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Australia, British Columbia, Canada, Destinations, Family Travel, Israel, Japan, mobile photography, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Solo Travel, South Africa, Tennessee, travel photography, USA

Family and Solo Travel Adventures of 2017

As we step into 2018, I’d like to take this time to thank you for following along and for your comments and questions on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and email. I hope that I’ve helped to answer all your mobile photography, camera and tech gear, and travel related questions.

I had some incredible family and solo travel adventures in 2017! I explored 2 new countries – Israel and Japan, returned to British Columbia, The Florida Keys twice, South Africa and Australia and visited new places at home in Ontario like Tobermory and Manitoulin Island, and we also saw the solar eclipse in totality on a spontaneous road trip to Kentucky and Tennessee.

We also returned to our favourite close-to-home destination, Niagara Falls. We spent time on both sides of the border. While my boys love playing the redemption games, we also enjoyed walking through Dufferin Island on the Canadian side in the Spring as well as chasing cherry blossoms, found some! In the summer, we ventured to the American side and visited Goat Island. It is a great place to visit as it gives you close-up views of both the American and Canadian Falls.

It was very much a year of incredible snorkelling adventures in the barrier reefs of the Florida Keys and Australia as well as the Red Sea in Eilat, Israel. My 7yo snorkelled for his first time, in Eilat and loved it. We ended our travel year with a trip to The Florida Keys where he embarked on his first open water snorkel trip. We went on 2 snorkel trips from Key Largo and one in the backwaters of Key West. Our favourite experience was our snorkel trip at Molasses Reef where we encountered sea turtles, Caribbean reef sharks and nurse sharks. He was over the moon with excitement and can’t wait to snorkel again. You can read more in my guide to snorkelling the Florida Keys here.

To recap and close out 2017, here are some of my favourite Instagram and mobile camera photos that were all shot on my iPhone 7+. In 2018, I look forward to continuing to inspire your family travels, solo trips and photography and show you more beautiful, nature and culture-rich destinations.

JANUARY

bahia honda tide
Moving tides at Bahia Honda State Park in the Florida Keys. A trip I did with my niece.

FEBRUARY

St James Beach Cape Town
Dusk at St. James Beach in Cape Town, South Africa. A solo trip to South Africa for The Heart of a Woman Project.
Penguins at Boulders Beach
Penguins at Boulders Beach in Cape Town, South Africa, Playing with portrait mode on the iPhone 7 plus.

MARCH

zebra in Kruger
A Zebra in Kruger National Park, South Africa. A self-drive trip I did with my South African travel writer & travel blogger friend Anje Rautenbach of Going Somewhere Slowly in March 2017. Check out her video here.
tea at mahane yehuda jerusalem
Tea at the Mahane Yehuda Market in Jerusalem. A family trip with my husband, 2 sons and father in March 2017, I travelled there after my trip to Kruger Park.
My oldest son and the Eilat Mountains in Southern Israel. We could see the Sinai Desert when we climbed a bit off the dusty road.
old town warsaw
Old Town Warsaw, Poland. A layover on my home way home from Israel.

APRIL

cherry blossoms canada
Found cherry blossoms in Niagara Falls, Canada.
Maid on the Mist in Niagara Falls. A family day trip from Toronto.

MAY

cherry blossoms Kariya Park Mississauga
On the hunt for more cherry blossoms. Found these at Kariya Park in Mississauga.

JUNE

Enchanted Forest
My son at The Enchanted Forest in British Columbia. A family trip to BC with my youngest son, father, aunt, and uncle to see relatives.

JULY

Beautiful art on the arena in Wikwemikong, the unceded territory on Manitoulin Island, Ontario. A trip with my best friend who was visiting Ontario from British Columbia with her family.
Balm Beach Ontario
Sunset in Balm Beach. Some of the most spectacular sunsets in Ontario happen right here, on Georgian Bay, traditional territory of the Anishnaabeg people. Balm Beach is our fave family beach in Ontario. A trip with my family and my best friend and her family who were visiting Ontario from British Columbia.
Tobermory Ontario
My oldest son on the rocks near the Big Tub Lighthouse in Tobermory, Ontario. My sons and I went on a spontaneous 2-night trip on the shores of Lake Huron chasing Aurora. We didn’t find her but found Tobermory.
Bruce Country Ontario
My oldest son in the canola fields of Bruce County, Ontario. This is part of the same trip with my 2 sons.

