A Golfer's Paradise: the Okanagan Valley, BC, Canada

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Black Mountain Golf Course

When you hear "Okanagan Valley", immediately wines come to mind, maybe even orchards, and the often praised "semi-desert" climate with an average of 2,000 sun hours.  But golf?  Certainly!  Rolling hills and lakes make the perfect background for the numerous golf courses.  Alone in Kelowna are more than 20, and it seems as every year a new one is built. 

Many avid golfers choose this area as their main residence and are on the Greens from April to November - and then hit the ski slopes at Big White with its top elevation of 6,900 ft. Big White is conveniently close by, just 70 kilometers / 45 miles from downtown Kelowna.  

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Fabulous Christmas Gift for Golf Enthusiasts

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Easy-going to Ego-shattering
That's how the Golf Guide characterizes the huge variety of challenges one can encounter.
Golfing in Kelowna is for every skill level.  Mild weather, stunning scenery and exceptional courses make Kelowna a must-play destination on every golf enthusiast's list!  A map helps to find not only the 18-hole courses (majority) but also the less discerning ones. 

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Interactive Map of all Golf Courses with Description

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My Favorite: Tower Ranch Golf Club
Golf Kelowna says:  "A Thomas McBroom designed championship golf course featuring dramatic undulating land, giving way to a fascinating and thrilling golf experience for all levels!
The semi-private club, located minutes from downtown Kelowna and the Kelowna Airport, features captivating views from 18 holes of golf, a pro shop, driving range, the restaurant and a fitness facility. Tower Ranch Golf Club was voted #1 course in Kelowna by the PGA of British Columbia in 2013."

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Travel Photographers: Today is Your Day! See Why:

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Good News for Avid Photographers:
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"I am impressed with my new Canon SL1 with the 18-55 kit lens. As a long time dedicated amateur photographer with a shelf full of other equipment, including fancier and much more expensive equipment, this will now be the one I take with me and use most of the time."

See all reviews at Amazon's site. And enjoy this wonderful "travel companion".

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24% Off, plus Free Shipping for CANON EOS Rebel T5i Digital SLR

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24% Off ($200) for this High-end Camera:

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From Coast to Coast in Canada

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7,000 kilometers criss-crossing the Canadian provinces from Nova-Scotia to British Columbia. 
Here are some of the impressions:

16 kilometer long Bridge from Prince Edward Island to Nova Scotia 

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Light Tower near Antigonish, Nova Scotia

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Lobster Traps on a Wharf in New Brunswick

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Old Montreal, Quebec

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Patisserie in Bromont

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Governor General's Rideau Hall Guard, Ottawa

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Parliament in Ottawa

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Manitoulin Island Lake Huron Ontario

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Niagara-on-the-Lake

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CNN Tower Toronto

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Algonquin Park Cottage

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You Are in Bear Country

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Human Rights Museum Winnipeg

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Heritage Buildings in Winnipeg

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First Nations Casinos

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Floatplanes

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Endless Wheat Fields

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Old Grain Elevators

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Prairie Grass

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Hockey Mascot and Grain Elevator

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Big Skies in Alberta

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Oil Towers

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Native Reservations in Southern Alberta

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Bog at the Waterton Ntl Park

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Glacier Ntl. Park

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Canadian Pacific Train

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Lots of Vegetables and Fruit in BC

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Kootenay Lake British Columbia

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Small Town Feel in Greenwood, BC

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Osoyoos Desert, BC

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Native Winery in Osoyoos, BC

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Rainbow over Vineyards

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Roses of the Okanagan Valley

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Okanagan Lake towards Vernon

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Monument Kelowna Harbor

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Kelowna Bear

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Okanagan Wine

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View over Kelowna and Lake Okanagan

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Take a couple of weeks at least to enjoy a wonderful trip, exploring marvelous Canada.

The Guardian: Not-so-Happy Traveler

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It seems I am not the only one who doesn't like to book with AirBnB.  I just found this familiar story at the Guardian, about a lady who wanted to pay for a room during the completely booked out conference time in Bremen, Germany:

"For the uninitiated (until recently, me) Airbnb works like this. “Hosts” advertise their spare rooms (or house) and “guests” contact them through the site to arrange to stay and to pay. But, since February, the site has required some users to “verify their identity”. And there’s the rub:

Airbnb wanted a picture of me. I uploaded one. Up on my screen popped a dialogue saying they needed to verify my “offline” identity. Could I scan in a driver’s licence or passport? With a sinking heart and a nasty sensation of violated privacy, I complied. Now for my “online” identity, persisted the dialogue box: Facebook, LinkedIn or Google account? My Google account is a work one (not that, then); Airbnb rejected LinkedIn (well, ok, I’m not planning to leave my present job, so I seldom update that). As a last resort, I offered up Facebook. The pop-up dialogue greedily demanded access to all my friends.

Still it was not enough ... Three days, three lost bookings, a spate of emails, and two calls to Casey and her colleague in Colorado later, my problem was resolved. I was “escalated” to one of Airbnb’s “verification specialists”, who allowed me to upload my (very grumpy) video directly to him, explaining who I was. Twenty-four hours after that I got my green light. Off I went, and had a wonderful weekend courtesy of my excellent host “Felix”.

My privacy already feels violated by Airbnb – and I want to speak up for those who may feel the same. Dear Airbnb, I may not have a fully developed “online identity” – but that doesn’t mean I’m not real."

And I would like to add: "Dear AirBnB, your competition is growing, watch out how you treat your customers, there are other offers out there, for example from RoomoRama... 
Read the whole story here:
http://www.theguardian.com/money/blog/2014/nov/14/airbnb-wont-let-book-room-facebook-friends

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