Cruising in North Korea

When you think of taking a cruise, usually it's the Bahamas, Fiji or the Maldives that generally come to mind. How about North Korea?

On Tuesday, the mysterious state launched itself into the glitzy world of cruise tourism when about 130 passengers set sail from the rundown port of Rajin, near the China-Russia border, for the scenic Mount Kumgang resort near the South Korean border.

Isolated North Korea's "state tourism bureau" has teamed up with a Chinese travel company to run the country's first ever cruise aboard an aging 9,700 tonne vessel which once plied the waters off the east coast of the divided peninsula shuttling passengers between North Korea and Japan.

The ship was later used to transport cargo before Tokyo blocked its entry as part of economic sanctions over Pyongyang's missile and nuclear tests in 2006.

Some 500 North Koreans, about half dressed in dark workers clothes and the others in office and traditional attire, waved off the ship in a strictly choreographed performance on the potholed dock.

The spectators waved North Koreans flags and fake flowers, and let off a blast of paper fireworks to mark the occasion. Carnival music blared from two minivans with speakers on their roofs.

Before the setting off, the vice mayor Hwang Chol-nam of Rason City, of which Rajin port is a part, gave a speech lauding the venture as part of the region's push to attract tourism.

Hwang hailed what his city's rule which allows any nationality to visit the area visa-free. They must, however, arrange the trip through a designated tour companies.

"Any country, people from America, Japanese, Singaporean can come to Rason, that's the reality today, and that's the same for the Kumgang special economic zone," he told reporters aboard the vessel.

"If any foreign companies have an interest in conducting tours they just need to contact our companies."

The region has this year stepped up its campaign to woo foreign capital and in June broke ground on joint project with China to develop the area as special economic zone in attempt to make much needed hard currency.

The secretive North has been squeezed by international sanctions for its pursuit of nuclear weapons.

The North's move to attract foreign tourists comes amid a dispute with South Korea over their stalled joint tour program at Mount Kumgang, just north of the border with rival South Korea.

Last week the North expelled the last remaining South Koreans at the resort and said it would now sell off South Korean assets valued at nearly $320 million in a move that prompted Seoul on Tuesday to ask others not to invest.

Earlier this month, a New York-based company said it had signed a deal with North Korea to run tours to the Kumgang resort.

The bizarre "test" sail was scheduled to take about 18 hours. A second trip is planned for businessmen next month.

The cruise, which sails the length of North Korea's picturesque eastern coastline, will appeal not only to the adventurous seeking "something different," but also to gamblers wanting to try their luck at the North's casinos in Rason and Kumgang.

 

B.C.'s top natural springs

B.C.'s ultimate hot tubs -- from the ones Mother Nature created to the ones humans have perfected -- can cure what ails you. And they are a great place to visit on your next west coast vacation.

B.C.'s natural hot tubs are situated in the province's most scenic places.

FAIRMONT HOT SPRINGS

Perched above the river on the east side of the Columbia Valley in Invermere, Fairmont Hot Springs is the largest and most popular hot spring pool complex in Canada.

Boasting two golf courses and spa facilities, Fairmont Hot Springs Resort attracts visitors from all over the world.

Its crystal clear, all-natural, hot mineral springwater pools are renowned for their therapeutic qualities. In addition to the large, public hot pool complex , lodge guests enjoy a private hot, soaking pool within a short walk from guest rooms and the spa facilities.

RADIUM HOT SPRINGS

Known for its Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep, soaring mountain vistas and world-class alpine ski terrain, the Kootenays boast a wealth of natural hot tubs, including one of Canada's largest mineral springs pools, Radium.

Here, a sheer rock face -- the base of Redstreak Mountain -- soars skyward above two sulphur-free (read: odourless) and developed pools.

Minerals in the water are said to pass into the skin where they are absorbed and utilized by the body's cells to soothe and detoxify.

Offering among its attributes a shallow lounging area ideal for children, full wheelchair accessibility, a 82-ft. long cool pool, change rooms, shower facilities and a day spa, Radium's pools are historically one of this area's main attractions.

