The long summer holiday

Saturday 2nd July 2011

2011-07-02T22:24:00.003+01:00

Sat in Trudeau Airport Montreal, waiting to board our flight home, which lands at Heathrow at some ungodly hour of tomorrow morning. Montreal is hot and steamy; we have spent our final day orienteering our way around the 33km of malls; all undercover and linked by a series of underground walkways (also had the advantage of keeping us out of the heat). We had enjoyed the Canada Day celebrations; sitting on the roof terrace of our hotel to watch the fireworks, which lit up the St. Lawrence river. We have enjoyed our visit to this part of Canada and we feel experienced a diverse range of all there is to offer. The blog will now lie dormant for a little while - thank you for reading it!!

Friday 1st July 2011

2011-07-01T21:14:00.004+01:00

We left a hot & sunny Ottawa yesterday afternoon as the royals touched down. We had spent an hour or so relaxing by the canal and watching the preparations at the War Memorial for the visit - T.V. crews in their multitude, the barricades going up and some very well armed policemen around - I don't know WHAT they thought they were going to do! Canada trains are spacious and comfortable - booking in was a little like preparing for flight, checking in baggage, queuing to get on the platform, designated seats (yes you get to sit down if you travel by train over here!) and very good value. Our own operators take note.We quickly had an indication that we were in French Canadian territory; with French certainly taking precedence. About 2-3hours to Montreal; the central station making Birmingham New Street look well lit and roomy. We are staying in an Auberge in the Old Port of the city; very characterful - almost out Frenches the French if you know what I mean. It is converted from a 19th century warehouse and is amazing; a gloriously camp manager, a bellboy, a window seat on which you could while away some time watching the bustle in the cobbled street below, a walk in shower that nearly takes your skin off and a huge brass bed - I had to use a compass to get out.We joined the promenade of people taking an evening stroll and had a really good meal at a little French bistro - oh the joys of a Table d'hote (not too many choices....) Montreal is a more compact city than Toronto and has fewer eye catching buildings but is easy to explore on foot. This moring, we joined the crowds (today is Canada Day, a public holiday) and took the ferry over to the Islands in the centre of the St. Lawrence River to escape the heat. On Ile. Notre-Dame,is the Grand-prix circuit and we walked this, along with hordes of cyclists and in-line skaters. The 1976 Olympic rowing arena is also on the island; looking derelict, almost post-apocalyptic with weeds growing among the deserted 1970's concrete stands, rusting roof supports open to the sky and vacant TV screens. Tonight we eat at the hotel and will hopefully get a good view of the Canada Day fireworks from the rooftop terrasse.

Wednesday 29th June 2011

2011-06-29T22:52:00.003+01:00

'The Ballad of Ottawa Gaol' - no we haven't knocked the hat off a Mountie, we are staying in our own 2-bed cell, in the Youth Hostel at Ottawa which is the former prison. Complete with barred door, and iron bed posts it is very authentic but we are expecting to be let out for good behaviour tomorrow. Ottawa is very foot friendly and very European feeling and the YH is right in the centre of things. It is close to the By Ward market whose cafes, produce and flower stalls and bistros give it a very European ambience. We arrived in very hot humid conditions and soon were downing a beer at the Irish bar (next to the Scottish bar, which would you believe sells Wychwood beer) - nice to see the Celtic fringe thriving in Canada. We had the most enormous thunder storm in the evening, which at lease made sightseeing a little more comfortable today. The whole city is in pre-festivity mode; ready for the Canada Day celebrations on Friday and the arrival of William & Kate - the newlyweds had asked we join them for a pint at the Earl of Sussex pub, but our schedule being what it is.. We did the Confederation Boulevard tour today - walk around the key sights. We had a fascinating tour of the parliament building; a gothic echo of Westminster with a certain French je-ne-sais-quois. This included an elevator ride to the viewing platform at the top of their Big Ben equivalent and a visit to the library, which was stunning. We spent most of the day at the Canada Civilisation museum, which was an absorbing collections of exhibitions detailing Canada's history, both in terms of modern settlers and their own aboriginal peoples, and thoroughly recommended. We also enjoyed seeing the staircase of locks on the Rideau canal. Tomorrow we take the train to Montreal for the final stage of our trip - don't know where the days have gone!

Monday 27th June 2011

2011-06-27T22:07:00.002+01:00

Yesterday we went on a bear hunt - it was a lovely day & we weren't scared. We went into the deep dark wood; lots of squishy mud - we couldn't go round it, we couldn't go over it, we had to go through it. Dirty boots! Lots of lakes and deep dense forest. We saw - a chipmunk, a wild turkey and lots of midges. We didn't see many people and certainly no bears...Today was a lazy day, enjoying our final day at the Domain. We sat by the lake, enjoying the sun. Food has been excellent throughout but our fellow guests are an eclectic lot - a troll, Yoko Ono and a Bostonian whose voice is a loud as he is ignorant. We are amused by their inability to chose wine & their fear of mismatching with the food - we just chose what we like and drink it! Which, you may say, is pretty standard behaviour. Tomorrow is a driving day - off to Ottawa and a stay in a Youth Hostel; variety is the spice of life....

Saturday 25th June 2011

2011-06-25T22:21:00.003+01:00

We left the city behind us yesterday afternoon and, after picking up a hire car, headed north on the freeway to the Haliburton Highlands. The Canadians call this cottage country & we certainly passed lots of real estate with lakeside frontage - there are more lakes than you can swing a trout at - tucked in amid the pine forests which extend as far as the eye can see; once you are past Barrie (big bad) and onto single lane carriageway. We stopped for coffee and a blueberry bagel on the way at Tim Hortons, which are coffee and bakery outlets which are everywhere & very good - imagine a Canadian version of Costa (but with no Flat Whites; nowhere is perfect!). We are staying for four nights at the Domain de Killien, a lodge 15km from the nearest town, set on the shore of a lake in the middle of 5,000 acres of forest. Jacuzzi baths in the room and a lakeside view. Dinner is included in the room rate and if night one is anything to go by, we will not be losing weight. Eggs benedict for breakfast this morning as well! Unfortunately, the weather isn't matching the perfect location - rain for both Friday and today and humid as well, which brought the mozzies out in force! You will recall their particular appetite for Paul in NZ - well Canadian ones like him just as much. We managed a walk this afternoon but have invested in super-strength repellant.We also visited a wolf sanctuary, just in time for lunch for the inhabitants and watched as the creatures made short work of a deer; venison burger anyone? A fascinating educational display gave us an insight into the lives and capability of these creatures. Paul has facebooked feeding time; so I'm going for the view from our room window at the lodge - rather nice isn't it?

Thursday 23rd June 2011

2011-06-24T15:54:00.002+01:00

Chill-out day in cottage country. Today was so relaxing. Having been woken by a thunderstorm in the night, the day dawned sunny and bright. We walked along the beach for a couple of hours, wading through the lake water when the beach ran out. Lunch at the cottage, then unfortunately plans to enjoy the sun were curtailed by the weather gods. We sat at the picture windows watching the weather patterns sweep across the lake and the ever changing sky and water. After dinner, back to the city to overnight before we head up north. Many thanks to Monica & Joe for their hospitality, the guided tours, the wonderful meal locations and their company. It has really made the first part of our Canadian visit unforgettable.

Wednesday 22nd June 2011

2011-06-24T15:29:00.003+01:00

Monica spent her birthday giving us the grand tour of the Niagara region - with a definite liquid theme for the day. We left the Toronto area in rain and the grey weather followed us down to the vineyards which sit in the fertile bowl between Lake Ontario and the escarpment to the East. More liquid - of an infinitely more interesting kind - followed two wine tours. The first at Jackson-Triggs, where we tasted the best Pinot Noir in a long time and at Pelliteri, who specialse in Ice Wine. To show we were paying attention, ice wine is made from grapes that are left on the vine until the first frosts; three nights at 8degC or lower has them ready for harvest. The temperatures mean a concentrated grape juice, which is much sweeter than table wine, altough not quite as sweet as European dessert wines. I rather liked the less traditional version ,which was a little sharper to the palate. Suitably fortified, we headed off to Niagara Falls. A fury of water and spray from the huge volume of water plunging over the cataract, whilst the tourist boats below eddyed around in the mist, looking like sticks tossed in a storm. We had lunch at a bar overlooking the falls (and the Canadian, Horseshoe Falls, are definitely the most spectacular of the two), occasionally dampened by the spray. We took a ride on the 'Maid of the Mist' tourist boat to the foot of the falls, taking a communal shower with hordes of similarly blue pack-a-mac clad speactators. You really do get wet and to be at the foot of this boiling, roaring force of water is breathtaking.
We spent the night at Monica's cottage on the shore of Lake Erie, wonderful views across to the USA. We ate Yellow Perch from the lake at a local fish restaurant - still not quite used to the portion sizes...then wine around a fire on the terrace of the cottage with stars overhead and the sound of the waves rippling on the shore. Perfect..

Tuesday 21st June 2011

2011-06-22T00:30:00.002+01:00

To celebrate the longest day we chose to emulate the druids and find something to celebrate. In the absence of some old henges, we chose the cathedral of sport in North America - the Hockey Hall of Fame. Paul was in his element - name dropping with the best of them - identifying all the alumni he had met/seen play over the years. We then took the ferry across to the islands; beer and the most enormous club sandwich on the shoreline deli whilst drinking in the views of the city skyline. We joined the commuters to take the train back to Monica's house - where beer and nibbles soon revived us. We have really enjoyed Toronto - a very foot friendly city, with lots to see, plenty of light and the skyline is spectacular. Wonderful food and even better hospitality. Happy birthday to Monica for tomorrow & we will spend the day getting wet - from the spray of the Niagara Falls!

Monday 20th June 2011

2011-06-21T01:53:00.002+01:00

What a way to mark your half century - lunch in the revolving restaurant at the top of the CN Tower in Toronto. We were blessed with clear views - right across Lake Ontario to Niagara and the food was as good as the vistas. However, not enough dutch courage in the wine to get Kate onto the glass floor to look at the ground some 350feet below her own feet. Paul got a good photo though....spent the afternoon exploring the streets and sites of Toronto with Monica who very kindly gave up her day to play tour guide and driver.Kate had her first Tim Horton coffee - very good - even if not quite a flat white. Finished the day by dipping our feet in Lake Ontario.

Sunday 19th June 2011

2011-06-20T12:47:00.002+01:00

Off to Heathrow this morning, after a lovely birthday party at David and Nicola's yesterday and the most amazing birthday cake. David doing sterling work of barbecuing in between the squally showers. Loved the helium balloon - the twins and Jamie have kindly offered to look after this whilst we are away. Jane's fizz went down well. Thank you! Landed on time in a warm and sunny Toronto.

Saturday 18th June

2011-06-18T15:27:00.002+01:00

Tomorrow we fly to Canada for a two-week trip, which has inspired us to take up the blog again after two years. First of all though, a birthday party for Kate at David & Nicola's this afternoon, as an early celebration of a certain milestone! No doubt Bradley, Damion and Jamie will be helping her blow out the candles..hope the rain holds off long enough to barbecue and wash down the food with something fizzy. We are kindly being hosted by Monica and Joe at their home in Mississauga for the first few days of the trip - looking forward to seeing Monica for the first time in 10 years. Hope that you enjoy our postings!

Friday 29th May 2009

2009-05-29T10:52:00.004+01:00

Well, here we are, back in Perth at the end of our 6-month adventure! All that remains is to fly home, we leave tomorrow and arrive back at Heathrow at some ungodly hour on Sunday morning. What a time we've had! We must admit, when we set out on that dark November day, it all seemed rather daunting but we have had a great time, ready to come home but, in a way, rather sorry it's all over. Special thanks to David, Nicola & Stuart for kicking us out of the country & keeping an eye on the flat, car and post while we were off enjoying ourselves. And we thought Australia would be an anti-climax after New Zealand! It has produced real highlights of our trip & there is much we'd like to come back and do. Especially, we will remember the Sydney Bridge Climb, Cradle Mountain & the Western Wilderness in Tasmania, Melbourne city, Fraser Island, Uluru sunset & Kings Canyon, the Ningaloo Reef & bush camping in WA. The sheer variety of animal and birdlife has continued to delight us and we have turned into real wildlife spotters. Accommodation has been of more a variable quality than in NZ but when good, is very good - the Youth Hostel in Halls Gap, Victoria is probably one of the best places we have ever stayed in. We have driven around 13,000km in this vast country, to say nothing of the air miles! As you would expect we have sampled the food and drink extensively, developing a taste for Bundaberg rum mixers and extra-dry beer (but why do they serve it SO cold!). Kangaroo and emu have been on our dinner plate & enjoyed. We've not subjected you to many photos of us on the blog, but the one above was taken in Cape Range while we watched the sunset - very appropriate as the sun sets on this trip.Thank you for following our blog & our whitterings; we hope you have enjoyed them. We hope to resume some travels at some point, if not for so long a period, and will no doubt feel moved to take up the keyboard again. In the meantime we will rest the blog & see you all back home!!

Thursday 28th May 2009

2009-05-28T08:52:00.005+01:00

We are ovenighting some 350k north of Perth on our way back to drop the van tomorrow, after spending the last week, since leaving Tom Price making our way slowly back south. We spent several days in the Cape Range National Park, the chief attraction of which is the Ningaloo Reef which sits just off the coast & can be easily reached from the beaches. We hired some snorkeling gear & got into the water to see for ourselves the marine life there; Kate was fortunate enough to see two turtles, in her excitement she nearly swallowed the snorkel! We camped overnight in the park (photo), amazing; right out in the middle of nowhere, we had a wallaby visitor to the van, saw a beautiful sunset over the Indian Ocean and, after dark, enjoyed our own personal planetarium in the clear night sky. In the ridge of hills which sit a short way back from the ocean, we enjoyed a couple of walks along the gorges which cut through the ridge at intervals. We spotted some rock wallabies on the cliffs of Yardie Gorge and, much to our delight, whilst driving through the park, saw a group of emus pirouetting across the road, pausing only briefly to pose for a photo! We have enjoyed greatly our 11 days exploring the outback; long distances but totally enthralling with the landscape rolling out like a sea, ever changing colours of earth, vegetation and sky. We were able to camp 'out bush' several nights which is amazing , you really can 'feel' the space and silence around you. We can understand why the numerous 'grey nomads' we have seen on our travels get adicted to their journeys.