AUGUST

Manitou River Manitoulin Island
A peaceful spot by the Manitou River near Michael’s Bay on Manitoulin Island. A trip with my 2 sons and father to take in the annual Perseids meteor shower.
Sunflowers in Caledon, Ontario. Random Sunday drives with my husband and 2 sons.
clarksville tennessee for the solar eclipse
A spontaneous road trip to the USA where we experienced our first solar eclipse in totality. We found this spot in Clarksville, Tennessee by the Red River. This was
the light about 30 minutes before totality. The birds flocked, and the cicadas sang. It went to darkness and planets you don’t normally see, were seen. Hard to describe the feeling but we were in awe.

SEPTEMBER

Lakeside Park Oakville
Revisiting one of our favourite family parks in the Greater Toronto area, Lakeside Park in Oakville. September was all about back to school and TIFF. At the end of the month, I returned to Vancouver to visit my best friend before my trip to Australia and Japan.

OCTOBER

Heron Island Queensland Australia
Reef walking at low tide in the Great Barrier Reef off Heron Island in Queensland, Australia. Heron Island is a Coral Cay with the reef as your playground. I saw sharks, sea turtles, stingrays, many species of fish and sea cucumbers. I even found Nemo’s cousin. It was a return to Australia but this time as a solo traveller and my first time exploring Queensland and the GBR.
koala on the great ocean road
Rainforest views on Grey River Road in Kennet River. This was my favourite stop on the Great Ocean Road. Can you find the sleepy koala?
The 8 remaining limestone stacks of the Twelve Apostles. This is probably the most popular stop on the GOR drive and worth seeing in person.
The 5-story Yasaka Pagoda in Kyoto, Japan is surrounded by quaint narrow streets lined with cafes, restaurants and a variety of shops. Loved wandering through here after most people had left the area.

NOVEMBER

palm tree bahia honda state park
A broken but not battered palm tree at Bahia Honda State Park after Hurricane Irma blew through. A trip to the Florida Keys with my oldest niece and 2 sons.
sombrero beach views in Marathon Florida
My boys enjoying a sunset swim at Sombrero Beach in Marathon, Florida Keys.
So not a winter person but I can appreciate the beauty of snow especially with a setting sun. No travels in December.

VIDEOS

Wishing you many photographic opportunities and travels that fulfil your soul in 2018.

Africa, Destinations, safari, Solo Travel, South Africa, Stories, travel photography, wildlife

My close encounter with an elephant in South Africa

Arriving back at Naledi Game Lodge in South Africa for my third time, I had only one wish — to be surrounded by elephants and have an memorable and of course ethical elephant encounter. I was yearning to have more time with my favourite animal, observing it in its natural habitat.

I had already gone on the morning game drive and decided to spend 3 hours at a hide. I was finishing breakfast when I noticed an elephant on the television screen mounted on the wall. I soon realized that it was the webcam feed from the hide I was planning to visit.

The bull elephant was still at the waterhole when we arrived. After an okay from Sipho, a tracker at Naledi, I quickly moved from the game drive vehicle, up the stairs to the hide. The elephant was on the other side of the hide, off-camera.

All of a sudden, he emitted a rumbling sound. Sipho explained that he was communicating. Sure enough, three more male elephants came by for a drink. One by one they arrived at the waterhole and went to the far side of the waterhole.

Then an elephant that Sipho called “Flopsy” (because of his floppy right ear) was the last of the five elephants to appear. He passed by in front of the hide and nodded his head as if to say hello and joined the others for a drink. They hung around for about 45 minutes. I couldn’t believe all the time I had with them, alone, as Sipho had left just after Flopsy arrived.

The next day while on a game drive, Mike (guide) heard breaking branches and followed the sound into the bush. We came upon 12-13 male elephants. I immediately thought some of the elephants were from the day before.

While we were watching the elephants in front of us, we suddenly heard branches breaking behind us. After a few minutes, an elephant came out from behind the tree and continued to eat nearby. It was Flopsy.

He was so close to the vehicle that I switched to my iPhone to get a few shots and record video. I giggled because I couldn’t believe how close he was and that I had to use my iPhone.

The Hide at Naledi Game Lodge.
Sipho, a tracker at Naledi Game Lodge, South Africa after dropping me off at the hide.
The bull elephant that rumbled
The bull elephant that was at the hide when I arrived
The three elephants that arrived after the bull elephant made a rumbling sound.
2EleNaledi2015web
3 African elephants at a waterhole
Three wild African elephants at a waterhole, including “Flopsy”. My view from the hide above the waterhole.
elephants in South Africa

My guide Mike taking a photo of the elephants with his smartphone

Then, this happened.

