I’ve been thinking about the Olympics – for what reason I don’t know because I am not a winter sports fan and therefore not particularly an Olympic Fan. Still, the ‘Boxing Roo” flag the Australians draped across their part of the Olympic Village, epitomizes the determined spirit that is alive as the Games are about to open. Living on Vancouver Island does not give us the sense of excitement that is perhaps prevalent in Vancouver. But sitting on the sidelines as a spectator does help to put these Olympic Games in perspective from a personal point of view.
I like the idea of the games because they are a once in a lifetime event for the host city to showcase itself to the rest of the world. Even though they require massive amounts of planning and money, I think they are worth it. There is a sense of national pride because the Canada and Vancouver are hosting the Olympics. There is a huge congregation of top athletes in one place for two weeks, not only competing for the highest honour, but also fostering camaraderie among the nations of the world.
The Olympic Games themselves are an historic event, having first been introduced to the world in the 8th Century BC where they took place in Olympia, Greece. They continued on until the 5th Century AD when, for some reason, they were abandoned. The Games were resurrected by Baron de Coubertin in 1894 when the first International Olympic Committee was founded and they have been growing ever since.
Apart from providing the host city and country with substantial economic benefits, there is the benefit of visitors coming from all over the world to see the games, and mingle with local residents, providing a potpourri of friendliness, entertainment, participation, excitement and, of course, a sense of global unity. Factored in is the historic journey of the Olympic Flame travelling from coast, to coast to coast. All Canadians have had a chance to be a part of this unique event and the nationalistic feeling it evoked.
What is the downside? Many people will sum up by saying it is a waste of time and money. Others will rebel and protest because they feel the amount of money necessary to host the Olympics, could be used for something much more worthwhile. The truth of the matter is that money has to be raised to cover the cost of the Olympics and would the same money be raised to cover the cost of deserving enterprises here at home?
In Vancouver there are also problems perhaps not encountered in other countries because of the geographical location of the city. Problems like traffic restrictions on many of the roads in and around the city. Before the games there was a general hue and cry about the lack of space to house visitors, but we now find there is still accommodation available in various parts of the city, and indeed at Whistler itself.
The media is naturally having a feeding frenzy on the subject of a possible ‘snowless’ Cypress Mountain and the deleterious effect they think it will have on the events taking place on Cypress. I suppose one could go on with a litany of woes which are always present at an event of this magnitude. But they will get us nowhere because the Games have come to Vancouver, whether we like it or not, there is snow on Cypress and they are about to open in a no doubt extraordinary fanfare and hopefully to provide many gold medals for Canada.
Showing posts with label Vancouver Island. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vancouver Island. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Greyhound
“What are these people going to do when the Olympics arrive?” asked the bewildered American gentleman (from New York) with a hint of humour.
The American was behind me in a line-up waiting to buy a ticket for a bus trip. We were two of the twenty or so people lined up at the Greyhound desk at the Vancouver Bus Terminus. There were two agents selling tickets and each ticket sale took anywhere from a couple of minutes to sometimes ten minutes, depending upon the customer’s command of the English language and the complexity of the journey being undertaken, re: connections, etc. Seeing my frustration, my daughter-in-law offered to take my place at the end of the line up, while I enjoyed time with my granddaughter.
Just before she and I changed places, one of the two agents put the ‘ closed’ announcement in front of his wicket and disappeared. After watching this scenario from a distance I couldn’t stand it any longer and went to speak to the remaining ticket agent after one passenger had finished at the wicket. I asked why there was only one person to serve 20 + people who it appeared may, or may not, catch their respective buses given the snail’s pace processing of the passengers. The agent was obviously a junior and had little experience in dealing with this old battleaxe who bore down on him to question Greyhound’s agent efficacy.
I won’t go into the details of my conversation with him especially after I was told that agents were entitled to their breaks!
“What breaks?” I demanded, “when 20+ people are waiting to buy tickets, hoping to catch their bus?”
Returning to my American friend just behind me, he asked what I recognized as a realistic question. He assured me that the attitude in the bus station was indicative of the attitude throughout British Columbia. Customer care and satisfaction by most businesses, especially Greyhound, was laid back and casual.
He noted that there were no express ticket machines where people could insert a credit card, select their destination and buy a ticket. This is unbelievable when you can go to a hugely busy international airport like Vancouver and purchase a ticket from a machine to practically anywhere in the world. You can even shop by machine in a grocery store, but certainly not with Greyhound – no way!
The one group of people I exclude from any criticism of Greyhound, is their drivers. They are excellent. However, there are many things Greyhound can do to improve their customer service in the terminus. Leaving the unions and their coffee breaks out of it would be a good start.
