It's Been a While but Rest Assured, I am Still Here...with lots of Posts to come in the Near Future

Yes, for anyone wondering, I did return from my solo trip to Central America, bruised and sunburned, but in one piece.. I just haven't had the chance to blog about it yet. I had some very hard life events to deal with upon my return. Three days after I arrived back in Cape Breton, My mother passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. Devastation, shock, exhaustion and sadness settled in and my life was literally turned upside down. I am still feeling pretty down but I think I am ready to jump right back into the blogging and writing because its what Mom would have wanted since she was my biggest fan and supporter and was so proud of my work. I've started working on a few posts already but they are not ready to show to the world just yet but in another week or so, I should be back to my normal pace and posting shall continue as it always did!

This is my Ultimate Bucket List

Most visitors to my blog know by now that I am in the midst of planning a trip to Central America. I'm getting there but there's just one more critical part of this trip that I just cannot decide on; whether or not to stay in Costa Rica for the entire two weeks (I'll have 5 days to just kick around San Jose and visit some active volcanoes after my stay in Montezuma) or venture off into Panama and visit Panama City and the Canal. So it comes down to this; visit one of the world's most famous man-made wonders that joins the world's two largest oceans or explore active volcanoes. Both are on my bucket list but with time and money restraints, I can only do one. My original plan was to do both but work obligations made me have to cut a few days off my trip in order to be back in my desk by April 18th. Technically speaking, I could do it but, taking into consideration travel times and flight delays, if I were to fly from San Jose to Panama City, I would end up with around 12 hours in which to explore the city and the canal. To me, it does not seem worth it to spend all that extra money for a mere 12 hours. Or is it? I've received many suggestions and most people seem to think that, unless I am an architect or have a specific interest in canals and marine navigation, I probably wouldn't get much out of a visit to the canal. I find that hard to believe.

When I dig a little deeper into my subconscious, it really does come down to wanting to get that extra stamp on my passport so I can say I was in Panama. The smarter side of my brain is telling me that it would be really stupid to spend all that extra money just so I can have another stamp on my passport. Having those bragging rights would be pretty cool but not if I didn't get anything out of it besides that. Now the juices are flowing! I think I made up my mind; stay in Costa Rica and explore the many wonders that country has to offer. Besides, I have my whole life in front of me and I don't plan on retiring my passport or backpack any time soon. I can see the canal another time. It's strange how all this trip planning has got me thinking about future trips. I should be focusing on this one but my mind is constantly wandering and thinking to next year's adventure and the many more after that. There are so many things I want to see! I have already seen so much in my lifetime of travels so far and I haven't even left The Americas yet. I still have Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania to explore and many bucket list items have yet to be crossed off my list. Some of the items on my list are places while others are experiences and each will be crossed off one by one. So here is my ultimate bucket list:

1) Junk Boat cruise in Halong Bay, Vietnam
2) African Safari in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
3) Aerial tour of Victoria Falls, Zambia
4) The Egyptian Pyramids
5) A fly-over of Mount Everest
6) Bungee jumping and skydiving in New Zealand (and just everything about New Zealand...it's my number one destination that I must see before I die even if I don't get to bungee jump but I would love to see the Waitomo Glowworm Caves!)
7) Scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef
8) Swimming with whale sharks off the Caribbean Coast of Mexico
9) A walkabout in the Australian Outback
10) Shark cage diving with Great Whites off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa
11) Tour of the Grand Canyon by mule
12) A Nile Cruise
13) A well-planned and well-thought-out extended expedition on the Amazon including the surrounding jungles and rainforests
14) Machu Picchu
15) The Great Wall of China
16) The Taj Mahal
17) Camping trip in Hawaii (not sure which islands yet, but island hopping would definitely be in order on a trip like this!)
18) A multi-country backpacking trip through Europe. Some notable must-sees on this trip include the Paris Catacombs, Ibiza, Venice, the ancient ruins in Greece, Rome and Vatican City, the Scottish Highlands and the Irish Countryside Even if it takes a few months or close to a year, I must set foot in every country on the continent(or almost every country)
19) Trekking in Tibet
20) Travel way up north for the sole purpose of three things: Dog sledding, sleeping in an Igloo and viewing the Northern Lights.
21) Hang Son Doong Cave in Vietnam
22) The Galapagos Islands
23) Riding the rails on the The Trans-Mongolian Railway
24) Easter Island
25) Hot air balloon excursion over Cappadocia, Turkey
26) Newfoundland. Yes I know I lived there for 12 years but the island is so big, I only got to see a small portion of it!
27) Antarctica. Yes I may be really dreaming on this one but its nice to dream!
28) And of course, I can't forget this most important item on my list and believe it or not, its a tour of my own country. After all, Canada is massive and each and every province is different in its own way and what better way to see it than with a cross-country train trip from coast to coast!

Maybe I'm just dreaming when it comes to many of these bucket list items but only through dreaming do dreams every come true! My list is fairly long and, while some of these items are cliche and on the well-beaten path when it comes to bucket list items, others are seemingly so far flung that maybe I will just have to work harder at knocking them off my list!

The Day I Almost got Myself Added to the Infamous "No Fly" List

Travelers gain a lot from their travels due to their interaction with different cultures and the many opportunities to have new experiences. Sometimes these experiences are good, even life-changing. Some are so bad that they are best left forgotten and never spoken of again. Others are so bad that they are forgotten about for a while only to be dredged up years later when they can finally be laughed about and even turned into a blog post to share with the world. With all the planning I have been doing for my upcoming trip to Costa Rica and Panama and the realization that I will be dealing with the headaches that come with flying and navigating large international airports, I have been recalling (and finally laughing about) an experience I had while traveling a few years back.

Although a number of bad things happened on that trip (food sickness, heat exhaustion, a run-in with some unfriendly locals and a drunken, cranky travel mate), the final hurrah to the end of a trip that almost saw me brought back in a body bag actually occurred on Canadian soil; it all came to a screeching halt at Pearson International Airport in Toronto on a journey that began only a week earlier on the Riviera Maya, Mexico. That was the day I almost got myself put on the infamous “no fly” list.

That last day in Playa Del Carmen was a strange one. My travel partner and I were not seeing eye-to-eye (I was feeling more like a babysitter to a drunken teenager than a travel partner), I was so sick I could barely move and all I wanted to do was lay on the beach and sleep all day rather than get on a 4-hour flight to Toronto where I would have to wait another 12 hours in a crowded, noisy airport with an adult baby in tow. We arrived very late at night and fortunately things were quiet in one of North America’s largest airports; but that was about to change.

My first mistake was trusting my travel partner when he said it was ok to pay a middle-aged Chinese couple who could barely speak English to keep our luggage in the back room of their small shop so we wouldn’t have to lug it around with us. As I found out later, this is never a good idea and almost cost me my luggage when it was all said and done. With our luggage stowed away in this (probably not very legit) makeshift storage area, we set out to find a place to rest for the night. One of the final games of the Stanley Cup Playoffs was airing so, of course, he wanted to plant himself down somewhere where he could watch the game. None of the televisions were on in the main area of the airport so we made our way to security to go inside our gate, assuming we would be able to leave again in the morning to get our luggage and come back. We had legit onward tickets to Halifax and Sydney and the man checking us through security looked at them thoroughly (or so we thought) before letting us through. My travel partner planted himself in front of a working television where he watched the game and I dragged my sick self a few rows down and snuggled up with my travel blanket as best I could on the hard, cramped seats.

