The 2010 Winter Olympics are finally here and the Jaunted Embeds are on the scene. All throughout the games we are going to be providing you first-hand observations and tips from a Vancouver local. Tuija Seipell is a Vancouver-based writer and a dual citizen of both Finland and Canada--so she is bound to get a medal or two right? You can follow her on Twitter here, or just follow the Vancouver 2010 Olympics tag.

Vancouver is really buzzing now with new country-or sponsor-specific pavilions popping up by the hour. You blink and the entire landscape has changed by the time you open your eyes!

One of the most exciting free things to do during the Olympics downtown at Robson Square is the zip line by Ziptrek Ecotours that is now ready although not yet open to the public.

You climb up a four-storey high tower on the Law Court side, harness yourself into a sling, clip yourself into a line, and jump off the ledge. You zoom diagonally over Robson Square’s free public skating rink and across Robson Street. You land on Howe Street, next to the Art Gallery. There are two of the 170-meter-long wires, so two people can zip at a time.]]> TuijaSeipell 2010-02-10T17:06:53-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/8/21/153223/637

All this week, Amanda Pressner will be bringing us reports from her recent trip to Costa Rica with her entire family. Any questions about traveling to Costa Rica or family-oriented activities to do while you're there? Let us know.

With just four days to spend in the Costa Rican jungle, my family and I wanted to pack in as much pulse pounding excitement as we possibly could—and what better way, we figured, than to set up base camp just down the slope from an active volcano?

Arenal (the name of the volcano, a lake and a region in Costa Rica) is one of the country’s popular destinations—and for very good reason. Not only is it possible to see the fiery red lava flow at the top of the cone on a clear night (usually from the comfort of your hotel room) but there’s no shortage of ways to experience the nearby rainforest and cloud forest and the rivers that cut through them.

In fact, according to Elaine Knight, owner of the Lost Iguana Resort & Spa, the biggest mistake people when planning their trip to Costa Rica rushing to hit too many different destinations and booking too few nights in Arenal.

In an email before the trip, she encouraged our group of six to spend four nights, and four days in the local area. If figured that she might be a tad partial, but in the end, I’m so glad we followed her advice.

]]> The Lost Girl 2009-08-25T17:06:21-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/