One of South America’s most impressive sights must be the thundering Iguazu Falls. At the start of our Latin America trip I didn’t really have any plans to visit the falls but covid restrictions suddenly made it a good option. We started the trip in Chile and they kept all their land borders firmly shut, so I started looking at options to fly out. It turned out that a quick flight to Iguazu was the cheapest option and too good of an opportunity to pass up. Continue reading “Iguazu Falls”→
It wasn’t easy to get into Chile just a few days after they opened their borders following a long period of covid-related isolation. For the second time in as many years I had to flight to get to Patagonia to witness a spectacular event: the total eclipse of the sun. Continue reading “TSE2021: A total solar eclipse over Antarctica”→
2021 was a year of staying at home in Canada, a place that many people dream of visiting. Even though I really wanted to travel, staying at home gave me the opportunity to foster kittens and to welcome a wonderful dog into our home. I reconnected with the mountains at the BMC climbing camp and got together with good friends to explore a rarely visited park, hidden in northern BC. With the cooler temperatures of autumn, I began exploring many more of the beautiful trails that the Kootenays have to offer and set myself a goal of hiking every one of them in my guidebook. Finally, at the end the year, I got to travel again. We picked Chile, one of the safest but most complicated countries to visit, where both the capital and the amazingly scenic Patagonia left a lasting impression.
En 2021 me tocó permanecer en casa en Canadá, un lugar al que mucha gente sueña con ir. Pero, qué sitio tan bonito. A pesar de tener muchas ganas de viajar, me hice amigo de muchas gatitas, a las que cuido como dueño de paso, y una perra cariñosísima. Volví a las montañas rocosas de Columbia Británica a hacer alpinismo y me reuní con buenos amigos para explorar un rincón escondido en el norte del país. Descubrí muchos nuevos senderos y me propuse terminarlos todos, lo cual será un meta a largo plazo. Por fin, a finales del año, me tocó viajar de nuevo. Me fui a Chile para conocer la capital y para desafiarme en los caminos patagónicos. Que el año entrante sea muy especial y lleno de aventuras.
– January – After many years of spending winters travelling, it’s wonderful to snowshoe everyday.
– Enero – Después de muchos años viajando, es maravilloso disfrutar del invierno canadiense.Continue reading “2021 in 12 Photos”→
Nearly every summer since 2014, I’ve attended a week-long mountaineering camp in BC. There are two similar camps, one fairly big and the other more intimate. The larger camp is organized by the Alpine Club of Canada and it’s really quite impressive the logistics that go into hosting 25+ climbers. Given the ongoing pandemic and just because I prefer smaller groups, this year I decided to join the smaller camp organized by Pierre Hungr and his wife Natelle. After missing out on both camps last year due to the pandemic, I was pretty excited for the whole experience. Continue reading “BMC 2021”→
Three years after our first trip to Edziza, Jim, Calder, and I are back. This time we’ve got a bigger group. Marilyn (Jim’s partner) as well as Meg and Manrico (Marilyn’s friends) join us for what promises to be another exciting adventure. Continue reading “Edziza – A Volcanic Backpacking Trip”→
I don’t like to give up. For the last two years, I’ve been planning a trip to Argentina to see the December 14 Total Solar Eclipse. When COVID exploded in March, Argentina closed their borders and I realized that it was going to be very difficult, if not impossible, to see the eclipse. In spite of this seemingly impossible situation, I never gave up hope. In the months and weeks leading up to the eclipse, I got in touch with anyone and everyone who might be able to help me get in. Everyone told me the same thing: it was simply impossible, the borders were totally closed, and my dream was crazy. Finally, with only a few days to go, I got in touch with a travel agent who had contact with the Argentine Ministries of Tourism & Immigration. Long story short, that’s how I found myself on an international flight for the first time in nine months. Continue reading “Argentina Is Closed”→
2020 hasn’t been the best year for travelling, which has been my main theme and focus for the last ten years. Despite that, I did manage to visit five new countries at the beginning of the year before the coronavirus turned into a pandemic and I’ve also learned a new language – español. While I couldn’t travel during most of the year, staying put in Canada gave me the opportunity to explore my own backyard and to spend time with my loved ones.
El 2020 no ha sido el mejor año para viajar, lo que a mí más me gusta hacer. Sin embargo, logré visitar cinco nuevos países y he aprendido a hablar un nuevo idioma – el hermoso español. No pude viajar durante gran parte del año pero eso me permitió conocer mejor mi propia tierra y pasar más tiempo valioso con mis queridos familiares.
– January – A tea ceremony welcomes us to Kinosaki Onsen, Japan
– Enero – ¡Bienvenidos a Kinosaki Onsen, Japón! Una ceremonia de té nos da la bienvenida más cálida
Sometimes life takes us in directions we’d never anticipated. Eight months ago I thought I’d be travelling through South America right now. My plan was to visit all the Spanish-speaking countries on the continent. But that was not to be. All of a sudden, a now infamous virus appeared, completely changing my plans. That’s how I found myself back in Canada, surrounded by beautiful mountains and one of the most celebrated mountain biking trails in the world. Continue reading “How a pandemic brought me back home”→
Eating Snow Around the World 