What, I ask, are the paying customers going to do when they want to go to Whistler by bus in 2010? I think Greyhound and the B.C. Olympic Games Organizers, need to take this kind of ‘outstanding lack of service’ by a national carrier, into account.
If this happens in Vancouver, how are customers going to cope with other bus services in British Columbia who plan to serve the Olympics?
P.S. Quite a part from alternative methods of staffing which would solve customer problems, there is a small matter of common sense. Of course people deserve their breaks, but can’t common sense prevail with these individuals? Can’t they plan their breaks after the line-ups diminish? Or does Greyhound not have a Common Sense 101 course?
.
The American was behind me in a line-up waiting to buy a ticket for a bus trip. We were two of the twenty or so people lined up at the Greyhound desk at the Vancouver Bus Terminus. There were two agents selling tickets and each ticket sale took anywhere from a couple of minutes to sometimes ten minutes, depending upon the customer’s command of the English language and the complexity of the journey being undertaken, re: connections, etc. Seeing my frustration, my daughter-in-law offered to take my place at the end of the line up, while I enjoyed time with my granddaughter.
Just before she and I changed places, one of the two agents put the ‘ closed’ announcement in front of his wicket and disappeared. After watching this scenario from a distance I couldn’t stand it any longer and went to speak to the remaining ticket agent after one passenger had finished at the wicket. I asked why there was only one person to serve 20 + people who it appeared may, or may not, catch their respective buses given the snail’s pace processing of the passengers. The agent was obviously a junior and had little experience in dealing with this old battleaxe who bore down on him to question Greyhound’s agent efficacy.
I won’t go into the details of my conversation with him especially after I was told that agents were entitled to their breaks!
“What breaks?” I demanded, “when 20+ people are waiting to buy tickets, hoping to catch their bus?”
Returning to my American friend just behind me, he asked what I recognized as a realistic question. He assured me that the attitude in the bus station was indicative of the attitude throughout British Columbia. Customer care and satisfaction by most businesses, especially Greyhound, was laid back and casual.
He noted that there were no express ticket machines where people could insert a credit card, select their destination and buy a ticket. This is unbelievable when you can go to a hugely busy international airport like Vancouver and purchase a ticket from a machine to practically anywhere in the world. You can even shop by machine in a grocery store, but certainly not with Greyhound – no way!
The one group of people I exclude from any criticism of Greyhound, is their drivers. They are excellent. However, there are many things Greyhound can do to improve their customer service in the terminus. Leaving the unions and their coffee breaks out of it would be a good start.
What, I ask, are the paying customers going to do when they want to go to Whistler by bus in 2010? I think Greyhound and the B.C. Olympic Games Organizers, need to take this kind of ‘outstanding lack of service’ by a national carrier, into account.
If this happens in Vancouver, how are customers going to cope with other bus services in British Columbia who plan to serve the Olympics?
P.S. Quite a part from alternative methods of staffing which would solve customer problems, there is a small matter of common sense. Of course people deserve their breaks, but can’t common sense prevail with these individuals? Can’t they plan their breaks after the line-ups diminish? Or does Greyhound not have a Common Sense 101 course?
.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
The Road Trips: South and West Vancouver Island In Two Days Flat!
Verna’s husband passed away 10 plus years ago. Since then, my good friend Verna and I have taken a road trip somewhere every year. Don, my husband, is quite happy for me to go on these trips, just as I am happy to see him go snowboarding in the winter. We do manage to get away together at some time during the year. However, this year I am not so sure because he has all those zucchinis to look after.
Back to the trip with Verna; we always take our cameras along for the ride. Halfway through the trip we decide we should really take some pictures and we do, just once. For example, I have several picture of stunted trees in Alberta and Verna has many pictures of sand formations we saw at a rest stop. That is about the extent of our picture taking. Each trip we stop and take pictures of vague, undefined and boring landscape, somewhere along the way. We don't even take pictures of each other. If we did, we would only look at them and wonder who were those two old biddies.
As you would probably tell us, we should really stop and smell the roses on our trips, instead of traveling from A to B in one mad dash to get there. I am also thinking it is about time we traded our cameras in and got a camcorder. I am sure it would make for some very interesting dialogue!
I bet we are the only two people who toured the southern and western part of Vancouver Island in two days! For those of you not familiar with Vancouver Island, that is about 4 or 5 days of touring at the pace old biddies generally tour. We planned on taking a week because we have to figure on getting lost, at least once. The first day we went south to Victoria, and then on to Sooke. The following day we traveled back up the Island again and did the west coast. Actually, we never got lost once; confused, yes, but not lost. For instance, friends told us we should go to the Wickaninnish Inn on the west coast, and have lunch. According to them it was a great place to visit. Well, we went there and didn’t think it was that hot. Added to that, we couldn’t find out where our friends had eaten.
