Gnomes in the city

Either a Hobbit was in the #Toronto Eaton Centre or it was a bearded gnome wearing a red cone hat. Yup, it's a friendly gnome wearing shades! Travelocity have a contest at the mall with a chance to win a trip to Aruba. I believe you had to search through an enclosure filled with white packing foam and find something, maybe another gnome.

The contest ends on January 20 if you want to enter. You can also play on line at win.travelocity.ca

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Romance in Niagara Falls

Christmas is over, long live Christmas. Now the stores are filling up with red hearts and heart shaped chocolates, which got me thinking - when is Valentines Day? It's always better to know these dates ahead of time so here you go, Valentine's Day is Thursday, February 14, 2013. Time to think about the present you are going to get your loved one, or maybe it is time for a trip, maybe even a second honeymoon.

I actually spent my honeymoon in Niagara Falls and it is a great way to spend some quality time sparking and spooning. Even in winter the area around the falls is full of excitement and things to do. Wine country has the upcoming Niagara Icewine Festival from January 11-27, 2013.

In February you can skate on the TD Rink by the Brink, but please don't slip, enjoy the CAA Winter Festival of Lights and the Falls Illumination, and look giant chunks of ice that form from the mist settling from the mighty Canadian and American Falls. Besides the many attractions you can visit restaurants, do some shopping, gamble at the casino, visit the wineries, even run across the border to check out the discount stores.

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In late fall and winter though, Canada has it way over the American side as most of their stuff is closed during the off season. If you plan on staying over make sure you get a hotel that overlooks the majestic falls, view the fireworks and puts you close to all the attractions.

One day is not enough for Valentines Day so the Marriott Fallsview has a special package for the month of February "to help couples enjoy this particularly amorous time of year. The special Valentine’s package includes: luxurious accommodations for two with a spectacular view of the Falls, a special Valentine’s dinner for two at the Terrapin Grille Fallsview Restaurant, including a bottle of Jackson-Triggs Merlot or Chardonnay, and a fallsview buffet breakfast for two. “Valentine’s Day is about passion, and we are passionate about making sure you have a memorable time,” says Anthony Annunziata, Vice-President of Marketing. “Spoil your loved one by adding a visit to the Serenity Spa by the Falls for the ultimate in relaxation and sensuous romance.”

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Top New Years Eve travel

Champagne and fireworks are the stuff of New Years Eve and if you are adventurous you can always take to the airways and hit one or all of Expedia's top five destinations for Canadians to ring in the new year; 1) New York - $329, 2) Las Vegas - $646, 3) Fort Lauderdale - $637, 4) Orlando - $629 and 5) Miami - $631. The prices shown are average round trip ticket prices for stand-alone bookings on Expedia with departures between December 27-31, 2012.

"Regionally, New Year’s Eve destination preferences varied. Las Vegas was the only city that made the top five list for each market studied – Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton. Consistent for all departure cities was the prevalence of warmer southern destinations such as Orlando for East Coast departures and Los Angeles for those out West. New York, world-famous for its countdown in Times Square, appeared only as a top destination for travellers flying out of Toronto."

Expedia also offers a Boxing Week Sale where you can even find savings up to 50% on their hotel bookings.

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Google World Search on Canada

Top trends in Google searches for Canada showed that #Toronto was our country's most searched City in Google Maps for 2012. Take that Brampton - actually they weren't even on the list. The top searches can be found on Google's Zeitgest site: Zeitgeist search results for 2012. The top three most searched Canadian destinations were 1. Hotel, 2. Restaurant and 3. Camping. I did a double take there, I mean camping? How did that happen so often? You can explore the culmination of a year of searches on Zeitgeist - see where a the worldwide 1.2 trillion top searches brought online viewers. Do you feel lucky, punk? Because if you do please press the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button.

Top searched Canadian cities in Google Maps: 1. Toronto, 2. Montreal, 3. Calgary, 4. Vancouver, 5. Ottawa, 6. Edmonton, 7. Winnipeg, 8. Winnipeg, 9. Niagara Falls and 10. Quebec City.

I looked at Google Web Search to see the top twenty Toronto tourist attractions and they were as follows: 1. CN Tower, 2. Toronto Zoo, 3. Toronto Eaton Centre, 4. Paramount Canada's Wonderland (not even in Toronto), 5. Casa Loma, 6. Royal Ontario Museum, 7. Rogers Centre, 8. Toronto Islands, 9. Air Canada Centre, 10. Art Gallery of Ontario, 11. Ontario Science Centre, 12. Hockey Hall of Fame, 13. Yorkville, 14. Distillery District, 15. The Beaches, 16. Kensington Market, 17. High Park, 18. Metro Toronto Convention Centre, 19. Massey Hall and 20. Molson Canadian Amphitheatre.

Google Trends shows that the search for Toronto tourist attractions peaks in July. I love summer too!

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One Billion Tourists

In just one year over one billion tourists will have traveled the world. During the year 2012 (OMG it's almost over!) international tourism has set a new record, one which was celebrated by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) with a symbolic one billionth tourist chosen on December 13, 2012 in Madrid Spain. The lucky tourist was Mrs Dale Sheppard-Floyd from the United Kingdom as she arrived in Spain, pictured above in a photo from UNWTO.