I was alone in the back of the game drive vehicle that day, and our vehicle had the sighting to ourselves. The only way to describe this 2-day experience is, magical.

I have always believed that elephants were magical. Now I know it’s true. Thanks to the expert guiding of Mike and the fantastic tracking of Sipho, this experience will long live in my heart. I was calm and felt safe.

More –

elephant walking down the road
We left the elephant sighting and found that one of the males had gone for a walk. Another Naledi Game Lodge vehicle is pictured.
  • Naledi Game Lodges – a luxury, family-friendly and relatively affordable lodge in the Greater Kruger area.
  • Africam – web cameras that stream 24 hours a day, three are located at Naledi Game Lodge.
  • Safari Live – For live streaming game drives from South Africa, check out Wild Earth’s Safari Live. It’s as if you’re in the back of the vehicle on a 3-hour drive, searching for wildlife. The drives are twice a day.
  • If you love elephants don’t ever ride them, ride in a game drive vehicle instead. Read this –  https://www.thedodo.com/elephant-rides-trek-1132645600.html

For ethical elephant encounters in Thailand, visit Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, Thailand. 

Prague in 9 Squares

Continuing with a new series on the wanderingiPhone blog ‘in 9 squares’. 

In March 2012, I went on a solo trip to Europe. One of the cities I visited was Prague. In my research, I came across comments that suggested that Prague may not be safe. I took Prague off my itinerary but then put it back on as it was a city I wanted to visit. I am glad I did and am happy to report that I felt completely safe and my visit was without incident.

I, unfortunately, had only a short time in Prague and felt like I only scratched the surface of this beautiful city. I made the most of my time there but with its architecture, bridges, churches and overall charm, I’d love to go back and explore more and travel deeper. My favourite time of day was just as the sun was beginning to set and as the lights on the buildings started to shine. The only word I can think of to describe it, magical.

Here are my favourite 9 Instagram photos from that trip. Click on the 9 squares below to see a larger version.

Prague Czech Republic in 9 squares
Charles Bridge, Tyn Church, St. Nicolas Church, Estates Theatre, Prague.

 

  • Walking through the cobblestone streets with a hot Sva?ak (mulled wine) in hand as you make your way to Charles Bridge.
  • Standing on the infamous Bridge overlooking the Vltava River with several other bridges in the distance.
  • Watching a Mozart opera in the same building that Mozart debuted Don Giovanni over 200 years earlier in 1787.

 

These are the memories that play over in my mind and I hope to return with my family and learn more about the culture and history as I recently learned that a maternal great grandmother is from the Czech Republic.

March is a great time of year to visit Prague. It’s off season and there are deals to be found. I stayed at the 5-star Hilton in Old Town for only $70USD per night thanks to a winning bid on Priceline’s ‘name your own price’.

To see the photos on Instagram along with their detailed captions, visit wanderingiphone on Instagram. 

Destinations, Europe, Germany, Solo Travel, Stories

I Remember – International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day as designated by the UN.

I am honouring my grandfather, all those that perished – 6 million+ and those that survived and lived to tell the truth.

My maternal grandfather Majer Fisczel Gorewicz from Kielce, Poland survived 4 camps including Auschwitz, his mother and 5 sisters did not. I never met him as he died 3 years before I was born. For years, my mom and I researched in our attempts to trace my grandfather’s family. There is no trace of them. It is believed they perished in Auschwitz.

In August 2011, I travelled to the United States Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC (my 2nd visit) and donated whatever we had of my grandfather on behalf of my mom. We did so to preserve our documents, and so others would never forget. At that visit, I put in a request to have research on my grandfather done. Amazingly, they were able to trace my grandfather’s steps and tell us which camps he was imprisoned at, his Auschwitz and Flossenberg prisoner numbers and the camp he was liberated. He was liberated from Dachau on April 29, 1945.

I went to Germany for the first time in March 2012, so I could visit the Dachau concentration camp near Munich. After many years of purposely not visiting Germany, I felt it was time. My maternal grandmother was born in Germany, my mom was born in Germany, and my uncle still lives there, but I couldn’t help but feel hurt and some anger. My grandparents met at a displaced person’s camp near Munich, Germany as my grandmother was a nurse during that time. It’s been said that my grandma nursed him back to health and saved his life.

