Tag Archives: travel

Mont Blanc is more than just a mountain. As the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe, it lends its name to a range of peaks – the Mont Blanc massif – which straddle France, Italy, and Switzerland. I had taken the train from Paris (see: On and Around the Seine) to Geneva, Switzerland, […]

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When you think of India, what do you think of first? I think of colour and culture and chaos and crowds. Kerala, in the southwest is all that. But, it is also impossibly green hill stations in the foothills, countless rivers and waterways in the valleys, and the rugged mountains of the Western Ghats higher […]

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After the trees arrived in Haida Gwaii, SGaanuwee (Supernatural Beings) showed Haida kuuníisi (ancestors) how to carve gyaa’ang (monumental poles). The Haida word for monumental pole is related to the word gyaa’aa: “stand up”. After Haida carve, dance, and raise them, gyaaGang or gyaa’aang become living community members. Gyaagan.Ngaay – Monumental Poles of Haida Gwaii […]

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I love an excuse to explore my own backyard! I had driven up to Brisbane to participate in a friend’s birthday party, and decided to stay an extra day to visit nearby North Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah). This had been on my “list” for a while. To keep life simple and take advantage of local knowledge, […]

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When you travel, you meet people who travel. I was in Morocco on a small group tour. When I mentioned my planned trip to Raja Ampat and the Spice Islands, one of my travel-companions insisted: “You must read Nathaniel’s Nutmeg: How One Man’s Courage Changed the Course of History.“ Naturally, I complied – although it […]

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