Compass & Camera

Europe’s Magical Holiday Markets

Greetings, readers! I've been away waaaaaaaay too long so I'm sleigh-riding back into the blog-o-sphere with a post... Read More
Tulum

We've been here for one month visiting friends, working remotely and relaxing in Tulum, Mexico after leaving Vancouver,... Read More
Lisbon Life

Portugal sits at the western edge of Europe, with Spain along one side and the Atlantic Ocean... Read More
Leaving My Heart in Havana

The song accompanying this post is Besos Discretos performed by Fusión Caribe, a fantastic band on the streets of Havana. Video follows below. ... Read More
A Love Letter to Asia

Arriving with a scaffold of expectations doesn't help if you're setting sail on an ocean of possibilities.... Read More

May 28, 2018January 2, 2020

— 39 Comments

Finding the Unicorn of the Sky

Last March, we decided it was time to pack up and leave Vancouver -- such is the life of opportunists and world travelers always looking ahead to the next stop. But before we left we were surprised with one late-season, last-minute opportunity to see the Northern... Read More

September 10, 2017November 19, 2017

— 60 Comments

A Grizzly Weekend in Bella Coola

We depart for Bella Coola from the south terminal of Vancouver International Airport, where the old-school spirit of travel is alive and well. We're... Read More

August 19, 2017November 9, 2017

— 19 Comments

Sintra: A Tale of Two Castles

We're standing on a mountaintop west of Portugal. We've lucked out. It's one of those perfect days when the blue sky extends all the way to... Read More

July 14, 2017August 10, 2017

— 34 Comments

Final Postcards From My Grandmother, 1972

This is the last post of a four-part series. To read the first three posts, go here, here and here. It was summer, 1972 -- exactly 45 years ago. As my grandmother Peg set out... Read More

January 9, 2018January 27, 2018

— 35 Comments

Tangier: A Visual Feast to Start the New Year

Happy New Year, everyone! I'm kicking off 2018 with a post about a city I visited last spring. I hope you enjoy this portrait of Tangier, Morocco. May, 2017 After two weeks in Portugal and Spain, the exotic allure of Morocco has my full attention. It's been ten years since my last... Read More

November 19, 2017January 9, 2018

— 31 Comments

Stones and Bones of the Alentejo

Driving through the Alentejo, it's one of those experimental travel days when we leave our itinerary entirely up to choice and chance. The only thing we know for... Read More

July 27, 2017August 29, 2017

— 21 Comments

Azulejo and Zellige

Azulejo and zellige. I know, readers! These are tough words to get your mind and mouth around. But they're relevant terms if you're traveling through Portugal, Spain and Morocco which is what... Read More

December 28, 2016January 16, 2018

— 58 Comments

Short Stories from Mumbai

Last month, spending ten days in Mumbai left such a powerful lasting impression that I haven't written a word here since I returned. Not since Peru in... Read More

March 4, 2018April 25, 2018

— 38 Comments

Into the Tanneries of Fez, Morocco

Travelling, one accepts everything; indignation stays at home. One looks, one listens, one is roused to enthusiasm by the most dreadful things because they are new. Good travellers are heartless. ~Elias Canetti, The Voices of Marrakech Death hangs constantly in front of us as we visit the... Read More

January 28, 2018January 2, 2020

— 37 Comments

A Thousand Shades of Chefchaouen

Near the northern tip of Morocco, in a pocket of sunshine at the base of the Rif mountain range, we arrive at Chefchaouen. Often called the Blue Pearl of... Read More

November 23, 2017January 9, 2018

— 30 Comments

Divine Gifts

Last spring, we spent three weeks exploring Spain, Portugal and Morocco. Throughout those three weeks we kept seeing hints of glorious wildflowers as we traveled through the... Read More

November 2, 2017

— 26 Comments

Sagres, at the Edge of Europe

Spring, 2017 At the tip of southwest Portugal, we find Sagres. It is awash in pastel colors -- flesh colored tones of earth, a moody green-gray ocean and a... Read More

May 26, 2015June 21, 2017

— 33 Comments

Road Trip Oman: Nizwa and Final Thoughts

We arrived in Nizwa last night after a long day exploring Jebel Shams and the aged village of Misfat Al Abriyeen. Today is our last full day in Oman. We start early, meandering the narrow streets surrounding downtown Nizwa. Crumbling stone walls and newly constructed homes co-exist amidst an unlikely landscape of palm trees. As... Read More

April 9, 2015August 25, 2016

— 26 Comments

Road Trip Oman: Peaks and Valleys Near Jebel Shams

After two blissful nights on top of Jabal Akhdar we depart the hotel feeling completely relaxed, with the distinct scent of Frankincense wafting from our backpacks. We load into the Pajero, reluctantly wave goodbye and... Read More

March 4, 2015August 25, 2016

— 11 Comments

Road Trip Oman: Secluded Luxury at Jabal Akhdar

After two nights of wild camping and one night in the desert of Wahiba Sands, we're a little rough around the edges. The Pajero is covered in dust and so are we. I'm looking forward... Read More

February 17, 2015April 25, 2018

— 33 Comments

Road Trip Oman: Foray Into the Desert

We wake up on the beach in Ras Al Hadd, having met a large yellow fin tuna and having enjoyed a peaceful night camping next to the ocean. The Omani sun burns... Read More

January 16, 2018January 2, 2020

— 27 Comments

The Fingerprint of Fez

Throughout this post you'll find the words of author Paul Bowles, an American expatriate who lived in Tangier, Morocco for 50 years. He wrote an essay called "Fez" in 1984. His thoughts on the city still ring true today. I've interwoven my story with excerpts from... Read More

January 13, 2015January 2, 2020

— 24 Comments

Magical Maldives

Like drops of glass in a cobalt blue ocean, the islands of Maldives look like they exist in their own world. We fly over them, gaping at their rings of aqua blue,... Read More

April 24, 2013January 2, 2020

— 22 Comments

The Allure of Sri Lanka

We arrived in Sri Lanka late on a Friday night, unable to see the country's landscape from the windows of the plane. All discoveries of geographic color... Read More

May 27, 2012January 2, 2020

— 2 Comments

Myanmar, Day 1: Welcome to Yangon

We just returned from eight days in Myanmar, and the words and descriptors lingering in my head include: time warp, dilapidated, adventure, smiles,... Read More