"We haven't been everywhere, but it's on our list!"
Earlier this week, Canada introduced a new passport design which was immediately met with some (OK, a lot of) criticism. Here’s a link to an online article from CTV News. The quote that caught our eyes was from Pierre Poilievre,
Watched this YouTube video to prepare for our next trip to Australia:
(And if there is, who cares?) A quadripoint is a spot on the earth where four countries (or smaller geopolitical areas) meet at one point. When we were on our first trip to southern Africa, on a boat on the
It’s always so much fun to be watching a movie or TV show and be able to say “We’ve been there!”. That happened to us the other night as we flicked through Netflix and came upon the series “Midnight at
Australians love their coffee and they don’t have Tim Hortons like we do in Canada, but mostly independent shops doing espresso based drinks. And what’s a coffee without a “slice”? Many Australian cities have a coffee street. The photos above,
On our Barcelona to Berlin trip we are looking forward to visiting Berlin’s famous Museum Island, featuring several of not just Germany’s but the world’s best museums. The star attraction of one of these, the Neues Museum, is one of
We’re publishing this post on April 9th, Vimy Ridge Day. In 2003, the Government of Canada declared April 9 to be “Vimy Ridge Day”, to honour and remember the Battle of Vimy Ridge which took place during the First World
Update 2023: We have realized that this trip just isn’t going to happen as we originally envisioned. A greatly modified version will happen in 2023 though! Watch for posts from our Barcelona to Berlin trip. The text below was written
The day after we returned to Vancouver from our Arabian Peninsula visit (2023-1 – Arabian Peninsula – Feb-Mar, 2023) we updated our country count; now at 120 UN countries visited. It was raining in Vancouver when we returned; no surprise
Up early to go to our cultural breakfast at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding. Tasty (but expensive) experience. Sat on cushions on the floor while eating traditional foods such as chickpeas, sweet noodles, egg with tomato, pancake, bread
Arrived rather late in the afternoon so only really went out for dinner at a Nepalese restaurant near our hotel. Saw the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque with its 80 marble domes and four 107m high minarets from the highway. Next
Camel racing is a huge sport everywhere in Arabia, and nowhere more so than in Qatar. We visited the enormous racing complex at Al Shahaniya outside Doha and watched them training the racing camels. Here’s a short YouTube video of
Arrived in Doha late in the afternoon. Checked in then after dinner, strolled up to the Corniche area. Plaza of 119 international flags was illuminated and looked very impressive. Like much of the tourist sights and infrastructure in Doha, it
Super early start in Abu Dhabi to catch our flight to Manama, the capital of Bahrain. Were ready to start exploring the city by noon. Taxied across the causeway to the oldest part of the city called Muharraq. Bahrain was
Slow start in Dubai as we were quite tired. Headed by tram & Metro to the Mall of the Emirates. Over 630 shops, mostly high end and even a Tim Hortons! Checked out the ski hill and snow park just
Tackled another wadi in the morning. Drove to the trailhead of nearby Wadi Al Arbeieen but pathway up the wadi was unmarked. Headed up through the plantations, avoiding the rock scramble. Followed a falaj (traditional irrigation canal) up the canyon
Big day as it was time to hike into the famous Wadi Shab. A very popular 2 hour hike in and along the wadi to a deep pool, cave and waterfall. Hike starts with a $3, 3-minute boat ride across
Up early for a 7am breakfast then relaxed around camp until 9:30. Drove out of the desert by ourselves then paid about $4 to get our tires reinflated! Back on the highway and headed west to Sur on the coast.
Breakfast in the garden at the Omani Guesthouse then into our 4×4 to head to the desert. Had booked a desert camp for one night and needed to meet in Bidiyah to get guided there through the sands. Major 6
Up the next morning for breakfast in the guesthouse garden. Then it was time to visit the Bahla Fort about 42 km to the west of Nizwa. Bahla Fort is one of the largest in Oman and a UNESCO listed