Oh the things you will learn when you have places to go…
Before coming to Malaysia I did not know what a Brahminy Kite was and I’d never seen a drongo. I’d never even heard of nightjars. Have you?
But now I do…
We don’t do winters anymore.
Yes, winter can be cozy by the fireplace, with fleecy pj’s, furlined moccasins and a good book. But in winter it’s cold outside, it rains and rains so we don’t want to walk. We can’t do much if any gardening. And sometimes we even have to shovel snow on Salt Spring. But this time we ended up on a white beach in Malaysia…
Vancouver BC is consistently voted as one of the best cities in the world to live. We are not city people but we do love an opportunity to visit this beautiful city. There is so much to do and see, including for kids. There are many well known museums, including the Anthropology Museum at UBC, and other tourist sites. I will share with you some perhaps lesser known places that have special kid appeal.
For this last segment of our recent Egypt trip, we’ll take you down the Nile and back north to the pyramids.
Sailing south on the Nile means you are traveling up stream, towards it source. After our cruise boat left Luxor, we reached the locks on the Nile in the dark.
The next morning we woke up to find ourselves at Edfu - an amazing temple complex built by the Greeks for the Egyptian gods, during the era of Alexander the Great.
Ancient Egyptians did not live on the west bank of Nile. This was the side of death. Each night, the sun died on the west side. But, if all went well, it was reborn each morning on the east side - the side of life. So people lived on the east bank. Tombs and mortuary temples were built on the west side of the all important river.
When Covid cancelled my school tour of schools across China in 2021, I was doubly disappointed since it would have been the first time that I was able to bring my grandson along. Nico was 10 then. Ever since he was born I dreamed of showing him the world. When our time in China was cancelled, I felt I owed him a trip. “Where would you most want to go?” I asked him. “Egypt!” he answered immediately.
The Elfstedentocht (Eleven cities tour) is a historic long-distance tour skating event, almost 200 kilometres (120 mi) long, which is held both as a speed skating competition and a leisure tour in the province of Friesland in the north of the Netherlands. As a child, I remember that skating tour being legendary, almost mystical. Now, you can also hike that legendary route through a typical Dutch landscape.
Waking up in an Arab country, usually means the call to prayer at 5 AM… I love the melodious, haunting chant that wafts over roof tops and through open windows five times a day.
In Amman, the call to prayer was distant but just enough to wake us for another day of exploring. This time: the Dead Sea.
One of the main attractions of Jordan is Petra. Between 400 B.C. and A.D. 106 Petra was the capital of the Nabataean empire. This thriving city was a center for trade. Its buildings were carved out of the rock faces. How? They had no tools other than stones. But they possibly used ropes to suspend builders from the top of the rock faces. The designs of the buildings are amazingly accurate and symmetrical and include pillars and intricate details.
I’d like to share with you some of our favourite apps that have made our trips easier or more pleasant, and some things we’ve learned the hard way. I’m also adding some book reviews of books we’ve recently read and added to the BOOKS page of this blog that you might not have noticed yet. The best recent invention? E-sim cards!
From Amman, Jordan there are many interesting day trips to make, following ancient routes that, except for the roads’ surface, have not changed locations over the centuries.
The Kings’ Highway follows ancient trade routes, connecting north and south of the country. It is believed that the Three Wise Men followed at least part of this very same route on their way to Bethlehem. Moses used it to lead his people to Canaan… The Bible refers to it by name.
Just recently Nico, my 12 year old grandson, and I flew to Amman, Jordan. I had been briefly to Jordan before - to visit Petra. This time we would explore more of this ancient country and learn much more about its history. While the current Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is relatively new, formed in 1949, the country has ancient roots…
This adventures happened in another lifetime. At least that’s how it feels.
Our children were growing up in Whitehorse, Yukon where Kees worked as Director of Parks. We had build our own dream home overlooking the Yukon river valley. One day an acquaintance walked in and announced that he wanted to buy our house. We told him it wasn’t for sale. No way. But he left us a blank cheque (yes, really!) and we started dreaming of traveling….
This time a different story… Not our physical travels to a special place on earth, but a story of tradition and customs as it traveled around the world and through time. Because the weekend of this blog post is St. Nicolaas Day, I’d like to share with you the story of how St. Nicolaas became Santa Claus, the origins of a celebration that traveled from Turkey to Spain throughout Europe and to the new world…
After having spent three weeks on a repositioning cruise, from the Pacific to the Atlantic, our final stop was New York City. We get up early because how often in your life do you get to sail closely past the Statue of Liberty? She stands in the early morning hours, holding her torch high after we sail under the George Washington Bridge.
In Limburg, we stayed near the Military Cemetery of Margraten so we paid a visit. Rows upon rows of white crosses under a misty sky and bright red and yellow fall colours, were touching and gave me goosebumps. To read the names of thousands of young American boys who came from so far to help liberate a country they didn’t know…. a humbling and sobering experience. When will we ever learn?
One of our favorite places we’ve had the privilege of visiting, was Easter Island, or Rapa Nui as its original inhabitants call it.
And one of the most unusual cultural events we’ve ever learned about is a traditional competition called the Birdman competition.
Birds were important animals on such a remote island where almost no large mammals or reptiles lived. Birds were believed to connect earth, sea and sky.
I have been fortunate enough to attend a potlash and other celebrations on Haida Gwaii, an island of First Nations people with a rich culture and history. A highlight of my life was to be invited as the poet laureate for the Peter Gzowksi Invitational for Literacy event. I wrote this poem to close the event and celebrate the highlights of my stay on this incredible island on Canada’s north west coast….