Source: Speak Up
Language level: Intermediate
Standard: American accent
THE SAN JUANS THE VIP ISLANDS
Only a short drive and ferry ride away from the North American mainland, the ancient evergreen forests, quaint farm valleys, romantic coastline and amazing wildlife of the San Juan Islands attract many visitors. From April through October, orca whales can be seen here, but Orcas Island, the largest and most spectacular of the San Juans, did not get its name from the whales. When a Spanish expedition led by the Mexican Viceroy discovery the San Juans in the 18th century, each of the larger islands was given one of his names –“Horcasitas” was one of them
THE SOUND OF MUSIC
On Orcas, lovers of the old-fashioned lifestyle can stay at Rosario Resort and Spa, which is full of antique teak and mahogany furniture and arts-and-crafts designs. Part of the hotel is now a museum. It was built 100 years ago as a private residence by shipbuilder and former mayor of Seattle, Robert Moran, who moved here after being told by his doctors that he would be dead in two years. In actual fact he lived for another 38 years. In order to celebrate he would wake his guests up at 6 in the morning with a splendid self-playing Aeolian pipe organ, which is still in operation today (sound of organ music). Moran sounds to have been a luck man; a native New Yorker, he had arrived in Seattle as a penniless 18 year-old in 1875, before going on to build a vast fortune.
THE PIG WAR…
The San Juan Islands may not have that many inhabitants, but they do have a colorful history. In 1859, for example, Britain and the United States, which both had claims to the area, nearly fought “the Pig War” after an American settler shot and killed a British pig. Fortunately peace came about, after mediation by Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm, and the pig was the only victim. More importantly perhaps, the border between Canada (then a British colony) and the USA was subsequently re-drawn.
At the start of the 21st century, the San Juan Islands face challenges of a different kind. Sandy Playa, who runs the beautiful timbered Spring Bay Inn on the eastern side of Orcas Island (with her husband Carl Burger) explains:
Sandy Playa
(Standard American accent):
Well, I think the big change has been brought on by technology. You know, now the internet and cell phone access has enabled people to live here that would only be able to vacation here in the past. I think all probably remote areas are going through that kind of change. When we first moved here, there were about 2.500 people, and now there’s about 5.000. but even so, that population when we first moved here was mostly mad of retired people, some families, but mostly retired. And then kind of the whole dot com thing, you know, was going, just, bananas and …so lots of people were able to be consultants and live here and work from their home here and then they’d maybe have an apartment in Seattle or whatever city that they were based in.
LOW PROFILE
The dot com bubble has burst, but the islands still has their fair share of famous residents. The co-founder of Microsoft, Paul Allen, owns one of them. Here in the San Juans, however, VIPs can live a quit life, says Carl Burger:
Carl Burger
(Standard: American accent)
Part of the personality, I think of the county is that so many folks are here trying to underplay or downplay of stay below the spotlight. We have some very high-powered people who live here, either full-time or part-time, but who want to be, I was gonna say, recognized just for the people they are, rather than the personalities that they are. So there’s…there are film directors here, from the technological world, there are consultants, there are politicians, but around here, they’re just island residents.
HOW TO GET TO THE SAN JUANS (no audio)
Flight to Seattle/Tacoma International via Miami, Toronto or New York. The Anacortes ferry terminal is a two-hour drive from airport.
WHERE TO STAY ON ORCAS ISLAND:
Rosario Resort & Spa, Eastsound, Tel (+1) 360 376 2222. http://www.rosarioresort.com Spring Bay Inn, Olga tel (+1) 360 376 5531, http://www.springbayinn.com .
Orcas Island Lodging Association, http://www.orcas-loadging.com .
WHAT TO DO:
Wildlife Cycles, 350 North Beach Rd., Eastsound, tel (+1) 360 376 4708, http://www.wildlifecycles.com rent out mountainbikes. A hike up Mount Constitution (730m): the highest point in the San Juans, combines wildlife-spotting with exercises.
A Gants Wildlife Hike can teach you about the edible plants on Orcas Islands and many other things, tel. 1 800 376 6566, http://www.orcasislandwhales.com offers whale watching.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Washington State Tourism http://www.experiencewashington.com
