The Happy Wanderer

Travel journalist. Photographer. Outdoor enthusiast based in Victoria, Canada. Get inspired to explore the world.

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Showing posts from June, 2023

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Off the beaten path with my mother in China

June 07, 2023

Life in Canada's Arctic - Kugaaruk, Nunavut

At the local Co-op store in Kugaaruk, Nunavut, a carton of orange juice is priced at $13.99. The main form of transportation is by snowmobile, despite an average high of -30C in the dead of winter, and the arena provides endless hours of entertainment. Much of the food is caught by the locals, hunting polar bear, narwhal, bowhead whale, caribou and Arctic char. At the end of the year, the Co-op pays dividends back to the community often shrouded in ice fog. Last year those dividends tallied $1.4 million. Two RCMP officers patrol the community of 800 people, who voted to ban liquor several years ago. Anyone caught in possession of booze is handed a $280 fine. In turn, the most common crime is domestic violence. Court proceedings take place about once a year in the school's gymnasium. This is life in Canada's far north, where the only way in and out is by plane. Once a year, large goods such as trucks or tires are shipped to Kugaaruk from Montreal. The ship stops at

The greasy experience of an Ayurveda Chakra Dhara massage

After getting up at 4:30 in the morning to practice two hours of yoga and meditation in a howling hurricane near a volcano, followed by a 22 km bike ride through the beautiful countryside of Bali, I was more than ready for a two-and-a-half hour massage. Those who had already experienced the Ayurveda Chakra Dhara massage at One World Retreats in Ubud, Bali were raving about how great the experience was. It made me more eager to have a go at it myself. Ayurveda is a holistic science that dates back more than 3,000 years, making it the oldest healing therapy in the world. Focusing on wellness prevention, longevity and natural healing, the massage consists of dripping warm herbal oil on the chakra points of the body in order to balance the energy flow and purify the body, mind and spirit. I knew the massage involved oil, but I was startled by the amount that was poured across my entire body. I felt like I was getting greased up for a body building competition a

Vietnam: Crossing the street a challenge in Hanoi

Crossing the street in Hanoi, Vietnam is like being stuck in the video game Frogger. “Just go,” said a Canadian friend of mine, who moved to Vietnam about a year ago. “They will go around you.” Go around you? You must be mad, I thought, as I stand on the edge of the sidewalk in Hanoi’s crowded old quarter, patiently waiting for a break in the sea of scooters. But that break never came. It hardly ever does, which is why you have to just go. The narrow streets that date back more than a thousand years are a hive of activity despite the cool, overcast weather that blankets the northern city during January, forcing the locals to don scarves and winter jackets, even though the temperatures hover around 15C. I watch in amazement as bicycles, scooters, and motorbikes — some packed with three or four people wearing surgical masks, slowly make their way through the congested streets that are packed with an array of food vendors and interesting shops that lure wide-eye

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