Best Local Ski Resort: Sunshine Village, Banff

Located about 90 minutes west of Calgary, Sunshine is not as large or challenging as the better-known Lake Louise Ski Resort, but it's much more laid back, with long green and blue cruisers. For a romantic weekend, we recommend staying at the hotel at the top of the mountain, accessible only by gondola (once you're there, you're there for the night!). If you plan to ski a lot during the season, but not enough to warrant a season pass, consider buying a Sunshine Super Pass. At $99, the pass will quickly pay for itself after 2 visits; every third visit is free and you will receive big discounts on other visits. And the card covers several resorts including Marmot Basin (below).

https://www.skibanff.com/

Best Destination Ski Resort: Marmot Basin, Jasper, Alberta

https://www.skimarmot.com/

Honorable mention: Whitefish Ski Resort, Whitefish, Montana

https://skiwhitefish.com/

Both Marmot and Whitefish are located about 5 hours from Calgary. Marmot is northwest near the end of the Icefields Parkway. Whitefish is southwest of Calgary near the twin cities of Whitefish-Kalispell, Montana so you need your passports. Thanks to their remote locations far from any major cities, both resorts have few lift lines and great powder.  

Best ski deal: Mt Norquay

Mount Norquay is a small ski resort located just outside of downtown Banff. It's face is nearly always in the shadows so it's frequently plagued by icy conditions. But you can't beat the price. They regularly have "Toonie Tuesday" deals where you pay just $2 Canadian dollars (lots of people call in sick, especially on powder days). On Christmas, they offer free admission if you dress up like a Santa, Elf or Reindeer!  We took advantage and skied every Christmas in Calgary.

https://banffnorquay.com/winter/conditions/

Best Brewery: Last Best Brewing, 607 11 Ave SW

Longtime readers know Mr. & Mrs. Crab love good beer. When we first moved to Calgary in 2015, there were less than 5 breweries due to some antiquated local laws. The laws were relaxed in 2016 and suddenly overnight there were literally dozens of new breweries sprouting up in and around Calgary. We've been to many of them, but our favorite remains Last Best. Not only do they make our favorite beer but their food is great too (most breweries in Alberta do NOT serve food). Their bar staff is also extremely friendly and knowledgable about their beers. 

https://lastbestbrewing.com/

Favorite SpeakEasy: Betty Lou's Library

Calgary is obsessed with speakeasies - hidden, prohibition era-style bars serving up cocktails and live music. Some guests show up dressed in 1920s flapper dresses and Zoot suits, but not required (although we do recommend dressing up more than your average bar. Business casual at least).  Betty Lou's is hidden in the basement of an apartment building, with the entrance behind a fake bookshelf. Reservations are a must, when you will receive your secret password to gain admittance. Finding these speakeasies are half the fun!

https://www.bettylouslibrary.com/

Favorite Pizza: LDV

When Two Crabs first moved to Calgary, we were placed in temporary housing above a Subway sandwich shop in the cute little neighborhood of Bridgeland. The smell of fresh bread was a nice wake-up call. But the best part of living here was across the street; LDV Pizza. It's name derives from the former restaurant here, La Dolce Vita. LDV has a real wood-fired oven, serving up real Italian-style pizza with thin and crispy crust (most pizza in Canada is "Chicago style" with thick crust that we really can't stand).  LDV also has one of our favorite Austrian beers on tap, Stiegl. 

http://ldvpizzabar.com/

Best Brunch: Dairy Lane Cafe

We went to this place frequently as it was less than 2 blocks from our house. Excellent eggs Benedict's and mimosas. All their food is fresh, real farm-to-table with regularly rotating menu. Honorable mention to their sister restaurant, Blue Star Diner, in Bridgeland.

http://www.dairylanecafe.ca/

Best Steakhouse: Chuck's Steakhouse, Banff

Alberta is Canada's Texas. It's all about beef and oil in these parts. And nowhere will you find a juicier more delicious, perfectly-cooked steak than Chuck's. Located in Banff, about 1 hour west of Calgary, 

https://www.chuckssteakhouse.ca/

Best Poutine: Kensington Brasserie

Poutine is Canada's stable snack - french fries covered in gravy and cheese curds. What makes Kensington's poutine a standout is it's cooked in duck fat. Pure heaven. Their adjoining "Container Bar" is a great place for an evening drink in summer. 

