My Writing
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An Emotional Final Vacation with My Amazing Wife
It was September, 2022. Ivana and I loaded up the SUV and headed out on the road for the last time. We needed one more vacation together. Ivana’s heart was not doing well. She had a hole in the intake valve of her heart. Her lungs were failing, and she was on oxygen. Her medication bag…
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The Best Travel Advice: Learn The Local Courtesy Words!
Show respect, and you will notice a difference in how you are treated as you travel the world. I recently returned from Southeast Asia. Once again, it was proven to me that learning the courtesy words in the local language matters. Knowing how to say ‘hello’, ‘please’, and ‘thank you’ shows respect for the local people…
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Our Journey Together: Engagement Weekend of Surprises
Remembering my wife, and our fabulous engagement weekend. The anniversary of my Ivana’s passing was only a few weeks ago. The anniversary of our engagement is just a few weeks away. I’ll never forget our fabulous weekend in Toronto, filled with memorable surprises. I had known for some time that I was dating a very…
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Snake Whiskey Shots in the Mekong Delta
An area of Vietnam to explore and savour, but don’t fall out of the boat! In the Mekong Delta, I looked the snake in the eye as I tossed back the shot. The snake looked back through the clear liquor, as if to laugh at me. The snake whiskey hit my pallet strong and burned a…
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Spectacular Views 78 Stories Above Bangkok
The endless skyline of a city that must be experienced, Pac-Man Tequila! I stepped out onto the glass floor and looked down on Bangkok. 78 stories down. Very cool, and not for the faint of heart. I have never been so trusting of a piece of glass. There was nothing but concrete far, far below. The…
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Playing Chicken on the Road to Phnom Penh
The bus driver didn’t seem phased by our near-death experiences The tractor-trailer was dead ahead, roaring towards us. The cab-over truck flashed its square headlights at our driver. There was nowhere to go. The highway was only 2 lanes wide, with maybe 2 feet of paved shoulder. Our tour bus was passing a dump truck, which…
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The First Year Without My Wife
Grief is a catalyst for extraordinary change and personal growth It has been a year since Ivana, my wife, passed away after a battle with her heart. March 13. Three days before our 19th anniversary. I miss her every day. The past two years have seen incredible, unrelenting change. In every facet of life. Since Ivana…
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Exciting Adventures in Hang Sung Sot Cave
With only my whip and my wits, My inner Indiana Jones and I went exploring in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam The Vietnam air was hot, still, and thick with humidity. An occasional ray of sunshine broke through the morning haze, not yet burned off by the sun. Using the back of my worn leather gloves, I…
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Unexpected Danger at the San Diego Zoo
The San Diego Zoo Safari Park has a deadly collection of…Platypuses?!?! I had always thought of the platypus as one of evolution’s oddities. A strangely cute water mammal with a duck-bill, that lays on its back and plays with its hands. I had a lot to learn at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. I…
