EXQUISITE DESTINATIONS:

When we are young, we dream dreams. We fantasize about things we want to do, places we want to go, what we wish to be. Then, it is up to us, to time, chance and fortune, as to whether those dreams will come true.

A native of Nova Scotia, Peter L. McCreath grew up in the west end of Toronto, but has lived the last fifty odd years back in rural Nova Scotia. He is an educator and historian by training, but an entrepreneur by choice. He has led, to say the least, a very eclectic life, as a naval officer, teacher, author, union official, television broadcaster, honorary consul, Chair of Nova Scotia's liquor monopoly, banker, human rights advocate, Member of Parliament and cabinet minister.

Through Exquisite Destinations, he shares some fascinating adventures and experiences he has had in close to a hundred countries around the world. Each chapter is based on a different country drawn from the five major continents. He has specifically focussed on countries that are less well-known and visited by the average traveller from Canada or the United States. All of the stories and experiences are true; there is no fiction here! But, there is adventure, life-threatening events, helping the disadvantaged and meeting presidents, prime ministers, and revolutionaries.

McCreath writes: "I'm sure you will enjoy this book and the stories it contains, and learning about countries that you may not have or even thought of visiting – but perhaps should. I have learned that there are many ways to be rich, beyond financial wealth: friendships, special relationships, meeting interesting people of different languages and cultures, good health and an abundance of unique and memorable experiences. These are some of mine and I invite you to share them with me."

The book is part memoir, part travelogue and part adventure, with a good helping of history in each of the chapters. If these are not destination you've contemplated, perhaps you should or at least put some on your bucket list. This is Peter's eighth full-length publication.