Canada: Chill out in city embracing the Olympic dream

Vancouver, with a population of 2.1 million, aims to provide a diverse range of events during the Winter Olympics. Photo / Tourism BC

As snow falls on the craggy peaks providing the stunning backdrop to this glimmering city on the Pacific, Vancouver prepares to welcome thousands of athletes and visitors from around the world for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

More than 5500 athletes and coaches, almost 11,000 members of the media and up to 350,000 visitors are expected when the games open on February 12.

In preparation, Vancouver has been draped in Olympic finery. Giant murals of athletes cover downtown skyscrapers. Green, white and blue Olympic banners adorn street poles.

Final touches are being made to pavilions to welcome visitors - including, an Olympic first, pavilions specifically for gays and lesbians - in both Vancouver and Whistler, the Games' second venue.

The Visitor Information Centre and satellite kiosks will be open throughout the city, and hundreds of volunteers are ready to answer questions. Vancouver is the most populous destination to host the Winter Olympics, with 2.1 million people in the greater Vancouver regional area, and is a sophisticated destination, with five-star hotels, glittering skyscrapers and tremendous ethnic diversity.

Similarly, Whistler, known for its vibrant village and challenging terrain, is one of the world's most lively ski towns. But access to Whistler for alpine Olympic events is being strictly controlled. Private cars without permits will not be allowed past checkpoints at the town of Squamish on the breathtaking 145km Sea-to-Sky Highway.

Those lucky enough to get to Whistler can ride the Peak 2 Peak gondola. It has the longest unsupported span for a gondola of its kind in the world at 3km, and the highest lift of its kind above the valley floor at 435m.

At this late stage accommodation for the Games is scarce but not impossible to find.

"There are still rooms to be had in the downtown core," says Tourism Vancouver's Walt Judas, who suggests checking the organisation's website for openings. Dozens of ads for private accommodations also dot websites such as Craigslist. And for visitors with thinner wallets, a 300-bed hostel has opened at The Eldorado Hotel on Kingsway Ave.

Those without tickets to the Games can celebrate with other fans at two so-called LiveCity sites in the downtown area, where events will be shown on giant screens.

But the 2010 Winter Games are not just about sports. The Cultural Olympiad will present an array of events including art shows and rock concerts at theatres and other sites throughout the region.

To get around, visitors will be encouraged to use public transport as parking restrictions and road closures will be in effect. A new passenger tram connects the athletes' village and Granville Island, which features artists' studios and a public market.

Visitors to Vancouver will find local history reflected in its attractions, neighbourhoods and even in some of the Olympic symbols. The region has been home to indigenous First Nations peoples for many centuries, and the 2010 Olympic logo is a colourful interpretation of an Inuit stone structure called an inukshuk.

One of these stone landmarks, considered symbols of welcome, is found on the beach in Vancouver, on the downtown side of English Bay. Two more are on Whistler Mountain.

Visitors can learn more about the region's indigenous culture at the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia.

Europeans arrived in British Columbia in the 18th and 19th centuries with the advent of the fur trade. Several gold rushes brought prospectors from around the world.

The Gastown neighbourhood, in the heart of old Vancouver, grew up quickly around a makeshift tavern established in 1867 by gold prospector Jack Deighton. The name Gastown came from Deighton's nickname, Gassy, slang for someone who talks a lot.

Any exploration of Vancouver would be incomplete without experiencing Gastown's old-world charm: cobbled streets, a much-photographed steam clock, quaint pubs, restaurants and galleries. Just be careful not to stray too far south of Gastown into the city's notoriously squalid and poverty-stricken Downtown Eastside, where drugs and prostitution are rampant.

That is just one small part of Vancouver. Chic Robson St is considered Rodeo Drive North, while trendy Kitsilano with its boutiques and restaurants is a showcase for the laid-back West Coast lifestyle.

Nearby Denman St offers a wide variety of eateries or a place to grab a coffee before strolling along the beaches of English Bay or through Stanley Park's rainforest.

The Punjabi Market at 49th Ave and Main St delivers the spicy tang of the Indian subcontinent, and Little Italy on Commercial Drive provides a distinctive Mediterranean flavour.

Chinatown offers a taste of the Orient for all price ranges and, to underline this, a Chinese New Year parade is scheduled for February 14.

Coffee bars are the city's preferred hangout, but java junkies should consider the Italian coffee houses on retro-hippy Commercial Drive for a real treat.

Coffee fiends can enjoy a Canadian tradition, a double-double, at Canadian coffee chain Tim Horton's. It is a java loaded with cream and sugar at the business made famous by one of Canada's hockey legends. The coffee is so much a part of the Canadian psyche that an outlet was opened for Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan.

Visitors who want to explore places outside the city can take a quick hop by ferry or plane to British Columbia's picturesque capital city of Victoria, located on Vancouver Island, or take a drive along British Columbia's Powder Highway into the province's interior.

Farther east are the Canadian Rockies for winter sports and the breathtaking scenery at Banff National Park and Lake Louise.

The Olympics will undoubtedly raise Vancouver's profile as a destination, leading even those who are not in town for the games to think about a future visit.

As Canadian Tourism Commission spokeswoman Monica Campbell Hoppe put it: "The 2010 Winter Games are one of those rare moments a country gets to showcase themselves to the world in a positive way."

Let's talk Canadian

Have a sit-down on the chesterfield with your double-double and learn ya some Canadian.

With the caveat that not all Canadians may agree on the language, definitions and spellings below, and not all may use all expressions listed here all the time in all contexts in an all-joking or an all-earnest manner, let's begin:

LOONIE: One dollar coin bearing the image on one side of a diving bird known in North America as the common loon.
TOONIE or TWOONIE: Two dollar coin bearing the image on one side of a polar bear. Named as a play on Loonie and for its double-dollar denomination.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE: A coffee with two creams and two sugars.
TRIPLE-TRIPLE: You guessed it, same as above plus one each.
CHESTERFIELD: Generic term for couch.
TIMMIES: Shorthand for Tim Hortons, Canada's answer to Starbucks.
TIMBITS: Doughnut holes at Tim Hortons.
TWO-FOUR OR TWOFER: A case of beer that contains 24 bottles.
TOQUE or TUQUE: Pronounced took, a knitted cap, or beanie.
THAT'LL LEARN YA: Meaning, "That will teach you," said in response to a stupid or non-fatal avoidable bad outcome.
HYDRO: In some areas, refers generically to power and power bills.
HOMO MILK: Non-homogenised milk.

CHECKLIST

Getting there: Air New Zealand has direct flights from Auckland to Vancouver.

Where to stay: Both Vancouver and Whistler tourism officials are expecting more accommodation to open as the Games approach. Click here for more details.

Olympic tickets: In Canada, Olympic tickets already have been sold by lottery through the 2010 Games website. A list of ticket agents for countries outside Canada also is available at that site. The site also is hosting ticket resales to avoid scalping.

More information: For details of the Olympic Games and the destination see Vancouver2010.com and destination2010.ca.

To find out about British Columbia visit hellobc.com. For information on Vancouver go to tourismvancouver.com.

- AP