GUEST ARTICLE BY
STEVE GILLICK
Fishing for That
Perfect Summer Travel Experience
When I was asked to write an article with something about ‘fish’ in the title, I agreed to do it (just for
the halibut) but found it to be a challenge. Then I remembered the quintessential summer lyric,
dreamily sung by Ella Fitzgerald and many others. The 7th word in the classic “Summertime” is ‘fish’:
Summertime, and the livin' is easy, Fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high. There are lessons in fishing
that relate to travellers and their secret summer desires, much like a horoscope that reveals their travel
personality.
Let me begin by suggesting that I am NOT a
fishing fanatic. In fact the last time I went fishing
was on a sunset cruise in the Maldives 8 years
ago and I don’t believe anyone on the boat
caught anything… but the scenery was pretty.
The time before that was when I was a kid and
we went fishing just north of Toronto. After 5
hours of listening to my transistor radio, as well
as coaxing, hoping, wishing, spotting and
cursing, not one fish took the bait.
Now I haven’t given up on fish altogether. When
I embraced the three graces of travel,
photography and writing, I discovered the joy of
visiting seafood markets. The vendors were hard
working but almost always friendly when asked
about their products. And then there was the
fresh smell of the seafood (which admittedly
some people can’t stand, but I happen to love),
and the colourful displays, especially in Asian
markets, where the produce is arranged with
artistic symmetry and pride.
I think about the fish market in Kota Kinabalu,
Malaysia. I was there on a travel agent “Fam”
trip and was told that the market opened at 5:30
am—cool, pitch dark, and a 15-20 minute walk
from the hotel. But I was there to discover and
experience so the first morning I wandered there
alone. The vendors were friendly, smiling,
posing for photos, explaining their catches,
working hard in footgear that ranged from thighhigh rubber boots to simple broken plastic
thong-sandals. But this was their livelihood and
as the sun rose and the crowds of locals grew,
there were times when I just had to put away th