“Saint Lucia dropped their entry test and quarantine requirement for vaccinated travellers!” “Let’s book it!” So this weekend we are heading to a different Caribbean island. We had originally planned to travel there in December of 2020. After three months based in Barbados, we were looking forward to exploring nearby islands. Covid numbers were low: … Continue reading Flying Back to “Normal”
The five of us walked into the beach bar after pulling our stand-up paddleboards (SUPs) above the waterline and digging face masks out of our dry bags. “Wow, we watched you come in,” said a man at the waterside table. “We’ve mostly just seen people falling in all day. You are impressive!” I was secretly … Continue reading Barbados Paddle Board Adventures
I’ve given up fighting a sandal tan. I used to put a lot of effort, on holiday, into not getting tan lines from my sandals. I’d sit with only my bare feet in the sun, and slather on the sunblock when I was wearing sandals. I used to be proud of my tan. I tan … Continue reading How Barbados Has Changed Me
My position wasn’t quite right and instead of the long run to the beach that I’d been doing all morning, I came off the surfboard less than 5 metres from where I’d started. The water was chest deep, but knowing that one good wave is often followed by another I stood and looked back to … Continue reading Learning to Surf
“We killed the flu!” A friend who loves data posted a graph of the year over year numbers for influenza. There was a precipitous decline this year. Apparently masks, social distancing and hand washing don’t just inhibit transmission of Covid-19. He analysed data from the States but the same trend is apparent in Canada— seasonal … Continue reading Slacking Off, Tightening Up: It’s Not Safe Yet
The waiter brings another Rum Punch as we lounge poolside, deciding which catamaran tour to take the next day. Just kidding. We cling to the seat back in the ZR van as it careens at high speed around a corner, reggae music blaring, headed to the fish market. We’ll buy the catch of the day … Continue reading It’s Not a Holiday
The first thing I learned during quarantine was not to have expectations. I did not write a book, nor read many of the dozens that were waiting for me. After a month, I took the piles off the coffee table, where their presence was supposed to prompt me to open them, but only succeeded in … Continue reading So What Did You Learn During Quarantine?
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
Hearing about my six months of travelling this year, the most common question from people is, "What was your favourite place?" (Impossible to answer, by the way. So many places, so different, each with their unique appeal.) The second is, "Don't you get homesick?" And the answer is, "No." That's ingenuous, of course. There were … Continue reading Don’t you Get Homesick?
Determined to get back in the habit of working out, I headed to the hotel gym this week. As I was doing a bicep curl on the Universal machine, I noticed I was holding my left hand a little funny. I was puzzled for a moment and then I realized-- I was protecting the gold … Continue reading Breaking the Habit of Being Comfortable
Brave Travels 