WINTER OLYMPICS
Well, we are nearly at the end of the second week of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, and the weather today is sunny and clear. It has been a fantastic experience and we have enjoyed hosting the games – welcoming people from all over the world.
Almost everywhere you go there are people wearing the distinctive red mittens. My hubby & I took a drive through Stanley Park last Saturday and even the statue of the scuba diver on the rock at Stanley Park had a set of the mittens on a string draped around her neck. Someone would have had to take a boat out to reach her but you know, it did show the extent of our patriotism here in Canada.
I try to get out for a walk at lunch hour each day and I’m always looking at car license plates to see where some of our guests come from. One day last week I went across the street to Brighouse Park to have a look at the fantastic display of Olympic Rings filled with cranberries. These delicious berries make a very colourful display.

NOW FOR AN UPDATE ON CANADA HOUSE WITH PICTURES . . . .
On my earlier blog I told you all about CANADA HOUSE, the wonderful hotel going up in Cairo. I have some more pictures that will show you the various stages of the building. Much care and cost is going into this 4 star hotel and it will certainly be one of the premier places to stay when taking a tour of Egypt.

The first picture shows CANADA HOUSE in the building stage

The second picture shows scaffolding on the front of the building


The third picture shows some of the intricate windows –

an impressive feature of CANADA HOUSE

The fourth picture shows the lovely windows from the inside of the hotel

FEBRUARY IS A BUSY MONTH . . . .

WELCOME TO RICHMOND!
Actually, it should be Welcome to Canada! We are celebrating the Winter Olympics and it is taking place in beautiful British Columbia. Just last evening the Olympic torch passed by my Aunt’s apartment building – an exciting moment – a once in a lifetime moment for most of us.
Here at the Richmond Oval, our new ice rink, there will be several events taking place. More events take place in other locations, such as Whistler, which is world famous for skiing & snowboarding.
We truly do welcome our global neighbours to our beautiful city and we hope that they enjoy the games, the entertainment, our gorgeous scenery, our pretty & functional cities and most of all, our friendly, multicultural population.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!
Roaring into the metro-Vancouver area this February 14th is the Year of the Tiger – a wonderful celebration full of excitement and pageantry. Here in Richmond we have a large Chinese population and so we know how to really welcome the New Year! There will be many celebrations throughout the lower mainland – parades, fireworks, and our Asian malls here in Richmond have everything you need to dress up and decorate your home.
There are 12 animals/creatures in the Chinese Zodiac, 鼠 Rat, 牛 Ox, 虎 Tiger, 兔 Rabbit, 龍 Dragon, 蛇 Snake, 馬 Horse, 羊 Sheep, 猴 Monkey, 雞 Rooster, 狗 Dog, 豬 Pig. The cycle repeats itself every 12 years, for example, 2010 is Year of the Tiger, and so 2022 will be the next Year of the Tiger.
Everyone has fun with the Chinese Zodiac horoscopes, so here is a description of the TIGER personality, for anyone born in this category:
Tigers are in the 3rd position on the Chinese Zodiac ladder. Tigers are brave, generous, intelligent, charming, competitive and also unpredictable. They perform best when they are in the lead, and they can be very stubborn when they find out that they are not in charge of a project. Tigers generally have an outward calm, but don’t be surprised when they pounce, which they will do when they feel it is necessary.
Gung Hay Fat Choi!

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!
Once again the holiday for lovers is here – St. Valentine’s Day. A popular time for showing that special loved one how much you care by doing something special.
Chocolates, dinner at a good restaurant, jewelry, flowers – these are just some of the nice ideas you can act on for celebrating Valentine’s Day. If you want to do something really special, try going for a mini-vacation. This year Valentine’s Day falls on a Sunday, which makes it really easy for a short vacation. You can book a weekend get-away at a fancy hotel or even head off to a romantic location by plane. We have lots of ideas to help you decide, and you can call us at 604-278-8286 or e-mail at action@actiontravel.ca .
Join the celebrations for the Winter Olympics and Chinese New Year – then take some quiet time to enjoy the company of your loved one on Valentine’s Day.

Post a message on my blog because I’d like to know what you plan to do during “Busy February”.

Hi Everyone!
Today I’d like to tell you about something very exciting! My employers, Avril Betts and Khaled Azzam are close to completion on the building of their four star luxury hotel in Cairo – CANADA HOUSE. This hotel promises to be an Egyptian hotel that operates like a quality Canadian hotel. I have some very interesting information about it for you, and also some pictures of the hotel at various stages of the building.

CANADA HOUSE IN EGYPT

A-Z Tours sends numerous clients annually on tours to Egypt. We are aware that there is a huge gap in the standards between 3/4 star and 4/5 star hotels, particularly in Cairo. – the 3/4 star are very basic, more like our 1/2 star Hotels and tend to be in noisy locations. The 4/5 star are mainly International Chains with varying standards and higher prices - there is nothing in the middle.

This is where CANADA HOUSE comes in – this project will be a 4 star (by Canadian standards) hotel strategically placed in Giza in the greater Cairo area, just 10 minutes from the Pyramids.

Khaled and Avril, as well as having a strong travel background with A-Z Tours, Action Travel and Euro World Travel, are well able to build and develop this project.

Khaled is a Civil Engineer, Egyptologist and Archaeologist who has worked extensively overseeing the development of many large new buildings throughout Egypt, particularly with Marble projects. As a native Egyptian (now living in Canada) he is very familiar with all the Egyptian rules and regulations, building standards and the intricacies of building in Egypt.

Avril has previously developed, owned and operated a Country Inn in Nova Scotia, and she has the CHA (Certified Hotel Administrator) an International Designation for Hotel Management.

A-Z Tours has a large tour office and tourism staff in Cairo servicing Tourism Programmes to Egypt। They are familiar with the level of services and standards needed for international clients. Khaled and Avril have a thorough knowledge of Tourism and Hotel requirements to be able to build and operate this project.