It’s that time of year again.  While Vancouver drowns in drizzle, the mountains that tower above the city get walloped with dozens of feet of snow.  I trekked up to nearby Cypress Mountain to partake in that most Canadian of rites, igloo building.  Turns out it’s much harder and wetter than it looks.  But the end product is still pretty cool.  I wrote about the experience for the Sydney Morning Herald.  And here’s a short video.

An ice place you have here

Remy Scalza; Special to the Sydney Morning Herald

Chilled from a day in the snow, worn out from hours of shovelling and stacking snow blocks, we worm our way into the tunnel of the igloo one after another. The wind’s howl mutes to a low hum. The day’s grey light goes black. I follow the pair of boots in front, crawling in towards the glimmer of light ahead.

The boots belong to Michael Harding, igloo evangelist. An outdoor guide with baby-blue eyes and snow-white hair, Harding has raised untold hundreds of igloos in this corner of western Canada. “They’re warmer than tents,” he’d explained earlier this morning as we climbed into the back country of the mountains outside Vancouver in his late-model Nissan Pathfinder. “They’re soundproof. They’re practically cozy.”

I’ve joined him and another guide for a one-day crash course in igloo basics, dragging along a friend from Vancouver for this most Canadian rite of passage. Not that I’m planning an assault on K2 any time soon. But even for armchair adventurers, there’s just something about an igloo.

In a place where you can’t drink the water, is it safe to go under the knife?  I was surprised to learn that growing numbers of people from Texas and California are heading down to notorious Tijuana, Mexico, for medical tourism.  Procedures range from cosmetic surgeries to more advanced stuff including gastric bypasses and even experimental treatments not approved in the U.S.   Obviously price is a big factor.  But is getting medical care in Tijuana – given the drug violence and long history of sleaze – a good idea?  I checked things out while on a trip to Mexico and wrote about the experience for The Washington Post.

For Cheaper Medical Care, Try Tijuana

Remy Scalza: Special to the Washington Post

Adrian doesn’t look like a pharmacist. He’s not wearing a white lab coat and hasn’t shaved in a few days. He pats the breast pocket of his shirt to show me the best spot to stash pills when crossing back over the border.

“They won’t check here, and if they do, just tell them you have a medical condition,” he explains.

Out in front of his little shop, under his neon pharmacy sign, a busty mannequin done up in a skimpy nurse’s uniform and holding a heart-shaped sign for Viagra beckons more customers off the street. No prescription? No problem.

Tijuana, Mexico, just across the border from San Diego, has long been a favored destination for Americans in the market for cheap and illicit meds, among other things. The city was a seedy refuge for Hollywood pleasure-seekers during Prohibition, and then came decades as a playground for hard-partying co-eds and service personnel too young to imbibe north of the border.

But times are changing. Discount pharmacies such as Adrian’s are slowly disappearing as Tijuana turns its attention to American medical tourists looking for more than painkillers and sex pills. Savvy comparison shoppers, they stream in from California and beyond for deep discounts on everything from cosmetic and weight-loss surgeries to hip replacements and stem-cell transplants. Some are uninsured in the United States. Others are hoping to save on the high cost of elective procedures back home.

And then there’s me, just here to do a little browsing.

To read the full article on the Washington Post website, click here.

Street food is a big part of any city’s culinary scene.  But until last summer, Vancouver’s street fare was limited to hotdogs, popcorn and chestnuts.  City officials recently lifted the ban, setting off a food cart renaissance.  But there’s one catch: New vendors are selected based on whether they offer healthy, fair-trade and organic options, among other criteria.  I blogged about the unusual requirements for In Transit, The New York Times’ travel blog.

New Street Food Rules in Vancouver Emphasize Health and Diversity

By Remy Scalza

In Vancouver, street food is an emerging mini-industry. But new vendors who want to sell hot dogs and cheese steak sandwiches may need to switch to healthier options. A controversial city council decision made last month requires vendors seeking licenses to conform to a range of new rules, which emphasize healthier fare; organic, local and fair-trade foods; and an increased diversity of options.

Click here to see the full post on The New York Times website, as well as a video I shot of one of the food trucks.