Hard as it is to believe, I did actually fall asleep in that uncomfortable position but somewhere in the middle of the night, I was awoken by someone shaking me and removing my blanket to expose me to the freezing cold air that is common in airport terminals. Who could possibly steal a blanket from a sick girl? You guessed it! When I stood to inspect my surroundings and catch the thief red-handed, my (selfish and probably still drunk) travel partner was curled up on a bench a few rows down…fully wrapped in that blanket that had been keeping me warm only a few moments earlier. Fully awake and in shock at the scene before me, I finally tried to take the blanket back from him but to no avail. He just tugged back and than tucked it underneath himself so I would not be able to retrieve it without actually knocking him onto the cold floor, which did cross my mind. In the end, unable to fall back asleep, I decided to head to the main entrance of the airport, outside of the gate, to get some fresh air. I always thought that as long as you had your ticket and documents with you, you could come and go through your gate as much as possible. This is true…if you enter your gate in the allowed time period. The security guard let us enter much earlier than we were supposed to. I wonder how he is doing serving fries at MacDonald’s because I am sure that after his major security slip that night, his career goals of moving up the airport security ladder at one of the busiest airports on the continent slipped into oblivion.

For such a large airport, it was eerily quiet and there was hardly anyone around. Little did I know, the powers that be were already onto me and my every move was being watched. I found a door that I thought would lead to the main area of the airport but it didn’t budge. I pressed buttons on elevators that didn’t move and finally found one that brought me down a few levels to a hallway with a few doors. Panicked set in when I was unable to get back on that elevator and unable to open any of the doors except one…I walked through and was greeted by three burly security guards who blocked me from going any further. They had spotted me “acting suspiciously” on the security cameras. I knew I was in big trouble when they lead me to a small interrogation room where some very stern immigration officials waited. Everyone has heard of these rooms; now I can say I’ve been in one and it was not a pleasant experience.

The first thing they wanted to know was if I was traveling with anyone else. I led them to my still sleeping-like-a-baby travel partner who, in his permanent *sshole state, started to yell, curse and act like a lunatic. All I could think was “great, now we’re in really deep…way to go idiot”. And back to the interrogation room we went…two potential “terrorists” and our captors. I should also mention that by this time, it was about 2am and only a mere few hours away from having to catch our flights back to the east coast and our luggage was still downstairs in that shady storage room. That was the first thing they asked about; if we just spent a week in Mexico, where was our luggage? Our response did not go over very well with them. Neither did our answer to “how did you get into that gate so many hours before your flight departure”. I feel like I handled myself pretty well. I was cooperative, I showed my documents when asked, I answered all questions truthfully and to the best of my knowledge. Dumbass (which was a more suitable name to call my dimwitted travel partner by that point) again began to raise his voice, refused to answer simple questions, refused to show his passport without seeing proper “badges” and made a total idiot out of the both of us which was not good for our case. Trying to calm him down was no good. He was acting like someone who was drunk or high on drugs which resulted in more searches, more questions and more waiting. We were coming from Mexico after all so by that point, we were no longer potential terrorists, we were potential drug traffickers.

The guards wanted to know 3 things; how did we get into that gate so early, where was our luggage and what was I doing “acting suspiciously” in the middle of the night in an area of the airport I shouldn’t have been. I answered every question as best I could. The young man working security looked at our tickets, sent us and our belongings through the security screeners and waved us through. Our luggage was in a storage facility near the food court on the first floor. And I was not acting suspiciously; I was trying to get outside to get some air. Time was ticking quickly and my only hope for catching my flight back home was that the severe thunderstorm brewing over Toronto would delay my flight. Fortunately it did and after a few more hours of being grilled with question after question, all I wanted to do was go home and crash for a week. We went through security screening together and I had just enough time to turn to my (former) friend and bid him adieu and leave him in total shock over my hasty and cold goodbye before boarding separate airplanes to different cities. I have not heard from him nor seen him since.

The Solo Traveler’s Hand Book - A Book Review

The Solo Traveler’s Hand Book

Janice Leith Waugh

The prospect of traveling alone can be an intimidating and scary thought especially when traveling to a place you have never been to before or traveling to a place where no one speaks the same language as you or there are real and present dangers. But, as the author of The Solo Traveler’s Handbook points out, traveling alone can be one of the greatest things one can do in life.

Although this book only contains 116 pages, the information packed inside its small package makes you think you are reading an encyclopedia-size book covering every topic imaginable on a subject of high importance for independent travelers. Some of the topics covered in the book include:

-tips on getting started on a solo journey
-best places to go solo
-money management tips (including ways to save money for an upcoming trip and ways to save money while traveling).
-culture shock
-packing
-packaged travel vs. independent solo travel
-how to avoid the single supplement
-how to beat loneliness on the road
-safety
-self portrait photography
-potential dangers one may face

Also included are some personal solo travel stories from the author and several other travelers and a ton of resources. So, as you can see, The Solo Traveler’s Handbook is a must read for anyone thinking of traveling alone but also for any traveler seeking new tips on how to make their trips safer and more enjoyable.

The Perils of Trip Planning ...continued...Some Tips on How to Reduce Some of Those Perils

As promised, here are some tips to make your travel planning easier. Of course, everyone has their own way of doing things and I’m sure I've only covered a very small portion of what needs to go into some trips. My list is comprised of things I learned along the way that have helped me make the process an easier one.

TRAVEL PLANNING TIPS – The beginning stages

We’ll assume by this point, you have already decided where to go so now you need to do some research on your destination. Even if you prefer not to plan ahead and wish to just jump into a country knowing very little beforehand, it is important to do some research. Research everything about the country. Research things like:
-crime statistics
-emergency numbers
-local customs and traditions
-the weather
-bus schedules
-how much things will cost
-what type of currency will you need
-accessibility to things you may require during your travels such as banks, hostels, embassies and bus stations.
-natural disasters that can occur in the area

Make sure to find out what is required of you to visit the country you are traveling to. Do you need proof of vaccination? Some countries have no vaccination requirements, some recommend you get certain vaccines and some require proof of certain ones. This needs to be done as early as possible because you will need to make an appointment with your doctor and have any needles administered at least 6 weeks before departure in order for them to take affect. Is there an exit fee at your destination? If so, you will need to have cash on hand to pay it before departing. Does the country you are visiting require you to have proof of an ongoing ticket in order to enter? If you need this and do not have it, you may be refused entry or you may be required to purchase an ongoing plane or bus ticket. Are visas required to enter the country you are traveling to? You can find out by visiting your federal government’s website. Do you plan on driving at your destination? An international driver’s license may be required.

There are many ways to learn more about your destination. You can:
-Ask friends and family members who have been there.
-Read other traveler’s experiences on their personal blogs.
-Read reviews on travel websites such as Trip Advisor.
-Watch videos about your destination or watch movies that are set there.
-Take part in travel forums. I needed to find out some information about my trip and found the use of forums, such as the ones on Trip Advisor and Lonely Planet, to be very useful.
-Read books about your destination

TRAVEL PLANNING TIPS – Midway

Once you have decided where you are going and have done some research (which should be ongoing right up to departure), you can now figure out the rest of your trip such as flights, accommodation, activities, etc.