http://www.brasseriekensington.com/

Best neighborhood bar: Kensington Pub

Located in Calgary's hip Kensington neighborhood, Kensington Pub stands out among the many bars for its laid back atmosphere and great British pub grub like Yorkshire pudding and Shepherd's Pie. Lots of English Ales on tap. 

http://www.kensingtonpub.com/

Most unusual bar: The Barn

Located inside the West Hillhurst Community Center, you would never know this place even contained a bar. We passed by it for many months before realizing there was a bar inside this indoor ice rink. The bar is located on the mezzanine level of the ice rink, with great views of the action below. Say hello to our friend Stacy the server.

http://www.thebarn.pub/

Unusual day trip: The Great Canadian Barn Dance

Run by the Kunkel family for generations, this family-run farm hosts weekend dances and live music concerts. You can camp on site as we did. It's about 90 minutes south of Calgary.

https://www.gcbd.ca/

Favorite Hike: Nihahi Ridge (aka Nahini Ridge), Kananaskis

Located about 45 minutes west of Calgary, Kananaskis Provincial Park -- known locally as "K-Country", is just as beautiful as Banff National Park but only a fraction of the visitors. This gorgeous hike begins at "Forget-Me-Not Pond", a popular picnic area. The trail begins easy and becomes more moderate near the top as it traverses the spine of Nihahi Ridge, leading to million Canadian dollar views.

https://10hikes.com/canada/bragg-creek-sheep-river-hikes/nihahi-ridge-hike/

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/canada/alberta/nihahi-ridge-trail--3

Best outdoor event in Canada: Calgary Stampede

The 10-day Calgary Stampede epitomizes the city.  Part county fair, part theme park, part music festival, the Calgary Stampede is a celebration of Canadian western lifestyle and hospitality. During the 10 days of Stampede, locals (including US Consulate staff) don Western wear. Businesses offer "pancake breakfasts" on the streets, served up by local dignitaries.  If you plan to go more than once, buy the "season pass" that gets you park admission everyday during the festival. 

https://www.calgarystampede.com/stampede

Do this, not that

The city of Banff is indeed one of the most beautiful towns in Canada. Unfortunately, it's been completely taken over by package tour groups and tour buses clogging the roads, especially in the summer.  Their New Year's Eve festival and fireworks was one of our favorite events (stay at the YWCA for cheap and clean rooms downtown). When you go to Banff, go on a weekday or shoulder season to avoid the crowds. Better yet, avoid Banff and make the trek to Jasper instead. Jasper is what Banff was 20 years ago. A quaint little town with cute restaurants and shops. Our favorite restaurant in Jasper is Downstream.  Jasper is a Dark Sky Preserve, meaning all light pollution is regulated. Jasper hosts the annual Jasper Dark Sky Festival which has attracted celebrities such as George Takei of Star Trek and Bill Nye the Science Guy.  (Below: Icefields Parkway, the road connecting Banff and Jasper, with many glaciers visible from the roadside).

I've been horrible about blogging, mainly because I just don't have the time and it seems like blogs are so 2012. Does anybody care or read blogs anymore? I rarely do.  But, I thought I'd blog today because it's on my to-do list and also because I've been home sick with the flu for the past 3 days and getting really bored.  I'm long gone from Canada. I'm actually in Afghanistan now.  But here's some photos of some of my favorite places seen from Calgary:

Yellowknife, Northwest Territories in March

Yellowknife, Northwest Territories in March

Downtown Calgary in the Fall.

Lake Louise Ski Resort, with Lake Louise visible in the distance.

Sunshine Ski Resort

Waterton National Park

The U.S.-Canadian border. No walls, no fences, no hedges. Just a clearcut in the forest and simple stone obelisk with "USA" written on one side and "Canada" on the other. Glacier National Park, Montana, USA is to the left (south) of this obelisk and Waterton National Park, Alberta, Canada is to the right (north). 

Snow festival castle in Yellowknife, NWT

Tuktoyuktuk, a small fishing village on the Arctic Ocean, Northwest Territories - well above the Artic Circle.

Flying above the MacKenzie Delta toward Tuktoyuktuk. The delta is the second largest in the Western Hemisphere after the Mississippi Delta.

Formerly the end of the road in Inuvik, NWT. The road has since been extended all the way to Tuktoyuktuk in the Artic Ocean.

