Things NOT experienced while travelling - and not sure I want to...

The only dolphin swim I'd consider:
snorkeling around  wild ones in the ocean.

It seems everybody has a "bucket list" of travel destinations or experiences these days.

Well, this is my "reverse" bucket list. It's a list of all the things I have NOT done while travelling - and I'm actually quite happy to keep it that way.

Whether for reasons of hygiene, fear, safety, ethics, or concern for the environment, these are experiences I'd not include on a bucket list of things to do, nor would I probably ever add them.

1. Fish foot massage in Thailand. I had the opportunity to experience this, had I really wanted to, when I visited Thailand. But the thought of sticking my feet into waters where countless others had done so, in order to have fish nibble at my feet, chewing any dead skin off, really does not appeal to me. I'll stick to reflexology, Thai, or aromatherapy massages, thank you.

2. Bungee jumping. Had the chance to do this on the bridge that spans the Zambezi River gorge between Zambia and Zimbabwe. I decided to take my chances whitewater rafting (I did almost drown, but that's another story). I hate heights. Terrified of them. Plus, with my history of lower back injuries and issues, bungee jumping anywhere would just not be safe.

3. Dolphin swims. I should clarify this. I have done snorkeling with dolphins - wild spinner dolphins in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of the Big Island of Hawaii. No contact is allowed, and respect is the watchword. This experience is similar to watching gorillas in central Africa. What I will not do is the dolphin swims sponsored by hotels in places like Mexico, Hawaii, etc. These dolphins are captive dolphins, kept safe from human infectious diseases through the use of anti-biotics. You get in a pool and can touch them, play with them, etc. Not for me, thanks.

4. Climbing. Anything. Again, I don't like heights. I don't intend to take up rock-climbing anytime soon. Or ice-climbing. I won't even consider a trip up Mount Kilimanjaro, which does not involve any technical climbing skills. However, it does require a fitness level that is probably beyond my reach at this point in my life. Besides, there are other experiences I'd rather in Africa that involve paddling as opposed to "ped-ling."

5. Zip Lining. See Numbers 2 and 4, above. Don't like heights. Back issues. Safety concerns. 'Nuff said. I have done the TreeTrek in Whistler offered by ZipTrek Ecotours. That was enough of a stretch for me, given my acrophobia.

Treetrek, yes; ziptrek, no thanks.

6. Whitewater kayaking. Whoa - I bet that brought you up, fast. You're probably thinking, "What the hey...?" After all, this blog post is partially about paddling, right?  But while I've done plenty of whitewater rafting (as a guide once said, "all thrill, no skill"), plenty of kayak touring, and lots of canoeing, I have ZERO experience with whitewater kayaking. Complicating the issue is the fact I've had shoulder issues the past several years; although I can paddle flatwater, some moving water and on the ocean, the strong, quick moves necessary to survive Class IV whitewater rapids in a kayak are beyond me. Still love watching it, though.

7. Parasailing. If you'd read the list above, you probably have no trouble figuring this one out.

8. Sky diving. Do I really need to explain?

9. Eating stuff that's TOO weird. I have eaten some weird stuff. But even I draw the line at what I consider to be really gross stuff like balut, sheep's brains, raw seal blubber - and any kind of botanicals (see, ayahuasca) that are going to mess with my brain's synapses. Anything weirder than the stuff described in a previous blog post, I'll leave for Andrew Zimmern.

10. Downhill skiing. Bad knees. Bad back. No experience at all in this activity. Probably not something I want to try to add to my list of travel experiences at this point in my life. I'll go cross-country skiing or hang back at the apres-ski in the hot tub, thank you.

Riding down Thailand's Chao Phraya River on a rice barge: 

one of the items scratched off my travel bucket list.

Now, even though I won't be doing anything list above, I'm still left with lots of things on my to-do bucket list.

So - what's on your anti-bucket list?

Can't ski? Another murderous press trip in Colorado provides other options

If you didn't read my previous book review about Cynthia Baxter's travel-writing sleuth Mallory Marlowe, you might think I've just returned from a horrible fam tour from the Rocky Mountain state.

Despite what the cover depicts,
this is not a
'Pooch of the Powderhorn' story

That's not the case, though, as you've probably surmised by now.

No, this is another mystery story revolving around the adventures of New York-based travel writer Mallory Marlowe, who just happens to have the ability to stumble into a murder-mystery on every assignment.

This time, in Too Rich and Too Dead, she's off to a Colorado ski resort to write an article about the kinds of activities and adventures that visitors can enjoy when they prefer not to ski down the mountains. (While that may sound far-fetched, it's not; I've sold paddling stories to Ski Canada magazine, and that sometimes surprises people.)

Oh, and by the way - this was published before pot became legal in the state, so if you read it, keep that in mind.

Part of Marlowe's assignment involves interviewing celebrity health-guru and spa owner Carly Cassidy Berman, a former high school classmate. Before she can complete her assignment though, the celeb turns up dead in a mud bath at the spa.

