Because life is short and the world is wide
B.C.’s Narnia: The magic and majesty of the Broughton Archipelago
∞Originally published in the Vancouver Province November 10, 2017∞ “Where are we, Narnia?” They’re the first words out of the mouth of a travel companion the moment we climb from our zodiac and step on the shores of a Bond Sound estuary. In front of us all, is a...
Bubbly and beauty in Northern Italy
∞Originally published in the Vancouver Sun, December 17, 2016∞ It’s evening on the Adriatic, and we’re on a terrazza high on a karst cli over the Gulf of Trieste, holding a glass of Prosecco and watching harbour lights dot the dusk. Behind us oat the sounds of a...
Exotic Seoul: Ancient palaces amid neon modernity
∞Originally published in the Vancouver Sun March 7, 2015∞ It took only a few steps into the cavernous Seoul Noryangjin Wholesale Fisheries Market to realize I was woefully unprepared for a visit: a few very squishy, sea-brined steps in sandals quickly covered in sea...
The Yin and Yang of Hong Kong
∞Originally published in the Vancouver Sun September 13, 2014∞ After fighting the human crush of Kowloon’s chaotic streets, stepping through the stately gates of Hong Kong’s classical Nan Lian Garden comes as a relief. The garden, with its bonsai pines, Banyan groves,...
Cellphones and Sand Dunes: Morocco’s enticing contrast of traditional and modern cultures
∞Originally published in the Vancouver Sun February 8, 2014.∞ It’s nearly dusk on the dunes and the setting sun is casting long shadows on the sand, stretching camel legs into spindles as they trek through a seemingly endless expanse of desert. Our caravan is heading...
Welcome to Cubano Country: Journey into Cuba’s Interior
∞Originally published in the Vancouver Province July 28, 2013∞ Cool morning mist wisps the valley as our horses wind along red clay roads through flowering tobacco fields. The heat is rising slowly, but it still outpaces my loping white horse, who is more interested...
Romance on the Rock: The New Newfoundland
∞ Originally published in The Vancouver Province and Windsor Star, August 9, 2009. ∞ The fog rolls thick and slow over the hills, whiting out the wooden buildings of town and even the road on a chilly, rainy stretch of coast along Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula....
Cape Breton: Canada’s Celtic Heart
∞ Originally published in the Vancouver Province and Edmonton Journal, August 2, 2009. ∞ It’s been a long drive along a craggy, wave-thrashed coast, through the lush green landscapes and wild lupine fields of the central Highlands. We’ve been confused by Gaelic...
Trek Through the True Thailand
∞ Originally published in the Vancouver Sun and the Winnipeg Free Press, June 14, 2009. ∞ It’s dawn and the mountain mists are shifting, mixing with my cold-cloud breaths as I huddle near the fire and clutch a cup of steaming tea in a bamboo-pole cup. Below me, down a...
Wat Wonders in Cambodia: The stunning temples and archeological mysteries of Angkor Wat
∞ Originally published in the Vancouver Sun and Regina Leader Post, April, 19, 2009. ∞ I'm two hours into a backroads motorcycle ride through the Cambodian countryside — wind cutting the baking 34-degree heat, dust flying up from the road — and as I ride I’m treated...
About me
Elaine O'Connor
I’m a different kind of travel writer. I craft long-form, cover-worthy feature-length travel articles with style and substance. I tell travellers not just what to do, but why. Find out how to work with me.
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