More than 1,000 Canadian towns in 106 days: that’s the epic scale of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay which gets underway Oct. 30. In this continuing series, we’ll keep pace with the run and introduce you to some of Canada’s most intriguing “torch towns.”
Day 2, Oct. 31: Nanaimo, BC
Claims to fame:

• Bathtub races
• The Canadian Bodypainting Festival
• Jazz diva Diana Krall’s hometown

Torch festivities:
Halfway up the east coast of Vancouver Island, Nanaimo welcomes the torch on Hallowe’en at the Torch Relay Celebration: Spirit of Sport at the waterfront Maffeo Sutton Park. Young athletes will host an “Athlete’s Village” with plenty of fun family activities, while cultural groups will ramp up a festive Mardi Gras mood with music, dance and food. It’s also a chance for the city to show off the $1.8 million revamp of the new Spirit Square, where 350,000 stone pavers follow the park’s original shoreline before this vibrant green space was reclaimed from the sea. Expect the Olympic torch to make a surprise grand entrance.
Worth a side-trip because:

• It’s just 20 minutes by floatplane or 1.5-hours by BC Ferries from downtown Vancouver, BC: take a window seat and keep your eyes peeled for Orcas (aka killer whales) from the J, K and L resident pods.
• The view from the 4-km (2.5-mi) Harbourfront Walkway is alive with aircraft and marine traffic on the move.
• The walk-on ferry to Newcastle Island Marine Provincial Park lets you explore 22 km (14 mi) of trails, sandstone cliffs and remains of a Coast Salish village. Hop aboard the Protection Connection and in 10 minutes, you’ll be chatting with the locals at The Dinghy Dock Pub & Restaurant, Canada’s only floating pub.
• The historic Old City Quarter offers seven galleries, some featuring West Coast and Aboriginal art.
• Outdoor recreation is huge here, from ocean kayaking to deep sea diving. Summers, you can book a charter to snorkel with the harbour seals at Snake Island, a bird sanctuary just 10 minutes from downtown.

HelloBC
Tourism Nanaimo
Vancouver 2010