To Turkey! I was surprised by the emails and phone calls I had been receiving from friends and family fearing my safety in Istanbul. “Wear a scarf on your head,” they said. “Keep to yourself. Keep your mouth shut,” they wrote. “Tell them you’re from Canada,” they whispered. I was surprised because I’d been there … Continued
Ibn Battuta once said, “Travel- it leaves you speechless and then turns you into a story teller.” When my feet first touched the ground in Peru, I instantly felt changed. Every single step was culturally enriching, from hiking Machu Picchu, to trekking through the Amazon Forest, to running through the markets of Cusco in the … Continued
SEVEN DAYS LEFT to share your story in our Inspiration Travel Writing Contest! We are looking for an article about a place that inspires you to spend your time with no regrets. FIRST PRIZE is $1,000usd. Total prizes: $1,750usd. CLICK HERE for more information and to ENTER! I thought your might need some inspiration from … Continued
From our Latest News: Hello from Koh Samui, Thailand. Lately we have been enjoying life in Lamai Beach, Koh Samui, Thailand. See photos above and below for the band George has been playing with at Rock Island House Bar and our new friends from this visit. When we were here last Poi was a tiny eight-month … Continued
WINTER 2014 INSPIRATION TRAVEL WRITING CONTEST $1,750usd in CASH PRIZES, Free Entry Enter by February 14, 2014 at midnight PST. We are looking for an article about a place that inspires you to spend your time with no regrets. In Arnold Bennett’s book, How to Live on 24 Hours a Day, he writes about how time is … Continued
I was born in the city in Vietnam and have lived in the fast-paced city life all of my life here in the United States. Although I love the diversity of cultures, exchanges in ideas, and the excitement of city life, time simply flies by so quickly that I often find myself wondering if I … Continued
You can dress a puddle of mud up how you like. Call it a “mud spa”, “a mud volcano”, even a “mud fountain” if you want-but essentially, it remains what it is-a puddle of mud. These are my thoughts as I stood on the wooden steps of the 15 metre El Totumo mud volcano in … Continued
It’s the one place on earth where I don’t like to sleep: I don’t want to miss a thing. I don’t want to waste a minute of the day, or night. It’s my spiritual home. The place where I take off my suit of armour and just be me. It’s where I breathe deeply. Where … Continued
I’m sitting at a square wooden table in the Brûlerie of Quebec City’s St. Roch – my neighborhood since December 2012. My ears will NOT defrost. I once read that Canada “is a country much too cold for good sense.” It’s -28°C outside. -38°C felt. I can only agree. A soya latte is slowly warming … Continued
I had to go to Paris because I’m going somewhere else. Yes, I needed a Schengen Visa and (they say,) the easiest way to get a multiple-entry visa is via the French embassy. And so the Paris trip happened. Honestly, I never really thought it would be a good idea to be roaming around Paris, … Continued