AINSWORTH HOT SPRINGS

You will find the Ainsworth Hot Springs set along the west shore of the Kootenay Lake, against a backdrop of the Purcell Mountains.

The Ainsworth Hot Springs resort features three odourless pools, a 150-ft. unique horseshoe-shaped cave, main lounging pool and stream-fed cold plunge.

A steamy shower of mineralized water falls from the cave's roof and forms a waist-deep pool, providing a rejuvenating natural steam bath.

Gallons of hot mineral water flows through the pools, changing the water naturally about six times per day.

HALCYON HOT SPRINGS

The Halcyon Hot Springs Village & Spa beckons with its natural healing waters.

North of Nakusp and perched above Arrow Lake, the hot springs, complete with striking mountain vistas, are famed for their unique blend of minerals; a potent mix that proves relaxing and, at the same time, soothing to those suffering an array of ailments.

Two pool decks are home to a warm pool, hot pool and cold plunge open year-round, and a mineral swimming pool that is open seasonally.

HARRISON HOT SPRINGS

Less than two hours drive from Vancouver, on the edge of a sandy lakefront, Harrison Hot Springs Resort & Spa has two naturally heated and mineral-rich indoor pools and three outdoor pools, each with varying temperatures.

View a cascading waterfall and rock formations from the outside pool, while the mountains in the background provide a breathtaking setting.

LIARD RIVER HOT SPRINGS

Located on the Alaska Highway in northern B.C., the Liard River Hot Springs are worth the pilgrimage. Along the way, spot wildlife in this pristine, natural setting.

You'll think you're in a tropical environment, complete with exotic plants, including 14 species of orchids.

Follow the boardwalk to two rustic pools -- the Alpha remains close to 40-43C year-round, while the second pool, Beta, is open in summer only.

For more information, visit www.hellobc.com or call 1-800-435-5622.

 

Fall festival time in Canada

From a shellfish festival in the east to a wine festival in the west, Canada has a cornucopia of spectacular late summer and early fall events. How about music festivals, fall colours, giant pumpkins or a massive display of silk lanterns? Somewhere in Canada, you'll find all that. Some top events:

-- The Magic of Lanterns, Sept. 9-Oct. 31: Few fall festivals have a higher visual "wow" factor than The Magic of Lanterns in Montreal. More than 700 traditional Chinese lanterns made of silk illuminate various areas of the Chinese Garden section of the Montreal Botanical Garden. The lanterns are designed in Montreal and handmade by craftsmen in Shanghai. The annual fall festival of lights marks the arrival of autumn. See tourism-montreal.org.

-- Prince Edward Island International Shellfish Festival, Sept. 15-18: Where can you gorge on lobster, crab and mussels, watch oyster-shucking competitions and culinary demonstrations, plus take in some live music all in one place? Try the International Shellfish Festival, which some have called Atlantic Canada's biggest kitchen party. The 16th-annual event, which takes place at the Historic Charlottetown Waterfront, also features celebrity chefs, the PEI Potato Seafood Chowder Championship and the International Chowder Championship. The event promises live music from some of the best acts in Atlantic Canada. Contact 1-866-955-2003 or peishellfish.com.

-- Niagara Wine Festival, Sept. 16-25: More than 100 fun-filled events are planned for the 60th-annual Niagara Wine Festival next month, and perhaps surprisingly, not all of them are wine focused. Along with winery tours, tastings and wine seminars, look for concerts each weekend, a focus on Niagara cuisine, and two parades: The Pied Piper Parade in St. Catharines on Sept. 17 (with the participation of children from the Niagara region), and the Grande Parade on Sept. 24. A celebrity luncheon on Sept. 14 will feature national affairs columnist Chantal Hebert. The festival hub is in historic Montebello Park in downtown St. Catharines. For more check newvintagefestival.com.

