Gayland Anderson said:
NOTHING LASTS FOREVER EXEPT FOR THE DAY BEFORE YOU START YOUR VACATION.
CLICK ON EACH PHOTO TO SEE THEM LARGER AND FULLER. THE CAPTIONS WILL ALSO BE LARGER.
ROYAL SONESTA HOTEL
This is where we stayed while in Portland Oregon. We stayed here except for our first and last nights in Portland when we wanted access to the free airport shuttle service between Crown Plaza Hotel Convention Center and the airport. There is the very inexpensive MAX light rail train that services all of Portland Oregon with three lines (red, green, and yellow lines) but we had plenty of luggage to carry around so the hotel shuttle service was much more convenient. MAX light train tickets cost $2.75 for a ride or $5.00 for 24 hours use. People often ride the trains for free because there are no turn stiles to go through and no ticket check points any where. I did pay because I think we should support a train system that helps us get around the city (even to the zoo, the Japanese Gardens, and the planetarium) so efficiently.
The Royal Sonesta Hotel is often rated in the top five hotels of Portland Oregon. The day after we left the hotel to go to Canada,we contacted them because Reno left his charger plugged into a socket in the room but the phone charger could not be found. When we returned to the Royal Sonesta Hotel after Canada, we asked them again if they ever found the charger. We were told that they did not find it and the housekeepers are very good at checking for such things. They also told us that they would be able to look in the room one more time. I was bringing our luggage from Rayhends' car into the lobby area of the hotel when Curtis, the hotel butler or concierge or whatever they are called here in the USA, found me and handed me two containers that had phone charges in them. There were cords in the containers that will charge any phone you may have. I am not sure what the job description of Curtis is but he was not working behind the check-in desk. I asked him how much the chargers will cost and he told me; "They are on the house, no charge". So there was no charge to charge (ha ha). He was out in the lobby and he was outside of the hotel. That is why I used butler to describe his job because that is what his job seems to be. Anyway, Curtis at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Portland Oregon made our stay there unforgettable.
Arrived at our Royal Sonesta Hotel room in downtown Portland Oregon on Washington Street. This is a highly rated hotel within easy walking distance to Powell Books, Voodoo Donuts, and Mothers Bistro and Café
We are in the lobby of the Royal Sonesta Hotel. Our older son is on his way to pick us up so we can drive up to Olympic National Park in northwest Washington state.
The entrance to the Royal Sonesta Hotel is at 506 SW Washington Street. This is a gorgeous hotel with a lot of vintage furnishings. I was only hoping for a restaurant where I could relax for breakfast but they do not have that. They have only a small restaurant that serves lunch and dinner from a small menu. It is called the Finch on Fifth gastropub. What they do have on the menu does sound good though. We just did not try it out.
Lan Su Chinese Gardens in Portland Oregon
Lan Su Chinese Gardens in Portland Oregon is in a fairly small enclosure but it is beautiful and it has several areas which all have their own symbology. This is one of the more authentic Chinese Gardens outside of China.
Here is one of the areas in the Lan Su Chinese Gardens. The various areas in Lan Su all have their symbologies represented. Throughout the gardens are the special stones that were imported from a certain lake in China. We can see one of those stones behind tbe cute potted bushes..
Another area of the Lan Su Chinese Gardens with happy fish in the pond.
Portland Oregon Japanese Gardens.
To enter the Japanese Gardens of Portland Oregon, one must climb a fairly long flight of steps. This photo is from the very first place you will reach after climbing the steps.
Here is a nice, traditional sand and rock garden that is used for meditation.
And of course, the Koi fish have to be present in the Japanese garden!
Olympic National Park Washington State USA
Some of the flora here:
Western Hemlock and Sitka Spruce are two of the dominant species here. These trees are often old growth trees that have grown to 312 feet (95 meters) high and 23 feet (7 meters) wide. Also in abundance are Douglas Fir, Western Red Cedar, Big Leaf Maple, Vine Maple, Red Alder, and Black Cottenwood.
Some of the fauna here:
There are so many species of animals in Olympic National Park that I can not list or even know all of them. Some of the larger species are Coyotes, Red Foxes, Bobcats, Martels, Canadian Lynxes, Cougers, Northern Spotted Owls, Roosevelt Elk, and Black Bears. How many of these did we see? We saw none and in fact, I did not see even an ant. I guess I was too busy admiring the old growth trees, mosses, and ferns.
While we were taking and making about 500 photos and videos within Olympic National Park Rain Forest, A very nice lady asked us if we would like a photo taken of us together and here is the result.
Farida kept complaining that she could not stop taking photos and videos. I must admit that I also had that same difficulty. I used up my cell phone gigabytes storage space between Olympic National Park and Capitano Suspension Bridge. Maybe I should get more professional equipment. I am not a professional so that is probably not going to be in my budget any time soon.
This Hall Of Mosses trail is an extremely accessable trail that ends just about where it begins as it is a loop trail and the elevation gain is only around 100 feet so this is one really easy trail. It is also extemely beautiful. Just go to the Hoh Rain forest visitor center and the path will lead to a junction with a sign. this sign will point to three different trails. The Hall of Mosses Trail will be the shortest trail. .