Then the fun begins.

Mallory is sucked into trying to solve the mystery while trying to still complete the research for her travel article. Along the way, she gets entangled in not one, but two potential romances - one with a suspect, and the other with Trevor Pierce, her boss and editor of The Good Life magazine.

He shows up worried about her when news of the murder reaches New York, and given her previous adventures in Florida, he wants to make sure nothing happens to her. Or that's his story.

There are plenty of red herrings, and Baxter does a good job of conveying what a travel writer on assignment often has to go through to get a story completed.

Again, the depiction of a travel writer's life is a bit idealized; personally, I'd love to have her gig, myself: one guaranteed week-long trip each month, a spot in the magazine guaranteed, all expenses paid, and a good chunk of coin when the story is published.

Travel writers' Heaven, in other words.

The protagonist does manage to solve it and gets her magazine piece completed, as well.

Like the previous novel, there is also a section at the back with "travel articles" that contain information about the destinations and activities mentioned in the story, a nice added extra.

Since writing and publishing this second book in the series (2009), Cynthia Baxter has not written any more. The last book published by Bantam Books in her other series, Reigning Cats and Dogs, hit the markets in 2010. Her Facebook page has not posted anything in a few years, so it looks like she's not writing any more.

It's a pity; I would loved to have read more Murder Packs a Suitcase stories from her.



See? There's plenty to do in Colorado besides ski.

Gatineau Park a wonderful winter playground

Skates and skis, snowshoes and sleds - take your pick; you can enjoy activities involving each one of those types of winter equipment at Gatineau Park, in Canada's Capital Region.

Ottawa just finished playing host to the 2012 NHL All-Star Game this past Sunday, and that, of course, involves skates. However, while watching hockey can be fun, if you like a more active pastime, you'll want to lace up a pair of skates and head out to Gatineau, located about a 20-minute drive from the heart of Canada's capital city.


Over the bridge and through the woods...



I was born in Ottawa, but moved away when I was two and I only returned once, back in 1974, for a fall weekend of football watching. So I'd never see Gatineau, except in photos.

This past March (2011), I was lucky enough to return and finally spend some quality time there, and while I can skate, I can also snowshoe. Actually, snowshoeing is one of the easiest winter activities you can participate in; if you can walk, you can snowshoe.

While the park offers some great paddling and bird-watching opportunities, those types of activities (especially the former!) tend to take place during the summer months when it is warmer - but also much busier. And while you can't paddle in the winter, you can still see birds and other wildlife, as the park is home to deer, beaver, black bear and nearly 230 bird species.

The park is much quieter in the winter, and I don't just mean because there are fewer people. With the ground covered with snow, all noises seem to be muffled, the white winter blanket acting like a natural layer of soundproofing. Even snowshoeing with a small group of people as I was for two days last March, you can hang back just a bit and quickly be surrounded by stillness and silence.

But it's not completely silent. Ten minutes along the trail, I could hear the rat-a-tat-tat of a woodpecker, banging on a nearby tree looking from something to nibble on. Below on my right, I could hear the gurgling of a stream not completely iced over. Keeping rhythm with these sounds was the steady crunch-crunch-crunch of my snowshoes biting into the snow along the trail.

Trudging across the tundra, mile after mile...

You also want to keep your eyes open; while you may not see wildlife itself, you will see many signs in the snow, such as footprints, something you won't see as easily in the summer.

One of the trails, close to the visitors' centre, takes you to the former visitors' centre. From there the trail heads off in several different directions.

You won't run out of trail, anytime soon. The park contains 55 kilometres of trails just for snowshoeing.

If you're too young to snowshoe, you might end up like Santa Claus, riding a tiny sleigh - but instead of reindeer, your sleigh will probably end up being pulled by a parent. During my excursions in the park, I saw this practice on a few occasions.

If you like something a bit quicker, there are also designated cross-country ski trails - more than 200 km, in fact, for classic cross-country skiing and 100 km shared with skate skiers. There are another 45 km of back-country ski trails.

If you're really adventurous, you can camp overnight in the park (yes, many people do enjoy winter camping!) by registering to use the yurts, cabins and campsites designated for that activity.



Former visitors' centre



Even if you choose not to stay overnight, you can enjoy a full day, there. And if you get tired of skiing or snowshoeing, the visitor centre contains a permanent exhibit, "Gatineau Park: Protecting Nature and Sharing Our History" as well as temporary seasonal exhibits, washrooms, a lunch room (no snack bar, though, you need to bring your own food) and gift shop where you can buy Gatineau Park books, maps and souvenirs.


Even though I spent parts of two days there, I wanted to explore the park much more, but alas, my schedule would not allow it. At the beginning of this post, I said I finally got to spend some "quality time" in the area. I guess "quality time" is all relative; I could have used a few more days just to explore the park. As I'm writing this, it strikes me that there is another aspect of quality time: the more quality a place has, the more time you want to spend there.

I guess Gatineau is another gem to add to my growing list of  "places to return to."