Flights
Getting a good deal on flights can be tricky. In fact, it’s a gamble to say the least. One day, your preferred flight route could be half the price that it is the next day. And vice versa. Here are some tips on getting the best price for your flight:
-Sign up for “deal alert” newsletters from a number of airfare suppliers including the airlines themselves and other sites such as Hotwire,Expedia, CheapOair and Orbitz. There are many such sites and a simple search in Google or other search engine will turn up many results. Hotwire, in particular, has a feature that allows you to type in your desired itinerary and other information to receive periodic alerts of when that route is on sale and when the price goes up.
-It is said that airfare is at its cheapest on Tuesdays at 3PM. Whether or not there is any truth to this or not, many travelers and industry professionals back up this claim so it can’t hurt to make this timeframe a priority when searching for airfare.
-Try not to book too early unless you do find a very good deal. Booking to early means you could miss out on last-minute deals later on and there are some very good deals to be had at the last minute if you can wait that long!
-If possible, book flights that fly in and out of smaller, lesser-known airports as this can also save you some money.
-Being flexible with dates can also get you a good deal and there is also the option of flying on stand-by if your schedule allows. If you are lucky, your plane may be overbooked and you can volunteer to get bumped by a day or two and in return be thanked with airfare vouchers to be used on future flights with the airline.
-Make sure to read the fine print before you book so you are aware of the airlines cancellation policy and extra fees.

Accommodation

While it is not necessary to book accommodation well in advance, one thing you should look into when doing your research is whether or not there will be any accommodation available or not. In other words, travelers should always check if there is a major event, holiday or religious celebration occurring during their visit because if there is, you may need to book far in advance or plan to be very creative with your sleeping arrangements. While researching for my trip to Costa Rica, I learned that Easter celebrations are a huge event in the country and, because I was traveling close to that time, I did some more research into the dates and discovered that I would be traveling the week after Easter. Had it been the opposite, I would have a very hard time finding accommodations in San Jose if I started looking now! Finding the right place to stay can be a bit of a trying experience as there is so much information out there and so many places to choose from so I came up with some tips to share with you that have helped me in the past:
-First, you need to determine your budget. If you are a luxury or mid-way traveler, you may prefer to stay in a 5-star resort or luxury chain hotel. Budget travelers save the most money by staying in hostels but Bed and Breakfasts and some smaller hotel chains often offer great deals too. Websites such as hostels.com and hotels.com have comprehensive lists of accommodation available in every country and Trip Advisor is a great place to read about other traveler’s experiences. More creative and adventurous travelers can try couchsurfing or house swapping. Both of these options have their pros and cons. You will be opening yourself up to complete strangers on one hand but on the other, you will meet new people and get to learn more about the culture of the country you are visiting.
-If you are traveling anywhere in North America or Europe, the hotel star system is pretty accurate but in other places, such as Central and South America, it gets tricky. For example: A 5-star resort in Cuba is what you might consider to be a 3-star back home. I stayed in a 4-star in Cuba and with puddles of water on the floor in the bathroom, very little hot water, a television that didn’t work, faulty power outlets, cockroaches scurrying around in every corner, a patio door that would not lock, leaky windows (that caused massive puddles in the rainy season monsoon I got caught in), very plain and dated décor and a shortage of virtually everything, it was more like a 2-star or lower. But that is Cuba and tourists are warned beforehand that Cuba is very, very different. Don’t get me wrong; I loved Cuba and would go back there in a heartbeat and probably stay in the same type of accommodations. I’m just telling you this so you know not to rely on the hotel star system.
-Again, sign up for travel newsletters that deal with hotels and other accommodation.

Ground Transportation – Know your options beforehand

-Some forms of ground transportation, such as cabs and local buses, cannot be booked in advance, but can certainly be researched. If you are traveling with a group or to an all-inclusive resort vacation, chances are, your ground transportation is already included in your itinerary. Make sure to double check this and get all the information you need in order to secure your safe passage to your destination. Ask for a phone number and the name of the person to reach if you are unable to locate your shuttle upon exiting your plane. Have clear instructions on where to go to meet your driver and get instructions on what to do in the event of a delayed flight or missed shuttle. I made sure I had all necessary information about my shuttle before I arrived in Cancun and this helped a lot! I was able to navigate through crowds of people who couldn’t speak English but were obviously trying to scam me into taking their cab or bus to another destination.
-If you are traveling independently, there are some options to get you where you need to go such as inter-city buses, coachline buses that travel between cities and countries, trains and short-haul flights. For my ground trip from San Jose, Costa Rica to Panama City, I have the option to book with TicaBus which offers routes between various countries and cities in Central America. Flights, in particular should be booked in advance but trains and buses usually accept last-minute passengers who can purchase a ticket at the station. It is important to do some research into these options before you leave to make sure you are able to secure a seat.
-If the train or bus company you are traveling with has an online bus schedule, print it off and take it with you. You should also take a picture of the bus schedule when you arrive at the terminal just so you have it with you in case it is needed again.
-In some countries, buses and trains are rarely on time, so incorporate this into your trip planning so you can arrive early at the terminal.

THE FINAL STAGES- The last minute details before departure

-Print a few copies of your passport, itinerary, identification and other important documents. Leave one set at home and keep at least one set with you in a separate pocket or bag from the originals.
-Put alerts on all your credit and debit cards so that your banks know that you are away in case any suspicious activity should show up on your account. Failing to do this can result in your bank blocking access to your account after they see that someone abroad has been using it. If you don’t tell them, they will not know that the person using it is you.
-Register with the federal government in your country so it is known that you are abroad in case of natural disaster or civil unrest in the area. I am from Canada and there is a website where I can do this and I am also provided with a phone number to contact in case of emergency, so I assume most other countries offer this service to travelers as well.
-write down all important phone numbers such as close family and friends, any hotels you will be staying at, bus stations, airlines, etc...any phone number you think you may need while on the road.
-Don’t wait until the last minute to pack – start at least a week before you leave. Be careful not to over-pack because you will end up paying extra fees and you are the one who will have to lug around that heavy, overstuffed suitcase or backpack. Besides the obvious, some other important items you should pack include an adapter if it is needed at your destination and a good pair of walking shoes. Things you do not need include cosmetics other than a few necessary items, jewelry and anything that you do not need or will not use.
-Determine what type of currency you should have on-hand at your destination and acquire some from your bank beforehand. You can watch the exchange rates online at various websites such as http://www.xe.com/ucc/.
-In the weeks and days leading up to your departure, be sure to check for any government issued travel advisories that may have been put out about your destination.


