LeighSwenson

The boat made its way down the channel in the inky darkness toward the site we would be visiting for our night dive. We had already had our briefing while at the shop getting kitted up. As we near our location our dive guide Rory scratches his head, turns to us and says “Now that we are on the boat there is just one more thing I should mention...there have been crocodiles sighted while night diving in the channel. It’s best not to flap around on the surface, just go straight down.” Heidi enquired as to whether she might take a big stick with her. Unfortunately big sticks don’t mean much to 4mt estuarine crocodiles accustomed to taking down buffalo from the water’s edge. What we hadn’t yet been told was that many of the divemasters ... read more

With a giant stride I plunged into the water and felt a cold rush through my wetsuit. It’s been quite a while since I dived in anything approximating cold water and the shock of it momentarily took my breath away. Being a bit of a wimp, I was pleased to have a 7mm suit and hood although the temperature was actually quite civilised at 20 degrees. I looked down from the surface and the water was clear. I spied some of the largest snapper I have even seen. ‘Wow’ is what I was thinking. ‘This just might be as good as the rumours say.’ Jacque Cousteau, the father of scuba, rated the Poor Knights as one of the top ten dive locations in the world. A mighty claim to fame to live up to. These volcanic ... read more

What can I say about Sharm El Sheik? It is an oasis of western-style comfort. The whole town is like a movie set transported to Egypt from Hollywood. The palm trees, flashy resorts, picture perfect poolsides, and manicured landscaping are replicated everywhere. Resorts rub shoulders with each other and vie for space with restaurants all along the boulevarde and boardwalk. The beaches, full of colourful sun lounges, are dotted with beach umbrellas, each slotted into a low table on which to rest your cocktail. Helpful staff in crisp uniforms attend to your needs. The resorts slide into the edge of town which has been made into one large pedestrian mall and the space holds all manner of shops appealing to the tourist: carpets and rugs, sculptures of alabaster (or sometimes plaster masquerading as alabaster), miniature pyramids, ... read more

So I arranged a trip to palau. I was telling everyone I met. "I'm going to Palau". And they'd say "Cool... um... where's Palau?" and I'd say "Micronesia" and they'd say "Cool....um.... where's Micronesia?" - insert embarrassed tone and bashful expression here - And I'd say "Um....north". I didn't really, exactly know where it was either. Even now, after I've been there I have a little difficulty locating it on a world map. There. I admit it - insert embarrassed tone and bashful expression here. Worldly traveller indeed. But at least I don't think Micronesia is a fictional place made up on the movie Zoolander, like some people I've met. So why was I going to this place if I didn't even really know where it was? Well, I'd heard great things about it from a ... read more

We pulled into the bus stop at Creekside around 5 in the afternoon after the scenic drive from Vancouver to Whistler. Jim's friend Jeff met us and helped haul our bags up the hill to his place. We'd planned to stay with him and Shannon until we found a place but Jeff gave us the news that his friend Rosie had told him the day before that she was looking for someone to rent her one bedroom apartment. Word of mouth is a powerful tool in such a small community and over the months here I have come to realise getting good stuff here at good prices often comes down to who you know. We dropped off our luggage and made our way on foot on a nice little trail past a pond, over some rocks ... read more