Write your way to a Puerto Vallarta vacation

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/11/2005 (7332 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

IF you have great memories of Puerto Vallarta — and can tell your story in a creative way — you could win a week’s stay for two at one of Vallarta’s leading resorts.

To give free rein to the creativity of those who enter the “Why I Love Puerto Vallarta” contest, experiences can be related in any form — poetry, limerick, narrative, song lyrics set to a well-known melody, even haiku.

Extra consideration will be given by the judges to entries that manage to include words that rhyme with Vallarta.

The deadline for entries is May 15, 2006, and a winner will be announced by May 30. Grand prize is a one-week stay for two at the NH Krystal Resort in Puerto Vallarta. Judging is based strictly on content and creativity, not writing prowess.

Entries can be submitted at www.VallartaSource.com, an online vacation guide to Puerto Vallarta.

Bald eagles ready to make their return

THE eagles are set to return to the small community of Brachendale, B.C., tucked in between Vancouver and Whistler. Brackendale lays claim to the largest gathering of bald eagles in North America.

They start arriving from all over the Pacific northwest in mid-November and stay until mid-February, feasting on spawning salmon. The largest concentration is in late December to January, says the website www.brackendaleeagles.com.

Last winter 1,975 eagles were spotted at the Brackendale Eagle Reserve in the park’s 19th annual bird count. The record was 3,766 in 1994.

For details on where to view the eagles, go to the website or phone 604-892-9244.

HI Manitoba features Chinese food, culture

HOSTELLING International is holding a fundraising dinner and slideshow featuring the changing face of China, with presenters Rick Morgan and Zhen Zhen, a Chinese student studying in Winnipeg

The event will be held Tuesday from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Grand Garden Restaurant, 268 King St. Advance tickets are $20 ($24 at the door) and include a Chinese dinner buffet. Reserve by calling 784-1131.

Alaska ferries cut off-season fares

OFFICIALS say an off-season 30 per cent round-trip fare reduction on Alaska Marine Highway System ferries will help boost ridership and revenue on the state’s water transportation routes.

The cuts are the latest marketing effort by Robin Taylor, deputy commissioner of the Alaska Department of Transportation, since he took over as head of the ferry system in March.

The price cuts are a way to bring in passenger revenue to offset recent fuel cost increases and to improve winter service, officials said. The fares are effective Nov. 1 to March 31.

Most people buying the discount tickets are Alaskans, system officials said. Many people are taking the ferry to the Lower 48 because fare cuts have made the trip cheaper than flying, said marketing manager Vern Craig.

See www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs

Denmark café marks 135 years of service

COPENHAGEN’S best-known Viennese-style coffeehouse is celebrating 135 years of service in the Danish capital. Confectioner Nicolaus Henningsen, who was born in northern Germany, opened the café on Oct. 8, 1870, in its current location in downtown Copenhagen.

First named Henningsen’s Basement, it later changed to La Glace — French for ice cream — because it was among the first to produce ice cream in Copenhagen.

Over the decades, its coffee-sipping guests included fairytale author Hans Christian Andersen and Karen Blixen, who wrote Out of Africa under the name Isak Dinesen.

Patrons, sitting at marble tables, can order coffee, hot chocolate and whipped cream cakes.

Mount Rainier resort closing for makeover

THE historic Paradise Inn on Mount Rainier is closing until at least the spring of 2008 for a multimillion-dollar makeover. The park also is building a new visitor centre in the inn’s parking lot to eventually replace the nearby Henry M. Jackson centre.

The picturesque inn, built in 1916 from silver fir and local rock, will retain its grand architecture, including the massive timbers, stone fireplaces and cheery public spaces.

The rehabilitation project, which is expected to cost between $10 million and $15 million US, will include a new foundation and other improvements so the structure can withstand the pressure of tonnes of snow every winter and the rumbling of a major earthquake.

Heavy annual snowfall and a shifting foundation have taken their toll on the building.

Dominican Republic offers outdoor adventures

YOU could just lie on the beach once you got to the Dominican Republic. But if you did, you’d be missing out on all kinds of adventures.

The country is already well-known for Kite Beach in the city of Cabarete, a top destination for kiteboarders and windsurfers from around the world. But Dominican tourism officials are trying to get the word out about other parts of the country where outdoor adventures beckon.

Among them is Pico Duarte mountain in the country’s central region, which, at 3,087 metres, is the Caribbean’s highest point. It takes three days to reach the top on foot, but tours and guides are available to help.

Canyoning — a multisport activity that includes hiking, swimming, rock-climbing and rappelling — can be done in the Cordillera Central at the Jimenoa River. You can also go whitewater rafting in the Jimenoa, as well as in the central region’s Rio Yaque del Norte and Rio Baiguate in the central region.

See www.dominicana.com.do

New York City adds new skating rink

SKATING with the skyscrapers of Manhattan as a backdrop is a magical experience treasured by many visitors to New York City each holiday season.

This year, visitors have a new rink to choose from in addition to the old favourites at Rockefeller Center and in Central Park. The Pond at Bryant Park last week behind the New York Public Library on 42nd Street.

Compass is compiled by Paul Pihichyn from press releases, wire service reports and personal contacts. Fax 204-697-7412; e-mail paul.pihichyn@freepress.mb.ca