-- Fall Okanagan Wine Festival, Sept. 30-Oct. 9: Wine festivals are common but the Fall Okanagan Wine Festival is said to be the only one that occurs during harvest time. More than 100 wineries will participate in some of the 165 wine-related events throughout the valley over 10 days. One of the participants is Quails' Gate Winery, whose wine was served to William and Kate during their recent visit to the Northwest Territories. Events include WestJet Wine Tastings (one of the signature kick-off events) on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. More than 40 wineries will showcase 150 wines each evening. Tickets are $65 (for this event). Other events include wine-paired lunches and dinners at the wineries and educational seminars like an "All You Need Is Cheese & Wine" seminar at Manteo Resort. See thewinefestivals.com.

Visitors to the Okanagan can take in the region's cenic beauty on one of five new wine trails. KelownaWineTrails.com.

-- Celtic Colours International Festival, Oct. 7-15: This nine-day musical extravaganza throughout Cape Breton, N.S., has the added advantage of taking place when the region's trees are in full fall splendour. Cajun and Appalachian connections to Celtic music are this year's focus, with artists in residence Ron Bourgeois, a Cheticamp songwriter, and Bruce Molsky, an old time Appalachian fiddler and singer from the U.S.

Among the dozens of performers at this 15th-annual event are the Black Family from Ireland, BeauSoliel avec Michael Doucet from Louisiana, Ireland's Alan Kelly Quartet, and Scottish Gaelic singer Kathleen MacInnes. They'll join a host of the region's own favourites including Ashley MacIsaac, J.P. Cormier, the Elliot Brothers and Mary Jane Lamond. One of several "special projects" this year is The Barra MacNeils' Celtic Roots and Branches concert (Oct. 15) featuring the Barra MacNeils and other festival performers.

Along with the usual shows dedicated to Cape Breton fiddlers, piping, guitar, piano, Gaelic song and dancing, concerts will also celebrate the contribution of legendary Cape Breton composer Dan R. MacDonald, and pay tribute to Alice Freeman for hosting ceilidhs in Inverness for over 20 years.) See celtic-colours.com.

-- Prince Edward County (Ontario) Pumpkinfest, Oct. 15: This annual festival in Wellington got a boost by one of its citizens Bill Greer, a former Reeve of Wellington who, in 1996, grew one of the biggest pumpkins ever -- weighing in at 456 kilos! The 14th-annual Pumpkinfest begins with a pancake breakfast, followed by a Parade of the Giant Pumpkins, then contests, children's games and entertainment as well as craft tables, and food from noon until 4:30 p.m. The event is sponsored by the

Prince Edward County Pumpkin Growers and the Prince Edward Country Pumpkinfest Committee. Check pec.on.ca/pumpkinfest.

writer@interlog.com

Burning Man fest celebrates 25 years

Starting Aug. 29, tens of thousands of people will descend on a great expanse of Nevada desert to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Burning Man, a gathering of free spirits, artists, entrepreneurs -- and anyone else who managed to get a ticket.

Several thousand more would-be participants will have to wait until next year, as 2011 marks another historic milestone: the first time the event has ever sold out, said Burning Man communications manager Andie Grace.

According to an agreement with the Bureau of Land Management, the event is permitted an average of only 50,000 people per day, Grace said.

The theme of this year's festival, "Rites of Passage," is an appropriate one as it also previews a change in the structure of the California-based Black Rock City, L.L.C., which runs the event, from a for-profit organization to a not-for-profit that will continue to promote the festival's ideology throughout the year.

"It's a logical extension of what happens here, and of taking our principles into our own communities," said Grace, referring to 10 principles including civic responsibility, communal effort, and being noncommercial and based on giving.

Through the group's not-for-profit outreach, Burning Man will become "a state of being that exists all the time," Grace said.

That state of being has beckoned its devotees, mostly through word of mouth (organizers do no self-promotion or advertising), into the Black Rock Desert in increasing numbers for more than two decades.

They travel like pilgrims from faraway lands ready to confront the possibility of dust storms, extreme temperatures, and drenching rainstorms in order to live for one week in a self-made and participatory community that bases itself on acceptance, self-reliance, self-expression and creativity.

