RAMBLE LOGS

"Don't look the monkeys in the eyes!" Wait, what? A wild boar? Welcome to my first days exploring Singapore with the AWA walking group – a fascinating hike filled with wonder, surprises, and a few giggles. I soon realized that without this group of amazing ladies, I would miss out on so much.

Hidden at the trail's end is the glorious, quiet, sheltered La Playuela Beach, where the waves gently lap the shore, and you can enjoy a leisurely swim in the warm sea. Or if you prefer, you can sit under a tree perfectly designed to shade you from the heat and sun.

Hunting down cool coffee shops is an excellent ramble enabler. It takes me to areas in my hometown of Toronto that I wouldn't otherwise have occasion to visit. When I'm traveling, searching for coffee shops gives me destinations to head for, taking me to different parts of those places.

Twelve years and 50+ visits to New Orleans later, this tour is still how I introduce newbies to the city because I feel responsible for ensuring first-time visitors fall in love with this remarkable city, and this tour is surefire.

I chose this path because of its rich history and easy accessibility. Luckily, it was well sign-posted, straightforward, and full of people, so I felt confident about embarking on this adventure by myself. Walking on the same path used for centuries and explored by countless adventurers before us was amazing.

To say that I love rambling around Almaguin Highlands would be an understatement. There is a lot of very accessible wilderness, and we take advantage of the trails whenever we can. I have only scraped the surface of what it has to offer.

I've been rambling as often as I can, and as I'm now retired, divorced, and my grown-up child is on his own, I have loads of time but I don't have much money, so I've learned to be adaptable. At the end of each day, the important question is – was that a good day?

We arrived at the centre of Phnom Penh Cambodia it was still full of neatly lined trees that were once an orchard and Chinese burial ground. Paths led you around the grounds. What was immediately evident were the large mounds and depressions in the ground that were once mass burial pits.

Esquimalt Lagoon truly has it all: forests, freshwater saltwater, beaches, wildlife, art, tranquility, and an overwhelming sense of peace, all a mere five minutes from the main road. If you're in the area, it's worth checking out.

As we walked, I found the sound of my feet hitting the gravel, the birds singing, and all the nature sounds around me to be all I needed. No talking was required, and I felt very fulfilled in the silence. I intuitively fell into a rhythm and strode forward briskly in a new, comforting silence like no other.

Here is one of my favorite rambles on Salt Spring Island. I like it because it is quintessentially Gulf Islands in its beauty, not overly steep and hilly. It has has lots of lovely spots to rest, have a forest meditation, or do some trail yoga. 

San Miguel is an extraordinarily beautiful place, and for me, the best thing to do was to ramble around and soak up the atmosphere. Its historic center, looks like it popped out of a fairytale, especially at night when it is lit up with all the sweet twinkly lights.

We did not walk or swim any great distances. Still, we talked about many things, learned a lot about one another, and were inspired by each other's intelligence, past experience, and hopes for the future.

This is how we picked our way through Hanoi's sensorily overstimulating and fascinating landscape. It was a barrage to the senses of endless honking, unfamiliar smells, and so much happening everywhere. 

It felt like a scavenger hunt looking for symbols of a bygone era in a car. We found the biggest concrete totem pole in the USA, an oversized sculpture of a blue whale given as an anniversary gift, fiberglass figures known as Muffler Men, and old motels with photo-worthy vintage signs. 

When I was a kid, we had a subscription to National Geographic. There were stacks of them in our home, and I spent hours and hours pouring over them. That's what started my lifelong fascination with the South Pacific.  

On an average day, Fairhope holds 20,000 people, but for three days every March, it packs in an extra 250,000. Typically in this part of the world, when large numbers of people fill a small town for a weekend, they fill a football stadium. But here they come for art.

Seaside farm meadows, heritage fruit trees, and cedar fences make this farm feel more like a movie set than real life. This is the place that made me want to move to the Salty Isle all those decades ago and today is still one of my favorites.

The campus buildings are pure Gilded Age swagger. The original hotel opened in 1888 and today remains one of the finest examples of Spanish Renaissance architecture in the USA. This hotel was remarkable even in an age known for over-the-top opulence and luxury.

We rambled along the Cowichan River, and our intrepid leaders, Judy Smith, and Ann Scholten, reminded us how this river is the heart of southern Vancouver Island. They got excited and animated whenever they talked about the river and its salmon.