Where have all the flowers gone?

We all know the refrain of the song "Where have all the flowers gone":

"When will they ever learn?"

I have to admit that I regard the expressed grief over the damage caused by the oil spill as somewhat disingenuous. Harkening back to the Exxon Valdez disaster in Prince William Sound in 1989, one would think that if those in Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama and Florida truly treasured their ecological heritage and the associated value of tourism to the coastal areas, they would have had the foresight to envision just such a disaster as an oil rig explosion. These regions could have taken some proactive measures a long time ago. 

It is always easier to cry over spilt milk (or oil, in this case) then to consider the benefits of a spill-proof cover on the bottle or carton. So once again we have a terrible situation that threatens wild life, eco-systems, people, jobs and tourism. Once again, we destroy a piece of our planet's beauty and deny appreciation of nature, culture, and recreation to our children. And then we wonder why movies such as Avatar are so popular. One answer is that computerized visions of nature and the freedom of indigenous populations may be all we have in the years to come. 

So sad.

- Steve Gillick, President and COO, CITC

Tsunami Scare in Hawaii; Sadness for the situation in Chile

A live report on the situation in Hawaii this past weekend from a Certified Travel Counsellor.


Saturday, February 27, 2010 12:57 PM

Hi everyone:

We have been evacuated from our hotel due to tsunami warning..sirens went off at 5:45 a.m., hotel was completely emptied...they brought us our car...others are being bussed out to higher ground. Earthquake in Chile was 8.8 on richter scale...tsunami is expected to hit this island at about 11:00 a.m., (4 ET). We drove to our cousin’s house in Kona (Big Island) which is at the top of a hill...we can see all the way down to the ocean from here. Unbelievable...people are shopping, getting gas, traffic is bad. Our cousin has gone out to get some supplies. We are watching public tv for info.

Our plans may have to change re getting back to Oahu and getting out of Hawaii as scheduled. Right now, we are scheduled to leave the Big Island on Monday afternoon when we have a flight booked to Phoenix and then Vancouver on Friday. However, depending on what happens, we'll have to play that by ear. As long as there is internet, I'll keep you informed.

Saturday, February 27, 2010 11:29 PM

Hi Everyone!

Well, the emergency is over. We went back to the hotel after the tsunami was downgraded, but found the power off here. We had to sit outside around the pool for the past 4 hours as there was a blown transformer when all the hotels in the area (that had voluntarily turned off their power to prevent a water purification breech) turned them on all at once.

Thanks to all of you who responded to my emails. Your letters were much appreciated, and made me feel connected during a time of threat and uncertainty. Actually, there were some pretty amazing sea changes that we were observing on the TV at our cousin's house, where we spent the morning and early afternoon. The ocean seemed to draw back, exposing rocks, reefs and beaches that are normally not exposed, only to have a surge cover them again. This happened several times over the time between 11 a..m., and about 1:30, when they declared things to be safe. But the size of the surges did not, thankfully, reach feared expectations, and there was no damage and no loss of life.

We are now aware of the awful devastation in Chile from the earthquake, and are heartsick for the suffering that yet another country is suffering from natural catastrophes that seem to have been happening more often this year. We have been most fortunate, and, as they say, this time dodged a bullet. The system worked well...sirens woke us up at 5:45 a.m., and we were instructed to leave the hotel and head for higher ground. The hotel staff were friendly, efficient and helpful...which was very reassuring. Having had this experience, it is easy to see how much has been learned since the last tsunamis in Indonesia a few years back. We had time to get to safety even though the worst did not happen, and this is again like a drill that was entirely successful.

Warmest regards