Saturday 23rd May

2009-05-23T05:12:00.002+01:00

We are at Tom Price, the highest town in Western Oz & 15ookm north east of Perth. We have spent two days here, exploring the spectacular gorges of the Karijini National Park & this morning an easy stroll to the summit of Mt. Nameless for distant views and a closer one of the enormous Iron Ore mine. A wonderful reunion with the 2 Grey Nomads - Doug & Meg, now half way around their oddessey in Oz and looking the part too! We hired a camper in Perth and, despite being minibus sized, is easy to drive and we rattle (literally!)along the straight outback highways, every so often it gets exciting and we turn left or right. We have visited en-route; the Pinnacles Desert, the Hamelin Pool stromatolites (the oldest living beings, here since the dawn of creation), an emu crossing the road, Shell Beach - consisting of millions of compounded shells; quarries use some of this to make bricks used in building some of the dwellings in the area. Kate swan in the freezing cold, very salty water. In the Kalbarri National Park we visited the Murchison River Gorge and sea cliffs. We were hoping to see some of the local rock wallabies but they were a bit shy! We have used the freedom of having a van to stay in a couple of the bush sites, where the only sound is the occasional rumble of a road train on the highway. We play spot the new road kill every morning. We are off to Exmouth today (and tomorrow; rather a long drive) where Paul hopes to fit in another dive before we go home, on the Ningaloo Reef.

Monday 18th May 2009

2009-05-18T02:01:00.002+01:00

Today we pick up a campervan, which will be our home for the last 11 days of our trip as we explore the coast and outback of Western Oz (and for WRR who know them, a date with Doug & Meg on Thursday). We have spent two nights in Perth and have rather taken to the city. No iconic sights (the wonderful Art-Deco building that houses the rather posh Youth Hostel is perhaps the most attractive) but the harbour area alongside the Swan River, with the beautiful Swan Bell Tower and extensive Parkland is a lovely place to spend a few hours. We took a river cruise to Fremantle (or Free-o as the locals call it), which is the commercial port of Perth and very attractive it was too - lots of dosh in the area if the number of Yacht Clubs and riverside mansions was anything to go by. The light is wonderful here; so clear and bright, it puts you in mind of the north coast of Cornwall. We had excellent fish & chips (as everywhere in OZ & NZ; that's yet another thing we invented that the colonials now seem to do better than us) and visited the Shipwreck museum, of which there seem to have been rather a lot of the centuries, with the Dutch losing rather a lot of boats. Also called in at the microbrewery, where Paul couldn't resist trying the Aussie cider. Then back to Perth for a lovely sunset, where the waters of the river reflected back the pink sky.

Friday 15th May 2009

2009-05-17T02:04:00.003+01:00

Yesterday we caught a coach from Ayers Rock to Kings Canyon resort in order to see the spectacular Kings Canyon - parts of a sandstone ridge in the spectacular George Gibbs range. Those of you who saw the film 'Priscilla, Queen of the Desert' will recall the scene on the edge of a ridge. It was filmed here , on Carmichael Crag (photo). The three hour drive took us through huge cattle stations, one around a million hectares. The resort is as pricey as the Ayers Rock example but, unless you have campervan or tent, your options are limited. We sampled some local meats in the restaurant - Kate had Kangaroo, Paul emu - we felt the Crocodile Fettucine was a step too far!). Another pre-dawn rise saw us ascending the canyon rim in the rosy glow of the rising sun - the light on the rock was incredible and there were very few people about - even better. Fascinating rock formations and amazing views made it a memorable walk.

Thursday 14th May 2009

2009-05-17T01:41:00.004+01:00

All the images you have ever seen of Uluru (Ayers Rock) do not prepareyou for your first sight of the real thing. Our first view of the Monolith, rising out of the endlessly flat red plain, came from the plane, as we approached Ayers Rock airport. Our flight from Cairns had taken us over vast ochre landscapes, with a wash of sage green brush where only the odd cattle station or 4WD track slashes through the emptyness. We were based at virtually the only place available to stay in the area, Ayers Rock resort. Purpose built & vastly overpriced, we paused only to check in before heading off to the Olgas (or Kata Tjuta) a series of 36 conglomerate, mainly sandstone lumps sticking out of the desert to a height of 300m and divided by gorges. We saw wild camels (brought in by the first white settlers) and dingoes. The highlight came at sunset. We went to the viewing area at Uluru, accompanied by hundreds of others, all lined up in the middle of nowhere looking at this rock. Faintly bizarre! But as the sun set, and the rock changed colour as you watched it (the series of photos we took show this really well), you forgot about the contrived situation and appreciated the ageless vastness of the outback, the huge sky darkening to inky black, lit by millions of stars and the smudge of the Milky Way. It was magical. The morning saw us up before dawn, to catch the sunrise. Not quite as spectacular as the previous evening but still worth the early rise. We walked around the base of the rock (we didn't climb. Uluru is a sacred site to the local Aboriginal tribe and they request that visitors don't do this. There are also some sacred areas which you are requested not to photograph). The cultural centre was a bit of a disapointment - very politically correct and full of second rate 'indigenous art'. However despite this, we managed to learn something of the hisotry of the people and are full of respect for the way they managed to live in this hostile environment for tens of thousands of years and to conserve and preserve the land for their sucessors. Most of us wouldn't last 24 hours.

Tuesday 12th May 2009

2009-05-12T05:58:00.005+01:00

You cannot come to Queensland without a visit to the Great Barrier Reef - reputedly the only living thing that can be viewed from space. We went there yesterday on a dive boat out of Port Douglas. It took one and half hours to get to first of three dive sites on the edge of the Coral Sea(see photo). Paul was able to achieve a personal wish that he has had since completing a scuba qualification in 1994 - to dive here. Kate went out with the snorkel group and we think both of us saw some amazing fish - reef shark,grouper,stingray,wrasse,enormous crayfish and moray eel as well as thousands of multi-coloured fish (including clown fish - real-life Nemos!). We went on to further sites in the day our pleasure in what we were seeing was assisted by there being a very enthusiastic scandanavian marine biologist on board who was able to explain what we were seeing in great detail after each dive and also leading Kate and others on a 'snorkel safari'. The only downside of the day was the weather was cloudy so the sea colours were not as brilliant as anticipated and the sea was choppy on the trip to/from port. Today our last day in Port Douglas has been spent looking at the historical sites in the town in the sun (at last) and walking on the town's Four Mile Beach. Tomorrow we fly from Cairns to Uluru (Ayres Rock).

Sunday 10th May 2009

2009-05-12T05:38:00.007+01:00

The weather gods are still not being kind to us as we travel further north in Queensland.We have had to endure some very heavy rain showers over the last few days as we came to stay in Port Douglas - 60 km north of Cairns. After a lazy day on Saturday we took a trip still further north to the end of the sealed road in Cape Tribuation - named by Captain Cook as so many places were here - in fact it would be easier to name those that were not named by him. We were in a huge rainforest area called the Daintree NP and saw more of this continents flora and fauna on several short Rainforest walks. The tameness of the wild birds and animals never ceases to amaze us. This area is also known for its poisonous spiders,huge leeches and especially its saltwater crocodiles - a throwback to the dinosaurs and basically a highly evolved killing machine. We took a trip on the Daintree river to try and see a few examples - we saw three,a young one a few weeks old,a young male(see photo) and a full grown female known locally as Elizabeth.We tried to find her bloke 'Scarface' a seriously dangerous individual but could not see him in his local haunts.A 5 year old boy was taken and eaten a few hundred metres away a month ago. Crocs here have reached 28 feet in the past, glad we did not see one that size in our small boat. We are here for 5 nights in Port Douglas just about the longest time in one bed since we left the UK. It is so nice to chill out and recharge our batteries.

Thursday 7th May 2009

2009-05-07T08:39:00.004+01:00

We arrived yesterday by ferry (on a very choppy sea!) to Magnetic Island, lying 8km off the Queensland Coast. We are staying at Koala Village in an A-frame bungalow set amid the tropical forest. You really are among the wildlife - even after we had decided against paying $19 to cuddle a koala in the sanctuary here - lorikeets, parakeets, kookaburras (yes, they really DO laugh and it's loud and raucous) to say nothing of the bushtail possums which kept us awake last night stomping all over our verandah. Paul learnt the hard way that standing under a tree full of parakeets to take a photo is likely to bring a close encounter of the bird poo kind. We were lucky enough to see a koala in the bush, when we went for a walk last night - sound asleep and very indifferent to the people beneath his eucalyptus tree trying to get the best photo they could! (result above). The island has plenty of little secluded beaches to laze in but we were a little more energetic, walking today to the far west tip of the island, through mangroves and forest and a tidal estuary. Tomorrow, we head back to the mainland and north, to Cairns and Port Douglas.

Tuesday 5th May 2009

2009-05-05T10:51:00.002+01:00

Today we took a day cruise in a Catamaran (photo) to one of the top-10 most beautiful beaches in the world and, guess what, it rained! Whitehaven beach (yes, named after the Cumbrian one) on Whitsunday Island, half-way up the Great Barrier Reef, is a long stretch of pure white silica sand, lapped by an azure blue sea; well we can confirm the sand bit - our sea was rough and as grey as the skies. However, (in optimistic mode) it didn't rain all day and we had an enjoyable couple of hours lounging on the forward deck, bouncing over the waves in the sunshine. Kate manged a bit of snorkelling - Paul put a anti-jellyfish stinger suit to swim off the beach later and we had an excellent barbeque lunch. Airlie Beach, on the mainland, is where we are staying to facilitate the cruise & looks like a first world version of SE Asia. A place where backpacker places and fast food eateries jostle against travel agent after travel agent all offering variations on a Whitsunday Island cruise. It was a long drive up from Hervey Bay; nearly 1,000km. We broke the journey at Gladstone, an unprepossessing place, with the aluminium smelter sending out very Widnesian whiffs. The trees outside our hotel were home to hundreds of roosting parrots - we've never heard such a din & it was very dangerous to walk under after dark, unless you wanted a parrot-poo shampoo!We crossed the Tropic of Capricorn on the way and the scenery is certainly as lush and green as that implies (still loads of sugar cane!!).

Sunday 3rd May 2009

2009-05-03T11:30:00.003+01:00

We are in Sugar Cane country! Driving north through Queensland from Brisbane, there are acres and acres of the stuff. That coupled with lush rainforest & so much green countryside (and sunshine!!) makes you feel you are in a different country to the Australia seen so far. It would seem that most of the sugar cane production finds its way to the Rum Distillery at Bundaberg - a rum town (their pun not mine!) with little else of interest. Paul sampled their brews more thoroughly than me (driving!) but was particularly taken by the draft (yes on tap!)rum & coke. I enjoyed a long, weak 'Dark & Stormy' - a bundaberg double, rum & the local ginger beer. Our big adventure for the last few days has been a Fraser Island safari. Fraser Island (sitting a 55min ferry ride off the Queensland coast) is the biggest sand island in the world - it's 123km long, with a 75km beach and rises to over 170m at its highest point - all sand. It's covered, for the most part in rainforest, with bald sand coloured crowns rising to a summit every so often. It has the most genetically pure dingos in Oz (and we were lucky enough to see a family of 4, making short work of a turtle) and legions of snakes, spiders and surrounded by waters rich in fish - so lots of sharks are always hanging around! You can only drive on it using a 4WD and the beach is an extension of state highway one - and looks like it as well when 4WD drive tourist bus after tourist bus are racing up it. We toured with the Fraser Island Co, and it included a night spent on the island, in the Wilderness resort. Hardly the wilderness though, ensuite cabins, with hot showers and a bar with a fab buffet BBQ..just what we needed after a day swimming in fresh water lakes, formed by the action of sand dunes, bouncing over 4WD tracks through the rainforest and visiting fascinating sand formations, stained into various colours and shapes by the action of the vegetation and the weather. Some of the formations looked so solid, it was impossible to believe they were sand (Paul assures me that in time (millions of yrs) settling & heat will turn them into sandstone but until then they remain a geological oddity). We stayed in Hervey Bay YHA before and after the visit - it felt like being back in SE Asia, with the warm evenings (and downpours!), the clear skies, the sound of the wildlife and the wood panelled bar and dining area, open to the elements. A place to physically and mentally kick off your sandals.

Wednesday 29th April 2009

2009-04-29T10:18:00.002+01:00

We have really enjoyed visiting Melbourne! It hasn't got the iconic attractions of Sydney but what it does have is a wonderfully attractive, unhurried city centre which is easy to get round on foot, exploring the dozens of narrow lanes and byways, full of cafes, bars and shops, that bustle with life beneath the glass and metal skyscrapers towering above. We certainly arrived in style, after an 854km train journey from Adelaide on'The Overland', leaving in the dark and wet and arriving in ...the dark and wet. Federation Square in the heart of the city, sitting on the Yarra river is one place we especially enjoyed. Melbourne seems to have as many festivals as Cheltenham; we just missed the Comedy Festival but the Jazz festival was in full swing (sorry!) and free concerts at lunch time was one of the highlights of the square. When you get tired of walking there are FREE shuttles - either a bus or one of the trams which rumble around the centre. We are staying in the Metro YHA, which is more like a mini-hotel than a hostel, with a great cafe and a roof terrace with city views you'd pay a fortune for elsewhere. We are close to the enormous Queen Victoria Market. I always feel I should like markets more than I do, but by the time you've passed the 30th stall selling the same tat or the same polished apples, the appeal (sorry again!) begins to pale. We visited Melbourne gaol, very atmospheric and remowned as the place where Ned Kelly was hung - the scaffold is still in situ. You can see his 'armour' at the state library nearby, along with some other great exhibitions. The best was this afternoon though - a tour of the legendary MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground for you unsporty types, although more Aussie rules football is played here than cricket). It is awesome, a vast oval ampitheatre, we got a tour of the dressing rooms and the long room and members area. Apparently there is a 20yr waiting list for membership, people but their childrens names down at birth! It is also home to the National Museum of Sport - with the highlight being an interview with a ghostly hologram of Shane Warne - including a few wickets taken against the poms just to rub it in. We fly to Brisbane tomorrow, the start of the last month of our trip, time is just racing away....