Tuktoyuktuk, a small fishing village on the Arctic Ocean, Northwest Territories - well above the Artic Circle.

The Two Crabs are back in the Great White North of Canada after a 3 week trip through Europe that took us to Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Austria. 

A few more snapshots of our trip.

St. Johann in Tirol, Austria:

Groningen, Netherlands:

Frankfurt & Munich, Germany:

When we were first assigned to Calgary, everyone warned us of the horrible the winters that lay ahead. They don't call Canada "the Great White North" for nothin'! Some of the more bleak predictions warned of regular -40 degree days (note: -40 is where celsius and fahrenheit meet). 

We took the warnings to heed, physically and psychologically preparing ourselves for what would surely be the longest winter of our lives. We spent a lot of money on winter tires (a MUST) and super warm parkas (maybe a must depending on your tolerance for cold. But you don't need to spend $1K on a Canada Goose). We got a good snow shovel and ice melting salt. We bought new gloves, hats, scarves. We prepped our house, storing everything in the garage. We stocked up on bulk food and products from Costco, under the assumption that we would be spending a lot of weekends and nights stuck in the house. 

It hasn't turned out that way. More than halfway through the winter, our description of 2015-2016 winter has been: meh! Turns out, it's been one of the most mild winters in history. Granted, we've had a few cold spells. The coldest day we experienced in Calgary was -13F (-25c) in late December.  There were weeks in December and January when the temperature never got above freezing, and we've had a few snow "storms". Fun fact: it doesn't snow in Calgary as much as on the east coast. And when it does, it's rarely more than 3-5 inches, and the snow is so fluffy and powdery, you can sweep it away with a broom. But even when the temperatures dipped into single digits, it's soon followed by the warming phenomenon known as "Chinooks" -- a warm dry wind from the Pacific that blows over and down the east side of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. When the Chinook winds roll into Calgary, the temperatures can rise from 10F to 30F in just a few hours!  (It was 55 and sunny in Calgary today, while it was only 31 and snowing in NYC today). 

The Two Crabs have EMBRACED the winter. We've gone skiing, snowmobiling, dog sledding. We have no problem with bundling up and walking 1 mile in the snow to our neighborhood pubs. As devoted skiers, we've explored several of the world class ski resorts within a 2 hour drive of Calgary (more details in a future post). And we've welcomed 5 wonderful friends to our home in fall and winter, including two dear friends who visited us in the dead of winter in January. We've experienced activities we never would have done otherwise...like human curling! And in a few weeks we will be heading to Yellowknife, a city near the arctic circle most famous as being one of the top places in the world to view the aurora borealis -- the Northern Lights. 

A few photos from our first Canadian winter:

Top places to experiencing winter in Alberta:

Best ski resort: Sunshine Village, Banff

Best place to learn to ski: Calgary Olympic Park, Calgary

Best dog-sledding tour company: Snowy Owl Tours in Canmore, AB

Best snowmobiling company: White & Wild, Golden, BC

Best hotel: Fairmont Lake Louise

Yes I'm guilty of not blogging. 2015 has been a very challenging year, between bidding and now scrambling to pack-out with only 2 months notice of where we are going (Canada). Our pack-out is tomorrow, and I'm about to lose internet access. I absolutely LOVE Korea and will greatly miss all our friends and colleagues in Seoul. This was also our first experience living in Asia. We've had the opportunity to travel to some awesome places over the past six months. A quick recap of where we've been:

New Zealand (south island) - November 2014:

Hong Kong - November 2014:

Macau, November 2014:

Melbourne, Australia - November 2014:

Brisbane, Australia - November 2014:

Kauai and Oahu, Hawaii - January 2015: 

Skiing in Niseko, Japan - March 2015:

Hoi An, Vietnam - May 2015:

Siem Reap, Cambodia - May 2015:

Home: Seoul, Korea! (This is a temple in Bukhansan National Park) - May 2015:

The Two Crabs and a visiting friend from NY recently popped over to China for a few days. Beijing is less than two hours' flight from Seoul - perfect for a long weekend trip out of town. However, it takes some advance planning as China has a complex, costly and time-consuming visa process. Once that was sorted, I turned to some first-hand advice from my A-100 colleagues currently stationed in Beijing, and some current colleagues who previously served there. Unfortunately, the week we visited Beijing was experiencing the worst pollution rates of the year. It finally cleared up...the morning we left! Oh well. Despite the hazy skies, it made for some eerie photography.