REMOTE, FEW RULES

There is nothing to buy on the remote expanse of sand about 120 miles north of Reno, save precious coffee and bags of ice, and few rules beyond protecting health and safety, and active participation in the ever-evolving community formation.

Though the event has grown each year, it's those principals that keep people like 52-year-old Michael Marin coming back for more.

"It is such a blessed relief to be accepted on your own terms without expectations to be anything else," he said.

Marin, a retired financial investment banker and airplane enthusiast from Arizona, has attended the event since 2003, when he came across an aviation listserve discussing logistics of flying an airplane into the makeshift festival airport.

"The quality of exchanges and knowledge of information really impressed me."

He was also impressed by the noncommercial nature of the festival that pushed people "past bartering and into a gift economy", a sense of giving that would spread exponentially throughout the community, he said.

"Soon you end up with 50,000 people trying to pay it forward," he said, referring to individuals feeling so appreciative they in turn do a good dead for someone else.

For Hannah Hoel, it was the art that inspired her to attend Burning Man for the first time in 2008. Living in New Mexico, Hoel, 27, heard from friends that it was a creative gathering with a lot of astounding artwork.

"I really needed a creative outlet, so I went," she said. Her first experience, however, was jarring and left her lonely and anxious for several days, no doubt aided by a massive dust storm upon her arrival. "It wasn't a great first day."

But the art did indeed persist, and two years later, she is ready to go again, and to bring her boyfriend, Eden Kark.

TICKET SCRAMBLE

The festival may be noncommercial once inside, but money and supply and demand are involved when it comes to tickets. Kark, 44 and a doctor of Oriental medicine, waited until the last moment to buy his ticket, only to find the event had sold out.

Given that he and Hoel had already rented an RV for the week, to the tune of $2,200, not having a ticket wasn't an option, he said.

"If I was going to go, I was going to go in comfort, but now I needed to find a ticket."

Kark and Hoel trolled websites for days trying to locate an extra ticket, encountering scalpers hawking tickets for prices substantially above the original value.

Official ticket prices range from $210 and rise to $360 as the event nears. Kark settled on a $450 ticket; a bargain, considering the possible loss at hand.

Burning Man didn't always have an RV renting crowd, an airport, or a surge of 50,000 people to contend with. It began in 1986 on a beach in California when Larry Harvey, now 63, and friend Jerry James decided to burn an 8-foot effigy built in honour of summer solstice.

By 1990 the burn was moved into the remote and barren Black Rock Desert, where the event has accumulated an increasing number of participants every year.

The number of activities has also increased and according to this year's list includes anything from cooking classes to dances; face painting and roller-blading; yoga courses and Bocce Ball tournaments.

There's a pancake house, 12-step groups, legal advice and snuggle puddles; kite flying, language exchange, a bike shop (transport around the desert is by bicycle only, unless one has an art car permit), and a family-friendly area.

All of this culminates on Saturday, with the burning of a 50-foot-tall effigy of a man.

LOGISTICAL FEAT

The mushrooming crowds are a logistical feat to manage, requiring 35 full-time and eight part-time staff; and thousands of volunteers who each year design and create a city complete with street names and numbers, a postal service, a central gathering tent, and porta-potties for thousands.

Notable is the lack of any garbage bins. It's part of the self-reliance principle and strict policy that whatever one brings in one must also take out.

The few rules leave plenty of room for creativity, seen in people's daily costumes as well as in art installations, often massive in size, that dot the desert basin.

The art this year includes an enormous installation by Jim Bowers -- a 15-year "burner," as veterans call themselves -- said to be the world's largest timepiece.

The clock, made of lasers and designed by a "dream team" of UC Berkeley physicists and scientists, will have a 3-and-1/4 mile circumference and a diameter of 1.27 miles, said Bowers.

Bowers, 55, has been working on the $50,000 art project for the entire year, and has incorporated 4x6 foot paintings in each of 12 towers, painted by 67 different artists.

Reflecting on the event's 25-year anniversary, he said, "It's not any better, it's not any worse. It's just different."