Sunday 26th April 2009

2009-04-26T01:22:00.003+01:00

Well the weather didn't improve at Wilpena; in fact the only way we knew that the immense collapsed crater of Wilpena Pound was there was from the signs. On Friday, we braved the showers and set out on our intended hike to the saddle of St. Mary peak (we wouldn't have summited as it is a sacred Aborigine site). As we climbed, the rain got heavier and on reaching the saddle a 40kph wind nearly took us off our feet! With zero visibilty and the wind chill taking the temperature down by about 10deg, we beat a hasty retreat! When we left yesterday morning the views were still sulking behind the clouds and we drove though some hefty downpours on the way to Adelaide. We arrived as the Anzac Day parade was winding down; apparently it always rains on Anzac day, so perhaps it wasn't our fault after all! Those of you who are Witney Road Runners may remember Grahame Adkins; he now lives in Adelaide & it was great to catch up with him last night & meet Alex, his wife (just back from honeymoon!). We had a really good evening catching up over drinks and food. Adelaide has no big sights to see but is a pleasant enough city to stroll around for a day; with a museum, botanic gardens and an art gallery, where one of the exhibits - a life size lime-green hippo half way up a wall - caused some amusement. Tomorrow, an early start as we catch the Overlander train to Melbourne.

Thursday 23rd April 2009

2009-04-23T11:32:00.006+01:00

We are rain gods! We are in Wilpena Pound, South Australia; on the edge of the Outback and it is pouring down! This is the first significant rainfall that SA has had for a year. It must be us - rain follows us everywhere. Incredible weather driving up here, through arid, toasted plains, with the wind whipping up dust storms that turned the sky the colour of the earth. Empty, lonely country. Fortunately, our visit to the Barossa Valley coincided with warm, sunny weather. From the scenery you could be in the Marlborough region of NZ or Rioja in Spain, with rows and rows of vines stretching out to every horizon framed by dusty brown hills. Our accommodation was lovely; a cottage annexe to a house set amongst the vines (Penfolds was next door), warm and cosy with a big brass bed that Kate Bush, in her most chintz and lace moments, would have been proud to drape herself across. We sat on our small patio, watching the sun go down across the valley and cooked for ourselves using all the wonderful fresh produce the region has to offer. And of course, in probably the most famous wine region of the world, we reluctantly felt compelled to visit a few wineries. amongst the big names - Jacobs Creek, Penfolds, Peter Lehman, Wolf Blass- are loads of smaller producers and we got round a good range (being thorough) on hired bicycles. We visited the Jacobs Creek Visitor Centre, an impressive glass structure with a long polished tasting counter and great views of the countryside (photo). One million glasses of a Jacobs Creek wine are consumed daily (and not all by us!) so, if you are a wine drinker, you've probably knocked back a few JC wines in your drinking career. We also enjoyed the small winery of Kabminye, one of the German heritage growers in the region; they grow an unusual range of grape varieties for the area (no Chardonnay in sight!), we especially liked a white Frontignac which tasted far more sophisticated than you expected from the nose and a stonking great Shiraz (at 19%!) which nearly blew your socks off. We lunched there, they sell traditional German dishes in the restaurant, Paul had Chook (an old bird but, he said, very tender & plump!). Contentedly, we wobbled back to our accommodation.....

Monday 20th April 2009

2009-04-20T08:33:00.006+01:00

Already four days since we left Tassie - the month is racing on! We picked up our hire car, having been given an upgrade it turned out to be an enormous automatic toyota with a boot that could swallow a small country. Rather freaky to drive (Paul volunteered!) as we set out on the Melbourne freeway and down the coast to Apollo Bay; a very pleasant seaside resort which sits on the Great Ocean Road, a scenic highway which winds its way along the Southern Coast from Melbourne to Adelaide. The following day, after a stroll along the beach, we played tourist and visited many of the geological highlights of this stretch of coast; the sandstone cliffs having been worn into caves, arches and stacks by the actions of the sea. There are look-outs at various points where, provided you can elbow aside the Japanese tourist taking photos of each other, you get good views of the coastline, constantly pounded by the foaming milky sea. One arch called London Bridge collapsed a few years ago. You could walk across it prior to this & a couple were left trapped on the other side. Apparently though, they were having an affair and fled from the waiting media after their rescue! We arrived in Port Fairy as dusk was falling and managed a walk along the pretty marina before dark; it wouldn't have looked out of place on the River Thames. Yesterday, we turned inland and headed for the Grampians National Park. The bush-clad sandstone escarpments, formed into wierd shapes by the action of sea, wind and rain over millennia, tower over the flat surrounding farmland. We stayed at Halls Gap, the tourist hub of the park in the YHA, just about the best hostel we have ever stayed in. It combines 'green' features (solar power, shower water recycled to flush the loos, chickens scratching in the garden, accompanied by parrots and kangaroos) with a great kitchen and a comfy lounge lit by a wood stove. We got in some good walking, knocking off a couple of tops and visited the cultural centre with some interesting and though provoking displays about the Aboriginal tribes who inhabit the area and their subsequent treatment by the white settlers. Evidence of Victoria's acute water shortage is everywhere, from the exhortations to reuse and save water, to reports of wildlife starving due to vegetation dying. Although we are well away from the areas which suffered bush fires this year, the sight of smoke in the distance today (thankfully nothing serious) provided food for thought.

Thursday 16th April 2009

2009-04-16T08:04:00.003+01:00

Our last day in Tasmania and we have had a great time! There is so much to do here that, although we have filled every day (weather permitting!) there is still loads more we would like to do. We have spent two days walking in Cradle Mountain National Park in NW Tasmania; on Monday we had a day walk over day one of the Overland Track, we climbed to Marions Look-out. at the start of the plateau & got some views of Crater Lake and Dove Lake and the blue peaks in the distance but Cradle Mt. itself was hidden in cloud. We carried on, squelching through the boggy ground in which half-submerged boardwalks were fighting a losing battle against the wet (reminiscent of the Black Mountains!), but then the mist came down, the icy wind howled and the rain came down in torrents. We decided to call it a day, passing several overlanders on the way back, plodding along with their sodden packs looking as if they were wondering why they were doing this. Undeterred, we returned the next day and, despite a cold blustery wind, summited Cradle Mt. (1545m). The climb was an entertaining scramble over large boulders - as much fun as Tryfans North ridge - and we were rewarded with amazing views over the plateau at the top, with Barn Bluff (picture) dominating the foreground and the cirque rising in the distance. We returned to the car in the golden late afternoon sunshine; with groups of wombats grazing on the tussocky grass. We overnighted at Devonport, the easter holidays meant accommodation was impossible to secure at Cradle Mt. itself; the town sits on the River Mersey and yes, there was a ferry! Not across it but up it; the overnight service to Melbourne. The drive down to the wild west coast of Tasmania really was a wilderness drive, nothing for miles, apart from the odd ghost-town of a former mining settlement, and forests that have never seen an axe; and the World Heritage status means they never will. We stayed at Queenstown; still the centre of tin-mining in the area and the moonscape like hills are testement to this, although planting and landscaping of the damage has reduced the impact. The town has a frontier feel, the uncertain economics of mining evident in the number of empty store-fronts and lack of maintenance on the houses (why improve what you may not be able to sell?); however tourism has come, especially with the re-opening of the West Coast Wilderness Railway. Certainly the Motor Inn we stayed in was full and the food in the bar good basic fare - half an animal of which ever type you wanted and a sack of chips. Vegetarian? Weep and starve. Wednesday was forecast wet & cold so we decided to treat ourselves to a trip on the railway. Amazing Day; in a Saga-lout moment we opted for the premium carriage - including non-stop Tasmanian food, wine and beer - & really enjoyed it. The railway itself is a true feat of engineering. Built in the 1890s to link the mines to the port at Strahan, it was constructed through virgin rainforest (including parts that, apart from the swathe cut by the track, is still the same as it was when dinosaurs were on the earth and tall Huon Pines stand which live for up to 2000 years), hugs the side of the gorge high above the Queen river (sadly still discoloured by mining tailings) and negotiated a 250m rise and fall using a rack & pinion system based on that used by the Swiss railways. The operators have managed to renovate the original steam engines and the carriages have been beautifully restored, using Tasmanian wood cladding and wrought brass luggage racks. We changed trains at the halfway point (the wonderfully named halt called Dubbil Barril) to a diesel engine (only the steam engines are powerful enough to negotiate the climb) for the journey along the Kings river to Strahan. The railway had closed in the 1963 but when Mt. Lyell Mine closed in the 1990s a group lobbied to rebuild the railway to attract tourism - they did AND raised the $30m to fund it. Now that is determination! The rain followed us back east today; we had hoped to walk in Lake St. Clair N.P. (southern end of the Overland) but morely joined other walkers, drinking coffee in the visitor centre cafe & staring glumly at the sleety downpour outside. Tomorrow we hop on another big silver bird and head north to Melbourne..hopefully to better weather!

Sunday 12th April 2009

2009-04-12T11:58:00.003+01:00

Imagine walking through the bush for hours, descending into a deep gorge, sitting there in the sunlight, watching the waterfalls (Apsley-Douglas National Park), listening to the birds and seeing nothing but a couple of wallabies. Then imagine a dazzling white coastline,lapped by clear blue sea, stretching as far as you can see, interrupted only by rocky granite outcrops, splashed bright orange by lichen (the Bay of Fires - wow! According to Lonely Planet this is the new 'must visit' and we can see why). This is Tasmania, that small island off Australia and still you can walk for hours, enjoy the scenery and wildlife & feel as though you are the first person ever to see these things. Tasmania National Parks are a joy; we spent today walking in the Narawntapu NP,on Tassies North coast, it's known as Tasmania's Serengeti for the diversity of wildlife you can see there, especially on the grassland near the visitor centre at dusk - kangaroos, wallabies and, best of all, Wally the Wombat - the first non-roadkill one we have seen (photo-and wombats DO have poo in the shape of a cube, we are not sure why)! We are based in Launceston, sitting on the Tamar River (which Paul says is very like its Devon namesake; although driving through the undulating rural valleys reminds us of the stretch of road between Worcester and Leominster). The Tamar is also one of the islands wine regions - we visited 3 wineries. The Sauv blancs, Pinot noirs and Rieslings are impressive and we speak from experience! Yesterday morning we walked Launcestons main tourist attraction, the Cataract Gorge. Pleasant & scenic enough.

Thursday 9th April 2009

2009-04-10T11:42:00.003+01:00

Greetings from Swansea - as unlike it's South Wales namesake as can be and not a sign of a little brown fish (League of Gentlemen fans will know what I mean! We obviously need more fibre). We are on the east coast of Tasmania, the seaside holiday destination for Tasmanians and with beautful unspoilt beaches, with sand the colour of vanilla sugar and clear azure sea we can see why. The Freycinet Peninsula is the highlight with the added attraction of mountains and bushwalks, the Peninsular walk is a Tasman 'Great Walk', 30k long over two days. We did it in one! For once we had wonderful weather and set off at 8am; enjoying the easy bush walk and the views of the coast. We had the company of gulls as we traversed the length of Hazards beach and then into bush again where we surprised a couple of wallabies. The ascent of Mt. Graham gave us wonderful views of the peninsula and the coast but the scenic highlight was to come. Wineglass Bay (photo) is a perfectly shaped curve of brilliant white sand, fringed by bush lapped by clear blue waves. It appears on all tourist literature but has one drawback as far as your average 'sights' bagger is concerned; it can only be reached by boat or by an hours walk over a saddle. Tens of thousand of tourists every year walk up from the car park (the start & end point of our walk) to a look-out at the top of the saddle to take a photo, a few of these hardy souls go down to the beach but very few get further. It is a rude return to civilisation when you get there. And yes, there were coachloads of Japanese tourists!

Tuesday 7th April 2009

2009-04-10T11:02:00.002+01:00

We have spent two days on the Tasman Peninsular; which for most of the 19th century was a penal colony. This peninsula, all but an island apart from a thin spit of land, with the military fort of Port Arthur was where you ended up if you offended the authorities on the mainland (where you had been transported from Blighty after commiting a crime serious enough to warrant it; like stealing a loaf of bread). Virtually escape-proof; the spit of land was patrolled by savage dogs to deter the prisoners and a regiment of soldiers was stationed at port Arthur, the ruins of the fort that remain look suitably forbidding to give an impression of how hard life could be here, for prisoners (including boys as young as 9) and their guards alike. We also visited the remains of the coal mine, worked by prisoners who were then locked up in windowless cells at night. The magnificent coastline - sea-cliff stacks, sea caves excavated by the action of the waves, rocky inlets and pounding surf all add to the stark atmosphere of the place. We had a good walk along the coast, to the summit of Mt. Brown on the tip of the peninsular (next stop Antartica - with squally showers every so often, it looked and felt like it too); stopping at Crescent Bay, where ours were the only footprints (where's man Friday?) and the only company was gulls, lapwings and yellow-tailed black cockatoos. Our accommodation was fab; we stayed in Norfolk Bay Convict Station. It started life in the 1830s as a supply station for the peninsular, complete with Tasmanias first railway and has survived as variously a hotel, Post Office, general store. It is now a lovely B&B; our room had a view of the jetty, breakfast includes home-made bread and preserves & ther was complementary port & sherry in the lounge, lit by a wood fire and a restaurant 400m away serving amazing seafood. Definitely one of the best stays of the trip. We also took the opportunity to make the aquaintance of Tasmanias teenage delinquent - the Tasmanian Devil. Hard to see in the wild (they are close to extinction), we visited a sanctuary to see them. Strange creatures - they look just like their loony-tunes counterparts (look at the photo-see if you agree), they move with a stiff legged gait, a bit like clockwork animals and they are vicious! They got their name when early settlers heard them squealing in the bush & thought they were the devil & we can see why!

Sunday 5th April 2009

2009-04-05T11:36:00.003+01:00

Happy 1st Birthday Jamie!!! from cold, windy & snowy (on the highlands) Tasmania. Yes, our weather luck stays with us; we were due to commence the Overland Track this morning - 6 days hiking across the central plateau, staying in huts and camping. However, we awoke to a Bushwalkers weather alert and decided that yet another multi day hike in vile conditions wasn't worth it; so we opted out, have hired a car and will tour around the island for the two weeks we are here - hopefully getting some walks in. Sitting in our 8th floor hotel room tonight, listening to the howling wind and rain against the window we think we made the right choice. We left Sydney on Friday, dropping into see Botany Bay on the way to the airport. If you close your eyes so you can't see the container terminal and the oil refinery you could imagine it as it was in 1770 - no you couldn't; you could still hear the planes flying in and out of Sydney International. All I can say is Cpt. Cook must have felt extremely silly when, after months on a ship, he landed here only to realise that there was an airport across the bay. Hobart, in Tasmania, is a pleasant enough city, low-key and very English in a sort of northern style. The centre makes you feel as though you were in Warrington but the quayside, still with a working fishing fleet (the fish & chips are fab), and Salamanca Place (photo) have been redeveloped, with plenty of good street cafes, bars and shops. This is the first Aussie town or city outside Sydney where we have found this cafe society. Incidentally, Tassie wines are very good; some excellent Sauv.Blancs and light & fruity Pinot Noirs. Remember the dog kennel of Glenorchy? Can I introduce you to the outhouse of Hobart. We have found that hostels are significantly pricier in comparsion with motels in Oz than in NZ and vary considerably in quality. One night in the hostel here was enough; we slept in an en-suite brick shed, with a tiled floor that still had the hairs of a generation of hostellers on it and the reception staffed by a witch, who couldn't be as old as her face surely? (The hags are astride, this night for a ride?). The next day we fled to the Leisure Inn, where for $25 more we got a huge bed, WIFI, TV, sofa, big fluffy towels. a lift to the 8th floor ricketty enough to set your bladder off and enough mirrors on the wall to satisfy the most narcississtic of porn stars. Tomorrow we follow the convict trail to Port Arthur. At least there should be plenty of arrows to show us the way.

