geography is cool
more than a map
If you showed me a map of Canada, I could name and locate all ten provinces and three territories. Inclusive of their capital cities for good measure. Knowledge that I have never really had to put to the test so it’s kind of useless. I’ve only traveled to three provinces and would visit more, but what business would ever bring me to Saskatchewan.
Canada is a very large country with a small population and traveling domestically is quite expensive. If there is one thing Canada does well, it’s allowing corporations to monopolize. Reducing innovation, competition and pricing. Canadians joke a lot that it’s literally cheaper to fly anywhere but Canada.
Geography, I think, is an underrated subject. There are copious branches and sub-branches of geography but the two I find most fascinating are human (why my parents didn’t immigrate to a warmer country is beyond me) and physical geography. I spend a lot of time, too much time, on Google Maps (so technically you could say I’m really into cartography but this is 2025 and LoG is all about intersectionality).
Most people use Google Maps to decide what is the most convenient way to get to their 7PM dinner reservation across the city. In Toronto, it’s almost always anything but the streetcar. I like to use it to discover beaches. Yes, beaches. Tropical or sub-tropical preferred. This research extends to learning about the people, culture and vegetation and entertaining my voracious curiosity of what the world has to offer.
An ideal beach needs:
Crystal clear water
Dynamic landscapes (no flats on this list!)
Salt water (sorry freshwater)
I don’t discriminate between sand and rocks
Anse Source d'Argent, Seychelles
Seychelles is an archipelago of 115 islands. There are remote islands, rich history and diverse wildlife. But the most fascinating feature of Seychelles is the granite rock formations that make it unlike any other beaches in the world.
When I went to Thailand over 10+ years ago, every beach just got more breathtaking than the next. Railey Beach was up there with the towering limestone cliffs and suspicious monkeys lurking around. The beach is accessible only by boat. Turns out rock climbing is big here!
I usually revisit (on Google Maps, duh) the island of Whitsundays at least once a year. Located within the Great Barrier Reef, it’s home to crocodiles, sharks, lizards and copious friendly fish too, I’m sure. Whitehaven Beach sand is made up of 98% silicia, giving it a bright white colour and powdery soft sand. Contrasted with turquoise waters and a rugged landscape, this is peak paradise.
Earth is pretty cool so I am probably missing hundreds, if not thousands of beaches around the world. Panama. Japan. Italy. Vietnam. Costa Rica. Guam!!!
HOMOSEXUAL AGENDA
New music (seems like there is always new music these days…), the state of students and money requests.