It’s been a few years since I’ve been scuba diving. So, I was excited to jump back into the water in one of the world’s most renowned diving destinations, the Maldives. We joined the live-aboard Aggressor II for a week-long trip through this country of atolls and tiny tropical islands.
Continue reading “Scuba Diving in the Maldives”
I love visiting new countries but sometimes it’s nice to return to a place you’ve been before, especially when you have good friends there. Rob and Jolanda have been coming to Sri Lanka nearly every year since they first met (and even longer for Rob). It’s like a second home for them. Rob says it’s his happy place. The surf and the weather are just perfect and there are so many friendly familiar faces.
Continue reading “Returning to Sri Lanka”
It’s hard to believe that 10 years have passed since I set out on a life of travel adventures. Looking back, there are so many great memories and wonderful experiences. It wasn’t easy but I’ve picked out one for each of the last 10 years to share.
Continue reading “A Decade of Travel”
As I look back over photos from the past 12 months, my year looks a little inside-out. I spent the winter in nice warm New Zealand walking the 1200-km long Te Araroa. It was a great year for long-distance hiking. In the spring I returned to Canada to hike the Great Divide Trail – which looked a lot more like winter even though it was summer! I spent the second half of the year travelling around the world – my first ever circumnavigation of the earth. Cycling in the Netherlands, exploring the ever mysterious North Korea, celebrating China’s 70th anniversary in Beijing, learning yoga in Sri Lanka, scuba diving with sharks in the Maldives, and eating everything possible in Singapore.
Singapore doesn’t just have cat cafes. There’s now even a dog cafe! I was a little skeptical of the concept. Dogs like to run around and make messes and bark. But they can also be wonderfully social and they certainly love attention. We Are The Furballs pulls off the idea quite well. Continue reading “We Are The Furballs: Singapore’s first dog cafe”
Singapore is an exciting city where you’ll never tire of fun things to do. It even has three cat cafes! I visited one on my first trip to Singapore a few years ago, so I’m excited to check out another.
Meomi Cat Cafe is a cozy space with seven adorable felines. Continue reading “Singapore’s Meomi Cat Cafe”
What do you do when you have a 23-hour layover in Dubai? Maybe grab a bite to eat?
Dubai is often called “Las Vegas of the Middle East”, only bigger and better. That’s pretty accurate, I’d say. It’s big and flashy with opulent “7-star” hotels, massive water fountain displays, and exorbitant man-made islands. It’s also much less seedy than America’s Sin City. Continue reading “23 Hours in Dubai”
The great social experiment of the latter 20th century that was Communism is finally coming to an end. I’ve just visited the last bastion of Communism – North Korea – for my second time and the changes are dramatic. Continue reading “North Korea: Communist No More”
When most people think of North Korea they imagine a dictatorship closed to all outsiders. Surprisingly, it’s actually quite easy to visit. The hardest part is applying for a Chinese visa, as you have to go through China (or Russia) first. Here’s what it’s like to fly from Beijing to Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea.
Continue reading “Flying to North Korea”
This is the second time I’ve visited China in the past year. Last autumn I enjoyed snuggling the affectionate kitties at Chengdu’s Peekaboo Cat Cafe, so I decided to see what Beijing has to offer too.
Eating Snow Around the World 