Ice Climbing in Banff National Park, Alberta
Ice climbing in Johnston Canyon is a great way to experience this area 30 minutes west of the town of Banff. An easy 2.7 km hike takes you past two impressive waterfalls and numerous smaller ones. Meet Barry Blanchard, an ice climbing guide…
Photos of Konya, Turkey
Konya, in central Anatolia, is known for its association with the Persian poet and mystic, Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Balkhī, or Rumi (1207 – 1273). Rumi spent much of his life here as a religious teacher and his tomb is housed inside the Mevlana Museum, the main attraction in the city…
Women in the Arab World: Shereen El Feki’s Book, Sex and the Citadel
While in Turkey last summer, I heard of a book called Sex and the Citadel: Intimate Life in a Changing Arab World. Shereen El Feki, the author, is a Canadian of Egyptian-Welsh ancestry. Prior to writing the book, she asked both women and men in Cairo – as well as other parts of the Arab world – to tell her about their sex lives…
What I Learned About Marrakech by Changing My Attitude
A young man sat at the front desk of the museum. His head shot up as I stormed in. “Oh no, you have problem with the people?” he asked. “Yes,” I said, “someone was demanding money from me.” The man nodded. “Come inside, sit down. I apologize for him.” I sank down into the chair and exhaled.
Marrakesh, Morocco: A Photo Essay
After I had booked a week-long trip to Marrakesh, my friends who had been there told me I was crazy. “You won’t want to stay there for 7 days. Trust me.” “It’s too insane to stay for more than a couple of days.” “Explore other parts of Morocco – they’re much nicer.”
But I didn’t listen to them. I stayed in Marrakesh for the entire week, for better or for worse.
The Sonoran Desert- Cacti, Edibles and Severe Heat
I met up with Ranger B at the Usery Mountain Regional Park Nature Centre. “Saguaros are my favourite plants in the whole wide world,” enthuses Ranger B. “They’re native only to the Sonoran Desert. None of the other 19 deserts of the world have the saguaro because this desert gives them exactly what they need to live and survive here.”
Hiking and Kayaking in the Sonoran Desert, Arizona
Hiking among the cacti in the Sonoran Desert makes sense, but kayaking? On my recent trip to Phoenix, I was able to do both on the same day.
A Kimono Fashion Show in Kyoto, Japan
At 2:15 pm, the lights on the runway turned on and the crowd around the stage grew thick. One women at a time began walking out from behind the stage dressed in ornate kimonos.
Photos of the Mosaics in Madaba, Jordan
Since the Middle Bronze Age, Madaba has been home to the Israel and Moab kingdoms, the Roman and Byzantine empires, Christians and the Umayyad Caliphat. It’s in present-day Jordan where you can find the Byzantine-era mosaic map of the Holy Land.
Photos of Ma’in Hot Springs Resort & Spa near Madaba, Jordan
Tucked into a ravine, the Ma’in Hot Springs Resort & Spa is a gorgeous accommodation near Jordan’s side of the Dead Sea. The 30 kilometre drive from Madaba takes you on a snaking road through desert countryside…
Mujib River Canyon: Hiking through the lowest nature reserve on earth (Jordan)
The desert air pulls the liquid from my lungs with each step up the mountain. It has been 20 minutes of climbing on packed sand, with monstrous dunes breaking out of the earth in all directions. We’re exploring the Mujib Nature Reserve, the lowest altitude nature reserve on earth…
Lunch in the Eastern Desert of Jordan
A small, white, concrete house with a simple, white, concrete wall around it looks unremarkable in Azraq, a little town known for its wetland in the eastern desert of Jordan. And it is. It’s the family home of Tahseen, his wife, and their three children.
Photos of Jordan: the Eastern Desert Castles
The main population of Jordan spans the western side of the country, from the north above Amman to the southwestern corner of Aqaba. I was intrigued, then, to hear about the eastern “desert castles.”
Photos of Jordan: Wadi Rum
The night is still, the sun has set, the stars are twinkling above. My friend and I leave the handful of people still awake and venture out into the silent desert. We are staying in a campsite in Wadi Rum, a 720-square kilometre desert in southern Jordan…
Photos of Petra, Jordan
The capital of the Nabateans, Petra, is an archeological site that dates back to the first centuries BC to AD. It then became a major caravan centre in the Hellenistic and Roman times for trading: silks from China, incense from Arabia and spices from India.
Photos of Jordan: Amman
“Hello, what’s your name?” asks a small voice behind my left hip. I turn around to see a young girl of about nine years old beaming up at me, her large brown eyes twinkling with curiosity. Although she only knows a few practiced phrases in English, she is quick to pose for my camera and invites her friends along.
The things I learned from sitting in a Bedouin tent
After dinner, a small group of us were invited to the home of one of the local families who lives a few minutes walk away. A gathering of seven male family members greet us with warm smiles and words of welcome. We sit down in a circle on well-worn carpets and are offered coffee…
Scary Halloween Stories – Haunted Places in Wales
I was in Wales earlier this year and travelled all over the country searching for ghost stories. With all those haunted places – castles, mansions, pubs, hotels and inns – I compiled quite the stack of scary stories. Here are just a few, but make sure to add your own at the bottom.
Photos of Kluane National Park and Reserve in the Yukon, Canada
Flying west, we passed the Kaskawulsh and South Arm Glaciers, Pinnacle Peak, Mount Kennedy, the St. Elias Mountains, the Kennedy and Hubbard massif, Lowell Glacier, and finally around the entirety of Mount Logan.
Photos of the Canadian Arctic: Nunavut
These photos of the Canadian Arctic – Nunavut – were taken in 2008 and 2010.