Friends moved from Vancouver to Vernon in the sunny Okanagan.
What do you think of their new vista?
We were working on a Gymnastics project, taking breaks with good food.
One highlight was visiting gorgeous Ellison Provincial Park.
Friends are improving the rock climbing routes nearby.
Who are my friends, you ask?
From Vernon, I started my ride back to Calgary.
This joint hasn’t changed in 50+ years.
I was there a LOT during my University days in the 1970s – 80s.
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Syracuse had far fewer tourists than the other places I visited in Sicily in March.
Yet it once rivalled Athens in power and splendour.
Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage site celebrated for its seamless blend of 2,700 years of history, ranging from massive Greek ruins to golden Baroque architecture.
Click PLAY or watch some drone video on YouTube.
I started with a GPSmyCity walking tour of Ortigia Island (Historic Center).
Underwhelmed. Not sure why. Everyone else seemed to really appreciate having the place to themselves.
I did enjoy it more at night than in daylight.
BETTER was simply wandering the narrow streets of the old city.
Stumble upon random historic sites not mentioned in my tourist bumf.
Next day I paid 18 Euro to tour the Roman Amphitheatre, one of the 3 largest in Italy.
This and the surrounding grottos were more interesting than the old city, for me. BUT the site is badly organized. Poor signage. Confusing navigation.
Museum quite good, however.
You’ll enjoy Syracuse more than me. Maybe I just wasn’t in the mood.
One HIGHLIGHT for me was a small, unpretentious restaurant called PASTA RUN.
Inexpensive. Small portions. Tasty.
Here’s their Pasta Alla Norma, a signature dish of Sicily. It was named in honour of a native of Catania, Vincenzo Bellini, the composer of the opera Norma.
I went back the next day to try their arancine, Italian rice balls that are stuffed, coated with breadcrumbs and deep-fried.
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Palermo is Sicily’s cultural, economic and tourism capital. Rich in history, culture, art, music and food.
Just outside the train station are the Quattro Canti (Four Corners), a Baroque intersection that captures the city’s, ornate, historic, and bustling character.
I started with a Palermo city walking tour using the GPSmyCity app.
There’s no end to interesting architecture. But — as in the rest of Europe — some are under endless renovation.
I do feel that Sicily makes less a big deal of their tourist attractions. No security. Anyone can do anything they want, even in Cathedrals.
I stayed in an excellent, expensive hostel ➙ Ostello Bello Palermo.
Best was the large guest kitchen which provides all the ingredients to make your own pasta.
The hostel was by the waterfront so I made several trips along the (still being developed) coastline.
It almost never rains in this part of the world. BUT I did get some weather in March.
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Valletta is the capital city of Malta, the European Union‘s smallest capital city.
UNESCO World Heritage site. A LOT of history.
Founded by the Order of St John of Jerusalem, also known as the Knights Hospitaller.
Ruled successively by the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs and the Order of the nights of St John. Valletta’s 320 monuments, all within an area of 55 ha, make it one of the most concentrated historic areas in the world.
Today the strongest influence is from 150 years of British colonial history.
About 30% of the population of Malta are expats ➙ British, Italian, Indian, and Filipino most prominently. You can buy a EU passport with a minimum €600,000–€750,000 contribution. 😀
Population of Valletta as of 2021 was 5,157.
At any given moment, there are far more tourists than citizens. More than 3 million tourists arrive in Malta each year. Most of them visit Valletta.
I started in the afternoon with a scramble around nearby, dilapidated Fort Manoel.
Fort Manoel should be a major tourist attraction — but, as of 2026, most is closed to tourists. Some project renovations to be finished by 2033.
I didn’t get to Valletta until after dark. More evocative than during the day. Mysterious. Even spooky in places.
I do recommend you visit at night.
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Another day I joined a free hostel walking tour to Valletta.
We started with 13 tourists from around the world.
Paty, our leader from Brazil, took us to many interesting spots.
We unexpectedly crashed wedding photos.
AND we had a birthday girl. Actually it was the day after her birthday — but the couple had been on the plane flying to Malta the day before.
Over the course of several hours, some of our group took off to meet friends. Or stop for dinner.
Only 6 of us were left by the time we got to Paty’s recommended restaurant, Alexanders by Zizka. Excellent.
I ordered that weird, delicious thin crust pizza. The rest had pasta, some with rabbit — a local favourite dish.
I loved Malta. But the highlights were all on hostel walking tours.
