Locarno Beach, Vancouver

Peru’s Islas Ballestas and Paracas Tours

Published in 2008 by Simone Hoedel A 2007 earthquake devastated Pisco, but the Region is on the Mend Despite the devastating Pisco earthquake that ravaged Peru’s south coast in 2007, tourist services to the nearby Paracas Reserve have begun to recover. Many hotels in Pisco and Paracas have been rebuilt, and nature tours to Islas […]

Locarno Beach

by Simone Hoedel Sands shift beneath me Dark shapes glide in the harbour Beach fires crack and hiss -Haiku written by me in 2009, after an evening bonfire on Locarno Beach

Arequipa, Peru: A Baroque Masterpiece

Peru’s “White City” in Southern Peru is a Gem of Culture and Nature Enroute to Peru’s Inca heartland or Bolivia’s highlands,visitors often stay in Arequipa, at the foot of Andes, to take in its unique architecture and outdoor activities. Founded in 1540, “La Cuidad Blanca”, with a population of one million, is Peru’s second largest […]

Peru’s Nazca Lines Lure the Curious on Air Tours

The mysterious Nazca Lines, covering a vast area in Peru’s Pampa de San Jose, draws curious travelers for an interesting plane tour in Peru’s south coast in South America. by Simone Hoedel Covering a vast area in the Peru’s Pampa de San Jose, the mysterious Nazca Lines has drawn curious travellers and adventurers to this […]

Travels with my mom in the Yucatan, 1992

I had travelled to Mexico once before, in 1990, and couldn’t wait to show my mom around the Yucatan and explore it more in depth. She had never really travelled much, outside Saskatchewan and BC, and this would be an experience that would really open her eyes to a very different culture and level of […]

Elephant Seals Enchant Visitors to California Central Coast Rookery

An enormous male elephant seal with a huge proboscis (snout) emerges from the Pacific Ocean to charge at another male seal on the beach careless enough to invade his territorial harem. The alpha male lifts himself up with his front flippers, and heaves his massive 5000 pound bulk forward on the sand with astonishing speed. […]