He has seen change in the growing percentage of spectators versus participants. Where the entire community once would participate, "now its 80% spectator and 20% doer or artist, where we entertain the rest," Bowers said.

"It's okay, because my work has evolved. I started out making a wire blinking hat and now I'm building a piece of art that takes up the entire festival."

 

Euro fall travel opportunities abound

Just because fall is around the corner doesn't mean that Europe has stopped welcoming Canadian travellers.

In fact, savvy Canadians know that fall and even winter presents travel opportunities across the continent.

Not only are there fewer crowds but in many instances prices drop. That’s the case with well-known escorted tour company Globus.

The company offers 15 tours which are offered in fall, winter and spring, ranging from the seven day A Taste of Greece to the 27-day Europe in Depth holiday.

In between is a host of choices in Britain, Italy, Spain and Eastern Europe.

Tour prices range from $1,149 plus air to $4,629 – savings of up to $730 per person off the peak season prices.

For more information visit www.globusjourneys.ca.

Scotland's Inner Hebrides easy to explore

Time often stands still for many familiar with the 36 Inner Hebrides islands west of Scotland.

But while history -- including Vikings and rival clan chiefs -- is everywhere, that's not all that keeps attracting visitors and new dwellers.

Walking is a super way to explore trails and dales, and snow -- except for high peaks -- rarely lingers on the Gulf Stream-warmed lowlands or shores of the three archipelagos I recently visited.

Archaeological digs have unearthed evidence of humans, battles and burials dating back 10,000 years. Some relics are near roads, as are crumbling homes vacated when families began leaving in the 1800s for mainland jobs or North America.

Reached mostly by ferry, you easily detect earthy aromas of burning peat keeping some homes warm.

Boating, sea kayaking, fishing and cycling are also popular. Top commercial ventures are tourism, tenant farming (mainly sheep) -- though you'll see long-haired Scottish cattle -- fishing, plus Scotch whisky.

Relax and I'll lead you down a few garden paths, through the mists of time and into the sometimes modern world of island living. Then I'll wish you good health.

GIGHA

If you ken Gaelic, Willie McSporran would tell you Gigha, population 132 is "Giogha."

Only 9.5-by-2.6 km, "God's Island" is rugged, gently-sloping and wind-swept.

McSporran, 75, said Gaelic is strongest among elders, with "newcomers more interested" in the language than children.

Boasting 700 souls in the 1700s, an exodus eased with a major change in 2002.

Heading the Gigha Heritage Trust, McSporran helped raise $6 million to buy out the island's owners.

Two of the 47 homes were "tolerable," said McSporran, who was awarded an MBE -- Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.

With hard work, money from Scottish Housing plus local endeavours, almost half of the homes were restored.

"Buying the island was the easy part," he said. "Keeping it going is the difficult part."

But three wind turbines reap rewards for returning electricity to a power grid, and there are several new homes and businesses, including the rustic Boathouse Cafe Bar beside Ardminish's harbour.

There are three livestock farms, the community-owned Gigha Inn & Pub, a shop-post office near the 1923 Church of Scotland, and ships call regularly.

Popular 20-hectare Achamore Gardens is near the island's road, as are self-catering cabins, golf, beaches including the aptly named "Queen's Beach," and ruins of a 13th century church. Of several ancient standing stones, the 'Giant's Tooth' is where criminals are said to have been hanged.

Once a ferry worker, firefighter, special constable and Coast Guard volunteer, McSporran said the ferry takes him and wife Anne close to shops and other mainland facilities. But returning home is a must for these "Gioghach" or "gamhainn," Gaelic for Gigha devotees.

ISLAY

Pronounced "eyelay," this island bustles with almost 4,000 residents over 620 sq.-km. It has three main villages: Bowmore -- where the round shape of Kilarrow Parish Church above the high street leaves no corner for the devil to hide -- Port Ellen and Port Charlotte.

There are eight distilleries, buses, nice shops, inns, a wide range of dining, a golf course and a woollen mill specializing in tartans.

