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Central & South America

PERU: Hike into the clouds on Peru's Inca Trail
https://pamelaroth81.blogspot.com/2016/08/hike-into-clouds-on-perus-inca-trail.html

PERU: Photo gallery: Hiking the Inca Trail
https://pamelaroth81.blogspot.com/2016/08/photo-gallery-perus-inca-trail.html

ECUADOR: Galapagos Islands: this must be wonderland
https://pamelaroth81.blogspot.com/2018/04/galapagos-islands-this-must-be.html

ECUADOR: Photo gallery: Galapagos Islands
https://pamelaroth81.blogspot.com/2018/04/photo-gallery-galapagos-islands.html

Popular Posts

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...

Jasper's Tonquin Valley a truly stunning hike

There are few things I find more terrifying than the thought of running into a grizzly bear in the wild. Whenever I'm hiking through areas the bears are known to frequent, my mind races into overdrive, thinking I'll be torn apart around every turn by one of the enormous beasts. But after getting a taste of the peaceful and untouched backcountry of the Rocky Mountains last summer, it became a place I wanted to explore further, and to do that I had to face my fear. I had heard rave reviews about the Tonquin Valley in Jasper National Park. Known as one of the premier backpacking destinations in the world, the Tonquin Valley is a must do for serious hikers, and is made up of five trails with campgrounds scattered along the way. The only way into the valley is by foot or horse. It's also home to a healthy population of grizzly bears. Since I was doing the 18.5 km hike along the Astoria River Trail with my mom and dad, I knew they wouldn't be up for haulin...

Vietnam: Phu Quoc Island on a scooter

When I first read about Phu Quoc Island in a guidebook, it stirred up images of a wild tropical landscape virtually untouched by tourism. I pictured rustic beach huts scattered along miles of deserted white, sandy beaches swamped with palm trees. The warm turquoise water is calm and clear, providing endless hours of snorkeling adventures. Phu Quoc Island was the final stop of a three-week backpacking adventure through Vietnam with my best friend Lex. After constantly being on the move, it seemed like the perfect place to unwind before we made the long journey back to Canada. Located in the Gulf of Thailand 15 km south of the coast of Cambodia, Phu Quoc is Vietnam¹s largest island and less than an hour flight from Ho Chi Minh City.The majority of the land is dedicated to a national park and protected marine environment, so the island is relatively undeveloped, providing a good place for those who want to get away from it all and connect with the local people. ...

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...

B.C. travel: Getting away from it all in East Sooke Park

The start of the hike near Aylard Farm on the south end of the trail. Living on Vancouver Island, I’m pretty spoiled when it comes to hiking. There’s a wide variety of scenic hikes I can do year-round within a 20 to 60-minute drive from my home in Victoria and they all offer something a little bit different, depending on my mood. But one of my favourite day hikes on the Island is only a 40-minute drive from Victoria. Stretching a distance of 10 kilometres, the Coast Trail in East Sooke Park is challenging even for an experienced hiker and it’s one of the few hikes I’ve discovered thus far that runs entirely along the ocean — a delightful treat for a prairie girl. I’m not a big fan of doing the same hike twice, but this one continues to impress me with its beauty and solitude. After 10 to 15 minutes on the trail, there’s usually nobody around, which I always find odd considering it’s not far from a city packed with outdoorsy people. ...

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©2012 by Pamela Roth Email: pamelasroth@gmail.com