January 13, 2020
You know I like to play with my food and of late I have been interested in this charcoal idea. I made charcoal burger buns a while ago that I thought looked spectacular, but it’s not an everyday thing. I was in Toronto last week visiting our daughter and her husband who just had their first baby boy, our first grandchild. As you can imagine we are all head over heels in love with the... View Article
January 20, 2019
As soon as we arrived in Sydney (and even before) I was looking for cooking classes teaching Asian cuisine. I was interested in Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Malaysian, whatever I could find. From watching hours of Masterchef Australia I knew that there is a major Asian influence on Australian cooking, likely because of the proximity to South East Asia. From watching the show it seemed like almost everyone knows how to cook Asian food... View Article
July 20, 2018
After traveling the world for a few years now I thought that here we are flying all over the world while our own backyard in BC is so beautiful and I haven’t yet seen it all. A few weeks ago we had an opportunity to travel to the coast and decided to add a few days to begin exploring the vast sunshine Coast with its islands, inlets, beachfront homes and local food. The Sunshine Coast is part... View Article
May 22, 2018
Peru is situated on the west coast of South America between Chile and Ecuador. Its has a diverse landscape that includes rugged mountains, beaches, desert, sand dunes and lush river valleys. It is best know for Machu Pichu, a reminder of its Inca heritage and the Nazca lines of mysterious origin depicting large illustrations of birds and plants spread over 300 miles in the desert in south Peru. The Peruvian culture reflects its ancient Andean... View Article
May 13, 2018
I have always had a thing for cowboys, you know, the rugged, romantic image is appealing. My interest is theoretical though, so no cowboys need apply….. So, it goes without saying that when we were travelling around South America I wanted to see these guys at work, umm, I mean, I wanted to see their horses. Cowboys are referred to as Gauchos in Argentina and Uruguay, Vaqueiro in Brazil, Huasus in Chile, Morochuco in... View Article
May 3, 2018
The highlight of our trip around South America in terms of historical significance was sailing around Cape Horn. This rocky point on Hornos Island, part of the Tiera del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, is where many seafarers perished in an attempt to cross these rough waters. The treacherous pass was the route from Europe to the far east and many ships went down trying to navigate around the Cape. The opening of the Panama... View Article
May 1, 2018
From Puerto Madryn we continued sailing south and east to our next destination, the Falkland Islands. Port Stanley on the East island cannot accommodate our large ship so we dropped anchor across from the port and traveled between the ship and shore in the life boats used as tenders. It was quite windy and the water was rough, splashing up along the sides of the tender. The town of Stanley is sheltered... View Article
April 29, 2018
Puerto Madryn is the gateway to Peninsula Valdes in central eastern Patagonia, knowns as the best place to observe large marine life in their natural habitat. It is also the gateway to the Punto Tombo Natural Reserve, home to the largest colony of Magelan penguins in South America. I have seen whales but not penguins, so Porto Tombo it was. We drove about 2 h south of Puerto Madryn along the coast hoping to... View Article
April 14, 2018
Nestled at the edge of the rio de la Plata (more like a sea, being the widest river in the world) before it spills its content into the Atlantic ocean, Uruguay is a small country squeezed between the much larger Brazil in the north and Argentina to the south. Perfect for visiting any time of the year thanks to it warm, mild climate Uruguay makes a great destination for visiting historical Montevideo, enjoying the beaches... View Article
April 10, 2018
Our rented apartment in Buenos Aires was perfectly situated on the corner of Avenida Alvear and Calle Montevideo in the high end barrio of Recoleta. Although the apartment itself left some to be desired (balcony and view are but two things) the location made up for it by placing us exactly where I wanted to be, next door to the old palaces, near the Recoleta Cemetery and a short walk from wonderful restaurants, cafes and... View Article
March 14, 2018
Palermo is a popular barrio that seems to be the entertainment center of Buenos Aires. It comes alive at night when the clubs and restaurants are open and people of all ages fill its streets. Palermo covers a large area and over time has been divided into sub-neighbourhoods, each with each own character and style. We spent a few days walking the sycamore lined streets sipping coffee here, having lunch there and peeked into a... View Article
March 10, 2018
Buenos Aires is divided into barrios and each has its own character and style. San Telmo is the oldest neighborhood and oozes with history, character and tradition. It is situated in south Buenos Aires next to the colourful La Boca that sits along the mouth of the Rio Plata (hence the name La Boca, meaning the mouth). The time to visit San Telmo, at least once, is on a Sunday. Sunday is Feria day at... View Article