Islay "is a bird-watcher's paradise," said Visit Scotland's Joanna Campbell on the Loch Gruinart Nature Preserve.

In a bird-watching cabin, recent visitors recorded swallows, Moor Hens and sedge warblers, but white-tailed and golden eagles, cormorants and wading birds are also frequent. And when 25,000 pairs of geese fly from Greenland in early summer, "the sky is black," Campbell said. 

As we drove along the winding road beside sea-fed Loch Indaal to picturesque Portnahaven, we saw long-haired, reddish Highland Cattle and, surprisingly, llamas.

Well-known for whisky, Islay also has a "local ales" brewery, which has been featured in films and TV shows. There is a Festival of Malt and Music in May at Bridgend, plus a local "funky bagpipes" band, The Red Hot Chile Pipers.

Now hearing them would be a hoot!

JURA

"Dyrøy" in Old Norse -- Jura aptly translates as "deer island."

It has one shop, an inn, 5,000 deer outnumbering humans 25-to-1, plus estates including one Prime Minister David Cameron visits. 

At another, George Orwell wrote Nineteen-Eighty-Four, his dark 1949 Big Brother novel.

Jura also has "the world's only walkie-talkie cafe."

At Inverlussa Beach, tea lady Georgina Kitching answered the portable radio on a table near her home.

Teaching by computer and telephone, she started "Tea on the Beach" in 2010 because "people kept asking. And I love baking.

"We wanted to live somewhere wild and beautiful," so she and teacher-husband Phil, who commutes to Islay, relocated to Oak Tree Cottage from England in 2009 with sons James, now 6, and Peter, 4.

Our driver, tour-and school bus company owner Alex Dunnachie is another newcomer who helped give Jura new life.

A Glasgow upholsterer then oil rig diver, he "absolutely fell in love with the place" while holidaying, and wed a local woman.

Dunnachie first took us to see Jura Parish Church's walls of black-and-white photos, showing people and places mostly in the early 1900s.

Near his home, the gravestones at Kilearnadil Cemetery include several with Celtic Cross carvings. And while Gillour MacCrain has no marker, legends of his "180 Christmases" until 1645 tantalized us. 

Dunnachie said some absentee owners, who holiday here, rent out their homes through local caretakers.

The next day, seals watched from rocks as Islay-based boatman Nicol MacKinnon motored north to Corryvreckan Whirlpool, where we thrilled to his careful -- sometimes fast -- maneuvering, forgiving the occasional wave-drenching.

On the 60-minute return, he fetched workers from the 22-metre-tall Skervuile Lighthouse built by relatives of Robert Louis Stevenson, whose Treasure Island is believed based on local sailor's pirate tales.

Islanders make their own fun, with artists, the Pete Smoke and the Roaches Band, and the annual Jura Distillery 25-km footrace north from"ˆCraighouse, past the Paps of Jura -- three picturesque peaks up to 785 metres high.

Revived by new owners in 1963, the distillery -- with 28,000 barrels maturing -- has tours and a shop stocked with several globally successful single malts, some based on 200-year-old recipes.

For about $1,000 a night, its Jura Lodge guests can sample them in the former head distiller's house.

Reminiscent of old hunting lodges, the four-bedroom rustic getaway's fixtures and furniture include antlered skulls, Victorian cabinets, leather sofas, antique pictures and mirrors, a suit of armour, freestanding bathtubs, modern showers, plus hidden refrigerators in the well-stocked self-serve kitchen.

Finally, there is a fabulous view of Small Isles Bay and palm trees from the bay window.

"Slainte!" 

IF YOU GO TO SCOTLAND

ROAD TO THE ISLES

Air Transat flies direct to Glasgow from Pearson Airport. For just over three hours through glorious highland country, drive northwest along the A82 past Loch Lomond, take A83 south along Loch Fyne to Tayinloan, where the ferry sails to Gigha. Large cafe-and bar-equipped ferries sail from Kennacraig on West Loch Tarbert to Islay -- two hours, 20 minutes to Port Ellen, two hours to Port Askaig. The small ferry to Jura, from Port Askaig, takes 10 minutes. Islay has a small airport, about an hour from Glasgow.

