! The little low-rise apartments are being replaced with giants and this city is in a state of constant construction. There are 42 floors in my building.

On my arrival, I realized that there was still a firewall in place in China to prevent us from getting onto Google, Facebook, Youtube and even Guru, among other places. So, my first task at hand was to find a VPN (Virtual Private Network) that would allow me to bi-pass the wall. I found a free sample that lasted for 5 days and then ended.

I'm on here now through another free sample that will only last for a few more hours. Then, "the lights will go out again" on my "Google World". One never realizes how much they use these sites until they are inaccessible.

Well, at least the weather changed. Now it's intolerably hot and humid. The humidity is like a thin, wet blanket that is trying to suffocate you. Even in the classrooms of the university, there are NO FANS. Compound that with the smoking in the hallways and you have a recipe for discomfort.

I better quit complaining, though. After all, there IS a Starbucks right in the square at the foot of the apartment complex where all us "foreign" teachers live. And a Walmart! Or, as it is called here, "Wu ar mar". 

Back to Muine

Not to be negative, but I simply couldn't tolerate Saigon anymore. Something about the stench of urine saturating the sidewalks and the constant drove of motorcycles veering dangerously close to my being makes life unpleasant. I won't go on to mention the abundance of the sickening flow of trash in the city. I understand.

I understand that people must make a living and life is hard and it's just too time-consuming to put your trash in a garbage bin. And all that. But, I had to leave. Later for Ho Chi Minh, the city that bears the name of... well, Ho Chi Minh. What can I say? It's his city.  

So, I went back to Muine and got my old room. Well, I didn't get the exact room, but one like it. Then, after two nights, when a smaller room was available, I took it.

Number 4 at the Sea Winds Guest House. That dark brown door gets piping hot in the morning sun!

There's a brood of cute baby ducks waddling around the grounds but they refused to pose for me. The manager agreed to rent me the little cabin or cottage for 5 days at $50 US, or one million dong.

I've looked around and found this is the best rate for a private room. Although perhaps the Backpackers Village may come a bit cheaper if you want to stay in a dorm. To be brutally honest, the downside I have discovered with dorms is that couples like to "do their thing" in a mixed dorm. I mean, I understand how they must feel, but I always wonder why they don't just "get a room" by combining both their expenses on the dorm. Go figure. Anyway, it doesn't happen all the time and dorms can be a good place to have English conversation in English with other English speakers. If you're fed up with trying to communicate with those who can't. Speak English that is.

 The pool across the street is in the restaurant where I usually eat breakfast for about $5 US because it's all-you-can-eat, including bacon, eggs cooked to your specifications and a ton of tropical fruit and cakes. So, it's enough food to last me all day.

 Cute or not? Cute, BUT a little warm for this kind of weather, don't you think? But, really cute if you happen to be on your way up north.

So, the thing is, the electricity went out. The first time it was for less than an hour, but the second time, I think the lines were blown down. So, it went out for 5 hours. In the heat of the day. That's FIVE HOURS of intense heat with no fan or air-con. I finally went down to the beach and ran into my landlord who promised it would come back on at 4pm. It DID. And BOY was I EVER THANKFUL. "You never miss the water till the well runs dry." It's so true. You never fully appreciate your fan and blessed air-con until it's GONE.

 Here's the old bird who talks in Vietnamese like a little girl. I think he recognizes me.

                                                                   Lovely plants

 This is the walkway to my room. On the left is a crazy Mexican restaurant run by Russians who think a fajita is a taco.

I think this is a cherimoya. It's a delicious fruit with a thin peal that just easily peals off revealing a soft, fragrant fruit that tastes a bit like a pear. I do love them. They're not usually THIS huge though.

Back to Saigon

It seems that everyone calls Ho Chi Minh City by its old name, Saigon. That makes me think that dear old Ho Chi Minh was not so highly thought of. For whatever reason, the old name has hung on. So, after packing my little-ish bag, I caught a taxi to the bus station. It was fairly cheap. But, taking the taxi from the station in Saigon was a bit pricier since we had to travel quite a distance to the hostel that I had stayed at last time I was here: Vietnam Inn Saigon.

As we were coming into the city center, we passed by a McCafe! Wow! This was quite a revelation to me! You mean there's actually a McDonald's in Vietnam? So far I hadn't seen any. So, after I had taken my bags to my bunk, I went down to the front desk and asked one of the English-speaking staff if there was a McD's anywhere. Turns out, there's one right down the street!

 While walking in the park one day in the merry, merry month of March, through the trees all around, what to my wondering eyes should appear but two golden arches of a McDonald's Restaurant!


 

 I know it's pathetic, but I really, really needed a cup of coffee. What I had been drinking for over 3 weeks was flavoured syrup water of some strange, yucky stuff. Sorry. My personal interpretation.


 

It's a lovely park that runs the length of the street right outside of the hostel where I'm staying. You'll spot loads and loads of Westerners from all over the world. 

There's a bit of water, like a stream in the park, surrounded by fencing and sitting there were these two boats. The bigger river boat is still under construction.





Coffee first, market second. These are crocodile heads. Obviously. Any animal rights activists reading this? Well, if you're of the mind, you can come here and throw paint on these guys. They cost a fortune too! I think they're asking $75 US. Come on! I don't even know what they're good for. At first I thought they were really ugly wallets. I even thought you could open the mouth to put your money in. But, not. They are some sort of strange and different ornament. I can just see somebody taking one home and putting it on their coffee table to scare the poop out of their visitors. Then, little Jonny gets the bright idea to sneak up on Grandma and wave a crocodile head in her face. (I'm way ahead of you guys. Don't DO such a thing to your poor, sweet granny!)

 This shop totally fascinated me because of all the pretty trinkets and utterly useless junk they had. But I wanted to buy it all. Don't ask me why! There was a shell I had a particular attachment to but it was outrageously priced. They cut the price down a quarter and I almost got away but another lady took my arm and remonstrated how she hadn't sold ANYTHING ALL DAY because it was SO HOT today. She seemed so sincere that I almost believed her. Then she cut the price in half. Although it was still too high, I CAVED. Now I am a proud owner of a totally useless sea shell. But it's SO PRETTY.

 She's the younger, cute shop vendor. I mean she's cute, not the shop. What the heck IS all this stuff?

 Ok, it's useless clutter, but, isn't most everything we buy? A guy at another booth very proudly showed me his buffalo horn pickle forks. I mean, shouldn't everyone have a buffalo horn pickle fork?

If I could afford it, I'd buy two of these for everyone I know and ship it to them because I DON'T have a HOUSE TO PUT THEM IN! Ha! Saves me from buying a lot of clutter.

                                                                                 A colourful fruit stand.

 Even up close, these plastic flowers look real. When I saw a guy spraying them with water, it made me think they were alive. I had to go and touch a stem to see it was plastic.






 Pretty but fake. But, still pretty.

 Wait a minute. What's that over there? Can you see it? YES! A coffee shop!

I couldn't resist. I ordered a cappuccino and was pleasantly surprised to get a nice big bowl-sized cup!