UPON ARRIVAL – Know what to expect and be prepared

You are about to get off a plane in a place you may never have laid eyes on where, perhaps, no one speaks the same language as you. Airports are always going to be crazy, hectic places but there are ways to make it easier for you to get through this initial stage and get on your way!
-Follow instructions given to you by flight attendants and ask them questions if needed because you may have trouble finding someone who speaks English in the airport.
- If your ground transportation is already included in your trip, Find your shuttle driver or tour operator and make sure you get on the right bus with the right people because there are many scams occurring in airports all over the world and ground transportation is one of them. For example, when I traveled to Mexico, I was warned about rogue shuttles that take tourists to their hotel but actually take them on a detour which ends with them trying to persuade you to buy a timeshare. While no danger is present in this type of circumstance, I would have been quite annoyed had I been lead away from my destination for a day. Fortunately, I knew who those people were right away and, without making eye contact, just passed by them and found who I was looking for.

Taxis
Taxis can be sketchy in some places but can also be the safest and cheapest method if you know what you are looking for. Always go with clearly marked taxis that are either metered or have drivers that are open to fair negotiation on how much it will cost to get to your destination. Do not share cabs with strangers. The only time doing so may be considered safe (because it can save you money) is sharing with someone you met on your flight who is going in the same direction with you. Sharing a cab with someone you just met at the airport or on the street can present some danger as there are professional criminals who do exactly this to prey on unsuspecting and trusting travelers.

And that, my fellow travelers, is how I do it and (almost) everything works out in the end for me every time. Hopefully these tips will help you to feel more at ease when planning your next trip.

Why I love to Travel – The Vague and not so Vague Reasons

It’s the start of a new year and you know what that means? New Year resolutions and new beginnings. This certainly holds true for me this year and, although I am not one for New Year resolutions, this year I did make some and I plan to keep them. One of my resolutions this year is to travel more. I have always wanted to travel and have done my fair share of traveling but I would like to see so many more places. That is my vague and shallow reason for wanting to travel more. The reasons behind my desire to see more of the world are much deeper than just wanting to see new places.

I always knew I was different from everyone else. Even as a child while the other children were indoors watching cartoons or playing with toys, I was always outdoors exploring new nooks and crannies around the neighborhood and trying new things. Many of the other kids thought I was weird and eccentric for not being “normal” like the rest of them but I simply did not get any enjoyment out of sitting in front of the television or playing with dolls. I preferred scaling the cliffs near the beach in search of a new viewpoint from which to see the neighborhood and surrounding area, digging for dinosaur bones at the gravel pits behind the ball field, seeking new trees to climb or getting lost on the old wood trails in the forest behind my house. Sometimes the other kids joined me, other times, I wandered off on my own in search of new adventures. I learned from an early age that if I was going to do the things I enjoyed and not live my life according to what everyone else was doing, I would need to learn to do those things on my own. Some people might call me a bit of a loner; I prefer the term independent.

Now that I am older, I still love to embark on the odd adventure except now my adventures go way beyond my backyard and the gravel pits down the street. My love of travel started at a young age after my parents took my sisters and I on a month-long trip along the Eastern Seaboard from Maine to Florida. Since I have been out on my own, I try to make the best use of my talents as an escape artist and go on at least one big trip to another country every year. It started with road trips within Canada and the United States and graduated to all-inclusive Caribbean vacations. I love road trips but the all-inclusive experience (with the non-stop boozing and spending an entire week within the confines of a fancy resort) was lost on me so now, this spring, I am celebrating my love of independent travel with a solo backpacking trip in Central America. I won a trip to spend a week at a yoga/adventure retreat in Montezuma, Costa Rica and instead of just hopping on a plane and heading home when the week ends, I am setting out on the backpacker trail into Panama and other surrounding countries. Am I scared? A bit. I’m not really sure what to expect or which way to go or where I will end up but I am up for the challenge. Am I excited? You bet I am! This upcoming adventure has had me thinking about why I would prefer to travel this way. It also has me thinking about all the great things I learned about my past travels and all the things I can learn in my future travels. Travel has lots of benefits and I have witnessed those benefits first-hand in the past and I know what the benefits of this upcoming trip and any other future trips I take will be. Travelers who spend a week on an all-inclusive resort every year and never venture beyond the metal gates of their home-away-from-home to meet the locals and see how they live will probably not know what I am talking about. The benefits they gain from their trips are obvious; a week on the beach, a non-stop party, relaxation, prepared meals, safety in a foreign country that could otherwise be dangerous and a suntan. The benefits of real, off-the-beaten track travel are obvious to travelers like me who crave adventure, culture, new learning opportunities and the unknown beyond that metal gate.

As someone who often wonders what it would be like to just sell everything and set out with my backpack and explore the world indefinitely (and yes, it has crossed my mind many times), it is only natural that I spend a significant amount of my free time dreaming about, researching about, writing about and planning my next trip. Because I have a full-time job and other obligations to fulfill here at home, I have not been able to just toss that all away to travel the world but I make a point to take a couple of trips somewhere knew every year and even that gets people talking. I hear it all and most of it is negative. People ask me questions such as “where do you get the money to do all this traveling”, “aren’t you afraid you will be kidnapped or murdered traveling alone to these far flung places”, “shouldn’t you be thinking about settling down with a family and a house by now instead of wandering about”, “don’t you have a job and goals for the future” and so on and so on. Are these people jealous? Perhaps. Are they judgmental of my choices? Possibly. Are they misunderstanding the whole point of my choices and why travel is so important to me? Most likely. Many people in this “developed” society believe that they are free to make their own choices and live their life the way they want but most of them graduate school, go to college or get a job immediately after, get married, buy a house, have kids and live life every day as a sleep, eat, work, plant their butts in front of the TV for a few hours and repeat hamster wheel until they die. That doesn’t sound very free to me but it is their choice and I do not question their choices, so why all the negative reactions to mine? I feel free when I travel. I learn about the world around me when I travel. I learn about different cultures. I learn about how different people in other places are from me but also how similar they are. So with all the positive things that come from seeing and experiencing the world around me, why are so many people against me doing it?

I believe my current views of humanity stem from a number of things including the fact that I have traveled to other countries and witnessed how other cultures go on with their day-to-day lives. Here in the developed world, everything is done for us. Life is structured. We go to school, we graduate, we go to college, we get a job, we make money, we start a family, we retire. When we need something, we go to the supermarket and pick it up with the money we earn from working. If we find ourselves unemployed, we get unemployment insurance. If we don’t feel like working, there is social assistance there to fall back on if that is your sort of thing. People in lesser-developed countries do not have a lot of these options and many of them are so poor they make do with what little they can carry on their backs. And you want to know what is so ironic about that? Some of the poorest people I have met are also the happiest.

I’ve seen people begging in the streets. I’ve had people try to sell the clothing off their backs for extra money to buy food. I met people who had to hitchhike or walk many miles to jobs that barely put food on the table. I’ve come across entire villages whose inhabitants relied solely on the land to provide the necessities of everyday life. I witnessed men building highways by hand in sweltering heat for 16 hours a day. I’ve met people with extraordinary talents in the arts selling their work for mere pennies on the street. I have seen people having to go through things that would probably make most of us here in the developed world give up entirely…but yet they still smile, they still laugh and they maintain a level of friendliness, honesty, care and love toward their fellow man that I rarely witness here at home. The lack of selfishness is astounding and it is not uncommon to see someone with almost nothing share the last bit of something he has with another and expect nothing in return. Many of the people I’ve met in these supposed “lesser developed” countries are stronger, both mentally and physically, than anyone I know here at home. They also work harder for less and hardly ever complain.

