A-Life BC Travel Blog

By Michael McCarthy

The fabulous Taj Mahal, located in Agra, central India, is a beautiful building, one of the most famous and recognizable in the entire world. But the nearby ghost town of Fatehpur Sikri is easily more fascinating.

Situated only 30km west of the Taj, out in the emptiness of the desert, Fatehpur Sikri blends both Islamic and Hindu elements into its fantastic architectural style. A brilliant variation of red sandstone only available locally was used for construction of most of the buildings, which provides the city with much of its fabulous red lustre.

By Michael McCarthy

For those interested in experiencing true Tibetan art and culture, Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, has taken the place of Lhasa, Tibet, as a tourist destination. In Kathmandu, in the northern Boudinath district of the city, there are now so many Tibetan attractions and recent refugees that the area is becoming known as "Little Lhasa," and it’s well worth a visit for those people interested in Tibetan Buddhism. Centred around the largest stupa (temple) in the world, tourists can find more than 40 different Tibetan monasteries, arts and crafts stores, restaurants, cyber cafes, bookstores and guesthouses, many of them catering to western visitors.

Nepal is a poverty-stricken country and it often appears that the only thriving industry is tourism. Where else can you get a room in a guest house run by chanting monks wearing purple robes for $10 a day, a breakfast for 25 cents, and enjoy an earnest conversation about existentialism with an elderly bearded sadhu (wandering wise man) toting a trident and speaking excellent English with a 1910 Oxford accent while asking for a modest tip for his time?

By Holly Rose

It's one of the summer's last truly hot days. I drive down the winding back roads of Duncan's heartland, filled with rolling green pastures, fruit trees and open sky. Music spills into my window with the passing of each car. I don't think anyone can bear to have their windows up on a day like today.

It's right about then that I pull up to Alderlea Estate Vineyard. In meeting owners Roger and Nancy Dosman, I find that there is much reason in their rhyme.

Prior to 1911, the town of Duncan was known to its residents as Alderlea. The name honours both the heritage of Duncan and the place where all the grapes are harvested.

I am always intrigued to find where a person's passion rests. Even in winemakers this varies greatly; some folks have a passion for interacting with their clients and talking about their wines, others have a genuine joy for the harvesting and growing of the grapes, while others still love the little intricacies of running a vineyard.

By Ross Collicutt

When I was recently in Vancouver to visit friends, we spent a couple of hours at the Capilano Suspension Bridge.

First we tried out the brand new Cliffwalk. If heights make you queezy, this one may not be for you. A narrow walkway about 600m long is suspended from the side of the cliff. You are literally walking on the edge of a cliff with nothing but the rocky canyon bottom over 20m below.

By Michael McCarthy

It’s hard to imagine that any country that was “discovered” and then colonized back in 1640 could somehow find itself falling off the beaten track, but apparently that’s what has happened to the lovely island of Bermuda.

This small island, north of the Caribbean and east of Georgia and Carolina in the continental USA, has somehow conspired to find itself slipping into obscurity. The tiny garden island, only 20 miles long and about two miles wide, has been a tourist destination longer than just about any other place in the world.

By Ross Collicutt

When I think of aquariums that I’ve visited over the years, I think of smaller businesses that are having trouble staying afloat and keeping their animals happy, all while attempting to make a difference in the world.

The execution can be a little lackluster, but the idea—providing entertaining shows and valuable education about our planet’s animals while making a huge difference in their lives—is still a very admirable one, and the Vancouver Aquarium proves it can work.

By Michael McCarthy

Everywhere you look these days there seem to be new wineries popping up. Washington County, located just west of Portland, Oregon is the latest region to register a big hit on the wine radar.

The secret of Washington County lies in the soil, rich red clay, combined with just the right amount of sunlight and rain.

Easily the best way to enjoy this new wine region is by following the Vineyard and Valley Scenic Tour Route, a 50-mile drive or cycle tour that showcases much of the county’s agricultural bounty, including many of the county’s 21 wineries, farms, pioneer and historic sites, wildlife refuges and scenic viewpoints.

By Jessica Woollard

It is perhaps the most-taken photograph in British Columbia: a person trying their darnedest to wrap their arms around an ancient Douglas Fir, the colossal trunk towering beyond the photo’s edge, reaching for uncertain heights.

Suspended boughs covered with sweeping moss swing in and out of the scene; in the foreground, nurse logs nestle on the forest floor, providing a sanctuary for countless unseen beetles, spiders, and worms.

If you’re sticking around the Victoria area, the first place that comes to mind to fulfill this tree-hugging photo fantasy is the 477-hectare Goldstream Provincial Park, just 25 minutes from downtown.

I get chills as soon as I enter the park’s vicinity, and not just from the cool, forest air. It seems out of nowhere, the trees have shot up an extra 20 feet and widened by an extra 10. The light changes. The sun’s rays bounce off thousands of branches and leaves, labouring to get past the foliage to illuminate the ferns growing at knee-level and leave glimmering speckles of yellow on the floor.

By Ross Collicutt

Most people imagine numbing appendages when they think of dipping into the ocean around Tofino and Ucluelet.

But there is often good reason for braving the frigid waters--namely, surfing. When winter storms pound the west coast, the swell creates those coveted waves avid surfers are looking for.

When you're a  wide-eyed beginner, however, summer provides a much more appropriate learning environment.

By Holly Rose

I am seated in a beautiful space, feeling a little reverent. While it is true that I am one to feel a great sense of reverence for culinary delights or an excellent glass of wine, I have only arrived at Steeples Restaurant and it is the space itself that inspires these feelings.

For the last 10 years, Steeples has been satisfying its patrons with an elegant ever-changing menu and its enticing selection of local (and global) wines, ciders and beers.

Prior to being the culinary prize of Shawnigan Lake, this space was once a place of worship. One glance around Steeples Restaurant and its history is evident. Proprietor Darren Cole ensured with his renovations that the beauty of the building was showcased.

Rich exposed beams shine in the afternoon light on my visit. Most of the brunch clientele has already moved on but a few linger on the protected patio with its lovely view of Steeples' manicured grounds. In the evening the patio is often full with the breeze of BC's summer nights, never bothering those under the shelter of heat lamps.