Thursday 2nd April 2009

2009-04-02T06:28:00.002+01:00

We have spent two days in the Snowy Mountains; staying on the edge of the Kosciuzsko National Park in SE New South Wales (& not a male voice chior in sight!). Kosciuzsko is the highest summit in Oz (at 2,228m - named by its Polish discoverer although I suspect the Aborigines really found it first). It is an unremarkable top which barely stands out from the rocky ridges around it until you see the crowds standing at the trig point. The park is, in the winter, a skiing area. This meant that, at the end of an Australian summer, the place had that vaguely sad, neglected air about it - it was certainly empty of people. We stayed in the desterted backpackers lodge in Jindabyne, there was us and the manager who was away with the fairies and one 'staff' member whose only role seemed to be keeper of the TV remote control. We had wonderful walking weather; completing the undemanding summit circuit, on a manicured motorway of a path which made the A40 look like a cart track. Away from the tourist path though we had the hills to ourselves with wonderful views north and south, into Victoria. Both here and the drive down fron Canberra gave us our first glimpse of how arid and vast Oz is. There are big views over boulder strewn, cinder-toffee coloured plains, punctuated by dusty tussocks of vegetation and skeleton white trees, their bony branches like witches fingers. We liked the traffic warning signs for kangaroos and wombats; unfortunately all we saw at first was roadkill, until our journey back north via the Pacific coast. In the evening sunshine by the beach at Merimbula, we came across 20-odd kangaroos grazing by the roadside. Many photos were taken! The rain eventually found out where we were! The whole of New South Wales has had outbreaks of torrential rain for the past few days, most of it mercifully (for us, but not for those who were flooded out!) north of Sydney.

Saturday 28th March 2009

2009-03-28T09:55:00.002Z

I’m writing this in the pitch dark with a head torch on. We are in Canberra, it’s 8.30pm on Saturday and it is the Earth Hour, where all lights are switched off for an hour to try and save the planet (I know, the computer and head torch are probably negating our lack of room lights but hey we are in the YHA (impeccable green credentials) and every little helps (said the man who peed into the sea). We have had a half day whistle-stop walking tour of the Capital City, including the amazing parliament building (photo), with its vista, via the old Government buildings, across the lake to the avenue leading up to the Australian War Memorial. We visited the chambers of both the Senate and the House of Representatives and took in the views from the roof. Canberra is incredibly understated for a capital city, we think Witney is livelier on a Saturday night despite having the most mysterious of road systems. You read the map, you look at the road signs but you still end up going round in circles. I know what Patrick McGoohan would make of it!

Friday 27th March 2009

2009-03-28T09:51:00.002Z

We left Sydney on Thursday morning, having collected the hire car, & drove to Katoomba in the Blue Mountains, Paul coping superbly with the automatic transmission car (Kate wimped out & needed a practice!). The Blue Mts can be seen lying some 100km west on the horizon from Sydney (a good view from the top of the harbour bridge but only us Bridge Climbers would know that!!). There really is a blue haze lying over the gorges and precipitous cliffs – caused by the effect of the light on the dust particles in the air and the Eucalyptus trees. Katoomba, considering its situation in the National park, is a surprisingly rough and ready place; looks a bit like it should be in the Forest of Dean and the main bar of the type that you haven’t seen at home for 30 years, before the advent of our café culture. We stayed in a lovely hostel in the town; it has been a guest house since the 1930s and still retains a lot of the features. It had a pleasant verandah to sit on and watch the parakeets flying among the trees and a good roaring fire in the common room when the evening grew chilly. We spent a day and a half exploring the area on foot, taking some fab photos of the rainforest (which has a species of pine growing in it that has been around since the dinosaurs) and the rocky cliffs towering above. We descended into the rainforest, almost deafened by the cacophony of bird calls (a task some evening to consult a book to put a name to them!) and our nasal passages refreshed by the regular whiff of eucalyptus. We had an easy scramble to the top of a rocky outcrop, appropriately named Ruined Castle, which gave us amazing views of the bush spread out beneath us. Hard to believe you are so close to Oz’s largest city.

Thursday 26th March 2009

2009-03-25T21:24:00.002Z

Well our first couple of days in Australia have started on a high – and how much higher can you get than standing at the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge (yes, that’s right – at the apex of the coat hanger up there with the flags and the flashing red aircraft warning light). Paul had at the top of his wish list the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb, where, wearing Star-trek style overalls and attached to a wire by a lanyard and latch (so there’s no way you can fall off!) you make your way up by the riggers route to the top of the arch, some 135m above the boats in the harbour below and some 70m above the eight lanes of traffic and railway line crossing the bridge. With my love of heights it was rather more of a challenge but I got there and it’s surprising how once you are up there the views take over and you hardly think about the void below. We chose the twilight climb where you go up in daylight at around 5pm and watch the light fade to the west whilst the city starts to light up the sky. We had the bonus of a spectacular electrical storm to the west, in fact the storm got close enough to the city for the next group to be evacuated. Sadly, you can’t take a camera – in case it drops on the cars below and causes an accident. We did buy the official photos of us two up there though – so can prove we did it! The hectic, brash city of Sydney was a bit of an awakening after NZ. When we left the airport the humidity was a bit of a shock – almost felt like Bangkok again. However, the efficiency of officialdom & transport meant that one hour after landing we had cleared immigration and customs, hopped on a shuttle bus and were checked into Sydney Central YHA. Ten minutes later we were on the 9th floor rooftop terrace of the hostel downing the welcome Kangaroo Burger (well you have to; a bit like beef but more chewy) and beer. We spent yesterday visiting the major sights – the Harbour Bridge, the Opera House and a walk in the Botanical Gardens. We took a ferry across to Manly and swam in the Western end of the Tasman Sea. Perishing! We also visited Sydney Observatory; the displays about the Transit of Venus were fascinating - the recording of which was the purpose of Cooks first visit here in 1769 – and we were able to have a look at the sun through the telescope there. Tomorrow we leave the city and head west to the Blue Mountains.

Monday 23rd March 2009

2009-03-23T21:43:00.002Z

Today we reluctantly left this fabulous country. We spent our final weekend in NZ working our way back to Wellington via the seaside resort of Gisborne and the Art-Deco city of Napier, enjoying the sunshine and scenery around Hawkes Bay. Our final morning in Wellington was spent at the National museum, Te Papa; a fascinating place worthy of more than the couple of hours we had to spare. Well, you can run out of superlatives over here. We have enjoyed every moment of our time in NZ, it’s impossible to pick out a highlight. We have ticked off all our ‘want to do list’ but now have a new list just as long! Amazing scenery; you could spend a lifetime and not exhaust all the outdoor adventures possible here. But even just touring, every day had something that would delight you or blow your mind. We have been met with friendliness and warmth everywhere we have travelled. There is a quality of life we seem to have lost at home; the ability to take time to appreciate each day and a ‘no worries’ philosophy. We have driven over 7,000km and not once encountered road rage – even though some drivers go like maniacs! Food and drink is amazing, from our morning flat white and date scone the size of a small mountain , through fish and chips , to the gourmet meals we had a the Fat Duck in Te Anau – all washed down with superlative wines (Sauvignon blanc-need I say more) or good beers (we liked especially in our extensive tasting, Monteiths –Original & Celtic, Macs Gold, Speights Summit and Tui) and the refreshing Lemon & Pereoa soft drink. To prove that every paradise has its serpent, NZ has that devils spawn; the Sandfly – with a particular appetite for Pauls feet. Also the unexpected gravel stretches of road were a bit unnerving, especially in our dinky hire car! Thank you New Zealand for an amazing two months, hopefully it won’t be too long before we come back. Australia- you have a hard act to follow!

Thursday 19th March 2009

2009-03-19T07:45:00.003Z

I do love the smell of sulphur in the morning! On Tuesday we drove to Rotorua, geo-thermal centre of NZ. Here you can take your pick of which natural volcanic wonder to visit, throw in a few adrenalin activities, Maori concerts, hot spa baths or mud baths and soon there’ll be a crater in your pocket as well as the ground. We arrived in drizzle, after a stop at the Karargahake Gorge, once the centre of gold mining in the North Island. A circular walk takes you past remnants of the industry, ruins of the gold stamping batteries and a 1km walk through a railway tunnel, constructed to remove the spoil. Very eerie now, dimly lit with the drip, drip of water and the rumble of cars driving down the gorge all to be heard. Arriving at Rotorua, we dipped into a hot spa bath, opening onto the side of the lake where we soaked whilst watching the steam rise from the geo-thermal currents emptying into the lake. Unlike the volcanic crater forming Lake Taupo, the one forming Lake Rotorua is alive and well! We stayed in the 5-star Youth Hostel and took a walk around the town; the Irish Bar was already filling up at 3pm with all the honorary Irishmen celebrating St. Patricks Day. Well you have to visit one thermal attraction; we chose Wai-O-Tapu, which boasted amongst the usual sulphur pools, silica terraces, bubbling mud and steaming craters a geyser which erupted at 10.15am daily (we were rather amused to find that the owners ensured this happened on time by tipping soap powder down the ferrous stained oriface at the top of the dung-heaped shaped mound) and the Champagne pool, a bubbling water-filled 62m deep volcanic crater. At the bottom the temperature is 230deg, at the top nearer 90deg. Altogether fascinating. It really gives you an understanding of the power under your feet & the instability of the not so quiet earth. In the afternoon we visited the site of an excavated village which had been buried in an eruption in 1886. The Maori guide was a descendant of one of the families who had lived there at the time and gave a vivid account of the event and the lifestyle of the villagers back then. After a day of volcanic warmth, we enjoyed even warmer hospitality in the evening. Those of you who read our Spanish travels may recall the Sierra Nevada trek we enjoyed in the company of Kierstin and Richard of Spanish Highs. Nicola, an old friend of Kierstin kindly invited these two people she had never met to her home, fed us and put us up for the night – Kate even enjoyed a dip in the pool! Much wine was drunk and we had a wonderful evening – many thanks Nicola. The highlight of our exploration of NZs active volcanic subduction zone (see I’ve even got the terminology!) was a helicopter trip and a landing on the crater of White Island(photo-from the helicopter), an active volcano which last erupted in 2000 and can be seen steaming away some 55km off the coast of the Bay of Plenty. The 20min ride out was exciting enough (first time in a helicopter), but the exploration of the crater with our guide was amazing. The smell of the place was almost overwhelming at times, the crater lake apart from being rather hot is so acidic it would immediately melt all trace of anything dropped into it. The rocks were a multitude of yellows, reds, blacks, browns from the minerals present. The power of the landscape was obvious but not just a destructive power – this was effectively creation we were witnessing; all life on earth started out this way. There are already some plants and microbes clinging to life in this hostile environment. Unforgetable.

Monday 16th March 2009

2009-03-16T08:28:00.002Z

We are staying in Thames; a town with an English name but certainly not in character. Situated some 140km SE of Aukland, at the gateway to the Coromandel Peninsula, it is a former gold mining town and retains a distinctly frontier feel. You half expect to see a stagecoach draw up and, the Youth Hostel, one of the oldest buildings in town which is a clapperboard building with a balcony over the pavement, is very characterful. You can imagine Lee Marvin or Tommy Lee Jones with their feet on it waiting for the baddies to arrive. The hostel also has a wonderful garden, which thankfully we have had two sunny evenings to sit out in and enjoy. Despite being so close to Auckland the peninsula feels very remote and wild, steep coastal and mountain roads open up fab views out over the sea. We spent the day driving around the area, visiting some of the forest parks – and a Kauri reserve; NZ’s biggest native tree. These are ancient trees (which can live for 4,000 years) which dwarf the rest of the rainforest. Impressive. Previously, we had travelled as far north as our visit to NZ would take us. We arrived at the Bay of Islands on Friday, after a 7hr drive from Taupo. First visit was to Waitangi; the place where the signing of the eponymous treaty in 1840 effectively created the state of NZ. There was a very politically correct exhibition; the old governors residence was well preserved and a beautifully carved Maori meeting house are open for visits. A waka (canoe) was carved to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the signing, using traditional methods is also on display. What do you do in the Bay of Islands? Get out on a boat and look at them. We spent the day on a tall ship – the J. Tucker Thompson- cruising around the bay. With a very authentic ‘pirate’ as first mate, Paul was soon pressed into service pulling on the ropes! We moored by an island, the climb to the hill at the top gave us wonderful views of the bay and Cape Brett. The wind picked up sufficiently on the return for the sails to move us, very atmospheric with just the crack of the wind and the creak of the wood. A school of dolphins joined us for a while. Magical!

