C6-Wednesday, October 15, 1980 - North Shore News

I’m still planning to go to Hawaii

All travellers have been
reading the recent sen-
Sational new items on
Hawaii with mixed feelings.
Frankly, the whole thing
makes me sick. Readers
have been calling and
writing with questions such
as: :

“Should we cancel

our
bookings?”

“If we go, what
precautions should we
take?”

“Is Hawaii any worse than
— (Florida, the Caribbean,
Mexico etc.)

To set the record straight:
we aren't cancelling our
Hawaiian holiday.

For my money, the truth
of the Hawaii stories lies in
the grey area, somewhere
between the “sen-
-ationalism” and  “cover-
ups” While certain
reporters try to make a name
for themselves with ad-
jectives, certain politicians
try to do the same thing with
verbs.

Hawaii is no worse than
other parts of the US - or
Canada, for that matter. It is
far safer than Lebanon,
Morocco, Iran, Iraq or
Mexico. More people die
from disease, bad food and
water and political problems

DESPITE RECENT BAD publicity. there are still far worse

‘than Hawall.

marten
afl al

(like bombs!) than will die
from local violence in
Hawaii. In fact, the mur-

derous surf off some of
Hawaii's beaches scares me

Barbara
McCreadie
Pe

far more than the possibility
of being mugged on a beach.

Any traveller with average
mentality stays out of
questionable areas after
dark. He doesn't wear his
gold collection and neither
does his wife. He carries

we wiill give you yu
per person ba
oe your airfare bose

travellers’ cheques and
cashes small amounts only.
Not for him is a wad of $100
bills. He behaves himself in
bars and doesn't get into
drunken arguments with the
other patrons. If he is alone
and desires feminine
companionship, he chooses
another tourist and not some
hooker in a back alley. I
understand that bell captains
in most hotels can “arrange
something” if all else.fails.
The single lady traveller
doesn't go prowling around
beaches or. seamy side
Streets after dark. She is
mighty careful about whom
she chooses as a dinner
companion. A fellow tourist
is a long sight safer than a

“peach bum”. She will not
try to dazzle her dinner
companion with her

diamonds and Dior’s. Most
of her money will be safely in
the hotel's lock-up. She will
pay her own way if
necessary, but never his.

If she is in any doubt at all,
she will stay in or near her
hotel, informing the desk
staff that she is expecting a
call and will be at the
“Whanky Poo” restaurant.
Her escort stands there
looking silly while she gives
his name to the staff as a

" ‘before Oct 20 to Calif: on one are on
es until Oct 20, 1980

Western Airlines
Airfare 379°

david ingram ‘5

TRAVEL

1139 Lonsdale Ave.

North Vancouver
980-0321

“paging” alternate. Even if
she owns half of Eatons, she
doesn't discuss her financial
situation and, if asked, uses
the excuse that her job
draws minimum wage but
she inherited enough to pay
for this “once in a hfetime”
from an elderly aunt.
Poverty is the female
traveller's greatest asset.

When we go to Hawaii, I'll
watch my daughters like a
guard dog. None of us wil! go
for midnight strolls on the
beach. Dad won't have a
bulging wallet in his back
pocket and my purse will be
firmly under my arm.

I'm presently working on a
set of portable alarms that a
traveller may take
anywhere. Canada Customs
is giving me an assist by
clearing everything before I
take it out of the country and
giving me a “green card” to
get it back in. Knill’s Alarms

of North Vancouver is
helping me _ choose _ the
prototypes (‘There's so

much junk on the market")
so I expect to take four or
five “possibles” when we
leave. If we can _ find
something that will make our
Canadian travellers sleep
easier, we'll have done quite
a public service!

Dear Barbara: Did you ever
hire babysitters when you
travelled with your children?
Can you give us some tips
before we leave home with
two kids, four and two?

Fm ee NS eed tare AONE ART ELEE WOT 10

ANSWER: You didn’t tell
me where you were going
which makes a difference.
I've never hired a sitter in a
foreign country but my kids
have often taken babysitting
jobs overseas. They pin a
sign on the hotel bulletin
board indicating their ex-
perience and qualifications
(swimming etc.) I check out
the families before the girls
accept the position and stay
pretty close by. One night,
during a power failure, the
family arrived home to find
my husband and teen-aged
daughter both babysitting
their offspring by can-
dlelight. (We tossed a coin
and Brian lost!)

On cruise ships, I've left
children in our cabin with
the cabin steward allerted.
He checked them every few

minutes and fussed more
than a granny. | gave him
five bucks.

Large chain hotels can
usually provide agency
sitters, mostly rceliable.
Unless your kids are
bilingual, you'll have to be

sure that the sitter speaks
enough English to com-
municate.

When our kids were little
(and prices cheaper!) we
often took our regular
neighborhood sitter on
holidays with us. That
worked like a dream and |
sull have a paper to prove
that I'm Heather's legal
guardian if ever she steps

Come to Seattle
for sightseeing and savings.

(Canadian money AT
PAR from registered
It imeludes
a room With a spectactlar

Canadian guests

V 1M

Wining,

erotic
ideal

Ingo the

An location

stepsaway from shopping, the

i

IITTITOT

oa

SORUCEAREDULECIS

ET Wedae

Seattle is the per-

fect place ta play

tourist. Take

inthe sageshts.

Discovera

city that com

bines exciting: culture
With a mapnificent setting.
And stayin luxury where
prices are boven Steven,
That's the Washington
Plaza. We accept

(ining and un
winding ina pleasant choice of
bars and restaurants
Trades

tTrvebied
Voaees )

jitst

Ato the

Waterfront,

ET nie og AN a i Op ee nee ee et

foot out of Canada. That is a
“must” if you're taking an
under-age sitter along just in
case of accident or illness.
Some countries are better
than others when it comes to

finding a good sitter.
England — _ especially
London — has “nanny”

agencies where you get a
super-trained lady who is apt

‘to be as rigid as brick. Fiyi

has hotel staff who adore
kids and will let them get
away with purple murder.

passport

photos

while you wait
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1527 Lonsdale. 988-9813
1560 Marine Dr. 926-0421

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10507 K. Geo. Hwy. Surrey
689-7117

Reg. Travel Agent No. 157-3

and the Monoratl

Convenient parking and an
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Washington Plaza, a
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We're Even-Steven
every weekend.

ee 2 side fiok free
re Co craretedan NOE SON AGN
call the Wernhrgthen Pla io

see bP AY ata

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