PARADOX HOTEL VANCOUVER CANADA.
The Paradox Hotel is at 1161 West Georgia Street Vancouver BC Canada. It is a quirky hotel that has Valet Parking in the alley behind it. It is a beautiful hotel with extremely heavy room doors and rather dark colored hallways. There is a rather expensive restaurant caled Mott 32 which is referred to as serving top quality chinese haute cuisine. There is also a cool bar here. It is called the Mansion Club. It is loud and colorful but the sounds are not audible in the hotel rooms that are far above it.
Here is one view from our hotel room at the Paradox Hotel Vancouver Canada.
AERIAL TOUR OF VANCOUVER CANADA.
Coal Harbour / Canada Place / Harbour Air Seaplanes.
There are videos of this seaplane tour on the page called MY VIDEOS.
Harbour Air Seaplane Tours:
Dave Perry is the Flight Operations Manager who has been with Harbor Air for over 10 years and he has flown thousands of flights. He says that one of the favorite destinations for flights is Clayoquot Wilderness Resort. To quote him; that destination is "obscenely beautiful". I guess I better google this place and plan a visit there some day.
Boarding the seaplane otherwise known as floatplane (Videos can be seen on My Videos page). We are embarking on an aerial tour above the Vancouver Canada metropolitan area.
The plane we boarded for our tour is also known as a floatplane. Harbour Air has about 40 planes. I do not know the types of planes except that Cessnas, Beavers and Turbo Otters are included in their fleet. I am guessing that we flew on a DHC-3-Turbo Otter because they have more than 20 of those in their fleet. .
This is Coal Harbor between the seaplane marina and the free shuttle stand. We stopped here to take a few photos before going to the free shuttle stand for the ride to Capilano Suspension Bridge. The walk is only about five minutes. I had bought a ticket that includes the seaplane tour above Vancouver Metropolitan Area and the Capilano Suspension Bridge.
CAPILANO SUSPENSION BRIDGE.
Including Kia'palano.
Here we go...
This is the path on the way to Capilano Suspension Bridge.
This is one of the tallest totem poles at Kia'palano. If you go to Capilano Suspension Bridge, you will walk through this area first.
This is Honour Of Salmon Pole. It tells the story of Eagle who helped a blind man by fishing for salmon to give to the man.
Making a few photos on the Capilano Suspension Bridge. This photo is not so good but I was trying to capture the River below along with Farida. I probably should have just focused on the river.
Before we arrived at the Capilano Suspension Bridge, we passed an area that had several totem poles. Here is a photo with my family standing with some of the totem poles.
This is called the Capilano Suspension Bridge because it crosses the Capilano River which is 230 feet (70 meters below). It is 460 feet (140 meters) long and has existed here since 1889. As you can see, this is a popular attraction, with something like 1.2 million visitors every year.
The totem poles in the area were really made by the indigenous people of the region. They were carved at Kia'palano by the Coast Salish, Haida, Tsimsian, and Tlingit peoples. They were carved within a time period of about 20 years. Totem Poles are also known as Story Poles. Kia'palano is traditional, native land next to the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. The name means "Beautiful River".
After leaving Capilano Suspension Bridge Park you will walk by Raptor Ridge. We stopped to photograph the owl and this hawk that were on display the day we were here (they have several raptors that they take turns displaying).
COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE.
Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area includes many extra phenomenal waterfalls like Multnomah Waterfall and Horsetail Waterfall. Mount Hood is just 70 miles south.
Multnomah Falls is the tallest waterfall in Oregon. As can be seen, it falls 620 feet in two sections with a bridge between the sections. It is also one of the tallest waterfalls in the USA that runs all year. It is in the Columbia River Gorge. Just take highway 84 east from Portland Oregon through Troutdale and the road signs will clearly lead the way.
We were on a tour of the Columbia River Gorge area. We were about 10 persons in a van. This waterfall is the tour guides' favorite waterfall. We visited 5 waterfalls while on this tour.
Here is a closer look at Horsetail Falls.
This is Latourell Waterfall, another one of the five waterfalls that we visited in the Columbia River Gorge Park area.
This is the start of the pathway to Latourell Waterfall. The pathway leads towards the left of the road at a constant decline to the waterfall pool. This pathway is a lot longer than the paths we took to get to the other waterfalls except for Mutnomah Waterfall which was about the same distance as this pathway.
IN THE TOWER OF BASILICA DE LA VOTA NACIONAL, WE WERE ABLE TO RELAX AND SNACK A BIT. I DO NOT KNOW IF ALL THE TOWERS HAVE CAFES IN THEM. WE CLIMBED THE TOWER THAT IS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE MAIN ENTRANCE OF THE CHURCH. I DO NOT KNOW IF PEOPLE WERE CLIMBING THE TOWER ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE MAIN ENTRANCE BECAUSE WE DID NOT SEE ANYONE IN THAT TOWER. WE DID SEE PEOPLE CLIMBING THE THIRD TOWER WHICH IS NOT AS HIGH AS THE TWO FRONT SIDE TOWERS. WE ORDERED TWO HOT TEAS, A TEA WITH MILK, ONE HOT CHOCOLATE AND TWO HUMITAS. I CAN NOT GET ENOUGH OF THOSE HUMITAS.
