The Calgary Airport Is A Central Air Traffic Hub For 27 Airlines And A Lot Of Privately Owned Planes.

Calgary Airport opened in 1914. Calgary’s first airfield moved twice before settling into its current location in the city’s northeast section in 1939. Named McCall Field for a Calgary World War I aviator, the airport underwent several expansion and modernization projects, eventually becoming the property of the federal government and adopting the present name of Calgary International Airport. The once modest facility now serves as a central air traffic hub on a regional, national, and international basis, employing thousands of workers and housing 200 companies. The airport currently encompasses nearly eight square miles of land, and since July of 1992 the Calgary Airport Authority at 2000 Airport Road NE has been responsible for the management, operation, and development of...

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Victoria’s Butchart Gardens

Explore stunning Butchart Gardens, a National Historic Site of Canada; see the sights in BC's picturesque capital city, Victoria.Read moreExplore Vancouver Island’s Butchart Gardens, one of the world’s premier floral show gardens and a National Historic Site of Canada. You’re one of the million-plus people a year who stroll along the gardens’ 55 acres of colorful flowerbeds, velvety lawns and quiet paths. The experience is sublime: imagine a profusion of roses, scented jasmine and gorgeous peonies. Take in a breathtaking array of tulips and hyacinths as you wander through the Sunken Gardens. Find peace and tranquility in the meditative Japanese Gardens.While on Vancouver Island, visit the vibrant city of Victoria, British Columbia’s capital. It’s a short, scenic car trip to and from the gardens....

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Dinosaurs in Drumheller

Experience a dinosaur dig, explore the natural spectacle of Alberta’s Badlands, examine the fossilized world of the Royal Tyrrell Museum.Explore an ancient land once inhabited by dinosaurs. Hike among rust-colored sandstone hoodoos formed millions of years ago. Dig for fossils. Watch the sunset paint the landscape with pinks and golds; surround yourself with the serenity of nature.Welcome to Cretaceous Park, better known as Alberta’s Badlands. Dinosaurs roamed its deltas and river flood plains some 60 to 75 million years ago. Find yourself in another world, where rolling fields suddenly give way to steep, dry coulees ridged with the strata of hundreds of years of erosion. Spend the afternoon in Drumheller’s extraordinary Royal Tyrrell Museum, marvelling at the vast array of mounted...

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What to eat in HCMC?

Street eats can be found in almost every corner of this bustling city. To be inducted into Southern Vietnamese cuisine, opt for Lau (hotpot with cook your own ingredients served on the side), Com Nieu (broken rice served out of a claypot) and Banh Xeo (pancakes cooked over a flame). To enjoy the clatter of an authentic Vietnamese eatery, Com Nieu will surely leave an impression when the waiters fling claypots across the restaurant. Dong Pho is the best place to enjoy a meal of traditional Hue dishes in Ho Chi Minh City. If you are looking for authentic Vietnamese cuisine in an old world setting, Anh Vien receives the thumbs-up – it offers superb food and tasteful décor in an old French villa. Tucked in a former opium refinery (hence the name) in a small alley, the Refinery...

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What to eat in HCMC?

Street eats can be found in almost every corner of this bustling city. To be inducted into Southern Vietnamese cuisine, opt for Lau (hotpot with cook your own ingredients served on the side), Com Nieu (broken rice served out of a claypot) and Banh Xeo (pancakes cooked over a flame). To enjoy the clatter of an authentic Vietnamese eatery, Com Nieu will surely leave an impression when the waiters fling claypots across the restaurant. Dong Pho is the best place to enjoy a meal of traditional Hue dishes in Ho Chi Minh City.If you are looking for authentic Vietnamese cuisine in an old world setting, Anh Vien receives the thumbs-up – it offers superb food and tasteful décor in an old French villa. Tucked in a formeropium refinery (hence the name) in a small alley, the Refinery...

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Ho Chi Minh City

Commonly referred to as Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) is Vietnam’s largest city and undisputed commerce capital. It is a dynamic city that is currently enjoying the fruits of Vietnam’s economic boom – lavish hotels, decadent restaurants and trendy nightspots are continually added to the cityscape. The younger residents may seem status oriented and eager to flank their new-found wealth, a significant change from the war-savaged population barely one generation ago. Yet against the backdrop of new-found confidence, frenetic development and urban bustle, the boutique charm of HCMC still lives on amongst the tree-lined boulevards, quaint wooden shops, old temples and colonial architecture. The city is quickly making a name for itself in Vietnamese crafts shopping, an emerging art scene and a...