Later we discovered there are two Wickaninnish Inns, the old and the new. Of course we went to the old which is now just an information centre and place from which you can view the Pacific Ocean. Furthermore, the two Inns are nowhere near each other.
We drove to Uculet approximately 30 kilometers down the road, where we had lunch in an old boat that was made into a restaurant. The food was really good. After lunch I asked where the rest room was and was directed to the head of some stairs. Ah, life is never that simple for us. Down I went into the bowels of the ship and at the bottom was a long hallway which I followed, right into what looked like crew quarters. At least there was a bathroom complete with toothbrushes and other grooming gear.
It was eerie and apparently I was the only one down there. I suddenly realized that if I yelled for help, nobody would hear me. Added to all this I was now beginning to doubt myself. This was not the rest room for the restaurant because those stairs were pretty steep and you have to step over a sill from room to room; there was no way it was a wheelchair friendly place. I worked my way back upstairs to where Verna was beginning to wonder if I was O.K. I suggested to her if she has to use the bathroom, I would stop at the first garage and she can use theirs.
Did I mention that this year we are planning (the only way Verna and I plan is to just get in the car and drive), a trip to the northern most part of the Island. We will just go till we run out of road. I am planning to pick Verna up at the ferry in Comox. If we are going to get lost, this would be the time, trying to get out of Comox!
I figure this is the only reason why she and I take these jaunts; so we can get together and have a lot of laughs We laugh at things other people don’t think are funny and we learn new words to call all the other drivers on the road.
Till the next time,
Biddy Jean
Back to the trip with Verna; we always take our cameras along for the ride. Halfway through the trip we decide we should really take some pictures and we do, just once. For example, I have several picture of stunted trees in Alberta and Verna has many pictures of sand formations we saw at a rest stop. That is about the extent of our picture taking. Each trip we stop and take pictures of vague, undefined and boring landscape, somewhere along the way. We don't even take pictures of each other. If we did, we would only look at them and wonder who were those two old biddies.
As you would probably tell us, we should really stop and smell the roses on our trips, instead of traveling from A to B in one mad dash to get there. I am also thinking it is about time we traded our cameras in and got a camcorder. I am sure it would make for some very interesting dialogue!
I bet we are the only two people who toured the southern and western part of Vancouver Island in two days! For those of you not familiar with Vancouver Island, that is about 4 or 5 days of touring at the pace old biddies generally tour. We planned on taking a week because we have to figure on getting lost, at least once. The first day we went south to Victoria, and then on to Sooke. The following day we traveled back up the Island again and did the west coast. Actually, we never got lost once; confused, yes, but not lost. For instance, friends told us we should go to the Wickaninnish Inn on the west coast, and have lunch. According to them it was a great place to visit. Well, we went there and didn’t think it was that hot. Added to that, we couldn’t find out where our friends had eaten.
Later we discovered there are two Wickaninnish Inns, the old and the new. Of course we went to the old which is now just an information centre and place from which you can view the Pacific Ocean. Furthermore, the two Inns are nowhere near each other.
We drove to Uculet approximately 30 kilometers down the road, where we had lunch in an old boat that was made into a restaurant. The food was really good. After lunch I asked where the rest room was and was directed to the head of some stairs. Ah, life is never that simple for us. Down I went into the bowels of the ship and at the bottom was a long hallway which I followed, right into what looked like crew quarters. At least there was a bathroom complete with toothbrushes and other grooming gear.
It was eerie and apparently I was the only one down there. I suddenly realized that if I yelled for help, nobody would hear me. Added to all this I was now beginning to doubt myself. This was not the rest room for the restaurant because those stairs were pretty steep and you have to step over a sill from room to room; there was no way it was a wheelchair friendly place. I worked my way back upstairs to where Verna was beginning to wonder if I was O.K. I suggested to her if she has to use the bathroom, I would stop at the first garage and she can use theirs.
Did I mention that this year we are planning (the only way Verna and I plan is to just get in the car and drive), a trip to the northern most part of the Island. We will just go till we run out of road. I am planning to pick Verna up at the ferry in Comox. If we are going to get lost, this would be the time, trying to get out of Comox!
I figure this is the only reason why she and I take these jaunts; so we can get together and have a lot of laughs We laugh at things other people don’t think are funny and we learn new words to call all the other drivers on the road.
Till the next time,
Biddy Jean
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