THIS VIDEO IS A RATHER LONG WALKING TOUR AROUND THE AREA OF THE HOTEL WHERE WE WERE STAYING. I WAS LOOKING FOR THE BAKERY WHERE I HAVE SHOPPED A COUPLE OF TIMES ALREADY AND FOR A DESSERT PLACE CALLED GELATO MIX. I FOUND THEM AS WELL AS A COUPLE OF OTHER INTERESTING PLACES. WE CAN SEE HAPPY PANDA CHINESE RESTAURANT FROM OUR HOTEL WINDOW.
THE BAKERY IS NEXT TO THE HOTEL; PANIFICADORA AMBATO. GELATO MIX IS LOCATED ONE CITY BLOCK FURTHER DOWN AVE. 12 DE OCTUBRE. CAFÉ QUITO IS AT THE SWISSÔTEL QUITO WHICH IS ACROSS THE STREET FROM OUR HOTEL. THERE IS ALSO AN ITALIAN RESTAURANT CALLED LA BRICIOLA AT THE CORNER OF AV. ISABELLS CATÓLICA AND FRANCISCO SALAZAR. SAN HONORÉ AND MUSA RESTAURANTE ARE ALSO GOOD SOUNDING PLACES IN THEIS AREA.
OH, AND WHILE AT CAROLINA PARK, WE TRIED THE ESPUMILLA. WE DID NOT REALLY LIKE IT. THE TOP PART WAS RATHER FUNKY. THE TEXTURE IS ODD AND THE FLAVORS DID NOT STAND OUT ENOUGH TO MAKE UP FOR THE STRANGE TEXTURE. WE DID LIKE THE BOTTOM PART THAT CONSISTS OF SEVERAL TYPES OF FRUIT PIECES SOAKING IN A DELICIOUS RED SAUCE. ESPUMILLA IS A TRADITIONAL ECUADORIAN DESSERT. IT IS A FOAM, NOT AN ICE CREAM, WHICH IS WHY IT IS NOT MELTING AS VENDORS SELL IT IN THE STREETS. IT IS MERINGUE WITH EGG WHITES, SUGAR, AND PUREED FRUIT. THE FRUIT IS SOAKING IN A RED BERRY SYRUP. THAT LAST PART IS GOOD.
WE SPENT SUNDAY IN SHOPPING CENTERS AND PARKS. WE FIRST WENT TO PLAZA OF THE AMERICAS. IT IS REALLY SMALL WITH FEW SHOPPING OPTIONS. IT DOES HAVE A FEW NICE CAFES AND A LARGE CINEMA. THE PLAZA OF THE AMERICAS IS SMALL BUT COZY. IT KIND OF LOOKS LIKE A SQUARE PARK WITH SHOPS, CAFES, AND CINEMARK SURROUNDING IT. AFTER WE LEFT PLAZA DE LAS AMERICAS, WE WALKED DOWN TO PARQUE CAROLINA. WE STOPPED TO TAKE A PHOTO AT A FUNKY STATUE. I COULD NOT FIND A NAME FOR THIS STATUE OF FOUR CHILDREN SITTING ON A BENCH TALKING TO EACH OTHER. IT IS IN A TINY PARK AND MAY BE CALLED DESCANSO. WE THEN CONTINUED WALKING UNTIL WE REACHED THE VERY LARGE PARK. IT HAS A VIVARIUM HERE. IT IS A SMALL SAMPLE OF REPTILE SPECIMENS INDIGIONOUS TO ECUADOR. THERE IS A SUPERMAXI SHOPPING CENTER ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE SOUTHERN END OF CAROLINA PARK SO WE WENT THERE TO BUY COLD MEDICINE FOR RENO WHO MAY HAVE GOTTEN A HEAD COLD. WE RELAXED AT A SPECIAL PLACE CALLED REPUBLIC DE CAFÉ. THERE IS A VIDEO HERE ABOUT JUST THAT. IMMEDIATLY ON THE SOUTHERN END OF PARQUE CAROLINA IS A METRO STATION. ONCE I SAW THE STATION ENTRANCE, I DECIDED WE SHOULD TRY IT OUT. IT IS GREAT. IT IS STILL NEW AND MADE TO BE EASILY USED BY THE MOST UNITIATED PERSONS IN METRO USE. IT ALSO COSTS ONLY .45 CENTS FOR ADULTS. I AM HAPPY TO HAVE USED IT. I TOOK A VIDEO OF IT WITH MY CELL PHONE SO I MAY UPLOAD IT HERE ALTHOUGH VIDEOS FROM MY CELL PHONE COME UP SMALLER HERE. WE GOT OUT AT PARQUE EJIDO METRO STATION. AFTER TAKING A COUPLE OF PHOTOS OF WRITERS (THERE ARE MANY STATUES OF POETS AND NOVELISTS HERE), WE WAKED THE REST OF THE WAY TO THE HOTEL.