Ok. I have a thing for coffee. Friends do not suggest Starbucks to me, either because they don’t want to see the expression that flashes across my face, or because they have already heard me expound too many times on how it is only good as a transitional (or as I usually say, gateway) coffee … Continue reading I Don’t Want to be Difficult (Anymore)… Drinking Coffee Around the World
The snow comes down, 10 inches, 20 inches, the skier's dream of endless powder, and I am terrified. As a West Coaster, I have no idea how to ski in this. The avalanche guns echo as I go up the chair. Skiing in Vermont at New Year's, I reconnected with my love of the sport, … Continue reading Big Sky Country: Skiing in Montana
I walked down the driveway, and the wolf followed me. He slipped into the narrow space between the garage and the fence. We knew there was a wolf in James Bay, the area of Victoria where my sister lives. Its presence in this urban environment was unheard of, so had been all over the news … Continue reading Where the Wild Things Are
In my 2019 travels (A Year of Travel FAQ) I learned a lot about logistics. How to pack a suitcase, navigate an airport, find the best flights, accommodations and tours. The best apps for communicating, translating, managing photos and finances. But those things are ephemeral, made redundant by new tools, new software, new regulations. A … Continue reading A Year of Travel: What I Learned about the World
A drink in my hand, I look out over the New York skyline from the One World Observatory, watching as the sun sets and the city lights start to shine. I've been in almost this same place before, on my first trip to New York in the late '80s. I don't remember what I was … Continue reading New York, New York! Then and Now
How many countries? Twelve: Israel, Jordan, Egypt, England, Germany, India, Japan, USA (5 separate entries, 26 states), Iceland, Finland, Russia, Peru. I'm not counting transit countries (Turkey, UAE) or Canada, although I did some traveling in my home country, too. Other Stats? 14,000 kilometres driven in my car, plus quite a few in tour buses … Continue reading A Year of Travel FAQ
But I'm not a tourist! I hear the chorus. I'm not getting into that debate. Some days, I'm a traveller, some days a tourist. It depends on the day, and the definition. The other day my kids and I hiked to the Green Beach on the Big Island of Hawaii. Tough hike because of the … Continue reading Loving it to Death: the Tourist’s Dilemma
I wake up and I don't know what to do. It's not just that I have a choice that is difficult, but I honestly, on my first day home, have no idea what I should do. I wander around the apartment and look at the boxes that need unpacking, the suitcase with laundry and papers … Continue reading Home— and It’s Complicated
I step. I breathe. I wonder again why I thought I could do this. I step. I breathe. The Inca Trail is a 4 day, 45 km, high-altitude hike in Peru that ends at Machu Picchu, a UNESCO world heritage site. Google South America and likely the first photo you see will be this iconic … Continue reading Doing it the Hard Way: Machu Picchu from the Inca Trail
Deep in the Amazonian rainforest, beside an ironwood tree, our guide tells us about his ayahuasca experience. In a dark hut with his shaman, after days of fasting, he took the sacred plant concoction. It felt like snakes were coming out of his mouth and nose, he said, as all the bad in his soul … Continue reading Letting Go, Part 2
Brave Travels 