I recall an event that occurred while I was walking on a beach along the Riviera Maya in Mexico. It was a beautiful beach but once I noticed that it was blocked off with a fence to keep the locals out, I no longer felt like I should be there. After all, the local people had more right to be on that beach than I did. None of the other tourists seemed to care and seemed happy to keep the local people on the other side of the fence. I approached that fence and watched as barefoot children fished with crude fishing poles and adults tended to a fire nearby. They laughed, they hugged, the carried on…they looked happy despite being obviously very poor. I turned around and looked at the tourist side of the beach to see weathered-looking faces dressed in expensive clothing, walking in the surf but not enjoying it like you would think they should. That is when it hit me; the “poor” locals on the other side of the fence, the ones laughing and carrying on while preparing to eat their dinner on that lovely evening were having a grandeur time than the tourists who probably go back to their hotel rooms and work from their laptops all evening while not even speaking to their travel mates before spending a few hours dressing in their evening best to go and sit in a stuffy restaurant and eat expensive food. Hmmmm….which would I prefer? Dinner on the beach consisting of freshly caught fish or an expensive, stuffy restaurant? The choice would be easy for me.

I admit, I like technology…some of it. I have a smart phone, a laptop and an Ipod. My smart phone is used for texting, taking pictures when I forget my camera and updating my tweets and Facebook statuses. I do not have internet capabilities on it or none of those other needless bells and whistles. My laptop is for research, checking email and writing. I can’t live without music so that is where my Ipod comes in. And I don’t own a television. That’s right. No TV…period. I have not owned one in years and I don’t miss it one bit. People laugh and poke fun at me when I tell them I do not have all this technology and they laugh even harder when they discover that I don’t watch TV. When I try to explain to them why I choose this lifestyle, it goes way beyond their comprehension and way over their heads. I have way too much to do and I am way too busy enjoying my life to sit in front of a box or spend my time playing games or tinkering around with useless gadgets that do nothing to enhance my life. I’m not sure where my distaste for too much technology comes from but I imagine it partially has to do with my travels to places where most of the technologies we have here are virtually non-existent. Take Cuba for example. During my week-long stay in Cuba, it was hard and expensive to make a local call to a nearby resort where my sister was staying let alone send an email. A call on a land-line phone cost me almost fifteen dollars and the service was sketchy at best and an email I sent to my sister in Calgary took more than a half hour to send because the internet was slower than dial-up. I didn’t see any of the locals with cell phones, children were not sitting in front of televisions and texting one another from across the room, no one carried laptops around and Ipods were something most of them had never heard of. When I go about my daily grind here in Canada, all I see are people typing away on laptops and texting one another. In Cuba, people talked to one another face-to-face, they interacted, they spent time with family and it would be considered highly rude to take out a laptop or cell phone at the dinner table or speak with the boss during what should be a day off to spend time with the family. I admired this way of life. It was simple and it was so satisfying to know that there were still people left in the world who put family and the simple pleasures of living at the forefront.

When I travel, I see things the way they are meant to be. I don’t believe we are meant to live the way we do in this developed world. In the lesser developed regions of the world I have traveled, everyone works for the overall growth of the entire community rather than just for themselves. Some of these hard-working people have been through some very hard times and still, they never give up. Even the most hardened individuals I have met still remain true to themselves and the people around them. They still smile through it all and they never hesitate to help someone else through similar hardships. I witnessed this myself when countless people I had never met (many of whom had no possessions) dropped whatever it was they were doing to help me in any way they could. Whether it be to offer me a place to stay for the night, a meal or directions to the next town, they were willing to help me, a stranger, in any way they could.

So, in the end, why do I travel? I travel because I like to escape from the rat race and to know how it feels to be truly free and a part of the bigger picture that is the world. I travel to learn about cultures that are different from my own. I travel to see how other people live and go about their daily lives. I travel to see the spectacular wonders of the world. I travel because of the unforgettable feeling I get when I step off a plane into a new world of possibilities I can explore. I travel to put things into perspective because traveling has made me realize that there is so much more to this life than just accumulating material items and living each day the same as the last. And most importantly, I travel because I want to and because I feel it is my duty as a citizen of this world to see as much of it as possible and to meet as many of its inhabitants as possible. I travel because I can and I will continue to do so!

The Lost Girls - A Book Review

The Lost Girls – Three Friends, Four Continents, one unconventional detour around the world…

Authors – Jennifer Baggett, Holly C. Corbett and Amanda Pressner


If you have ever wanted to just walk away from current your life and trade it all in for a backpack to travel around the world, this book will certainly provide enough inspiration to encourage you to live that dream!

I received this book as a birthday present a few months ago and just got around to reading it recently. Anyone close to me knows that I love to travel but sometimes things get in the way and stop me from doing as much traveling as I would like. Reading The Lost Girls helped me realize that nothing is really in the way if I really want something. After all, the book does center around three young, successful women with careers, relationships and lives in New York City who put it all aside and risk losing it all in order to go on a year-long adventure around the world.

Throughout that year long adventure, Jennifer, Holly and Amanda experience the good and the bad that can occur while on a long-term trip. Through the bad (failed love, sickness, horrible sleeping conditions just to name a few), they still manage to finish the trip to the bitter-sweet end even though the worries of how life will be after the trip was always on the back of their minds. Through the good (unforgettable experiences, new friends and newfound outlooks on life) these three women formed an unbreakable bond of friendship that only people who travel together long-term could ever understand. Travel is one of the most fulfilling and educational things we can do in our lives and three women, through this wonderfully written book, certainly give us more reasons to believe that and I for one have learned a lot from The Lost Girls and have already started plans for my next big adventure abroad!

If you are like me and love to travel and want to travel more but are either afraid or think your life circumstances will not allow you to do so, than this book just might be the inspiration you need to pack those bags and see the world while you still can!

Memories From the Road

Although I haven’t traveled nearly as much as I want to and I haven’t laid eyes on even ten percent of the places I want to see in my lifetime, I’ve traveled quite a bit. So far, I have seen more than half of the United States, almost all of Canada and various places in Mexico and Cuba. I made a lot of memories and met some great people along the way and below is a sample of some of my greatest travel memories. When I recall these memories, I am inspired and reminded of how important it is to have these experiences in life and I hope by reading mine, you will be inspired to recall some of your favorite memories from your travels and will share them with others. After all, travel is one of the most educational, inspiring and eye-opening things we can do throughout our lives and when people recall some of their best memories, often, it is from times spent on the road where they made new friends, tried new foods for the first time, immersed themselves into a new culture, fell in love or did something they normally wouldn’t do like bungee jumped off the side of a cliff. For me, it is not just one moment that inspires me to write this post but many life-changing moments that will stay with me forever. Here they are in no particular order…

I remember reading one of my father’s copies of National Geographic as a child and being awestruck at a feature of the Grand Canyon. From that moment on (even if it was the only place I ever got to see), I wanted to see the iconic symbol of America’s southwest. That dream came true in April of 2009 when I traveled to Las Vegas and made a side-trip to the South Rim in Arizona. Because it was my first (and certainly not my last) trip to the Grand Canyon, I decided to do a tour which combined a helicopter ride over and down into the canyon where I than drifted down the Colorado river in a pontoon boat. The experience was surreal and looking at those photos years before didn’t come close to seeing it with my own eyes, up close and personal. Our tour guide gave us the choice at the end of the first leg of the tour to either walk the horseshoe shaped skywalk for an extra fee or to head over to a place that few people are even allowed to go to. This area located on the Hualapai Indian Reservation was gated off and only open to the very few people who had a key and the permission to enter the well-preserved location far removed from the touristy areas. The stillness was incredible and while looking down into that vast canyon, it felt like I was the last person left on the planet. There was literally nothing getting in the way of that perfect moment. No power lines, no cars, no loud tourists, no screaming children, no hotdog vendors…just this large canyon stretching for miles into the desert. I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about that incredible moment!

