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 January, 2025

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Homestay in rural Japan a unique cultural experience

January 07, 2025

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 st...

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...

B.C. travel: Off the beaten path in Bamfield

Pachena Beach near Bamfield. It’s not easy to get to, but that’s part of the appeal. The first time I tried driving to Bamfield from Victoria in my Suzuki SX4, I turned around after 10 minutes. The 80-kilometre dusty logging road west of Port Alberni felt more like driving through a rocky farmers field, giving my poor little car a beating. Several months later, I returned to Bamfield by boat on the MV Frances Barkley after completing a short paddling adventure through the nearby Broken Group Islands. I had an hour to wander along the village’s boardwalk and get a feel for the place before the four-hour journey back to Port Alberni. All that experience did was make me want to come back since I knew Bamfield’s beauty lies beyond the village’s borders. Now here I was three years later, bouncing along the rough logging road that had previously forced me to turn around for the health of my car. I finally managed to convince a friend with a Nissan Xterra and heavy...

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