A hike to Point Ormond Hill

I headed south past the lighthouse along the path that meandered close to Port Phillip Bay. On this perfect autumn day, there were plenty of bikers and hikers taking advantage of the sunny conditions. Off shore, sail boats bobbed over the choppy sea while wavelets splashed against the rocks below.

Just me by the sea — Campbell River

Vancouver Island’s Campbell River walkway was both a hiking and biking pathway following the coast where Quadra Island shimmered off shore.

False Creek Hiking/Biking Trail

With several hours to kill between movies at the Vancouver International Film Festival recently, I took off along the False Creek Trail under a sunny fall sky. Heading for Grandville Island, a four kilometre one way hike, I followed the paved route by shimmering water.

DeBoville Slough, PoCo

Apart from an easy hike along this Port Coquitlam trail, there were two other reasons to take the walk this summer. First, the abundant flowering of fireweed motivated me. The native plant grew intermittently along the route and it’s useful for skin conditions from dry skin to eczema.

Me, a bicycle and Ong Dung Beach

It was an uphill battle all the way to Ong Dung Beach and I ended up dismounting my bike and walking. Perhaps this was a blessing in disguise because, growing overly hot from the repressive heat, I stopped along the route under a shady patch to cool down.

Prapat, and an island in the middle of Lake Toba

Photo courtesy: Christian Advs Sltg — Wikimedia Commons

We stayed over night in Prapat in Central Sumatra before catching an early ferry across to Samosir Island, situated in the middle of the Lake Toba. Half an hour ferry ride seemed luxurious after the arduous long day’s journey of the day before from Bukittinggi.