Another thing I had always wanted to do was rent a car and drive off into the Mojave Desert and find the fabled Route 66 that is at the top of many road warrior’s to-drive lists. Although I didn’t make it to that famous desert highway, I did depart Las Vegas at sunrise one fine morning in late April and explored the Mojave Desert for three days. My hometown is located in Eastern Canada and is surrounded by lush, green vegetation and rolling hills and small tree-covered mountains so this desert terrain was the complete opposite of what I am used to and maybe that is why I was so intrigued and so awestruck by my surroundings. The rock formations, the cactus, the Joshua trees and the long dirt roads that seemed to go on forever were all things so foreign to me. And don’t even get me started on the spectacular sunsets and that night sky out there in that desolate place…I never saw so many stars in all my life. I didn’t find Area 51 (of course I looked for it!) and I didn’t see any flying saucers out there but I did see actual tumbleweed floating by in the wind and even witnessed a dust devil!

The Canadian Rockies are world renowned for being one of the most beautiful places on earth and now, after making my first trip to Banff and Jasper National Parks, I can honestly say I agree with that statement. As I drove away from the hustle and bustle of Calgary, AB on that beautiful day back in 2009, I was anticipating the moment when those first snow-capped peaks would become visible up ahead. And when they did, tears welled up in my eyes for I had never seen anything so beautiful in all my life. I spent two full days driving around on main roads and back roads admiring the view and photographing the abundant and curious wildlife that often came right up to the car...and this brings me to my next defining travel moment; Kananaskis country. I happened along this area near Canmore, AB when I stopped near a reservoir to stretch my legs. I noticed an interesting looking gravel road that lead into what looked like backcountry. I got a little lost, sunlight changed to moonlight and I did eventually find my way back to the main highway but I had no regrets in taking that almost day-long detour. Valleys, snowcapped mountains, elk and bighorn sheep everywhere, crisp mountain air and a serene and silent environment like none I had every witnessed before.

I moved to Newfoundland after high school to attend college. The day I packed up my car and headed to the ferry that would take me on a 14-hour journey across the Gulf of St. Lawrence and to my new life in St. John’s was both a sad and an exciting one. Sad to be leaving my family, friends and my home of almost twenty years to start out on my own in a new place where I knew no one but excited to be branching out on my own. My parents and sisters made that long trip to help me settle into my new life and that and another memorable experience made that long trip even more memorable for me; a surfer and harmonica player from California who livened up the house band with an impromptu set of lively jigs and old favorites that had everyone in high spirits. If you ever traveled on these ferries, you know that the mood is not always so light but that night was an exception.

This next travel memory happened a good many years ago but it is still as fresh in my mind as if it happened yesterday. My family departed early one morning for one of our weekend beach road trips to Mira Gut and came across a peculiar scene on the other side of the bridge near the beach; a film crew. Of course, curiosity got the better of us and when we asked what they were filming, they said it was a music video for Anne Murray’s rendition of the song “Song for the Mira” for a country music special that would be aired on The CBC. Because they needed children to sit around a fire overlooking the Mira River, my sisters and I were invited to take part. Many marshmallows and a few hours later, we departed the beach and made our way home, stopping for ice cream along the way with the money we had made from our television debut!

My mother and grandmother often talked about the Magdelan Islands as my great-grandparents hailed from there. The islands, which are located in the Gulf of St. Lawrence near PEI and belong to the province of Quebec were always at the back of my mind as a place I would visit one day. That day came in the summer of 2009 when I hopped in the car and made my way to the ferry crossing to PEI and took another ferry to the main island in the archipelago. I was immediately smitten with the laid back, Acadian way of life, the scenic outports and beautiful sandy beaches. Along the highway were giant sand dunes and when curiosity got the better of me, I climbed over those dunes to discover that eastern Canada is home to some of the most beautiful beaches in North America, not Florida as we are lead to believe by travel agents trying to get us to relax in the deep south. The beach looked like it went on forever and was completely deserted. The white sand was the softest I had ever felt on my feet and the water was so warm, it rivaled that of any water I swam in while in the Caribbean. A trip on a Zodiac over rough seas, through caves and around rocky coast to an almost deserted island away from the main island and a spectacular sunset at a beautiful lighthouse were among the other things that made that trip so memorable.

Almost everyone in the northeastern climate of eastern Canada where I am from dreams of being on a long sandy beach somewhere in the Caribbean once the snow starts falling and doesn’t stop for 8 or 9 months. Prior to my first trip “down south”, I had seen the pictures and witnessed the crystal blue water on TV and in movies but experiencing the real thing was nothing in comparison. Playa Del Carmen along the Riviera Maya in southern Mexico was my first trip to the Caribbean Sea and the moment I saw that beach and those blue waters for the first time, I knew I wouldn’t want to leave. The water was so warm, the sand so soft and the sunsets spectacular. Walking that beach with my feet in the warm surf each evening with the sound of Spanish guitars and upbeat Mexican music floating through the air reminded me of what it must be like in Heaven!

The Riviera Maya in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico is known for many things including the remnants of Mayan Ruins and beautiful world-class resorts. The beaches that these resorts are surrounded by are spectacular but are often crowded with thousands of tourists and local vendors selling everything under the sun. I love beaches but I love them more when I have them all to myself. That is why the moment I rounded that bend near the Mayan Ruins at Tulum and laid eyes on Playa Santa Fe, I knew I had found paradise! The long stretch of deserted sand with palm trees, warm water, giant sand dunes and a small beach hut complete with a few laid back locals serving cervasa was exactly how I envisioned a Caribbean beach getaway should be.

Here is another Mexico travel moment that is more a lesson learned than a memorable experience. I certainly learned that the advice that everyone had given me to not drink the water should have been taken a little more seriously. I thought I was being careful by asking the bartender to hold the ice cubes, closing my mouth in the shower and only drinking water from a sealed bottle but somewhere, somehow I managed to sip some tainted water and after a serious bout of water borne illness that had me off my feet for almost half the trip, I fortunately became well enough to enjoy some of it. I suspect the ice tea I ordered at the internet café across the street from my hotel was the culprit as I forgot to ask for no ice in my ice tea. Memorable only because it is a mistake I hope I never make again!

Death Valley, California is not a place that many people think of for a vacation destination but after reading so much about this intriguing place and its many mysteries, I put it at the top of my must-see places. When I left Las Vegas early one morning in April, it was a bit on the cool side and rain was in the forecast. I drove off into the desert and after getting lost a number of times, I found the entrance to Death Valley National Park and kept driving until I found a look-off where I could get out and stretch my legs. Nothing prepared me for the shock I got when I opened the car door and was nearly knocked off my feet by the inferno that was, as I was told, normal temperatures for the valley. I will never forget it! It honestly felt like my skin was frying in that scorching sun.

