Travel Stories - Marie-Claude Arnott

When I first traveled to places I’d likely never go back to—the world is a big place—I was frustrated and even sad to leave beautiful and interesting sites behind. Sure, I’d bring back photographs galore, souvenirs and other mementos, and books, but they weren’t enough. They wouldn't keep my memories alive.

But writing stories about these places would let me keep them forever. And since everything is better when it’s shared, I am sharing them here, in an uninterrupted reading format that, I hope, will let your mind drift to those places and engage in the experiences. I hope the photographs will visually take you back there, as they never fail to take me.

Most articles were first published at Buckettripper.com, a multiple-award-winning digital travel magazine - no longer collaborative. Other original travel articles appeared in my travel column in the West Vancouver Beacon. Recent ones are published only at Writing is Living.

Vancouver – Bears, Birds, and Lumberjacks

I am standing next to two speechless children twenty feet from two grizzly bears. Had we been on a trail, it would have triggered sheer panic although it’s best to stay calm and retreat slowly.

But we are in Vancouver where the wild is part of life. Birds of prey soar over Stanley.. →

Vancouver – Golf with Dogs on Bowen Island

I am sailing to a golf course, unaware that I’ll play golf with dogs. Meanwhile, the mountain views widen as the Queen of Capilano ferry is on the twenty-minute crossing from Horseshoe Bay to Snug Cove, a village of heritage cottages.

Something About Bowen Island

Past the only.. →

Tahiti – Conundrum on Raiatea Island

I amble through the untidy streets of Papeete wondering what happened to the blissful postcard image of the capital of French Polynesia. The lush canopy of the jungle in the distance and the teeming marine life suggest that paradisical islands such as Tahiti have their dilemmas.

The Society.. →

Hawaii – Deep Sea Fishing off Kauai

I am stepping onto the boat unaware that I’d end up with two options on this deep-sea fishing trip: using a rod or a bucket. Unbeknownst to me, the seas are rougher off the coast of Kauai than off any other Hawaiian island. And as I’d find out once more, good sea legs plus a well-moored.. →

Vancouver – Travel-wise Tips

Don’t laugh, but some people think we live on ice. Let’s get it straight: Vancouver is an approximately three-hour drive north of Seattle and a six-hour flight to the Canadian Arctic. This should clear some misconceptions and allow for my tongue-in-cheek recommendations.

Yes, in wintertime.. →

Vancouver – The Seawall Walk

I am not dancing in the rain, but I enjoy its drumming on my umbrella as my wellies (read: Wellington boots) splash in puddles while walking the seawall in West Vancouver.

As a non-indigenous Vancouverite, I’d rather cocoon on a wet day, but the cocktail of marine and mountain air of the.. →

France – the Volcanoes of Auvergne

I hold my breath while exhilarated fellow voyagers scream at the top of their lungs. We are tumbling at a vertiginous speed into the magma chamber of an active volcano. The idea of hell crosses my mind.

Then I remember: we are in a simulator at Vulcania, a science amusement park, and an education.. →

Vancouver – The Aquarium in Stanley Park

I am looking at a creature with no bones, no heart, no brain, and no eyes. Shredded ribbons of white jelly drift away from its flamboyant bell-shaped body. And yet the orange jellyfish is only one of the fascinating exhibits of the Vancouver Aquarium. What’s more, you never see the same thing twice.

Like.. →

Italy – Lake Como

I had planned to walk the trail from the Lenno dock to Villa del Balbianello overlooking Lake Como, I am sitting on a taxi boat instead. The trail is closed on Mondays but glimpsing the villa through the trees couldn’t have matched its awesome setting from the water.

The villa.. →

California – The Trees of Mystery Park

I am looking at a redwood tree so high that I hug it to keep my balance. I imagine the seedling that it was some hundred years ago, but wonder whether it will make it as a forest elder 2,000 years from now.

If this tree could talk, it would be about gold miners becoming lumberjacks after the.. →