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Ho Chi Minh City

Commonly referred to as Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) is Vietnam’s largest city and undisputed commerce capital. It is a dynamic city that is currently enjoying the fruits of Vietnam’s economic boom – lavish hotels, decadent restaurants and trendy nightspots are continually added to the cityscape. The younger residents may seem status oriented and eager to flank their new-found wealth, a significant change from the war-savaged population barely one generation ago. Yet against the backdrop of new-found confidence, frenetic development and urban bustle, the boutique charm of HCMC still lives on amongst the tree-lined boulevards, quaint woodenshops, old temples and colonial architecture. The city is quickly making a name for itself in Vietnamese crafts shopping, an emerging art scene and a...

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Ho Chi Minh City Travel guide

As Ho Chi Minh City's cyclo drivers rest easy below vast neon billboards, the emerging Vietnamese middle class -- mobile phones in hand -- cruise past draped in haute couture on their imported motorcycles. Welcome to Ho Chi Minh City -- Vietnam's largest and most exciting city.How things have changed from the sleepy days pre-16th century, when the Khmer fishing village of Prey Nokor was established on a vast swampland.Saigon's origins date back to the early 17th century when the area became home for refugees fleeing war in the north. Towards the end of the century, once the population was more Vietnamese and Cambodia weak enough, Vietnam annexed the territory. Over the following decades Prey Nokor developed into the Saigon the French found when they conquered the region in the mid...

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Ho Chi Minh City Travel guide

As Ho Chi Minh City's cyclo drivers rest easy below vast neon billboards, the emerging Vietnamese middle class -- mobile phones in hand -- cruise past draped in haute couture on their imported motorcycles. Welcome to Ho Chi Minh City -- Vietnam's largest and most exciting city.How things have changed from the sleepy days pre-16th century, when the Khmer fishing village of Prey Nokor was established on a vast swampland.Saigon's origins date back to the early 17th century when the area became home for refugees fleeing war in the north. Towards the end of the century, once the population was more Vietnamese and Cambodia weak enough, Vietnam annexed the territory. Over the following decades Prey Nokor developed into the Saigon the French found when they conquered the region in the mid...

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Saigon and surrounds

Vibrant Saigon, Southern Vietnam's best townLong considered the commercial engine room of Vietnam and never more so than today, Ho Chi Minh City (better known as Saigon) sums up perfectly the dynamics of modern-day Vietnam. As the paddy is concreted over and the factories dropped in, this region of Vietnam has and continues to go through incredible degrees of change. Nowhere in the country is the division between the have and have nots as stark as here.Yet these changes have created an atmosphere that appeals to many foreigners, particularly those who find Hanoi a little on the staid side. Saigon has a certain Bangkokian flavour to it -- both in its risque nightlife, and growing number of highrise -- but it remains a unique destination, with a wealth of attractions from war-era museums and...

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Saigon and surrounds

Vibrant Saigon, Southern Vietnam's best townLong considered the commercial engine room of Vietnam and never more so than today, Ho Chi Minh City (better known as Saigon) sums up perfectly the dynamics of modern-day Vietnam. As the paddy is concreted over and the factories dropped in, this region of Vietnam has and continues to go through incredible degrees of change. Nowhere in the country is the division between the have and have nots as stark as hereYet these changes have created an atmosphere that appeals to many foreigners, particularly those who find Hanoi a little on the staid side. Saigon has a certain Bangkokian flavour to it -- both in its risquenightlife, and growing number of highrise -- but it remains a unique destination, with a wealth of attractions from war-era museums and palaces...

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Cat Ba Island

Rugged, craggy and jungle-clad Cat Ba, the largest island in Halong Bay, is straight out of Jurassic Park. Lan Ha Bay, off the eastern side of the island, is especially scenic and offer numerous beaches to explore. While the vast majority of Halong Bay’s islands are uninhabited vertical rocks. Cat Ba has a few fishing villages, as well as a fast-growing town.Except for a few fertile pockets, the fertile pocket is too rocky for serious agriculture; most residents earn their living from the sea, while others cater to the tourist trade. Life has always been hard here and many Cat Ba resident joined the exodus of Vietnamese boat people in the 1970s and 80s. Although the island lost much of its fishing fleet this way, overseas Vietnamese have sent back large amounts of money to relatives on the...