One of the most enlightening and satisfying things about travel is the people you meet along the way and I have met my share of interesting and memorable people on the road. One person in particular comes to mind when I think of the people I have met while traveling. I only spent a few moments with him at sunset on a beach in Varadero, Cuba but his kindness and interest in knowing more about me and my life back home will never be forgotten. I was sitting alone on the beach watching the sun go sun and taking a moment to relax away from the loud party atmosphere that was brewing on the resort that evening. I was a few hours away from having to catch a bus to the airport to fly back home and just wanted to take in those surroundings one last time for the road. A young man who I had noticed earlier that day when he selling sea shells and various items to sunbathing tourists was also sitting alone on the beach watching the sun go down. We made eye contact and he walked over to where I was sitting and took a place on the sand next to me. We exchanged names and that was easy enough but I soon realized that he barely spoke English and there began one of the most interesting conversations I ever had. Despite the language barrier we were able to exchange details about where we live, our families, our jobs and everything else under the sun. I learned some Spanish and he learned some English and in between, we communicated via drawings in the sand. We were still laughing and talking and learning more about our very different lives when darkness fell and I had to leave to catch my plane. After a quick embrace and a hand shake, we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways.

Leading up to my solo trip to Cuba, I had traveled to many places but never went to any far-flung destinations alone. It wasn’t that I was afraid to or didn’t want to. It just so happened that I always had someone to travel with. I really wanted to get away last spring and no one was available to come with me so I put on my brave face and went ahead and booked the trip and did it on my own. My family and friends were appalled and terrified at the idea of me traveling to another country alone and tried to discourage me from it. They feared I would be kidnapped, mugged or murdered because I would be an easy target. At first, I was a little intimidated by everyone around me traveling in groups but the benefits of traveling alone soon became clear to me. It was easier to meet new people, especially the locals, while traveling alone. I woke up and slept whenever I wanted without being disturbed. I went wherever I wanted whenever I wanted without having to compromise with others. There were no fights for the shower. And the list goes on and on. Everything seemed more vibrant, more alive and more interesting because I was able to focus on everything more clearly than I would have been able to had there been others with me. I spent as much time as I wanted just laying in the sand, watching the sun go down or watching the night stars appear over the Caribbean Sea. Decided than and there that this traveling alone thing is something I should do more often!

Moose are plentiful in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park and, although tourists love watching and photographing them when they wander close to the highway, they rarely do anything interesting except just stand there and block traffic or munch on leaves. There are many hiking trails in the national park and it is common to meet moose on the trails but, again, they rarely do anything interesting. I met many moose on many trails but only one of these run-ins left me with an unforgettable experience. I heard the rustling in the trees first. Than I heard the large splash in the lake below and that is when I knew something large was lurking nearby. Most people would run thinking it was a bear but I am a curious person by nature and this often means that instead of running when I should, I quietly move closer to whatever it is that has caught my attention. This is what I did that day on the trail. I moved in closer through bushes and found a place that gave me a great view of the lake without being seen. It took a moment to focus in on the large object slowly moving in the water. There, only meters in front of me were 2 large bull moose washing their antlers in the water. I watched them until they swam off into the swampy area behind the trees. I imagine this is something rarely seen by people as I have never heard of anyone else witnessing moose doing anything but running out in front of moving vehicles and eating branches.

This next interesting travel moment is probably something that is more common than I think but it certainly left me with something interesting to talk about it. While seated in a window seat high above the Gulf of Mexico, I happened to look down through the clouds to see another plane fly directly beneath my own. It was so close that I could even make out the company logo! I may or may not have been the only person, besides maybe the pilot, to see this because no one else mentioned it. Of course, the person seated next to me didn’t believe me when I told him about it but I know what I saw!

Las Vegas is a very busy place at all hours of the day but, as one would suspect, Friday night is the busiest time of the week particularly on The Strip. Bumper to bumper traffic across all lanes, pedestrians (who have often had too much to drink) darting out into the street and numerous distractions everywhere all make for hectic and nerve-wracking driving for locals and visitors alike. I had one such experience with the madness that is The Strip one Friday night on my way home from a quiet and peaceful drive in the Mojave Desert and although, at the time, it was a very stressful and nerve-wracking experience, it is one I can now laugh at. I set my GPS to take me straight to my hotel (which was located on one end of the strip) without actually driving down the busy street to get to it. I followed the directions provided and, after a near accident in a poorly marked construction zone and a few wrong turns, I ended up at the opposite end of The Strip. I barely made it in one piece to my hotel a couple of hours later than intended and my frazzled passenger was kissing the ground upon disembarking our rental car. I should have known the rented GPS would fail us because earlier that morning it had gotten us lost on some deserted desert roads…after we programmed it NOT to take us on deserted desert roads!

I moved to St. John’s, Newfoundland just out of high school to attend college and, although I was excited at going out on my own in a new place with new people and new surroundings, the one thing I was looking forward to more than anything else was witnessing the giant icebergs that come into the bays and inlets every spring. News of incoming bergs started to spread around the city in late May that year and at the first news of bergs being spotted off Cape Spear, I jumped in the car and headed out with my camera. There were three large chunks of ice in the harbour that day. I knew icebergs were big but I had no idea they were that big. I got as close as I could without actually going into the water and started taking hundreds of pictures of the stunning scenery complete with massive and ancient icebergs in the foreground. Suddenly, there was a large popping sound and some loud bangs before the largest of the three split into two smaller pieces right before my eyes! Ice chunks and debris flew everywhere and a large wave, caused by the disturbance, crashed on shore. Had there been a boat nearby, it would surely have capsized but fortunately, no one was on the water that day…just a few lucky onlookers onshore who got the once-in-a-lifetime chance to witness it.

The Cape Breton Highlands National Park is known for its stunning natural beauty, the world-famous Cabot Trail and its spectacular sunsets but, as I discovered one beautiful summer evening at Ingonish Beach, it is also known for its spectacular moonrises, particularly during a full moon. I was relaxing at the beach just after sunset with my coffee before heading out on the two hour drive home when I saw it; A yellow glow on the horizon. At first, I didn’t know what it was but soon, that yellow glow started to form into a large orange ball rising over the horizon. I watched that beautiful full moon rise to its place high in the sky. I must have sat on that beach for many hours because it was close to midnight when I started for home. To this day, I have yet to experience another full moon like it and it was one evening I will never forget. So simple and seemingly insignificant but sometimes it’s the smallest and most simple things that end up being the most memorable.

Long Weekend Road Trip to Nova Scotia's South Shore

I was born and raised in Nova Scotia and, minus the 11 years I spent living in Newfoundland, I have spent most of my life in the province. My family home has always been on Cape Breton Island in the eastern portion of Nova Scotia and although I wandered far and wide over the years and have seen most of Canada and the United States, I am ashamed to admit that I have not really explored my home province very much. I know every main highway, secondary highway and back road in Cape Breton and I’m pretty sure I know the island better than the back of my own hand but when it comes to the rest of the province on the other side of the Canso Causeway, I can only say I’ve driven through on the Trans Canada Highway to get somewhere else in Canada or the US, I’ve done some Christmas shopping in Halifax and Truro and I visited Peggy’s Cove and a few other notable landmarks and sites as a child. During the most recent Canadian long weekend, I had the opportunity to see a part of my province that I had never explored before; the south shore as far as Port Mouton near Liverpool.