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We did take the ferry over to the Three Cities, but only had about an hour there. Time allowing, it would be even better than Valletta being so much less crowded with tourists.
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Nobody’s favourite tourist city, Dar es Salaam is sprawling and congested. Largest city in East Africa by population ➙ approaching 8 million.
The capital since 1996 is Dodoma.
Best news is the Dar es Salaam bus rapid transit system under construction. It reminds me of the excellent system I used in Rio.
Unfortunately progress has slowed after the death of President John Magufuli who initiated the program. Locals blame corruption.
Best thing I did in Dar was a personal half day cycling tour of the city. We visited very local coffee shops, candy shops, digital movie library, African herbal medicine shop, ghetto movie theatre, 2nd biggest market, and much more.
We finished with a soft drink in my guide’s local bar.
A walking tour of the downtown business centre wasn’t all that interesting.
Better was the Kijiji cha Makumbusho, or Village Museum, an open-air ethnographical centre showcasing traditional huts from 16 different Tanzanian ethnic groups.
It’s right in the middle of the city.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Must visit if you get to Arusha.
By day, it sells auto parts to vehicles trundling through town. By night, it sells some of the best damn Pakistani-style BBQ chicken parts I’ve tasted anywhere …
Wheeling and Mealing at Khan’s BBQ, Arusha, Tanzania
Khan’s is on Mosque street. I was there during Ramadan — streets were thronged.
They offer just one meal for one price ➙ U.S. $9.35.
It’s a feast.
Salads. Naan. Drink. Assorted barbecue meats. Sauces. Desert.
Despite its proximity to the equator, Arusha’s elevation of 1,400 metres (4,600 ft) on the southern slopes of Mount Meru keeps temperatures relatively low and alleviates humidity.
Over 3 weeks, I spent many enjoyable days in Quito, the capital of Ecuador. I’d be happy to go back anytime.
It’s a very inexpensive tourist destination.
My base was excellent Secret Garden Hostel. I enjoyed many a great meal on their rooftop restaurant.
The historic centre is terrific in the day — but my favourite moments were wandering at night.
I finally made it up to the top of a central hill to see the 41m-tall Virgin of Quito. Taller than Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro.
This is still a developing nation. Most people don’t use seatbelts. Dogs roam free.
Certainly Ecuador has a proud culture. Citizens do not try to emulate American culture.
I’ve never been much of a fan of KFC. But in Asia last year — and in Ecuador, I’ve been a regular customer. It’s the only western fast food franchise I’ve seen. Burger King is here, somewhere.
Wow. This is one intense survival story.
Maurice and Maralyn Bailey were a British married couple who, in 1973, survived for 118 days on a rubber raft in the Pacific Ocean before being rescued.
… At dawn on 4 March 1973, their yacht was struck by a (dying) whale and severely damaged.
After transferring some supplies to an inflated life raft and dinghy and salvaging some food, a compass, and other supplies, the Baileys watched as Auralyn disappeared beneath the waves.
To survive, they collected rainwater and when their meagre food supplies ran out, began eating sea creatures such as turtles, seabirds and fish caught by hand or with safety pins fashioned into hooks.
Their adventure was turned into the book 117 Days Adrift (1988).
The story was retold in Maurice and Maralyn (2024) by first time author Sophie Elmhirst. The book was published in the United States in 2025 as A Marriage at Sea.
Amazingly, they returned to sailing, purchasing a new yacht called Auralyn II.
Maralyn Bailey died of cancer in 2002 at the age of 61. Maurice Bailey died in December 2018 at the age of 85.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Ecuador was named after the Spanish word for “equator“.
Almost every tourist who makes it to Quito visits the (somewhat cheesy) Ciudad Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World City).
The grounds contain the Monument to the Equator, which highlights the exact location of the Equator.
The placement of the equatorial line was defined throughout a 1736 expedition called the French Geodesic Mission. They were astonishing close — only incorrect by 240 metres (790 ft).
Most interesting was a demonstration of the Coriolis force. I’d always heard stories about the “coriolis effect” ➙ water draining in different directions in the northern and southern hemispheres.
BUT I was shocked to see it with my own eyes with the draining water only about 2m on either side of the equator line.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
A great trick. I was fooled.
As you would intuit, the Coriolis force does not work on small bodies of water anywhere on earth.
The guide pours the water in a certain way to cause the direction of drain.
I enjoyed my 2nd chocolate tour over the past few months. A fascinating story.
You could certainly skip Ciudad Mitad del Mundo. But I’m glad I went. The parklike setting is well done.
Rick McCharles 