“Today, we welcome the symbolic arrival of the one-billionth tourist” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai. “Your actions count. That is our message to the one billion tourists. Through the right actions and choices, each tourist represents an opportunity for a fairer, more inclusive and more sustainable future.”

One Billion Tourists, One Billion Opportunities, UNWTO

The majority of world tourists are from Europe (53%) vacationing in Europe (51%) - traveling mostly for leisure  recreation and holidays (51%). Tourism provides one in every twelve jobs and is one of the largest economic sectors in the world with over 9% of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The massive financial impact can drive growth and development which can provide many opportunities for both advanced and developing countries.

Jose Manuel Soria, Spain's Minister of Industry, Energy and Tourism, welcomed Mrs Dale Sheppard-Floyd - one of 58 million international visitors to Spain in 2012, and noted that “Spain is one of the world’s leading tourism destinations, where the sector represents 11% of the country’s economy.”

Travelers are encouraged to respect local culture, heritage and to buy local goods to help support the countries they visit and to make a positive difference in the world. Public participation in determining the best travel trip was revealed during the one billion tourist celebration: "Buy local", in second place was "Respect local Culture".

It would be almost impossible to actually determine who was in fact the lucky one billionth tourist so the symbolic determination was also repeated by several nations on December 13.

Tourism benefits not only the countries that see tourist dollars but also the tourists who learn a little of the life of those they interact with. And once you get the travel bug it is easier to head out on the road for another adventure.

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Snow Monkeys of Japan

Japanese Macaque snow monkeys spend the day grooming and hanging out in the hot springs of Nagano, discussing politics and economic policies, while visitors drop by, fascinated by the cute and fuzzy primates.

Maybe the North York, Toronto Ikea Rhesus Macaque monkey is a relative of these guys. The Ikea monkey wore diapers and an adorable jacket when he escaped both his cage and his car. He was later caught by animal control and taken from his owner as it is illegal to have these types of primates as pets. I love the twitter joke where they photo-shopped the monkey in front of Ikea shouting "start the car, start the car!"

Monkey Park sign

A baby monkey's tiny hand

See more of the monkeys and sights of Japan after the jump. Posted by Joe Hamilton.

"Because there is the situation when a step is bad, please be careful"

The animals live in a close society and a special hot spring tub is built so people can really get up close to the monkeys.

A little monkey comes in for a hug

Baby monkey right out of the hot springs drips with water

The Toronto CN tower is seen in profile with other towers around the world

Temple statues

Love all the vending machines

The Colonels KFC figure looks like a male sex doll dressed up as Santa

The Nyanron-Hanten Vampire-Dining Bar, it gets busy at night but it is dead during the day

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More Joe in Tokyo

Here are some more adventures of @Joeythedingo in Japan. Joe goes up one of the many escalators he encountered on his trip in the photo at top.

Tokyo Tower

Reclining cows art installation on top of a roof

Smaller version of the Statue of Liberty

Doodle prohibition! Please No Graffiti up here!

Posted by Joe Hamilton. See more of Japan after the jump.

No NUKES cartoon sign

Wild One adult shop

Baby Doll kittens from the store next to Wild One

Baby Doll

Condomania store

Mount Fuji

Go! Go! Curry and the gorilla

Bullet train in the station

Japanese toilet

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Canadian Arctic Street View

Google Maps continues to make the world accessible to everyone as Street View expands to the Canada's far north. Cambridge Bay house and boat in an isolated Nunavut hamlet from Google Maps Street View, shown above. I tried to find Rankin Inlet because I have a friend that lives up there (big shout out to Goretti Kakuktinniq) but they haven't brought Street View there yet.

Google made the journey of discovery and talked with Cambridge Bay elder Anna Nahogaloak who described the importance of contributing to the Google project. “The land is everybody’s land,” she told us. “And we all share it.”

"You can explore this tiny hamlet for yourself, and better understand what it's like to live up in the north. Walk down Omingmak Street, or make your way the bridge (where locals fish for Arctic Char), and out to the Old Stone Church. See some Arctic souvenirs in the Arctic Closet, or visit the Ice Hockey and Curling Arena (which isn't insulated and freezes over once they flood it in the winter!) Learn about Inuit culture and the far north at the Kitimeot Heritage Society or the Arctic Coast Visitors Centre. There is so much to explore, and now that winter is coming, you can do it all from the comfort (and warmth) of your armchair.
You can explore this tiny hamlet for yourself, and better understand what it's like to live up in the north. Walk down Omingmak Street, or make your way the bridge (where locals fish for Arctic Char), and out to the Old Stone Church. See some Arctic souvenirs in the Arctic Closet, or visit the Ice Hockey and Curling Arena (which isn't insulated and freezes over once they flood it in the winter!) Learn about Inuit culture and the far north at the Kitimeot Heritage Society or the Arctic Coast Visitors Centre. There is so much to explore, and now that winter is coming, you can do it all from the comfort (and warmth) of your armchair."

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Harajuku girls and fashions of Japan

@joeythedingo is back from his vacation to Tokyo, Japan and he brought back plenty of photos of the land of the rising sun. The traditional picture pose in Japan includes the peace sign.

Wearing an origami head

High heels were a big part of fashion for ladies. They also tended to wear short dresses or shorts with high socks and boots. Men tended to wear suits.

There are always fashion rebels

Some stars during filming in the streets

Posted by Joe Hamilton

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