We stayed at a wonderful boutique hotel in the heart of the downtown Beijing and very close to the Forbidden City. Met some of my A-100 pals for drinks in a posh bar for a mini class reunion. The next day we hired a car & driver to take us to the Great Wall of China at Mutaniya, a beautful remodeled section of the wall. You can take a gondola or cable car up, and ride back down on a luge-style mountain coaster!

After tooling around the wall for a few hours, we headed back to Beijing and stopped at the Summer Palace. Unfortunately we arrived just an hour before they closed so we basically ran through the complex before they closed the gates.

The next day, we spent the entire day at the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. I knew there would be heavy security at the square but we were still surprised by the amount. All visitors must go through metal detectors and all bags and cameras have to go through Xrays just to enter the square or even a metro station in Beijing. For obvious reasons, there are uniformed and plain-clothes police wandering around, some with zoom lens cameras. There are CCTV cameras just about everywhere keeping an eye on the square. The square itself is rather anti-climactic.

The real attraction is across the street: The Forbidden City. The iconic image of Chairman Mao hangs on the gate to Beijing's former royal palace - the largest palace complex in the world. Make no mistake, this complex is HUGE. You could easily spend two days wandering around here - depending on your patience putting up with the pushy Chinese tour groups. 

 Apart from those sights, we spent the bulk of our time eating our way through Beijing. Chinese food in China bears almost no resemblence to what passes for Chinese food in America. Real Chinese food is WONDERFUL, aromatic, flavorful -- not the greasy, fried, bland, slop that you'll find at any American mall food court. We had Peking Duck at Da Dong (which, ironically, was inside a Beijing shopping mall). This was one of the best meals I have EVER had, and we've been to a LOT of restaurants around the world!

We dined all over the place, from street food to dive restaurants. One of our favorite places was Snack Street, where the adventurous eater can try starfish, seahorse and scorpions.

More food porn:

Another fabulous pastime is just exploring the little neighborhoods around Beijing. The Hutong Village:

 Ghost Street:

That's our quick trip to China. We were surprised at the cost. Beijing is cheaper than Seoul, but not by much. Every attraction like the Great Wall and Forbidden City costs at least $10-$20, unlike Seoul where most museums are free and palaces are only about $3. We enjoyed Beijing, especially the food.

The most unpleasant part about Beijing was, unfortunately, the pollution. Mrs. Crab and friend had to wear masks most of the time we were outdoors. I had a constant metallic taste in the back of my throat (probably for failing to wear a mask), and all of us were coughing and wheezing by the end of the trip. Kudos to my colleagues who are serving 3-5 year tours in Beijing who must have super human lungs or their bodies just get accustomed to the pollution. If you go, be prepared and bring a good face mask with you!  That said, we're looking forward to exploring more of China. 

Next trip: Hong Kong!

Full trip report coming soon. Unfortunately we have no Facebook or Twitter access in China. Having FB withdrawal!

Last weekend, The Two Crabs took a quick jaunt to Jeju for a bit of R&R. Located 50 miles south of the Korean peninsula, Jeju is often called "the Hawaii of Korea" - which is quite an exaggeration. Still, it has a few similiaries. It's a honeymoon destination, but now more for Chinese tourists than Koreans. And it does have palm trees and a semi-tropical environment, complete with extinct volcanoes dotting the island. It was Mrs. Crab's first trip to Jeju. But Mr. Crab was here back in 2009 when I was researching the 2010 Lonely Planet Korea guidebook. 

Jeju is a short 50-minute flight from Seoul's Gimpo airport. Many low-cost airlines fly to Jeju including Jeju Air, Eastar, Jin Air and others, many for less than $100 roundtrip if you book far enough in advance. We flew Eastar, which was the pleasant staff and service for a no-frills airline, and no extra charge for checked baggage.

 Before arriving in Jeju, we rented a car from Hertz via Expedia. But when we arrived at the airport, we could not find a Hertz rental desk anywhere. After questioning several employees, we finally learned that Hertz rentals are actually fulfilled by KT Rental Car; you must take a shuttle bus from Jeju airport door 6 to reach the KT Rental Car station. For only $35 a day, we got a small Kia with GPS (in Korean only).