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Cat Ba Island

Rugged, craggy and jungle-clad Cat Ba, the largest island in Halong Bay, is straight out of Jurassic Park. Lan Ha Bay, off the eastern side of the island, is especially scenic and offer numerous beaches to explore. While the vast majority of Halong Bay’s islands are uninhabited vertical rocks. Cat Ba has a few fishing villages, as well as a fast-growing town.Except for a few fertile pockets, the fertile pocket is too rocky for serious agriculture; most residents earn their living from the sea, while others cater to the tourist trade. Life has always been hard here and many Cat Ba resident joined the exodus of Vietnamese boat people in the 1970s and 80s. Although the island lost much of its fishing fleet this way, overseas Vietnamese have sent back large amounts of money to relatives on the...

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Bai Tu Long Bay

There’s more to northeastern Vietnam than Halong Bay. The sinking limestone plateau which gave birth to the bay’s spectacular islands, continues for some 100 km to the Chinese border. The area immediately north of Halong Bay is part of Bai Tu Long National Park (Tel: 793 365). Bai Tu Long Bay is every bit as beautiful as its famous neighbor. Indeed, in some ways beautiful, since it has scarcely seen any tourist development. This is good news and bad news. The bay is unpolluted and undeveloped, but there’s little tourism infrastructure. It’s pretty hard traveling around and staying here, and unless you speak Vietnamese, it’s difficult to get information. Charter boats can be arranged to Bai Tu Long Bay from Halong Bay; boats range from 100,000d to 250,000d per hour depending size...

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Bai Tu Long Bay

There’s more to northeastern Vietnam than Halong Bay. The sinking limestone plateau which gave birth to the bay’s spectacular islands, continues for some 100 km to the Chinese border. The area immediately north of Halong Bay is part of Bai Tu Long National Park (Tel: 793 365).Bai Tu Long Bay is every bit as beautiful as its famous neighbor. Indeed, in some ways beautiful, since it has scarcely seen any tourist development. This is good news and bad news. The bay is unpolluted and undeveloped, but there’s little tourism infrastructure. It’s pretty hard traveling around and staying here, and unless you speak Vietnamese, it’s difficult to get information.Charter boats can be arranged to Bai Tu Long Bay from Halong Bay; boats range from 100,000d to 250,000d per hour depending size and...

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How to pick the right Ha Long Bay cruise

The first thing you need to know about Ha Long Bay is that it’s beautiful and well-worth seeing. The only real question for the traveler in Vietnam is how best to see it and, like many things in Vietnam, things are never as clear a they could be Travel agents who promise the earth, but fail to deliver combined with travelers whose expectations are totally unrealistic makes for a volatile Ha Long Bay cocktail. The overwhelming majority of travelers experience a Ha Long Bay cruise via a group tour that begins and ends in Hanoi, where there’s a dizzying variety of tours, with prices ranging from about US$12 a day to $70 and up per person. Ha Long Bay is cluttered with some 500 licensed junks, and on any given day, up to 300 of them may be plying the waters — that’s basically one boat...

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How to pick the right Ha Long Bay cruise

The first thing you need to know about Ha Long Bay is that it’s beautiful and well-worth seeing.The only real question for the traveler in Vietnam is how best to see it and, like many things in Vietnam, things are never as clear a they could beTravel agents who promise the earth, but fail to deliver combined with travelers whose expectations are totally unrealistic makes for a volatile Ha Long Bay cocktail.The overwhelming majority of travelers experience a Ha Long Bay cruise via a group tour that begins and ends in Hanoi, where there’s a dizzying variety of tours, with prices ranging from about US$12 a day to $70 and up per person.Ha Long Bay is cluttered with some 500 licensed junks, and on any given day, up to 300 of them may be plying the waters — that’s basically one boat for...

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Ha Long Bay for backpackers

Ha Long Bay for backpackersTwo night/three day budget tour Crammed into a jam-packed minivan, o ur tour commenced with us circling the block a few times to avoid getting ticked by the cops for illegally stopping to pick up some of our passengers, but then we were away and our guide introduced himself. In his quite decent English, he explained that the 160km journey to Ha Long City would take three hours — apparently the slow going was due to the police — not to worry, if there were no cops around, we were assured, our driver would atte mpt to speed whenever possible. The trip included a 15-minute stop at a crafts centre set up for victims of Agent Orange and at 11:00 we reached Ha Long City. Once there our guide promptly got into a 15-minute argument with another guide, and we were...

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