We were working in Nicaragua at the time. I was working for CARE Canada as Project Coordinator for a rural potable water and sanitation project in the north of the country. Claire was doing some consulting for CARE USA, a tricky undertaking given the US government was funding the Contra guerillas at the same time. … Continue reading Ecuador: A Hike from the high Paramo to the Oriente (Ecuadorian Amazonia)
One of the benefits of working in a war zone was regular R&R. During our tenure in Mozambique, which was one tough posting, we decided to use our R&R to travel to Northern India (similar in cost to a return home, to which we were entitled, so we convinced the Red Cross to pay for … Continue reading The Vale of Kashmir and Hiking to Ladakh
(Note: Once again, my apologies for the blurry, old photographs.) In our last post I touched on our misadventures in the Okavango Delta of Botswana and finished with our hitchhiking north to Zimbabwe. Our plan was to check out the world famous Victoria Falls then continue downriver (overland) to Kariba Dam where we would join … Continue reading Tales from Africa: Paddling the Zambezi and climbing Kilimanjaro
(Note: Apologies for the poor image quality. All our old photos seemed to have deteriorated with age. Blame it on the tropics!) Our abrupt departure from Mozambique (Nov/1986) was tough emotionally but, in the end, a huge release. Both Claire and I had been working with the International Red Cross assisting in the development of … Continue reading Tales from Africa: Dirt roads across Lesotho and the Okavango Delta by dugout
Preface: What with Covid lock downs and travel bans our wee adventures, modest that they are, are on hold for the foreseeable future. Claire suggested we change tack and blog about past postings in far flung corners of the globe and the many challenges, near disasters and unforgettable experiences we shared. The following is more … Continue reading Life in Mozambique, 1985-86
I am writing this as we anxiously await the outcome of the American election debacle. Like so many, Claire and I have been compelled to follow what is happening south of our border. To witness what we see as the rapid decline of the US over the past 4 years, has been very unsettling. We … Continue reading Luck and Gratitude in the Time of Covid
NB – Reader beware, this is long! I tend to go on. We’ve been back from our South American bike trip for six months now. Being home has been great. Seeing our kids, extended family and friends was the first priority. Within days of getting settled, we rode the classic Sea to Sky Trail from … Continue reading Road Trips: California
We’re back from our 6 month bike ride through South America and would love to have you join us for a night of photos and stories about the trip. We’ve booked the Firebread Restaurant at the Brew Pub for Thursday night, June 27. Doors open at 7 PM and the show starts at 8 PM. Please come early, grab … Continue reading Invite to Slide show
We left Medellin for the 5 day ride to the coast at 6:30 AM hoping to avoid the chaos of rush hour traffic. Following the location-indicator on our GPS app with the phone mounted on the stem of my handlebars, when on a multi-lane road, with on/off ramps in rapid succession, in fast moving traffic, … Continue reading Homeward bound
As a builder/designer I can’t help but note the construction standards of the places we stay in (i.e., pretty cheap). I have seen some pretty abysmal plumbing and flimsy structures that one marvels are still standing but the ‘piece de resistance’ was certainly our shower in Pitumarca. The electric shower head (aka. Suicide shower or … Continue reading Colombia: Cali to Medellin
