http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/ Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love, live in or have just visited - are what make this guide. http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21163 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21163 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20951 What you may be able do very inexpensively is see the film "Pictures of Light"
by the Swiss-Canadian film maker Peter Mettler. He travelled to northern Manitoba in winter and used then newly-developed technology to film the aurora borealis.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20951 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20948 Check for flights to Thunder Bay and be prepared for deep cold (-40C to -50C). Expect to have a sauna. Drink beer.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20948 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19356 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19356 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19179 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19179 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19130

I enjoyed watching office workers hurrying home, sat on one of the bar’s terraces with a nice cold beer…

A great place to relax with your shopping and soak up the city’s vibe.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19130 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19129
Far from just housing run-of-the-mill stores, the city had some great and unusual wares on sale. Honest Ed’s is the city’s first budget department store and there are some real fashion bargains to be had in here!

My only advice – make sure you have enough room in your backpack to get all those purchases home!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19129 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19128
For Europeans who, like me, are less clear about the rules of baseball, don’t worry – there are drinks and hotdogs on offer to keep you entertained too!

The season runs April through September.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19128 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19127
I recommend the veal and aubergine (eggplant for Americans) sandwich. Definitely worth a taste!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19127 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19126
It’s located in Kensington market, about five minutes from the entertainment and shopping districts – and there’s no curfew so you can stay out exploring as late as you please.

This is a friendly place but its real selling point is the combination of the low price of a bed of the night set against their great facilities…]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19126 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18993 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18993 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18933 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18933 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18648 See details of my stay there at: writeronthestorm.wordpress.com]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18648 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18389
Buses, SkyTrain and ferries are all great ways to explore. Take a ferry to Victoria and look out for killer whales!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18389 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18304
The high-priced resorts dotted along the beaches are best avoided, especially in summer. To see the real Tofino go there in May (shoulder season) and stay in the town. The Tofino Motel offers great views at around $85 (£40) a night per room. If you like seafood Shelter and Schooner restaurants are a must, but for something more funky try Raincoast.

There are three impressive beaches nearby. Tonquin is but a short walk from the town and is good for a post-prandial stroll. Chesterman beach is a short drive away and is full of spirits and driftwood and as the site of First Nations resistance has great historical resonance. Long Beach is, well, just long. The caveats to all this are that because this is the raincoast it rains a lot. However, much natural beauty comes from this rain.

The First Nations people run several businesses in town offering whale watching, bear watching (you park near a beach and watch the bears forage for food) as well as trips to hot springs. The botanical garden are like nothing else, blending sculpture and nature. Getting to Tofino is easy. You can fly from downtown Vancouver from around $250 (£120) return by sea-plane, but the best way to travel is to take the Harbour Lynx from downtown Vancouver and then the Tofino bus across the island. Even though this journey takes around six hours, don't fall asleep. Remember you're going to paradise.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18304 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17611
Kent and Stephane, the owners, are wonderful hosts. Their rooms are clean, and luxuriously comfortable.
Their location is handy for just about everything in this small but universally interesting city.
They are both straight- and gay-friendly.

But the best thing about staying at Absolument is their breakfasts, which are four-course, one hour affairs (only drawback is they don't leave much room for eating more during the day) served in your room anytime from 8-12. Jolly nice.

I love Montreal, and though I don't speak French, didn't find being in this largely francophone city intimidating: everyone was very friendly and accommodated my need to communicate in English with ease.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17611 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17321
To join the Sourtoe Cocktail Club in the Downtown Hotel, Dawson City, Yukon, I had to let its gnarled blackened nail touch my lip, a tradition that started in the 1970s when a local discovered the frozen tootsie of a rum runner who'd had to amputate it in a log cabin when he got frostbite.

Occasionally toes are accidentally swallowed by visiting drunks - they re-emerge painfully a few days later but they aren't really toes you can use again (unless you're really flying), so a steady supply have been donated over the years including ones from diabetics and people who decide to use a lawnmower while wearing sandals. Last time I went they had a full donated set of five toes, all preserved in salt.

It's not as bad as it sounds and you do get to become a member of the Sourtoe Cocktail Club, the only club I've been a member of in my life.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17321 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17280 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17280 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16730
It's largely ignored compared to Banff and Louise probably because it doesn't have big hotels and tourist infrastructure. But what it does have is fantastic mountain scenery and some quirky sights like the old paint pots, iron laden clays used for dyes, and marble canyon where the river rushes through tight gorges.

The hike up to Stanley glacier is magical, and you'll have plenty of pikas (rock rabbits) whistling you on the way. Kootenay Park Lodge has 10 historic but simple log cabins and good home cooking at affordable rates. Waking up to the sun rising on the mountains here is worth any journey.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16730 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16729
But my tip, if you're still reading, is to stay on Highway 1, just a few more miles over the Great Divide, and visit Yoho Park across the provincial border. If you can get on the parks bus (book in advance) up to Lake O'Hara, or walk the car-free 11km trail in, you will have delightful lakes and mountains to share with a handful of campers and the lucky few at the lodge built by the Canadian Pacific Railway in Swiss chalet style.

There are miles of beautiful trails and more challenging alpine routes, glaciers and waterfalls, and the odd bear. Bliss! And if you've time to spare, Emerald Lake is great too.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16729