After picking up our car, we headed off to Seogwipo, the main city on the south end of the island, about 45 minute drive from Jeju airport. We went straight to our AWESOME little hotel - Jeju Jungmun Log Pension & Resort. If you're seeking luxury accomodations, look elsewhere. This is basically glamping (glamorous camping). The cabins were cozy but roomy, with a real bed in the upstairs loft area, and a bathroom, kitchenette and living area with TV in the ground floor, plus a patio and upstairs balcony. The resort is located on a hilltop in a working mandarin orange farm with views of the ocean. We didn't arrive at our hotel until almost 9:30pm, but with the help of the English-speaking staff we ordered a pizza and beer at enjoyed the stars and cool views from our balcony.

 On Saturday morning, we hit the road to Seongsan Ilchulbong, a crown-shaped volcano crater rising from the sea. We had a great spot of lunch at Saesom Galbi, which I fondly remembered from my 2009 visit, dining on Jeju's famous black pig. Later that afternoon, we headed to Jungmun Resort, which is the main "high-roller" breach resort area of Jeju with several 5-star hotels, most with casinos. I managed to win $15 from the Lotte Casino! We were oddly in the mood for a good American burger, so we tracked down Gecko Bar & Grill about a mile outside of the resort. 

One of the most curious aspects of Jeju is the fact that there are not one, not two but THREE "sex" museums, which is very interesting when you consider the fact that pornography is illegal in Korea. We checked out Jeju Loveland, which is a sort of naughty themepark with artwork and sculptures created by art students. Most of the artwork is more laughable and unintentionally funny than erotic. 

We were originally hoping to hike to the top of Hallasan, the tallest mountain in all of South Korea. Unfortunately Mrs. Crab was just getting over a cold so we decided to postpone the big hike until next spring. Although it's not Hawaii, Jeju has plenty of activities to keep anyone busy. There are dozens of beaches and museums to explore, plus even smaller islands that are worth a short excursion trip.  

A few scenes from Jeju:

Over Labor Day weekend, the Two Crabs took a camping trip to Taeanhaean National Park (태안해안국립공원)- a gorgeous seaside park located in the west coast of South Korea on the Yellow Sea. This was the third Korea national park camping experience. Although not as scenic or dramatic as Seoraksan National Park, the campground was the nicest we've experienced in Korea. 

 Taeanhaean National Park is located a 2-hour drive southwest of Seoul. There are actually several private campgrounds in and around the park, but we stayed at the official National Park campground near the city of Taean. This huge campground is located in a peaceful pine forest just steps from the water.

We arrived on a Sunday morning and most folks were packing up to leave for the weekend. Because Monday was an American holiday, we had a whole campground section to ourselves! Unlike other Korean campgrounds we've experienced, there are no marked spots. You basically put up your tent wherever there's space and place a sticker on your tent. We got the closest spot to the beach!

This campground has lots of amenities including several hot water showers, a rarity at Korean campgrounds -- though you'll pay about $3.50 for the privelege. There's also a camp store, several camp kitchens and plenty of bathrooms. Unusual to Taeanhaean, you can't light a fire on the ground so you need to rent or buy a fire pit from the camp store for $5 a night.  TNP campground costs 30,000 Won, or about $30 a night -- our most expensive Korean camping experience.

Like most Korean campgrounds, there are no picnic tables, so you need to plan ahead; we bought a table from REI last year which has come in handy several times already!

Just outside the borders of the campground, you'll find a little road with several seafood restaurants selling great dishes like 해물탕 (Heh-mul-tang), a stew with assorted seafood like scallops, crabs, oysters, squid and clams for about $40 that will easily feed 2 or 3 people. The little road of restaurants also has some convenience stores, a mobile cafe and even a noraebang (singing room). For hiking and walking fans, there's also a coastline hiking path that stretches more than 40km to neighboring beaches. 

As for the beach itself, don't expect a white sandy beach with palm trees. Like most beaches on Korea's west coast, Taeanhaean has a brown muddy sand beach with shallow water. At low-tide, the water retreats more than half a mile from shore! Hundreds of Korean fisherfolks and families use this opportunity to dig for their supper, mainly clams and other small shellfish. While the beach here may not be the most picturesque by day, you can't beat the amazing sunset views in the evening!

A few scenes from Taeanhaean National Park:

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