My sister moved to the southern shore of Nova Scotia after finishing work for the season in northern Cape Breton. A few days before the long weekend approached, I booked a rental car and made the 7-hour drive to Port Mouton. It was a great opportunity to spend some time with my sister but also to visit a part of the province I had always wanted to see, especially the town of Lunenburg, a renowned UNESCO world heritage site.

Long weekends don’t come often and rarely do I have the time lately to set out and partake in my favorite long weekend activity – a road trip. I set out that Saturday morning with intentions of making it to my sister’s place by nightfall. I would have made good time if I hadn’t stopped so much. Coffee, meals and bathroom breaks lingered a little longer than they should have because when it comes to new scenery and potential photo ops, out comes the camera and before I know it, a half hour or an hour passes. I ventured off onto a few off-ramps that looked promising only to get lost and have to try and make my way back to the highway and continue on with my journey. I still made it to Port Mouton in good time although it was too dark and I was too tired to go out and explore.

I know long weekends are a time to sleep in for many people but I rarely sleep in anytime. I am one of those strange and rare morning persons. When I sleep in past 7:30, I feel like life is passing me by and I am missing something. This is particular true when the opportunity arises to see or do something I don’t get the chance to do every day. Such an opportunity awaited me that first morning on the South Shore and my excitement would not allow me to sleep in past my normal wake-up time of 7:30. I would have been up earlier if it had not been for the long and exhausting drive the day before. I needed a bit of rest to keep me going for another long day of sightseeing. And what a beautiful day it was; normal temperatures for this time of year in Atlantic Canada hover around zero degrees Celsius and it is not rare for there to be a few inches of snow on the ground but this day was exceptional with a cloudless sky, no snow to be seem and temperatures hovering around the 10 degree mark. Perfect weather for hitting the beach! Well, a walk on the beach in Port Mouton before getting on the highway towards our first destination.

Our first stop was Mahone Bay about an hour from Liverpool. I had heard about the town numerous times but the only thing I really recalled about it was the famous picture of the three churches across the bay that seems to be a part of almost every Atlantic Canadian calendar and graces the front of numerous postcards. With its scenic waterfront, colorful storefronts and colonial buildings, it felt like I had stepped back in time. A walk down the main street of the town revealed many boutique shops with numerous hand-made and hard-to-find unique items in the storefront windows but there was no time for shopping that day. I made a mental note to possibly return closer to the holidays to do some Christmas shopping there.

Next, we made our way towards Lunenburg but were distracted by a street sign that led us in the opposite direction. Anyone who has or does live in Nova Scotia or who has ever indulged themselves in the province’s folklore, has heard about Oak Island and its famous money pit which is reputed to be the site of buried pirate treasure. Many digs have been conducted around the site and although the elusive treasure has not been found as of yet, there are many indications and clues pointing to it being there in the booby-trapped pit that mysteriously floods every time someone gets so far down. So knowing all this history surrounding the area, when I spotted the sign that indicated Oak Island was to the left and Lunenburg was to the right, we both agreed that it was worth the bit of extra time it would take to drive the seven kilometers to Oak Island in hopes of seeing the money pit for ourselves. Unfortunately, the pit currently lies on private property and was gated off to outsiders. We could see the island but we couldn’t drive or walk to it. I don’t really blame the current owner of the land; I can only imagine how many times he or she must have had to endure enthusiastic treasure hunters coming from all over with their digging tools in hopes of finding buried pirate treasure. I would probably stick a sign and a gate up too though there is currently a rumor spreading around the area that another significant search will be conducted in the near future. I don’t know if it is going to be a government-funded dig or independent but there must be a reason why they would try again after so many years. The evidence pointing to there being something there is just too convincing to pass up.

Because Lunenburg was the most anticipated part of this trip for me, we saved the best for last. I had always wanted to go to Lunenburg. The pictures I had seen of brightly colored houses and fishing shacks and the history I had so often read about in locally written maritime history books intrigued me enough to promise myself that someday I would make the drive there and experience it for myself. The drive to the town was scenic with fields and countrified landscapes leading to the coast. We arrived in mid-afternoon and found a parking spot on the colorful waterfront overlooking a bay filled with little boats and a large schooner docked at the wharf. I heard that The Bluenose, the famed schooner that was built in Lunenburg and put the town on the map, might be in town during my visit but I didn’t see it in plain sight. There was a fairly large schooner docked quite a ways down the harbor in what looked like some sort of shipyard area but it was too far away to see it was, in fact, the famous schooner or not.

We walked the narrow streets admiring the old colonial houses painted in bright colors. Popular maritime lure states that many boat owners painted their homes the same color as their boat but I have yet to determine if that is fact or fiction. Either way, both houses and boats in Lunenburg add a colorful character to both the natural and man-made beauty of the quaint little town. In fact, the town reminded me a lot of St. John’s, Newfoundland. Brightly colored buildings lining every street, painted murals of the seafaring history of yesteryears and steep streets leading up the next layer of shops and restaurants just like the “bowl” effect that the downtown area of St. John’s is famous for. We spent a few hours walking around the town, taking pictures, window shopping and admiring the beautiful artifacts and crafts that were for sale and eating some of the best carrot cake I had every had at one of the waterfront cafes. I could live in a town like Lunenburg. A small town with all the amenities of a larger city. It seemed to be bustling when we were there in the afternoon so I can only imagine what it must be like into the evening with many pubs, restaurants, cafes and bars lining every street.

Darkness comes early this time of year and we wanted to be back on the road before dark to make it back to Liverpool to take some sunset pictures and grab something to eat. There was a music festival going on in the area so many venues were jammed packed or had long lineups so we settled on one that didn’t look to be too crowded but was reputed to be one of the best places in the area to eat. Lane's Privateer Inn couldn’t have been a better place for us that night. We were looking for good food, good coffee (good wine for my sister who was not driving), a relaxing atmosphere and friendly service and this place exceeded our expectations. The food was delicious and the portions were just right and, as is often not the case in many places these days, we got exceptional and personalized service from the staff who were happy to make our visit an enjoyable one. It was the perfect end to a great long weekend with my sister but the weekend wasn’t quite done for me at that point; I still had that long drive back to The Cape early the next morning. Don’t get me wrong, I love nothing more than getting behind the wheel and heading out on the highway for a long drive except this one actually had a destination; back home to the start of a new work week…but at least it wasn’t starting on a Monday!



Some links of interest...

http://www.novascotia.com/en/home/ourregions/scenic_travelways/lighthouse_route/default.aspx
http://www.explorelunenburg.ca/
http://www.lunenburgns.com/

http://www.goldenhorizon.ca/port-mouton/

http://www.regionofqueens.com/
http://www.mahonebay.com/
http://www.townofmahonebay.ca/
http://www.oakislandtreasure.co.uk/