Pack your bags/We’ll leave tonight. (Eddie Money, 1977) On the Wednesday before our Saturday departure from Rarotonga, someone at breakfast dares to raise the subject. “Well, back to real life in four days.” No one says anything for several seconds. “I won’t mind,” says one woman, looking up from reading the newspaper. “Time to get …
If you vacationed with your parents when you were a child, you might have fond memories of the kids you met in the campground play areas, the motel swimming pool, or the beach near the trailer park. You bonded with them for no other reason than they were kids too. You rode your bikes together, …
A couple of days after Christmas, I decided to explore the Cook Islands’ National Museum and Library, located on a side street in Rarotonga’s main town of Avarua. As I veered off the touristy main road that looped the island, I met few vehicles and even fewer people: the only sound came from the open …
On Christmas morning, I’m among the first five people to arrive at the Cook Islands Christian Church nearest to our Rarotonga villa. More than a dozen of us Canadians wanted to attend the 10 a.m. service, and we’ve only got one tiny rental car between us, so the car’s gracious owner has already left to …
On the patio closest to ours, a father is having an earnest chat with his pre-school daughter. “But of course Santa knows where you are,” he tells her. “It doesn’t matter whether you’re in Calgary or the Cook Islands. Santa always knows just where to find you. That’s the cool thing about Santa.” His little girl appears …
It’s December 20, and I’m sitting in the Edmonton airport with three boarding passes in my pocket. I’ll land first in Vancouver, not an unusual destination for me at this time of year. My enthusiastic family has often greeted me at the domestic arrivals baggage carousel, and together, we’ve anticipated the fun we’d have and …
When I travel, I love experiencing public outdoor art. I’ve discovered some deliberately, following the directions in guide books. Other displays have popped up unexpectedly on a side street when I was looking for morning coffee, or took a wrong turn on my way to shop in a town plaza. No matter how I make my …
My walk through the river valley started as nothing more than an excuse to spend as much time as possible enjoying the gentle warmth of an almost-autumn Sunday. I figured I’d stop by the Muttart Conservatory for a ramble around the pyramids, have a little lunch at Culina cafe, and wander home again. Instead, I …
If you’ve found your way to this blog, you probably like to test your wings. Soaring around trying new experiences, taking risks, and exploring is just what travellers do. But if you frequently embrace the thrill of flying, you’ve also known fatigue. Making discoveries often means getting lost and confused along the way, puzzling over …
It was sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows everywhere you looked as Edmonton’s Pride Festival kicked off this morning with a vibrant parade of more than sixty entries and thousands of enthusiastic participants on both sides of the Whyte Avenue curb. Having shown each other and the rest of Canada that we’re far less conservative (and Conservative) …
Wise Woman Travel 