Friday 13th March 2009

2009-03-13T07:04:00.003Z

Well we got hot and steamy in Taupo! And all thanks to the geo-thermal properties of the area. We spent Wednesday afternoon on the 'Thermal Explorer Highway' visiting various attractions. The Volcanic activity museum was fascinating. We spent a happy hour watching a video of Ruapehu erupting in 1995 and 1996 and looking at the geology of the area; including a live siesmo-graph! Paul liked the vibrating room (earthquake simulator!). It really showed you the scale of the powers that lie underground. We also dropped in on the Craters of the Moon. You take a stroll through the reserve where steam hisses from every crack in the ground and mud bubbles away merrily in the craters. We also visited the Huka Falls; a boiling cauldron of water forced out through the Lake Taupo control gates; like the Aratiatia falls further up the river the gates control the flow to generate Hydro-electricity. With the latter falls you can view the opening of the gates several times a day. It is quite spectacular to see the water levels rise and the clear blue stream change to a seething milk-coloured torrent. Lake Taupo itself is quite a sight. More like an inland sea than a lake (it's the hole in the centre of the North island!) it is also the result of a volcanic eruption some 2,000 years ago. Apparently the fall-out made it to China. Now that must have been a big bang! We woke yesterday to the sight of snow on the Tongariro peaks - a fab view from the Youth Hostel kitchen (photo). A sunny clear morning (yes!) so we took a walk to the summit of the dormant volcano, Mt. Tuahara, which overlooks Taupo. Fab views, not only of the mountain scenery but the lake and the steam rising from all the fissures in the area. How do you follow that? An hour in a mineral bath at Taupo Hot Springs. 40Deg naturally heated water. In the evening, dodging the showers, we took the opportunity to see what all the fuss was about the film 'Slumdog Millionaire'. Fantastic - deserves all the awards and plaudits it's won. See it if you can! A marathon drive today, north to Paihia in the bay of islands. Sun on the sea, nice Youth Hostel, Friday and a bottle of wine!

Wednesday 11th March 2009

2009-03-11T04:14:00.003Z

Back, wet and windswept, from completing the Tongariro Northern Circuit. A NZ Great walk this takes you through volcanic terrain around the volcanic peaks of Tongariro (T), Ngauruhoe (N) and Ruapehu (R). It includes the Alpine Crossing over the saddle separating T & N. N and R are both active and reputedly 'overdue' to go off, so whilst walking you just wonder....However, in our case the wildest thing happening was the weather. We'd intended to complete the circuit over 4 days, giving us time, if the weather was good on the alpine crossing to bag the summit of T. We walked the first day to the Mangetepopo hut in lowering cloud and drizzle. Not the most inspiring of walk ins. Through tussocky grass and up and down heavily eroded gorges in the lava flows it was a bit of a slog. The hut was cosy but the forecast for the next days weather, which was the Alpine crossing day was for low cloud, high winds and rain. Oh well. Starting early to avoid most of the bus loads of day walkers who come thundering up the track every morning we set off. The saddle ahead was lost in low cloud and as we gained height the wind gained in strength. We crossed the desert-like surface of the south crater barely able to see the next marker pole in front and climbed to the Red crater (the highest point of the crossing at 1886m) struggling to keep our feet in the high winds. The side trip to T was definitely out. As in all 'tourist' walks we passed some incredibly inadequately equipped walkers. We came across one woman, at the top of the saddle, dressed in tennis shoes, an anorak and shorts, clinging to a rock, terrified and unable to move. Her husband was taking photos of her!! We frogmarched her down the scree slope until we were out of the worst of the wind. At that point, the cloud lifted to give us a fab view of the Emerald Lakes (the colour comes from the minerals in the water). At this point with the weather no better, we decided to descend and spend the night at the lower hut. Lower down, the cloud lifted and we got good views of the vents steaming away on Red Crater. It was a good walk through the moonscape like terrain to the Oturere Hut. In the evening the clouds lifted to give great views of N and R. Gales and possibly snow were the updated forecast; we decided to call it a day and walk out the next day instead of taking two. We made an early start; enjoying dramatic views (photo of R). We paid a quick visit to the old Waihohonu hut - the first in NZ, built in 1904 and now preserved as a museum. The rain returned on the final leg - over the foothills of R and we were glad to get back to our start point by mid afternoon. We hoofed it to Turangi, where a night in a motel, steak and wine restored our spirits!

Saturday 7th March 2009

2009-03-07T02:41:00.004Z

Our weather luck seems to be still not good, we are in now in the North Island staying tonight in National Park before commencing the 4 day Tongaririo Northern Circuit tomorrow. We drove north from Christchurch on Tuesday overnighted at Picton and caught the early ferry across Cook Straight to Wellington. We were at least lucky in that we have had two good crossings between the islands. After leaving Wellington we did the long drive up the west coast to Taranaki and our stay in the Mount Egmont NP. We had as accommodation the Camphouse - the oldest NP facility of its type in NZ, however we had it entirely to ourselves for two nights. It was a really good place to base ourselves. However as stated the weather was not kind to us. The planned ascent of the mountain had to be cut short a few hundred metres short of the summit as low cloud reduced the visibility to in our opinion a dangerous level. Then the following day the rain and wind was such that our planned two day tramp around a nearby mountain had to be abandoned. We left and spent last night in the town of New Plymouth, before driving here today mostly along the quaintly named "The Forgotten Highway".

Monday 2nd March 2009

2009-03-02T04:51:00.002Z

Our final night in Christchurch, the most English of New Zealand cities. It almost out-does Engand in Englishness if your idea of England is leafy streets, with trams running along them, acres of parkland and flowers, punting on the river and a gothic style cathedral sitting cheek by jowl with slate coloured colleges and schools and elegant wood-panelled victorian villas. It then plunges you back into the 21st century with a glass and steel art gallery and it all fits so well together. We have had, surprisingly, two good weather days here. Yesterday we spent strolling around the city and visited, among other things, the excellent museum with its exhibition of Antarctic exploration. Today we took a bus across town and then the gondola up into the Port Hills, the remnants of the extinct volcanic crater which forms the Banks peninsula, jutting out into the Pacific Ocean, just east of Christchurch. We walked for 4 hours along the crater rim, fab views of the coastline and Lyttleton, the port of Christchurch, which sits in the base of the crater.

We left Mount Cook on Thursday. Adverse weather meant we decided to walk up to the Mueller Hut, which sits 1800m up in the mountains, and back in a day - rain and high winds were due for Thursday night and Friday. We managed the steep ascent in three hours, including an entertaining scramble up Mt. Olliver (1933m-reputedly the first peak Hillary conquered) and enjoyed tantalising glimpses on Mt. Cook and Mt. Sefton. The peace was shattered repeatedly by the explosive sounds of avalanches falling from the glaciers on the slopes of Mt. Sefton. We got back to the car park, just as the rain started to fall, only to find that some kind person had scratched the car. Luckily, he had been spotted. We had a note on the car giving the culprits registration number. So, something to sort out on our way north. We arrived at Lake Tekapo, in pouring rain, and stayed overnight in a very 70s retro motel lodge. Remember PYE radios? Brown & orange furnishings and wallpaper? The bar next door had a curry night, so we sat there, gazing out at the mirk across the lake. The rain stayed with us as we drove to the Banks Peninsula the following day. We had intended to walk over Mts. Herbert and Bradley - the highest points on the Peninsula - but low cloud and yesterdays walk still in our legs meant we stayed below the cloud level. We stayed the night in what was reportedly the oldest hotel in Canterbury (the district). The bar was packed with locals watching the rugby match on TV(between Christchurch & Wellington). We downed a beer or two just to be sociable. We took time to visit Akoroa, the only part of NZ which the French managed to get a toe hold on, before the British saw them off. They are still proud of this Gallic conection; even the Police call themselves the Gendamarie!

Wednesday 25th February 2009

2009-02-25T08:40:00.003Z

Arrived in Mount Cook Village this afternoon and it was sunny! We had started to forget what that looked like. On Monday morning, we left Te Anau and drove south, following the Southern Scenic Route to Dunedin. Spectacular coastline and with the lowering cloud, wind and the waves crashing against the shoreline (where we saw it, most of the road seemed to be miles away from the coast, through forest and grey cloud-topped hills) it was easy to believe that the next stop was Antarctica. There are colonies of penguins on this coast. We saw one. His mates, no doubt, keeping out of the cold and rain. We halted in Invercargill and spent two hours in the Southland museum. The roaring 40's exhibition, about NZ's sub-Antartic islands was fasinating as was the visit to the Totaroa breeding programme. These are a species of lizard who. because of NZs isolation are a different genetic species to other lizards. Prize specimen is Henry, who at 120 years old, faces you out with a serene been there-seen-it-all-whats-the-worry-expression. Dunedin is unlike anywhere else we have been so far in NZ; a love letter to Edinburgh by the Scottish Settler it certainly is (and has that vaguely depressing look that most Scottish cities have; especially in the rain). Yesterday then we took to the streets on a walking tour, dropping in on a few attractions to get out of the weather. The Otago Settlers museum contained absorbing accounts of the history of the first settlers and we read disturbing accounts of how the Maori were treated by early European colonisers. The NZ Museum of Sport, housed in the glorious architecturally over the top Railway Station was interesting and we ended up in the Botanical Gardens. Our stay coincided with Freshers week at the local university - no doubt the bars were doing good business. We went to the cinema, where we saw Tom Cruise in Valkirie, what would Hollywood do without British character actors. The photo is of the harbour from the roof-top garden of the Youth Hostel. This morning we drove north to Mount Cook village, first through rolling farmland, surrounded by hills which reminded us of the Howgills. As we got higher, the countryside got bigger - recalling pictures of the American mid-west, with brown, tussocky flat country, endless straight roads and purple mountains on the horizon. And then we saw Mount Cook for the first time; wow. Rising above the glacier blue Lake Pukaki, its summit poking through the cloud, it drew the eye. You couldn't take your eyes off it - hard for the drivers concentration ! The Youth Hostel here is a wonderful Alpine lodge. This afternoon we visited the Edmund Hillary Mountain Exhibition, including a fabulous planetarium show about the southern sky and a 3-D film about the area which had you feeling you were flying over the mountains yourself. We aim to get up in the mountains ourselves tomorrow - fingers crossed for the weather - it's still very unsettled.

Sunday 22nd February 2009

2009-02-22T08:54:00.003Z

Like a log flume ride in a theme park, which carries a warning 'you will get wet' so is the Milford Track. Hailed as the greatest walk in the world, it is also in the Fiordland area of NZ which receives 7m (21ft) of rain per year. And some of that fell during our tramp. We left Te Anau in glorious sunshine, despite the grim weather forecast for the following 3 days. We caught the boat across Te Anau Lake, which is the only way to access the track. As well as the 40 independent trampers who are allowed to start the track each day (huts are 40 person capacity) there is also a guided group every day - they stay in their own huts, fully catered with hot showers and WINE and BEER! We amused ourselves by betting which ones would make it to the end of the trek, as some of them looked as though they could hardly walk upstairs let alone cope with 33.5miles of tramping - including the traverse of the Mckinnon pass at 1100m. The first day is rather a soft introduction; you leave the boat at Glade Wharf and walk about 5k to the hut where we spent the first night. The DOC ranger there was one of the most informative and energetic ones we have encountered so far; he organised a nature walk which was interesting enough to counteract the sandflies, his hut talk taught us more about the wildlife of NZ and the conservation challenges facing the DOC than any other source of information and, to cap it all, he took those who were interested on a night walk to look at a colony of glow worms. They were like a constellation of stars hanging at eye level. Amazing. The next morning we awoke to rain - the forecast was, as is usually the case with poor ones, accurate. We had a 16k hike up the side of the Clinton river, climbing to 600m to the Mintaro hut where we would sleep that night. We took lots of photos which served to show how wet we were. Sadly the cloud base was so low that views were limited to the odd glimpse of a peak, a few capped with ice fields and snake-like waterfalls cascading into the valley. The hut had a wood stove, which was pressed into service to dry out 40 pairs of boot, coats, trousers etc. Guess what the weather was doing the following morning? correct. We had a 500m ascent through cloud up to the MacKinnon Pass, where a memorial to Mackinnon - who was the person who forged the track across to Milford Sound and led the first guided tours of it - loomed large through the mirk. It was a bit draughty by now, so we paused long enough to take a photo and one of Kate by 12-second drop (there's a view out there somewhere!) before starting the knee-jarring 970m descent (a quick stop to use the loo with the best view in NZ; well that day we had to take their word for it). We took a detour from the main route to take a look at the highest waterfall in NZ. The Sutherland Falls drop 580m from Lake Quill in 3 stages. Spectacular - no doubt even more so thanks to the recent rain. We had a little excitement on our arrival at the Dumpling Hut. A walker from the previous days group had become lost and disorientated in the rainforest. We had picked up the cries for help and were called on to assist the ranger to locate the walker and Paul stayed with him until the rescue helicopter arrived. Luckily he had no more than cuts and bruises (the walker not Paul). We had a 18km wet walk out on the last day to catch the boat across to Milford Sound. The walk was punctuated by views of cascades swollen by the rain and avalanche paths, strewn with rock falls and broken trees. Sandfly Ppoint, at the end of the walk lived up to its name and Milford Sound looked moody and magnificent in the rain and cloud(see photo). We were glad to get back to a hot shower and a reunion with the food and wine of the Fat Duck in Te Anau!

Wednesday 18th February 2009

2009-02-18T00:04:00.003Z

Back from the Kepler Track! A really enjoyable yomp through beech forest, over a mountain saddle and back through forest and a river gorge over four days. We started on Saturday with fantastic weather - clear blue skies all round. Being purists, we walked in to the start of the track from Te Anau, a 50min walk around the lake through a wildlife reserve next to a golf course featuring a good example of the lesser-spotted-bagofbats carrier. The track starts at the control gates between lake Te Anau and the river Waiau. A pleasant stroll through the forest, before a seemingly endless zig-zag ascent, through the bush, to the open fell. Fab views of the Te Anau basin and the ranges of moutains surrounding it. Day one of the walk was done; it was only 30min to the Luxmore Hut (1085m) where we spent the night. A wonderful situation, we brewed a pot of tea (no beer i'm afraid) and sat on the terrace in the sun enjoying the panorama in front of us. Day two was the spectacular day; a long ridge walk interspersed with an ascent of Mt. Luxmore, at 1472m the high point of the walk. As luck would have it we woke to low cloud, wind and rain, so it was goretex on and get on with it. A drawback of the Great Walks is that, if the weather is bad, there is no delaying for a day to wait for it to improve; there are people who need the hut that night, you have to move on. It was a bit like walking on Snowdon on a normal day - get wet and no view! We summited Mt. Luxmore - quick photo of a rather damp Kate hanging onto the trig and down. After a while the cloud did start to move about and we got a few tantalising glimpses of what could lie beyond. We then descended a hanging valley and prehistoric looking forest to the Iris Burn Hut; night 2s venue. In a lovely forest clearing but filled with malevolent sandflies. They still seem to prefer the taste of Paul though. Another gourmet freeze-dried meal and off to bed to dream of fish and chips; only the sound of a kiwi screech to disturb the quiet. Day three was a steady tramp down the Iris Burn through forest and clearings. We passed the site of an enormous landslip some 25 years ago. The scar on the hillside is still evident and the rock fall still lies strewn about the valley. In the afternoon the sun came out and the light dappled through the green of the forest. You could almost drink the cool greeness, if you know what I mean! Night 3s hut was on the shore of Lake Manupouri, set back from a lovely beach with views across the lake towards the pass leading to Doubtful Sound (photo). By now it was a gorgeous sunny afternoon and we whiled away an hour or two reading on the sand. Kate would have swum but had forgotten to pack a swimsuit. Reconstituted Honey Soy Chicken for tea, then back to the beach to enjoy a lovely sunset. Yesterday was an easy walkout up the Waiau river back to the control gates. Did that first beer taste good! Last night we had a belated Valentines Day meal, in the NZ version of the Fleece (at about two thirds the price for those familiar with the Witney eatery) called the Fat Duck. Fab food and a bottle of the Ned! (for those who know our wine habits!). People were queuing for a table and on a Tuesday night. We've booked for Sunday - a post Milford Track celebration!

