Travel Writers Tales Travel Stories and Features http://www.travelwriterstales.com/feed.xml en-US Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:40:06 -0400 Carnival Valor® loops through the Caribbean Sea to ports offering fun and adventure. Grand Cayman proves especially intriguing. While other passengers choose to snorkel off Seven Mile Beach or dive at several reef sites, my spouse Chris and I opt for an overview excursion that includes the extraordinary Stingray City! http://www.travelwriterstales.com/cayman-adventures.htm The last of the 'old guard' is passing on, and a 'new guard' both in and out of uniform must carry their torch. For many, there's a dis-connect to the meaning of Remembrance Day. It's a national holiday. A day off school. A long weekend. http://www.travelwriterstales.com/egypt-el-alamein.htm Our destination was the protected waters of Kealakekua Bay near a monument erected in memory of Captain Cook. Once the crew equipped me with snorkel gear and frog feet, a wave of trepidation came over me as I descended the catamaran's stairway. http://www.travelwriterstales.com/holo.htm Santa Fe, at an elevation of 2,134 meters (7,000 feet), boasts 300 days of annual sunshine and only 14 inches of precipitation. What were the odds we'd be rained on let alone see snow during our visit to this New Mexico destination? http://www.travelingtales.com/cassie/santafe.htm Thursday night is the night to party in Tel Aviv, and my nightlife guide, Doron, plans to see to it that we do just that! We start our bar hopping evening in Nanuchka, a Georgian restaurant bar with a unique décor, which is popular with the locals. http://www.travelwriterstales.com/tel-aviv.htm The sea is an animal. Beyond the rain-swept windows of my room it snarls and roars as it claws at the rocky shore. I draw the curtains closed as a shiver of awe and unease curls up my spine. The scene outside is part of the notorious shipwreck-strewn Graveyard of the Pacific edging the west coast of Vancouver Island http://www.travelwriterstales.com/ucluelet.htm As I came to another turn in the river, a slight movement caught my eye. There, on a bank less than 10 yards, away lay an alligator - but not for long. Before I could even think about dropping my paddle to grab my camera, the 12-foot long primeval-looking reptile slid off the bank and disappeared under the water http://www.travelwriterstales.com/paddling-econ.htm I'm in the historic La Boheme hotel in Edmonton's Highland District, and I step back startled, as an ancient furnace in the basement roars into life. It's a long rusty looking tube, and the cavernous interior is lit by leaping flames along each side. A perfect place to dispose of a corpse. http://www.travelwriterstales.com/eerie-edmonton.htm The best way to check out New Mexico's treasures is by getting off the beaten path, onto roads less traveled. Here are two tune-worthy trips http://www.travelwriterstales.com/new-mexico.htm Let me be totally honest, I am not very fond of heights. That is why stepping off a mountain at 4,000 metres with nothing but nylon webbing separating one from certain death would seem a strange thing for me to be doing. Still, here I am, paragliding over the Aletsch Glacier http://www.travelwriterstales.com/swiss-alps.htm I watched in fascination as the two men carved away slivers of wood from the pole. Stylized figures of animals and humans were beginning to emerge from the yellow cedar log, and their style was clearly Haida. The distinctive aboriginal art imagery from Haida Gwaii http://www.travelwriterstales.com/first-nations.htm In the absolute darkness, my eyes blink as they search in vain for a sliver of light. The blackness is like a thick blanket engulfing us all. The only sound is shallow breathing, which quickly morphs into gasps of appreciation when the guide spotlights the frieze of beasts above our heads http://travelwriterstales.com/dordogne.htm My hand grazed the elaborate design of miniscule leaves, winding vines, swirling spirals in ruby red and glittering gold, as soft as an angel's wing, as strong as tinsel steel, as regal as an ancient Khmer ruler. I behold a fabric so fine, it is rightfully destined to be fashioned into ceremonial garments for the present-day King Rama IX and the royal family. http://travelwriterstales.com/king.htm Behind a glass-screened counter a beaming vendor tosses skeins of noodles for the benefit of my camera. Further down the aisle the aroma of warm buns pervades the bakery section, and around another corner a customer haggles vociferously over a clutch of squirming black turtles http://travelwriterstales.com/china-woking.htm If you're looking for good wine, you don't have to look much further than the Lower Mainland and the Fraser Valley. The bountiful fields and vineyards not far from our homes produce a delectable taste of local viticulture, one that's ripe for the sampling. So grab a good map of the Lower Mainland, a trendy jacket and a designated driver http://travelwriterstales.com/fraser-valley.htm He checks me out with wide curious eyes; one is steely blue, the other one cocoa brown. It's a quirky mix that gives him character, just like his Rastafarian hairdo. When I glance his way, he blinks bashfully -or is it flirtatiously? I take the hint by rubbing his neck, just the way he likes. http://travelwriterstales.com/llama.htm It was a clear October morning as our cruise ship anchored in the shadow of the cliff below Sorrento on Italy's Amalfi coast. First to disembark by tender were the early birds bound for daytrips to the romantic Island of Capri or historic Pompeii http://travelwriterstales.com/slovenia.htm Like a metronome, the wipers slap in time to Michael Buble's rendition of Come Fly With Me as they clear snow from our windshield. "What's with this?" I say to my husband who's sitting next to me in our rented Chevy. "I thought we'd be leaving this white stuff behind." Although not crooning like Buble, I had ironically suggested escaping BC's wet west coast a few weeks earlier. http://travelwriterstales.com/santafe.htm Already widely touted as prime snow sports territory and renowned home to 2010's Winter Olympics, Whistler inspires us to investigate warmer weather prospects. And riding on Whistler's Mountaineer, Howe Sound's vistas, mighty Stawamish Chief, spectacular Brandy Wine Falls and heart-stopping Cheakamus Canyon sharpen our appetites for summertime activities. http://travelwriterstales.com/whistler.htm