On arrival in Munich, I went directly to the train station as I had planned to spend the night in Salzburg, Austria. I knew that it would take some time for me to prepare for a visit to Dachau and to spend time in Germany. Over 1 1/2 weeks, I travelled by train from Munich to Salzburg to Vienna to Prague and then by bus back to Munich. I saved Dachau for the end of the trip.

As I looked out the train window during those first few train rides, I imagined all the people that walked beside the train tracks in death marches or that rode the rails to their fate and couldn’t help but feel emotional. I learned that my grandfather was one of those that walked in a death march. He walked from Flossenberg to Dachau in 1945.

I was overwhelmed with emotions as I walked to the gates of the Dachau camp from the remnants of the old train tracks. The gates read “Arbeit Macht Frei” which means “work makes you free”.

I walked the grounds, looked at photos and took photos. As I stood inside the Jewish Memorial with my thoughts, I looked up towards the stream of light coming in. There was an opening, and it looked like an angel with the way the light spilt in. Suddenly, the feeling of anger began to lift.

At the ‘Never Again’ memorial, I placed a rock that I found on the ground on the top. It joined the many other rocks that were there. It is customary to place rocks on headstones and memorials of Jewish people and places of remembrance. It symbolizes the strength and endurance of a rock; it says that we were there and it is a way to preserve the love and memory of those that have died.

These are some of my photos of Dachau. It has taken me almost 2 years to write this post.

B-3058, your name was Majer Fisczel Gorewicz. I remember.

Update: After years of searching we finally learned the fate of a member of our family. His name was Zygmusz Gorewicz, and he was 3 years old. He was my mother’s brother, born during the war and before her. He was 1 of the last 45 children of Kielce. His story was found on the Yad Vashem website.

My grandfather's papers that showed where he was imprisoned and liberated from during the Holocaust.
Papers that showed my grandfather was imprisoned at Dachau, Flossenberg, Blizyn and Auschwitz during the Holocaust and his photo.

 

 

Don’t Let Me Go Africa

I tried to stop the tears that welled in my eyes from flowing, but they escaped, and I could no longer control them. I didn’t want to look like a fool on that small passenger plane from Johannesburg. The African wilderness was somewhere I had always wanted to experience, but it seemed like somewhere that only existed in my dreams, in the pages of National Geographic and on television.

As we flew over the northeast area of South Africa, memories of Sunday evenings on the sofa with my dad and Gran came to mind. As a child, I watched the Wild Kingdom and the television shows that featured the wildlife of Africa.

I saw mountains and valleys below and imagined the people that lived there and the animals that roamed amongst it. As we approached the Hoedspruit airport and flew closer to the ground, I looked for elephants and giraffes amongst the trees I saw below, but couldn’t see anything but dark green patches that dotted the ground. As we descended into the vast expanse that is the greater Kruger National Park, a feeling washed over me like none other, and I started to cry.

I worried that my cry would quickly become audible, so I worked hard at keeping it silent. Had I been alone, it would have been one of those cries that feel like you had been cleansed inside and had no more tears to cry, devoid of further emotion. I never had, in all my travels, felt like that before.

I went to South Africa with the intention of learning more about it and its people, enjoying beautiful scenery, stalking wild animals and by stalking I mean going on a game drive to admire animals in their natural habitats and having new experiences. I came back having fulfilled all of those things, but what I didn’t expect was feeling like I was somehow home.

It’s been almost 6 months since I was there and I still feel like I am trying to process it all. I write, ponder, leave the blog, look at my photos and come back to this unfinished post many times over.

I wanted to so perfectly describe the feeling I had and to perhaps make sense of it but have resigned to the fact that I don’t think I really can. Nonetheless, I wanted to share my experience. I will chalk it up to one of those profound experiences in my life that can’t be fully explained.

Flying over the Blyde River Canyon in South Africa, approaching Hoedspruit in the Limpopo province
Flying over the Blyde River Canyon in South Africa, approaching Hoedspruit in the Limpopo province.

The little plane that took me to where my dreams came true.
The little plane that took me to where my dreams came true

Update: In the last year (about 2 years since I first visited South Africa) learned that my paternal great-great-grandfather is buried in a cemetery near Johannesburg. I had no idea that any of my family had been to South Africa. I’ve since learned his history and that I have other relatives buried there as well and  have relatives that are still in South Africa.