Friday 13th February 2009

2009-02-13T03:27:00.003Z

The last weeks activities (or non-activities!) have been dictated by the weather. After a perfect weekend, things started to deteriorate from Sunday afternoon; forcing us to abandon our plans to tramp the Rees-Dart track, as heavy rain made the unbridged river crossings treacherous. However, we haven't walked for years in the U.K. for nothing; all those hours spent in Petes Eats looking miserably at the rain outside had to come in useful sometime and we found other amusements! We had a fab time in Wanaka! On Saturday night we went to the local cinema; which combined a bar, cafe (huge pizza and chocolate cookies the size of a satellite dish) with a small theatre; but no rows of seats here. You make yourself comfy on one of a selection of sofas, armchairs and even the shell of a bright yellow moggie minor to watch the film; called 'The Band's Visit', it was an incredibly funny Israeli film about an Egyptian Police Orchestra who get lost in a small Israeli town (keep up!), subtitled in Hebrew, Arabic and English. They even stop the film halfway through so you can top up your beer and wine glasses! To prove that civilisation reaches all corners of this country, we set our alarm clock for 6am on Sunday morning to watch Liverpool (live) rescue the points against Portsmouth. Dragging ourselves away from Wanaka, we drove to Glenorchy; a hamlet at the head of the Wakatipu Lake where the peaks of the Mount Aspiring and Fiordland National Parks come face to face. Incredibly scenic, the town is called the 'Gateway to Paradise' (literally, there is a farming settlement called Paradise a little further up the road) and was a filming venue for the Lord of the Rings films (as the volume of LOTR tours would testify!). Lowering skies and blustery winds and a nasty weather forecast greeted us. Rain soon followed. The Rees-Dart looked improbable. Did we sit out a day and wait? Given the only accommodation available was a cabin, the size of a dog kennel, on the local camp site and the unsettled forecast we decided we'd be barking mad to stay there and the following day, our tails between our legs, we drove back down the valley and based ourselves at Queenstown. Queenstown is the home of the bungy (we went to the bridge to view those prepared to pay $165 to throw themselves off. Didn't inspire us to follow) and any other extreme, knicker wetting activity you are daft enough and rich enough to want to do. We went for a couple of day walks, including an ascent of Ben Lomond, the local day-walk peak. The cloud cleared as we descended to give us a good view over the town and lake (picture). Fab scenery though; especially when the sun came out in the evening and you could sit and look a the views and the paragliders circling above. Yesterday, we headed south to Manapouri. Another wet, cold, windy day. So we took a boat ride across the lake to visit the largest Hydro-electric plant in NZ. You go underground and descend, in a bus, for 2km to the machine room, where water from the lake, which has dropped 170m from an intake above ground, drove huge turbines. Impressive. We also had the opportunity to drive up the Wilmot Pass (the most isolated road in NZ and can only be reached by boat- the buses were taken over by barge. The road was excavated to carry supplies in from the sea when the power station was being constructed) where we had a great view of Doubtful Sound. We are now in Te Anau; ready to start our first 'Great Walk' - the Kepler Track. Four Days and Three nights of (we hope!) wonderful Alpine scenery - and we hope last nights snow on the route doesn't linger!

Friday 6th February 2009

2009-02-06T04:22:00.003Z

Happy New Zealand Day (or Waitangi Day). It's a public holiday here today and, as a consequence, a little tricky to find accommodation. We drove into Wanaka, which reminds us a little of Keswick, a town which sits on the edge of a lake surrounded by the mountains of the Mount Aspiring Range (including peaks with the names Mt. Awful and Dreadful!), with trepidation as the no-vacancy signs went up but the local Information office found us an apartment for two nights, with laundry, balcony, spa and views for only $40 more than the backpackers! We spent today enjoying the scenery and strolling around the town, after the scenic drive down the valley from Makarora and several very busy days! On Tuesday, we woke to reasonably fair weather in Arthurs Pass so our ascent of Avalanche Peak was on. It's just about the most popular walking peak in NZ notwithstanding the dire warnings from the park authority about it's difficulty. It involves, Tryfan-like, an immediate scramble of an ascent, through bush, for 600m, then Striding-edge like terrain for another 500m to the summit. As we approached the summit, the cloud started to build up from the west and it became decidedly chilly. Good views of Mt. Rollinson and it's hanging glacier and the hamlet of Arthurs Pass looking like toy-town below. A brief stop - due to the chill and a group of Keas(mountain parrots) who, whilst posing for photos make an assault on your belongings which could teach the Artful Dodger a thing or two. Apparently, cameras, clothing, food, phones are stolen from unwary visitors all the time! We must be fitter than we thought as we completed the round trip in less than 5hours and were in the "Wobbly Kea" bar by 1pm, a pint of Monteiths and the largest bowl of chips we have ever seen! Later in the afternoon we braved the chilly wind on the railway station to watch the arrival of the Tranz-Alpine Express train which travels the scenic route between Greymouth and Christchurch. The Youth Hostel offered a log fire; we needed to light it that night. Wednesday was a travel day - we had a long hop south to Makarora - some 8hours of driving. We stopped en-route in Fox to view the glacier. Most fascinating were the signs which marked where the glacier reached in certain years. It has receded as much in the last 50 years as in the previous 200. The gouge marks on the cliffs bear witness to the power of the ice. We stayed in Makarora Wilderness Resort; in an A-frame cabin with its own kitchen and our own outdoor loo! We terrified a nesting pigeon in the tree next to the loo every time we went for a pee! The drive through the Haast Pass to reach here (which was only metalled in 1985) was breathtaking - snow topped peaks and Bombay-Sapphire blue water . Yesterday was our big splurge of the trip. A scenic flight over the Mt. Aspiring range,(see photo) landing in the Siberia valley followed by a 3-hour hike through the bush, then a jet-boat ride back down the Wilkin river. Thankfully, the day dawned clear and sunny; perfect weather. What can we say but that it was worth every cent. To take off, in a six-seater plane from a field to fly over amazing scenery and to land on a strip of grass in the middle of nowhere was exciting enough. We enjoyed the walk but the best came last! We are now addicted to jet-boats. For those who don't know, they are speed boats which use the water in the river to create a jet which powers it, so it can move very fast over water. It can also manouvre very quickly and spin 360deg spraying those in the back with water. What a way to travel on crystal clear water through such amazing scenery. We were so breathless with excitement we needed a beer afterwards!!

Monday 2nd February 2009

2009-02-02T05:40:00.002Z

Arrived at Arthurs Pass village this afternoon after a eclectic visit to 'the end of the road in NZ'. And Karamea certainly is that! The main street has more cows grazing along side it than houses and people and if you see a car an hour that's busy! We had a very scenic journey there, from a drive through the Buller Gorge, where we stopped and paid our NZ$5 to cross the longest swing-bridge (at 110m) in NZ over the Buller river with sight of the fault line from an earthquake that virtually wiped out some of the villages in the area in 1929, then via Westport up the dramatic West coast, with waves from the Tasman Sea pounding the shore and mist hugging the cliff tops (we waved to Doug & Meg in Australia!). On arrival in Karamea we checked into our accommodation; the hippy backpacker lodge, Rongo (means peace man..). Fab room, solar hot water, organic veg garden and no staff, just volunteers who seemed to spend most of their time concocting lentil and brown rice dinners. However, the ambiance of the town and area draws you in very quickly; it's the closest we've come yet to tearing up our schedule and the return air ticket!! The lodge also houses the local community radio and Paul had a happy half hour looking through their music library (they also played very good music and aired a really funny comedy show on the Sunday). Tearing ourselves away, we drove to the start (or end!) of the Heaphy Track , a NZ Great Walk, in the afternoon and spent a few hours walking part of it, to Scotts Beach (which was featured in the film 'The Piano') and sat enjoying the views, until the Sandflies drove us back to the car. The local bars each had a live band playing on the Saturday; we opted for the blues band and had a fab evening drinking beer - we even bought a CD to play in the car! Yesterday, we woke to drizzle and low cloud but, undeterred, we bumped and bounced the car up the 15km unmade road leading to the Oparara Basin, home to weird and wonderful limestone formations and caves with ancient spiders (the lineage not their actual age). The Oparara arch is a huge natural limestone arch, which is the main feature but we liked the Moria Arch, smaller but you could wriggle through a cave entrance to get underneath it. Another live band was on at the bar in the evening - this time a South African/German Acoustic combo - they certainly get some unlikely visitors to this town!! Today, we headed back south, with a stop at Greymouth to visit the Monteith Brewery, Kate drew the short straw and drove but Paul made sure he carried out an extensive sampling of their wares!

Friday 30th January 2009

2009-01-30T06:40:00.002Z

Back in the tiny village of St. Arnaud, in the heart of Nelson Lakes National Park after two days spent 'tramping' in the backcountry. We had had a warm-up walk on Wednesday, around Lake Rotoiti (against which the village sits) to view the wonderfully named 'Whisky Falls'. Imagine my disappointment when I found it was water not Laphraoig! We sat on a jetty in the sunshine to eat our lunch whilst contemplating the mountains we would be among tomorrow. Thursday morning we climbed up a steep zig-zag track (appropriately called the Pinchgut track!) to arrive at the summit of Mount Robert, we then followed a wonderful ridge walk to the Angelus Hut (see photo), perched in a wonderful glacial valley by a crystal clear lake (we were glad of the lake as the water supply at the hut had dried up). Afternoon and evening, we rested up after the strenuous walk drinking tea and chatting to the other occupants of the hut whilst admiring the mountains enclosing us. A group of Israelis were in the hut and had somehow managed to lug a guitar, mouth-organ and other musical instruments up the mountain with them and kept us all entertained with and impromptu concert. We finally took to our bunks as sleep took over, lulled by a gentle bluesy version of 'Hound Dog' (if you can imagine such a thing!). This morning was clear and bright, so we abandoned our original idea to go back on a lower route and did the ridge walk back. A fantastic clear day; you could see for miles - a 360degree panorama of misty blue mountains in the distance, some with a shawl of cloud; whilst in the valleys the patchwork of fields and forest looked as though they had been newly painted overnight. Fab! St. Arnaud does not have the wildest of night life and after failing to find a bar (there is one shop and one restaurant in the village), we retired to our backbacker lodge to cook a frozen pizza and drink a couple of beers and rest our aching limbs. Tomorrow we head west; to Karamea, where we are told the 'real' New Zealand can be found. Sounds interesting!!

Tuesday 27th January 2009

2009-01-27T08:07:00.004Z

Our last night at the Bakers Lodge Backpackers in Motueka, the gateway town for the south part of the Abel Tasman National Park. We have been taking advantage of the gloriously hot and sunny weather to not just fill the day but (naturally) eat our evening meal in the sunny courtyard of the hostel whilst carrying out in-depth research into the local wines (and beers; believe it or not you can get Wychwood beers (a Witney brewery) here). We enjoyed a scenic drive over from Picton, the roads are so easy, they even drive on the left, however the direction indicators, for some reason are on the right whilst the windscreen wipers are on the left. I keep turning one wipe at junctions! Three cars constitute a traffic jam here. A brief stop in the town of Havelock. This is the green-lipped mussel capital of the world; there is a restaurant with a huge pot of mussels on its roof in the centre of town. We assume, as passers by appeared not to be gagging that they were not real! Of course, you have to try them - rather good; a bit meatier than our home-grown ones (but as Steve will point out Waitrose sells NZ mussels if you wish to try them!) We stopped for a break in Nelson reputedly the sunniest place in NZ- it was on Sunday!; to be mugged by a seagull after our lunch in Rutherford Park named after a son of the city who split the atom.Then onto Motueka which must have the longest high street ever; you could land a plane on it! Yesterday, we walked a segment of the Abel Tasman long-distance path. We caught a water taxi which dropped us off some 20k from the car andthen enjoyed the walk back through the bush, with views of golden sand and turquoise sea. We stopped for a swim to cool off en-route - the afternoon temperatures were scorching.

Today we took a drive to the Golden Bay area and visited the PuPu springs, there is a longer Maori name but we think that has a certain ring about it. Amazing place with freshwater springs bubbling up in the purest water in the world (except Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica). Also the Wainui waterfall where local lads (still on summer hols) were trying hard to drown themselves. The day rounded off with a visit to "The Dodgy Ref" sports bar for a glass of Monteith's finest.

Sunday 25th January 2009

2009-01-24T20:05:00.002Z

This morning, we leave the South Island town of Picton after three nights enjoying the Marlborough district. What a fab country this is, the more we are here the more we realise how much there is to do. It will be very difficult to leave and think that we have done all we would like to. On Friday, we walked a section of the Queen Charlotte track, a long distance route which covers part of the Marloborough Sounds. We took a water taxi to Ship Cove, where Captain Cook first landed. The cove looks just as it did when he would have seen it, apart from a jetty, a memorial to Captain Cook and a few benches and a toilet. The views along the sound are amazing and we had perfect weather. A beer each while we waited for the return boat went down very well. Saturday morning & Picton was bustling with the annual Maritime Festival and passengers from a visiting cruise ship, we had a stroll round the town enjoying all the activity before starting our wine tour of the Marlborough vineyards - five tastings & a lunch thankfully to soak some of it up. One of the venues we visited was Cloudy Bay; the view of the mountains are exactly those which appear on the wine label. Spectacular! In the evening we enjoyed an open air concert by a NZ group in the sunshine. A wonderful start to our NZ trip.

