I felt the kayak rocking beneath me and glanced down. A playful, grinning white face looked back up at me, her head cocked to the side as only Belugas (and Narwhals) can do. We checked each other out, she whistling and me squealing in delight, equally curious about the other creature we were seeing. I […]
7 Gorgeous Reasons to Visit Manitoba
On busy city mornings I’ll close my eyes and return to this place – the mist gently rolling over the warm lake water while the red sun rises, calling me to paddle out to it. This is Manitoba, Canada’s province known for its golden prairies, dramatic skies, and hundreds of thousands of lakes. When I […]
Canoeing in Manitoba’s Nopiming Provincial Park
I’m sitting in Nopiming Provincial park in Manitoba overlooking a brilliant pink sunrise as it peeks over the horizon, reflecting on Bird Lake. I feel like queen of the rock because apart from my campmates scattered throughout the island on various different parts of the campsite, it’s just ours. I don’t have to share this […]
A Guide to Beautiful Hecla Island, Manitoba
Greetings from warm Manitoba where summer is in full swing and I’m in between swims and forest walks. This is that quintessential summer destination where driving by canola fields, endless prairies, and lakes makes me feel like I’ve been transported into that good wholesome time our grandparents used to talk about with a twinkle in […]
Kyrgyzstan is the Patagonia of Central Asia
I couldn’t help but feel like I had been there before. Did it remind me of the Alps? Covered in snow, greenery, and a blanket of wild flowers in every color I could imagine? Did it remind me of Patagonia? Cold, rugged, coated in glaciers, and perfectly blue alpine lakes? Yet it was something distinctly […]