BITS AND PIECES

The Gigha Hotel & Pub, the Harbour Inn in Bowmore on Islay, and the renovated Jura Hotel have comfortable, affordable rooms. I recommend their dining rooms. Fish, of course, is a specialty. For travel information, go to the Visit Scotland website at cometoscotland.com.

Let Captain Lance show you Rideau

I'm just home from a cruise that fits virtually any budget, can be squeezed into a short getaway and won't leave you an ounce heavier.

The vessel is the whimsically named Chuckles, captained by Lance Jervis-Read. A British shipwright by trade, he bought the 1940 Maine lobster boat for $1,500 and spent eight years overhauling and refitting it for passenger service.

Captain Lance does a variety of day trips on a small part of the Rideau Canal, that historic and scenic engineering marvel that runs between Ottawa and Kingston.

The Rideau is well known to recreational boaters and paddlers but overlooked by much of the travelling public. That may change now that it's been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The term "canal" is a bit misleading. It's actually a 202-kilometre-long chain of lakes, rivers and canal cuts.

The project was undertaken because the British feared that the Americans, who they'd rebuffed during the War of 1812, would return.

Lieutenant Colonel John By -- Ottawa's Byward Market is named for him -- and an army of surveyors, engineers, diggers and blasters completed the massive job in less than six years.

From mid-June to early September, Chuckles cruises from Chaffey's Locks to Jones Falls and back. It's 90 minutes each way, and passengers have an hour ashore to explore Jones Falls Lockstation.

There are 47 locks at 23 stations. Three locks are electrically operated. The outcry over that change was such that the other 44 are still hand-cranked by Parks Canada staff.

Captain Lance explained how everything works. But passengers got a first-hand experience when Chuckles goes through the locks at Chaffey's and later at Davis Locks. In one we were joined by two live-aboard cruisers, a rental houseboat and two canoes.

In between we passed rocky, heavily forested shorelines and islands, million-dollar cottages belonging to captains of industry and high-powered politicians, sleek power boats and solitary anglers.

And families of loons, which weren't disturbed when we came alongside, thanks to Chuckles' electric motor.

At a place called The Quarters, the waterway is so narrow that we waited for oncoming vessels to come through, each skipper calling out how many more are still to come.

Chuckles docked above Jones Falls. Captain Lance handed out walking tour brochures and suggestions on what to see, including a blacksmith shop and a fortified house where one lockmaster lived for 42 years.

There's a turning basin and three sets of locks with the highest lift on the system, 27 to 30 feet above the normal.

A tourism contact who knows the Rideau well told me that if visitors have time for only one lockstation on the entire Rideau, this is it.

On the way back, Captain Lance offered biscuits and beverages and took a route closer to shore. He pointed out a huge osprey nest and said he'd seen the chicks just before they're inaugural flight. We spotted one of the parents perched on a dead tree.

--- --- ---

IF YOU GO

Rideau Boat Tours: www.rideauboattours.com, phone 613-272-0222.

Getting there: Chaffey's Locks is 65 km north of Kingston, off Highway 15.

Accommodations: We overnighted at The Lakehouse, a four-bedroom stone house on Clear Lake, just minutes from Chaffey's. It has a fully equipped kitchen, big living room and a sitting area running the width of the house. It rents for $1,500 per week or $230 per night and can accommodate up to eight persons. Children can also use the facilities at Green Valley Cottages and Trailer Park campground next door. Email Jan or Dave Burt at burtie@rideau.net or phone 613-359-5799 for more details.

Food/drink: The Cove, in Westport, and Stirling Lodge, in Newboro, were recommended. Both are on the water.

Tourism information: Visit www.rideauheritageroute.ca.

Doug English can be reached at denglishtravel@gmail.com or by mail c/o London Free Press, P.O.E. Box 2280, London, Ont. N6A 4G1.