Thursday 21st January 2009

2009-01-22T06:00:00.002Z

Now in New Zealand with our body clocks still striving to catch up as we have gained another 5 hours since leaving Singapore. Arrived in windy Wellington the capital yesterday afternoon and collected our hire car which we will have until we leave NZ in March. Booked into to the city YH which is really 5 star in every way. Then we enjoyed a 'western' food meal in a local restaurant last night and that oh so wonderful first bottle of NZ Sauvignon Blanc - we have been so looking forward to! Today the morning was spent buying a few requisites for our stay here before taking the inter-island ferry in the afternoon to Picton in the South Island. The weather here is hot and sunny and the coastline looked spectacular as we came through the .Marlborough Sounds. Tonight in a great back packer hostel getting back to our spanish style one-pot meals, no chorizo though !!

Tuesday 20th January 2009

2009-01-20T09:04:00.003Z

After spending a very hot day visiting the sites of Georgetown it was time for an earlynight on Saturday as we were off to get the first ferry of the day back to the mainland at 5.45am. Followed by a 7 hour train journey to Kuala Lumpar. Only had about 7 hours there but we liked what we saw. Tried to go up the Petronas Towers (which was until recently the tallest building in the world) however they only allow 1100 per day and we were too late. Awesome sight though even from the outside. Also visited the old colonial area and walked over the cricket pitch in the the centre while the ex-pats looked on downing their G & T's. Then it was the overnight train to Singapore which was quite comfortable and we caught up on some sleep. Spent Monday and today Tuesday seeing as much as possible of Singapore. Very modern,clean and efficient city - we both loved it although it is very expensive. Retail therapy reaches new levels here! Had two splurges - cocktails in Raffles Hotel - Singapore Slings, well you just have to - don't you and a meal in a restaurant overlooking the Singapore River. Today we went on the cable car up Mt.Faber for a view of the city, followed by a mooch around Chinatown which was pre-Chinese New Year festivities and DimSum in the market and now here at Changi Airport about to leave SE Asia after 61 days and move on to New Zealand. We arrive in Wellington tomorrow afternoon.

Well, here are some stats and highlights of our grand tour of SE Asia. We visited six countries (Thailand twice), slept in 37 different beds. Travelwise we took 10 train journeys, 13 bus journeys, 3 boats and two internal flights in the region. We liked best (in no especial order) Angkor, HaLong Bay, Phu Kradung, the Nan trek, Singapore and Hoi An. In the interest of scientific research we tried 9 different brands of beer (extensively); 3 Thai, 1 Cambodian, 1 Lao, 4 Vietnamese. After a great deal of retasting we voted the winner - Hanoi Beer! We look forward to researching wine in a similar manner in NZ and Oz.

Saturday 17th January 2009

2009-01-17T01:22:00.002Z

In Penang in Malaysia for a recovery day between train journeys. We started our journey south three days ago with a bus journey from Nan to Den Chai in N.Thailand to catch the overnight train to Bangkok. Den Chai is literally a rail station and not much else. The bus kept going until the railway got in the way & stopped - it felt like the end of the world. And it was. Arriving at 7pm the town had gone to bed & we had to resort to raiding the local 7/11 store for crisps, cake & soft drinks to fortify us. Thai trains are efficient & great fun. We had air-con bunks, which the staff made up for us when we were ready to go to bed & woke us with coffee at 5am the following morning - very civilised. We had a wait of a few hours at Bangkok to pick up our overnight train into Malaysia (23 hour journey!!) and passed the time watching a film crew record some shots which seemed to involve a girl, a lot of Buddhist monks and a bunch of incompetant crooks. And our first cappuchino for ages! Another interesting train journey. Fab sunset over the paddy fields as we moved south & a wonderfully camp steward who served food and drinks. Across the Malaysia border which involved filing off the train, though a door, past Thai exit control, across to the other side of the same room, through Malay customs, then back through the same door onto the train! Penang was a bit of a shock, heatwise, after the cool of N. Thailand! We caught the ferry across to Georgetown & are staying in a rather nice colonial lodge & ate laska (a sort of soup) & drank beer in the street market last night. Today a (slow) stroll around the sights befire a 5am taxi back to the railway for the next hop of our journey to Kuala Lumpur.

Wednesday 14th January 2009

2009-01-14T02:58:00.002Z

Back from our trek which we really enjoyed. We spent three days & two nights in the jungle within a few kms of the Laos border. After a drive from Nan through teak and Bamboo forest, we had a steep uphill trek to our overnight stay. A 'homestay' in a Hmong (Thai hill-tribe) village. We stayed with a local family, in a purpose built hut next to their house & were made very welcome. The father was the local knife maker and had an old fashioned forge, with hand bellows, although the effect was rather spoilt by the electric grinder! We ate our evening meal with the family & even managed to get some sleep between the rooster calls and dog barks. Tigers are to be found in this area and the village lost a few cows to them recently. We didn't see any though - only poo. A good hard trek on day 2, with 18 river crossings. We camped (in a bamboo hut) in night two in the national park, miles from anywhere. The guide cooked for us & lit a fire & we sat looking at the stars with the only sounds the sounds of the forest. Bliss. Back to Nan yesterday, we had a mini-splurge last evening & ate at one of the riverside restaurants. Nan has a boat festival every year - Henley regatta thai-style - and the river side is very pleasant. We sat there watching the crews practise; it could have been Henley, except with a meal for two (crab, river fish, beer & lots more...) coming in under six pounds each, this was definitely not Henley prices.

Saturday 10th January 2009

2009-01-10T07:12:00.002Z

In the pleasant provincial town of Nan, from where we start a thre day jungle trek tomorrow. It's a lovely town to stroll around with a fascinating museum and a couple of Wats which are interesting enough for our templed out senses! One of them has the biggest Nagas we've ever seen...We appear to be a bit of a tourist attraction ourselves, in a town where westerners are a bit thin on the ground. Policemen smile at us, old men shake our hands, schoolgirls stop us to take our photo and practise their English and even the guards at the local prison waved and shouted hello! Talking of schools, our journey back on the songtheaw from old Sukhothai, two days ago, coincided with the finish of the school day. We had 35+ people on a vehicle designed for 12..hanging off the back in droves. Mum; it reminded me of the Helsby High buses! When our stop came, we had to climb off the side to get off. Our final morning in Sukhothai had a rude awakening at 4.30am, with a loud speaker announcing the start of wedding ceremonies. Apparently the 8th Jan is an auspicious date for a marriage. After an overnight stop at the unremarkable town of Phrae (although we had a fab view of the mountains from our hotel window) we had an enjoyable bus journey to Nan on the Thai equivalent of the local bus at home forty years ago. A real social occasion, with fab scenery as well. Wonderful! Justine; Nan even has a Tesco store! Off now to whet our machetes ready to hack through the jungle (only joking - I hope!!).

Wednesday 7th January 2009

2009-01-07T07:50:00.002Z

Flew from Louang Prabang on Sunday to Udon Thani in Thailand.Unfortuately the 2 and half hour delay meant we had to alter our plans for that night.The plane was a really cosy 56 seat propellor one but it was a good flight. We had a 4 hour bus trip then to Loei where we arrived as darkness fell but managed to find a Thai version of Travel Lodge to stay in and eventually a meal (we avoided KFC) as we couldn't find anywhere that had an english version of a menu.
Early next morning back on the bus to the Phu Kradung National Park. By now a very hot morning we trekked up to the summit at 1288m giving breathtaking views of the heat haze.We hired a tent so we could spend the night on the summit along with guitar wielding mekong whiskey drinking thai teenagers! A walk around the plateau in the afternoon was followed by a cool shower,hot meal and cool beer then early to bed as it was so cold.With an effort we got up at 6.15 the next morning and trekked back to the foot of the hill. We spent the rest of day travelling on four buses to Sukhothai the old capital of Thailand. Avoiding the pleading cries of the Tuk-Tuk drivers at the bus station, we followed the Rough Guides advice and followed a short-cut across the fields to a ducky little guest house. We are staying in a bamboo bungalow, with a lovely cold shower with a view (!) and with a fab restaurant - it's upstairs with a view over the fields. You sit there sipping cold beer whilst the smell of your food cooking wafts upstairs and the tom cat chases the local females over the roofs!! We took a songthaew(a local bus, which is basically a flatbed truck with benches down either side) to the old city this morning to explore the ruins (and not so ruined) of the 13th century city. We hired a bike each to cover the area - a bit of a challenge with the thighs still feeling the last couple of days!

Saturday 3rd January 2009

2009-01-03T05:53:00.002Z

Happy New Year everyone! We had a suitably chilly New Year in Phonsavanh in NE Laos. Ponsavanh is the closest to a Wild East frontier town you can find. One long main street, in the middle of an undulating brown plain, studded with crater pockmarks from the intensive bombing the region endured during the Vietnam War, when the US Air Force used to off-load surplus ordnance to save fuel on the way back to their Thailand Bases. You have to be careful where you tread round here, the area still has countless unexploded bombs. This was brought home to us when, on visiting the Plain of Jars sites we had to keep strictly to marked paths so has not to risk being blown up. A fab, scenic journey through the mountains to get here, through small villages clinging to the hill side and Poinsettas growing like weeds along the sides of the roads. The residents of the regions decorate their house fronts and gardens with old artillery-we saw shell cases used as fence posts. Despite its end of the world feel, Phonsavanh was a pleasant enough place to stay; we found a good restaurant (with a door to keep out the cold!) and ate there both nights. The Plain of Jars sites were incredible, as old and mysterious as Stonehenge or Avebury. Hundreds of stone jars, stood in groups, of various sizes, some of granite, some sandstone. No one knows why they were put here (they were hewn in a quarry in the mountains, about 10m away and brought to their present site) and the jars certainly aren't telling!

We returned, in the rain, to Louang Phabang yesterday. Today is a mooch around town day. We amused ourselves by looking at the tours on offer that we hadn't gone for. Basically, if it involves an elephant, it's available! You can look at them, ride them, bath them. We liked the tour entitled 'Elephant Kayaking'. Now that would be worth seeing!! Off to Thailand tomorrow.

Tuesday 30th December 2008

2008-12-30T08:44:00.002Z

In Louang Phabang in Laos; enjoying the colonial ambience of the city and just about recovered from the marathon bus journey to get here. 11 hours, over fabulous, scenic mountain roads on a bus with a defective silencer at the very least. I'm sure it finished the journey with less bits than it started; and this was a 'king of buses'. Hate to think what it would have been like on the public bus. Justine, you'll like this; on the bus was an elderly Buddhist monk, with all his possessions contained in a Tesco bag! Your money doesn't buy you much in Louang Phabang. A $25 dollar room is more like a cupboard than the roomy facilities we had in Vietnam. Still, we are the only wildlife in the bed and there is a hot shower. We have upped our Buddha count a bit; including a visit to a fantastic Wat (temple), the oldest in Laos with lurid murals showing sinners being boiled in oil and the like. There is an interesting night market, with wonderfully coloured textiles and, as the sun set, we succombed to the colonial atmosphere and sank into our comfy chairs with a cocktail. We went on a boat trip on the Mekong this morning, with wonderful views on a bright sunny day. The end trip was to visit some caves with ex-buddhas in them (ie no longer wanted!) which rather underwhelmed us. We have had an interesting time planning the rest of our stay in Laos. Accommodation in LP is scarcer than in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve over New Year; so we are taking a tour to the North East of the country to visit the Plain of Jars (a load of old pots but Paul says they are a must-see!), which was another thing the Americans tried very hard to obliterate, and return here on the night of the 2nd. We've wimped out of another bus trip and will now fly to Thailand on the 4th Jan.

Saturday 27th December 2008

2008-12-27T08:23:00.003Z

Arrived in Vientiane, the capital city of Laos yesterday morning. What a culture shock! The most laid back capital city you could imagine; with roads that are almost empty after Saigon and Hanoi. Trouble is, there is not a lot here to fill two days. We spent most of yesterday trying to sort out the logistics of our next steps in Laos and ate in the mini-europe centre square of Vientiane last night - so called because it's awash with Europeans. The French influence is apparent; baguettes and French restaurants abound and this must be the steak capital of South East Asia. There is even a Tex-Mex place! The architecture is faded colonial; they even have a poor mans Champs-Elysee running from the Presidential Palace to their own version of the Arc de Triomphe; a concrete montrosity, with hawkers on every landing but you at least get a decent view of the city from the top. We visited the arts and antiquities museum which consisted of a few old Buddhas and a rather tatty pot from the Plain of Jars. This was where the Emerald Bangkok Buddha (remember - jade not emerald but the name stuck) resided until the light-fingered Thais nicked it in the 18th century. Not quite having had our fill of Buddhas for the day, we visited the oldest Wat in Laos and admired the 10,000 plus on display. Lao Buddhas seem to have very prominent nipples for some reason. We took a stroll down to the Mekong river but it was out - we could virtually have walked to Thailand on the opposite bank. And that's it; we've done Vientiane! Tomorrow, we catch a bus to Louang Phabang and will spend a few days there while we get our heads around travelling to the Plain of Jars later on.

Christmas Day 2008

2008-12-25T12:09:00.002Z

Woke up feeling rather a long way from home but a brisk walk around West Lake in the north of Hanoi in bright breezy sunshine woke us up and we spent an enjoyable four hours in Finnigans Irish Bar eating a three course Xmas dinner with lots of lubrication in the company of several Brits, Irish, Malaysian, two Americans and a German!

A final beer has just rounded off the day, sat at a lakeside bar. Up early tomorrow to get to the airport. The Vietnam part of our travels is over and Laos - here we come!!

PS If you have texted us thank you but we can't reply I'm afraid as for some reason Viet air-time is barring all text transmissions from Pauls phone. Hopefully the Laos service will be more co-operative.

Wednesday 24th December 2008

2008-12-24T08:05:00.002Z

Another early morning arrival via Vietnam railways saw us in Lau Cai just 3km from the chinese border on Sunday, followed by a transfer to the formaer French hill station of Sapa. The hotel allocated for the trip had very good views from the balcony of the surrounding 3000m peaks at least when they chose to emerge from the clouds. Sapa is in an ethnic minority area with tribes people in very colourful dress everywhere unfortuately their one aim in life appears to be trying to get tourists to buy their wares and not leaving you alone until either you do or you get rude enough towards them so they get your drift. We did a short trek after lunch to Cat Cat waterfalls a nice spot although blighted somewhat by a lot of disposed plastic bottles in the water. Evening was spent drinking in the Red Dragon pub with some very agreeable aussies. The next day there was a longer trek of about 15k taking 5 hours through various ethnic villages and getting a chance to see how they cultivate fields and generally a glimpse of their lifestyle. It was nice to get out walking and work off some of the excellent food and drink we have had in Vietnam. The evening turned very wet and the cloud descended over the hotel so we turned in early. Incidently the temperature drops to freezing in Sapa so we had electric blankets and and a roaring fire in our room - very cosy. The final day was a bit of a washout with the continuing low cloud and rain making chilling out and comfort food from a french style patisserie the order of the day. Back again to Hanoi on the overnight train to arrive in the wee small hours of this morning. Before settling into the same hotel as before we visited Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum did not know really what to expect but he looked very stately and well preserved after nearly 40 years (although he goes off for 'maintenance' every year! The mind boggles). Off now to enjoy a Christmas Eve on the town, will miss the Carol service at Charlbury tonight, it feels a little strange not being at home with the family and friends, but we will be thinking of you all especially tomorrow.

