The Galapagos are isolated, fairly expensive and hard to get to. They are also one of the most incredible photography destinations in the world and more than worth the effort to pay a visit.

The last place most would expect to discover an unsolved international murder mystery would be in Galapagos Islands.

There is one not-to-be-missed experience, however, that should be on everyone’s “maple leaf” bucket list. I am referred to a luxurious summer horseback adventure with the venerable 91-year-old Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies (TRCR).

Last Halloween I had the opportunity to tour Romania and specifically the portion of the country known as Transylvania. Visiting Vlad’s birth place, the town of Sighisoara and several castles associated with him, our last day was devoted to Snagov Island, a place where legend says the body of Vlad “Dracula” is interred.

Centuries ago, high atop a hill of solidified magma next to the caldera, a Spanish holy man placed a special cross, intending to exorcise the evil presence from the mountain. So far it hasn’t worked. The locals still know the volcano better by its sobriquet La Boca del Infierno: “the Mouth of Hell.”