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Month: February 2017

History of Vancouver Island

History of Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island has been inhabited by indigenous peoples for at least 8,000 years. There are many totem poles and longhouses on the island erected and built by members of three basic First Nation groups, the Kwakiutl, or Kwakwaka’wakw, who inhabit the northern and northwestern parts of the island, the Nootka, or Nuu-cha-nulth, found on the west coast, and the Coast Salish, a grouping of several smaller tribes, who reside on the south and southeastern part of Vancouver Island, as well…

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Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island

This month we return to the Northern Hemisphere and visit Vancouver Island.  Located off the Pacific Coast of Canada, it is separated from British Columbia by the Strait of Georgia, and separated from the US state of Washington by the Juan de Fuca Strait.  Located partially south of the 49th parallel, Vancouver Island and it’s smaller neighboring islands have one of the warmest climates in Canada. Although the island shares a name in common with the city of Vancouver, the…

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Madagascar Food, Vanilla and the Madaga{side}car

Madagascar Food, Vanilla and the Madaga{side}car

The cuisine of Madagascar has many influences, including Asian, African, Indian and European.  As it would have been on the island of Borneo, from where the first settlers came, the Malagasy diet is based around rice.  Rice is grown on terraced paddys in the central highlands of the island and is served at most every meal.  Additionally, it is eaten at breakfast in porridge form, and consumed as a beverage by boiling water with toasted rice. The rice is, of…

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Things to do in Madagascar

Things to do in Madagascar

  Madagascar offers a vast array of unforgettable experiences for the visitor. Most visitors, no doubt are attracted to the island because of it’s unique landscapes and wildlife.  It is possible to have a conventional resort-style vacation in Madagascar, particularly on the offshore islands of Nosy Be and Nosy Boraha, and we will explore those options as well, but the unusual, and sometimes truly bizarre, will be the main focus as we explore this amazing island. Let’s start with the…

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