(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

I am pleased to report that I was never afraid of violence or crime during my year of travel.  However, that doesn’t mean that there weren’t terrifying moments.  I don’t just mean “scary”, as it felt when we saw the skills of our first Czech opponents on our hockey tour of Eastern Europe.  No, these are moments where I was genuinely afraid of what was going to happen.  Interestingly, they all involve transportation!  In chronological order, they are…

1.  Approach to the Reagan National Airport in Washington D.C.

There are two airports in Washington D.C.  Dulles International Airport is some distance away from the city and handles most international flights.  Reagan National Airport is much closer to the city and in fact is connected to the local subway system.  Sounds great…until your plane approaches the runway and you find yourself flying beside buildings, making sharp turns to avoid various no-fly zones (White House, Pentagon, CIA Headquarters), and making a very quick drop to terra firma.  I found out after landing that this airport makes every “Scariest Airport” list.

2.   Bus from Mostar to Trebinje (Bosnia & Herzegovina)

This route links the Federation of Bosnia & Herzergovina with the Republika Srpska.  The first part of the trip was OK.  However, as we approached the Republika Srpska frontier and passed through a few security checkpoints, the driver turned demonic and drove like a man possessed through the exceedingly twisty mountain terrain.  Crazy driving is one thing, but the driver also decided to eat, call friends, smoke, spit out the window and catch up on his paperwork at the same time.

3.  Drive to Northern Montenegro

Just a few days after the Trebinje bus, I found myself on an even longer and even more harrowing journey across almost the entire nation of Montenegro (and back again).  The scenery was spectacular but I was focused on surviving the high-speed mountain race in a jam-packed Volkswagen Golf.  I was beginning to think about confining my future trips to destinations with train stations, so I wouldn’t have to endure any more of this motorized madness!

4.  Boat to Cavtat (Croatia)

Dubrovnik is a beautiful city on the stunning Adriatic coast (see photo at the top of this post), although it is quite heavily touristed.  I thought it would be a good idea to visit a nearby small town…but I also decided to go there by boat.  I should have asked more questions about the *type* of boat, as it turned out to be a rather small craft that was tossed around the waves for almost an hour before we finally arrived in Cavtat.  I managed not to be sick – a small victory, but a somewhat miraculous one given the conditions on the water.

5.  Midnight Taxi to Portrush (Northern Ireland)

I had a very enjoyable day touring the hidden treasures of Northern Ireland with one of my former bandmates from my undergraduate days.  Alas, midnight arrived very quickly and my only transportation option was a taxi from Limavady back to my B&B in Portrush.  The driver was a really nice guy and we talked about our respective sports interests.  The only problem was that he did this whilst covering the distance in record time on a very narrow highway in near-complete darkness.  I didn’t get to sleep for quite some time after arriving.

As you can see, my terror was more or less confined to the first half of the year.  There were some isolated incidents of aggressive driving in both Peru and Costa Rica too, but I managed to distract myself by talking to others in the tour group.  Distraction appears to be the best strategy!

There are many more lists to come – stay tuned!

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

Since returning home from my last trip, I have been asked on several occasions to name my favourite trip, place or experience of the year.  My answer changes daily and, yes, I usually say “it depends”!  However, I’ve now put together a number of different lists to try and describe some of the most memorable elements of the year.

I’m starting with the Top 5 “Wow” Moments of the year.  Many of these could also fit into my “Top Experiences” category (coming soon!) but I’ve chosen to separate these 5 because they were unexpected and/or carried an intense emotional rush when they happened.  At each of these moments, I said to myself:  “Now you’re really living!”  Here they are, in chronological order…

1.  First descent from Forcella Staunies piste above Cortina d’Ampezzo (Italy)

For the past 15 years, my favourite ski piste has been the “Black Rock” piste located just below the famous Jungfrau near Wengen, Switzerland.  The piste parallels a massive black rock and was unlike anything else I’d ever skied.   The scenery is spectacular and the piste is challenging enough to be exhilarating without even considering the scenery.

Now that I’ve skied the piste at Forcella Staunies above Cortina d’Ampezzo, however, I think I have to change my answer.  With massive, towering rocks on both sides (chair lift shown at top of this post), you can’t help staring upwards and marveling at your own insignificance.  Add to that the complete absence of crowds, the deep snow, a sense of impending doom and a long and challenging piste…well, there really is nothing else like it.  It was so awesome, in fact, that I could only ski it a few times.  I was utterly exhausted and began to worry that I would make a bad mistake if I continued.    The picture above says it all:  there really is no other place I’d rather be!

2.  The crazy part of the Cliffs of Moher (Ireland)

Don’t get me wrong:  all of the Cliffs of Moher are impressive.  But there is one portion north of the main entrance that many visitors never see.  It takes some effort to get there and there are several signs reminding you that you are proceeding at your own risk.  The formerly paved and “fenced” cliff-top trail is now unfenced and little more than a dirt path.

When you arrive at the highest and most treacherous part, you are overlooking the ocean from a height of more than 2 football fields.   It is straight down and it is terrifying.  Even more terrifying is how some people are actually sitting on or leaning over the edge.   I don’t think I’ve ever walked as cautiously as I did here.  At the same time, however, it is so beautiful that I didn’t want to leave.

3.  First view of Machu Picchu (Peru)

We had to get up at an uncivilized hour and ride a packed bus up a narrow, winding and scary mountain road.  We had to wait for 45 minutes to get through the maddeningly slow line-up at the main gate.   We had to carry a lot of (heavy) water to get us through the day.   Despite all that, it was still a “Wow!” moment to see Machu Picchu for the first time.  And once you get beyond the initial “wow”, Machu Picchu will change everything you think you know about “civilization”.

4.  Scoring the opening goal for “Team Canada” in Bratislava, Slovakia

This game was very meaningful for my team and there was a lot of emotion in the air.  We were also playing in a KHL (the Eastern European version of the NHL) arena with all of the luxuries and facilities you can imagine.  There were national anthems and lots of officials.  There was music pumping between whistles and we were wearing Team Canada uniforms.  The ice was fast and the pace of play was faster.

For whatever reason, I was “in the zone” for this one and playing like my life depended on it.  I felt like I could slow the game down and make moves that I otherwise wouldn’t be able to manage.  Scoring the first goal was such an adrenaline rush that I think I actually jumped up in the air when the puck went in.  I never do that – but I did here.  I guess it was a combination of representing my country, doing something I love, and having every element of the game just the way I wanted it.  It was a dream that actually happened.

5.  Meeting a howler monkey on the Monteverde rainforest canopy (Costa Rica)

It was such a rainy day that there was nobody else on any of the hanging bridges.  I was starting to get discouraged about the apparent lack of wildlife on the canopy tour.  All of a sudden, however, a very large black animal was 20 feet away from me.   I was utterly alone, suspended 40 metres above the forest floor, with an intelligent, unpredictable, non-captive and non-human primate.   We spent 10-15 minutes just hanging out; the monkey didn’t seem to feel threatened at all and I took hundreds of photos.  How cool is that?

Stay tuned for more lists!