Summer Roundup: Trip, Drink & Book
Travel: Kayaking in Belize
If, by the end of the summer, your paddle-fix hasn’t been quelled — consider a trip to Belize. Home to the world’s second-largest barrier reef, this exotic locale is regarded as one of the globe’s best kayaking destinations. Imagine: you load your dry bags into a kayak and push off from a remote, sandy caye — island-hopping through 27-degree-Celsius cerulean seas, sleeping in overwater huts or beach bungalows, learning local culture from engaging guides, snorkelling in a marine preserve abundant with Technicolor sea-life and generally unplugging from the world for a week. If this sounds appealing, check out the Paradise Islands tour from BC-based operator Island Expeditions. (Look for a feature on this adventure in our Fall 2014 issue.) $1,700; islandexpeditions.com
Skills: Classic Summer Cocktail
There’s no need to overthink the classic summer cocktail; a lime margarita on the rocks is the only drink you need mix from May Long Weekend ‘till Labour Day. Here’s how to do it right:
- 1-1/2 ounces of premium white tequila (Don Julio Blanco, Patron Silver, Herradura Silver or similar)
- 1/2 ounces of Cointreau
- Two limes
- Ice
- Salt
Salt the rim of a highball glass. Top up with ice. Pour in tequila, then Cointreau. Pour two ounces of freshly squeezed lime juice over the mix. Stir gently. Enjoy.
(*Note: this cannot be made with cheap tequila, so don’t even bother. However, Triple Sec or Blue Curacao can be used in place of Cointreau in a pinch.)
Essential Summer Read: The Great Canadian Bucket List
After visiting more than 100 countries, travel writer Robin Esrock has set his sights on Canada — and found this country may be the most surprising of all. The Great Canadian Bucket List is a 390-page guidebook of Canada’s most inspiring and unique experiences coast-to-coast-to-coast. Esrock spent more than 18 months compiling this collection of 100-plus adventures, from finding Montreal’s best smoked-meat sandwich, to trekking our highest sand dunes, to getting up-close with 150,000 garter snakes… and so much more. (Esrock was interviewed about the project in our Spring 2013 issue and wrote a similar-themed article in our Fall 2013 issue.) $20; canadianbucketlist.com
