For years, we have wanted to go to Belize. Belize is located directly South of Mexico, below the Mayan Riviera on the Yucatan Peninsula. It was cheaper to fly into Cancun and drive down the Mayan Riviera coast, scattered with delectable turquoise beaches, and then drive on into… Continue reading
The drive to Carcassonne was beautiful… We loved the little towns perched on hilltops… Then, as you come around a corner of the highway, you might think you are seeing a mirage, an illusion, but there in the distance on a hill, is an astonishingly huge citadel!… Continue reading
When a friend invited me to join him in New York to go the opera (his big obsession), I was hesitant. I was not that keen on opera, or even on a big city for that matter. We’ve always taken a ‘pass’ on big, busy, noisy cities, preferring… Continue reading
Given our preference for little known and quieter places, we headed to the smaller islands of the Azores. The smaller islands also have the most rich green countryside, and the most genuine people. Of the nine islands of the Azores, Sao Miguel, Terceira and Faial are the three islands with… Continue reading
One day I was checking out all the shops around Parque Cristo in Havana Vieja, when I saw the Churros wagon in the park. The Lure of Churros The delicious aroma of fried dough was wafting directly to me. Mmmm… 50 pesos (65 cents) for two freshly fried… Continue reading
My friend, L, arranged a car and driver to take us to the GREAT WALL – not to the touristy rebuilt sections but to the original authentic Great Wall, unrestored, fewer tourists, 120 km NE of Beijing, called Simatai. We were anxious to see the countryside in China,… Continue reading
Taking the Trans-Canada Highway from our home in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, to our home in London, Ontario, is a long, long drive. 7000 kilometers, to be exact. Crossing Saskatchewan and Manitoba over miles of prairie and whispering grain fields holds a wonderful sense of freedom. You can see for miles,… Continue reading
A Rare Experience We felt extremely privileged to see the Pygmy Elephants in Borneo. These Borneo Elephants are the cutest elephants you have ever seen! They look like they are straight out of a Disney movie. They have big baby-face heads, big floppy ears, chubby tummies, straight husks… Continue reading
One evening on Isla Mujeres, Mexico, the sunset was particularly beautiful. We walked out onto the beach, closer to the water, to take a few colourful sunset photos. A Mexican man and his four children were laughing and playing beside a table and chairs. I asked if I might… Continue reading
Announcing the release of my new book, “TELL US ANOTHER STORY, GRANDMA”. You can find it on Amazon. This book shares true stories about growing up on the farm on the Canadian Prairies. Bored? These days, we are all at home a lot more… If you’re getting a… Continue reading
The Problem: The problem is that when you are working, you may not have much time off to vacation, or you still have commitments at home preventing you from leaving for any extended period. On the other hand, if you wait until you are retired, you will likely have… Continue reading
Lost luggage is a fact of life for most travellers. It has rarely happened to me but it did once, at the worst possible time. Travel misfortunes are just to be expected. Ireland We had just arrived in Ireland, and I was given assurance that they would find my… Continue reading
Managing the trains in Europe is not so easy as one might expect. Nice to Venice through Milan was $120C, changing trains three times with only 10-12 minutes each time to change trains. Now when you have to find a new train, on a new platform, usually requiring you… Continue reading
The rain was coming down in sideways sheets when we landed in St. John’s. Once outside, I tried to capture how intense the downpour was blasting down. It was dazzling how beautiful the rain created reflections/refractions against the lights, but photos just didn’t do it justice. St. John’s… Continue reading
[mapsmarker marker=”1″] Our dear friends survived a major cyclone in Tonga this spring. Their beautiful private island, Uoleva, and their amazing cabins on an absolutely perfect South Pacific beach were destroyed. Their entire resort was smashed and they were were lucky to withstand the cyclone alive. First, here are… Continue reading
My print book is done! DESCRIPTION: Travel. Exotic destinations. Once in a lifetime adventures. What could go wrong? Often revealing their silliest fears or dumbest travel mistakes and consequent misadventures, you will be chuckling in spite of yourself. Travel To Little Known Places is filled with humorous stories… Continue reading
The Women of Tonga The women in the Kingdom of Tonga are beautiful and large. Many are over six feet all and well over two hundred pounds. In fact, the bigger you are in Tonga, the more respect you have. That’s a hard concept for people… Continue reading
If you would like to travel cheaper, save money and have fewer travel issues, these tips for Europe will help: 1. Forget super-expensive Western Europe (England, France, Switzerland, Germany, Italy). It’s hard to enjoy travel when you are aghast at the costs of everything. 2. Focus on cheaper Central… Continue reading
You may be surprised that there are no restaurants in Ireland! None. Every town we came to, we could not find a restaurant. There are dozens and dozens of bars, one on every corner, even in the smallest town, but no restaurants. Finally, we reluctantly started going to… Continue reading
[spacer height=”20px”] Happily touring around Ireland enjoying the lush richness of every shade of green imaginable, from lime green to kelly green to deep sage green, we could hardly believe how beautiful it was. [spacer height=”20px”] [spacer height=”20px”] Our B&B was lovely, but with icy cold bedrooms, as most… Continue reading