By BOB FOULKES I like adventures because they take me out of my comfort zone, and they force me into a challenge that mixes fear with hope. My latest adventure is an eight-day trek called the Tour de Mont Blanc, an iconic 135-km trail through France, Italy and Switzerland around the Mont Blanc massif... read more
By JOHN SKINNER The road to Chenda’s village is barely passable, bringing to mind a ride on a mechanical bull in a cowboy bar. The flood waters receded only days earlier after carving deep ruts that have our high-sprung pickup truck rolling and tumbling. Only the skill and patience of our driver, Vannak, keeps us... read more
Bucket List | Health & Fitness | Sports & Leisure | Travel
By BOB FOULKES I got hooked on adventure during an eight-day Outward Bound trek in the wilds of British Columbia north of Whistler. Since then I have completed a 77-km struggle along the Westcoast Trail on Vancouver Island, the 53-kilometre Chilkoot Trail in B.C., made famous by the Klondike Gold rush, and the 154-kilometre West... read more
By BOB FOULKES In the mid 1970s, when I was 25, I had a dream job: executive assistant to Judd Buchanan, Canada’s Minister of Indian and Northern affairs. He was responsible for Canada’s national parks, the territories north of the 60th parallel and the many duties prescribed by the Indian Affairs Act and other issues relating... read more
Bucket List | Health & Fitness | Sports & Leisure
By CONTRARIAN I remember my response when a friend asked whether I would be running the full marathon, or the half. “Halfs are for girls”, I said. I don’t really believe that, of course. The 21-kilometre half is probably my favourite distance: long enough to be challenging, short enough to run it fast. I mean,... read more
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness.” — Mark Twain By BOB FOULKES My latest adventure came at what is now recognized as a historically tumultuous time in the Middle East, when Islamic totalitarian regimes were falling like trailer parks in a tornado. When we leave for Morocco, the regimes in Tunisia and Egypt... read more
By QUANTUM MERUIT Experiences suggested by readers for the Bucket List are almost always intense and overwhelming physical or intellectual confrontations. Such suggestions humble and intimidate readers. Dropping earthward with an unopened parachute tends to focus the mind to the exclusion of everything. Other suggestions propose equally intense challenges; not as physically overwhelming but intellectually... read more
By QUANTUM MERUIT Some would say that a Bucket List is for things that you have not done. We disagree. Going back to a special moment in our lives, something or somewhere (but probably not to someone) of memorable and personal significance deserves a place on the list. For many, one such place would be... read more