Saturday 20th December 2008

2008-12-20T10:08:00.002Z

Just returned from an overnight trip on the high seas! We spent last night on a traditional style wooden Junk sailing around Ha Long Bay on the Gulf of Tonkin off the North East coast of Vietnam. We boarded the boat at lunch time Friday to a rather large lunch, inspected our rooms and spent the afternoon sitting on the sunny deck, beer in hand watching the spectacular Karst rock formations, for which the bay is renowned (they are a bit like iceberg but made of limestone rather than ice). We visited one of the many caves in the area with some rather suggestive stalactite formations then watched the sun go down over the bay. We were so inspired we even got up for the sunrise, which wasn't as memorable but we managed to clock up three floating hawker boats before breakfast. We decided against the kayaking around the bay in favour of an ascent of one of the karst island peaks which gave us a fantastic view of the area. We are now back in Hanoi for three hours before catching an overnight train to Sa Pa up in the highlands near the Chinese border. Some people on the boat had just returned and warned us it was rather cold. Probably not as cold as home but if we witness sub-zero temperatures we'll be sure to let you know!!

Thursday 18th December 2008

2008-12-18T09:53:00.002Z

Now here in the vietnam capital Hanoi after a sleepless night on the train from Hue. Yesterday was a day to recover with a quiet stroll before we launched ourself into another city. Just a walk around a beautiful lake right in the city centre and a stroll through the atmospheric Old Quarter. In the evening we got tickets for a performance of the Water Puppets a uniquely vietnamese entertainment. All performed on stage but in a giant water tank with the puppeteers behind a screen controlling the figures by wooden mechanics under the water. It was magical meant perhaps originally more for children but the entirely adult audience 'lapped it up' if excuse the pun. The music with it was also unique featuring some very different instruments with amazing sounds.

Today we have done a lot of walking to visit a few sites on the edge of the central area-the Temple of Literature was a haven from the noise and bustle of the city founded in the 11th century by Confucian scholars which predates Oxford university by a few centuries.

Off tomorrow to Ha Long Bay and the highlands of Sapa until Christmas Eve.

Tuesday 16th December 2008

2008-12-16T01:44:00.003Z

Arrived in Hue on Sunday afternoon after a 2 hour train journey up the coast; very scenic with mountains hugging the coast and the railway track somehow squeezing in between the two. The mist and drizzle though was a portent of what was to come during our stay in Hue. It's been like that for the entire two days- the first time we've had to use our rainjackets and brolly in anger. Hue, well it's not Hoi An. It's a very functional city. The main tourist sights are located around the Citadel area North of the river and there is very little else. The touts and scammers are also out in force here; they are far more evident than anywhere else we have been. We try to avoid using transport where possible. However, we were forced to take a boat trip down the Perfume by name if not by nature river yesterday, more to get some relief from the rain than anything else. The tourist boats are named Dragon Boats - they look a little like our narrowboats but with a dragon head and tail. They are very noisy!! We visited a couple of Pagodas and a tomb of Tu Duc, who was ruler of Vietnam (albeit as a puppet of the Franch colonial masters) in the late 19th century. In the afternoon we wandered around the citadel area. The only area that you pay to get into is the Purple City in the centre; which we will visit this morning. We've drank and ate each night at the DMZ bar near our hotel - televised football and loud music but ok. It was so miserable last night we spent the rest of the evening in the room, watching a dreadful film involving ice hockey, bombs, penguins and Jean-Claude Van Damme and drinking the beer from the mini-bar! Off to Hanoi this afternoon on the final leg of the Reunification Express; we arrive at the ungodly hour of 4.30am!

Sunday 14th December 2008

2008-12-14T03:24:00.002Z

Last morning in Hoi An and we are having the first serious rain of the trip. Off this afternoon on the train again a short ride north to Hue. Did awalking tour of Hoi An on Friday taking in the old houses,community halls (no not like at home!),temples and museums all in very easy walking area. Treated ourselves to an upmarket lunch with multi calorie cakes - yummy but did they go straight to our hips. Hoi An has a few islands easily reached from the town by bridges so we walked off some of the stodge by seeing some areas away from the tourist routes. Exciting encounter with a vicious snarling blood thirsty dog - or at least that was what Kate thought it was. After escaping from its clutches it was yet another excellent evening meal this time with the added pleasure as it was the full moon of the town being lit by lanterns and all traffic stopped. The river here is tidal and it almost joined us in the restaurant by the time we had finished eating. Saturday saw us up at 4.30am for a dawn visit to My Son to see the ancient temples of the Champa people who were in this part of Vietnam from the 9th to 14th centuries and are still a minority tribe. Very atmospheric with the early morning mist clinging to the jungle. The ruins were made even more ruinous by the Americans dropping bombs on them in the 1960s. Apart from our small group, we had the place to ourselves and were just leaving before the first coachloads of tourists arrived (which is what we are I suppose!!).

Friday 12th December 2008

2008-12-12T02:09:00.002Z

Hoi An is fab!! It is just as you would expect a South East Asian City to be. Ancient buildings, markets stocked to the gills with not just fish (sorry!) but fruit, veg and everything imaginable. As night falls the streets are alight with hundred of Chinese lanterns. It is also the shopping capital of Vietnam; tailors are cheek by jowl and could knock up a whole new wardrobe in a matter of days for you (and shoes; made to any design as well). You could have a serious excess baggage problem here - and they sell bags as well! I would be seriously tempted but I don't think a little silk dress would look very good after 6 months in a rucksack. We have also found a great bar to have a pre-prandial beer. They play ace music (Paul sits there singing along to Neil Young) and a painting on the wall of Bono as superman. We ate really well last night, what was basically a five-course tasting menu of local specialities plus drinks all for eight quid. Our hotel is very smart, with a bed so big it took me half an hour to find Paul and a bathtub the size of a small lake - all for twenty pounds a night including breakfast. We are two very content little bunnies. Today we will be doing the classic walking tour of the town and chilling out...

Oh and finally; we really enjoyed the train ride from HCMC. We had comfortable air-con bunks and even mum would have approved of the loos. We laughed though; at six am we were lying there watching the scenery go past when the wake-up music started; a sort of tinkly eastern version of 'I can't get used to losing you' by Andy Williams! The most incongruous sound you could imagine!

Wednesday 10th December 2008

2008-12-10T07:35:00.003Z

Now at the end of our third day in Ho Chi Minh City and we have been very busy here. Most of the main places to see are in easy walking distance of the hotel so that is what we did. Amazing place to cross a road there are 10 million people here and 8 million have motor bikes and they all seem to be on the road together. It's a case of pray to your god step out into the road and keep going and hope they all miss you. So far so good then!

The first visit was the Reunification Palace where the N.Vietnamese army famously broke down the gates and completed the capture of Saigon in 1975. It has been left more or less as it was then a sort of 60s art deco type residence of a James Bond baddie! complete with helicopter on the roof. Then the nearby War Remnants Museum which was mainly about photos of the war and some truly stark ones as well taken from both sides some by photographers who got killed taking them. There was a rather fetching guillotine last used in the 50s by the French who used to transport it to the unlucky people rather than the other way around. Also visited the Jade Emporer Pagoda which was a in need of a bit of a spruce up obviously donations are down recently and the Botanical/Zoological Gardens a bit distressing to see the poor state of the animals.

Yesterday we took a day tour to the Cao Dei Great Temple an amazing sort of quasi-Disneyland candy coloured creation for a type of composite religious order that only exists in Vietnam. Then in the afternoon to the Cu-Chi tunnels where the VietCong fought the US from in the war. Amazing feats of ingenuity and we had the chance to crawl through one of them that had been enlarged for westerners but was still very tight and difficult to imagine living down there for weeks.

A bit more easy going sight seeing todayincluding all the amazing fruit and vegetables in the markets the one around the corner from the hotel had fresh fish of every description. Finally a mention of all the Xmas decorations around here plastic santas et al all very strange in 30C + heat and in a buddist country.

We now leave here later on the Reunification Express overnight train for Hoi An about 1000 Km north.

Sunday 7th December 2008

2008-12-07T11:25:00.002Z

Crossed the border into Vietnam this afternoon which was less of a hassle than we had feared; unlike the border crossing into Cambodia which was an East African-esque dustbowl and absolute chaos this was relatively efficient if a little more bureaucratic. We had booked a direct coach through this time which eased the passing considerably as we weren't looking for transport once unleashed on Vietnam. The driver was something of a maniac and we spent part of the journey with our eyes shut! Ho Chi Minh City, on first impressions, is busy and noisy but a little less chaotic than Phnom Penh - and you are not constantly hassled by tuk-tuk drivers, hawkers and beggars. Mum; you'll love this! The coach stopped for lunch at a restaurant just before the Cambodian side of the border; we'd just eaten a plate of food when a rat ran across the floor (big and black and hairy!!). Somehow the food we'd just eaten no longer seemed as tasty. The hotel is quite an interesting place; the room rate includes breakfast, free tea coffee water and juice all day and soup and noodles in the evening if you want it. We even get a hot shower. All for $25 a day.

Friday 5th December 2008

2008-12-05T09:35:00.002Z

Sorry to make you all sick but when you were getting out of bed this morning to a cold and dark winters day, we were floating gently in warm, clear sea just off a sandy beach before a gentle hike through the jungle for a Barbecue fish lunch. Welcome to Costa del Cambodia, although infinitely more tasteful; no bling here...We had a 4 hour bus ride to get here, to Sihanoukville on the South Cambodian coast in the usual ínteresting' Cambodian way. We are staying in a thatched bungalow less than 100m from the beach, which is lined with beach bars all of which offer free sun loungers provided you are prepared to eat and drink there (and with a plate of barbecued seafood at $3 and beer at 50cents who are we to turn that down). There is the usual menace of hawkers and beggars so we took the opportunity this morning to take a tour to Ream National Park; this is a water park set among the mangroves and the islands off the Cambodian coast. As you will see from the opening comments it wasn't exactly stressful. We were lucky enough to see Dolphins and sea eagles, although neither got close enough for a photo. Totally rejunvenated, we are ready to head back to the chaos that is Phnom Penh tomorrow; an evening there to collect our Vietnam visas and we head to Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday by direct bus. Hopefully, not too much of a body search at the border!

Tuesday 2nd December 2008

2008-12-02T10:36:00.003Z

How to describe this mornings traffic? Imagine the M25 on a Friday afternoon add in the Paris Periphique and the Botley Road in Oxford at 7.30am and you are about half way there! In the middle of this chaos we were sat in a Tuk-Tuk on the way to the Killing Fields. You could almost eat the fumes and dust - it's probably the equivalent to 5years of 40 a day. The Killing Fields were incredibly simple, poignant and humbling. There is a memorial in the centre of the site containing the excavated skulls of those murdered there, rows and rows of them, with a pile of the clothing recovered from the graves. Apart from that, the site is left as it was after it was excavated with the pits in the ground still open, with grass and foilage now growing in them. It was reminiscent of the WWI trenches; such a quiet earth hiding such horror. 20,000 people were excuted and buried there; men women and children.

Unfortunately, you still have to run the gauntlet of maimed beggars even at this place. They, however sad their circumstances, become irritating after a while and you begin to ignore them as their own great and not so good do.

In the afternoon, we visited the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda containg an Emerald Buddha (really emeral this time, we think). Incredibly beautiful and opulent. We were amused by a statue of King Norodom seated on a horse, a gift from France in the 1880s. Apparently, they had a statue of Napoleon left over so they just replaced the original head with that of the kings! The body does look a bit Corsican to think of it. Just about sums up Phnom Penh - a mix of grandeur and wealth, neglected and faded colonial elegance (the French influence is everywhere) and third world poverty and filth. Why does Urban povery always appear more offensive than rural poverty? Dad; some of the workshops scattered around the city reminded me of one of Les Cramptons industrial estates! Tomorrow we go to the seaside!

Monday 1st December 2008

2008-12-01T09:56:00.002Z

Just finishing our first full day in Phnom Pehn we have had a harrowing visit to S21 the torture camp in the city where the Khymer Rouge murdered 20,000 people in the 70's. A reminder that this country has had to come a long way to recover from this terror in the last 30 years.

We got here yesterday afternoon after a long bus trip from Battambang to find our hotel room was not available for the first of 3 nights. We had a difficult half hour before we resolved the situation and accepted the alternative still all is well today.

We woke up to the sound of a wedding party at 6am in Battambang a bit annoying but interesting to see almost below our window. The hotel owner gave us 2 khymer scarves as a consolation for disturbance. The trip was good with interesting countryside and punctuated by 3 stops one of which involved the driver getting his meal as no doubt a thank you for bringing a bus load of passengers.

We took a walk last night to the centre of activity here Sisowath Quay on the river bank where the Mekong flows past the city. It was a pleasant place to be on the evening. Our other main vist here so far was to the National Museum where a lot of the delicate artifacts from Angkor have ended up.

As a Vietnam 30 day visa takes 3 days to process we have had to rejig our schedule and now leave here on 3rd and go to Sihanoukville on the Gulf of Thailand for 3 days near to the beach to relax!! before coming back to PP on 6th and going to Ho Chi Minh City on 7th.

Saturday 29th November 2008

2008-11-29T10:51:00.002Z

An early start to catch a bus to catch a boat; however the worms were definitely absent - we spent 90 mins driving round Siem Reap and to compound matters the bus ran out of diesel at one point! It was refilled in the usual Cambodian way - a pop bottle and funnel. They held the boat; an old fashioned steamer without the steam and filled to gills with tourists. Seven hours to Battambang; including the drivers lunch stop and getting grounded twice at least. It won't be many years before the river is completely impassable. Very scenic though, with lots of river dwellings and traditional boats and people to set the cameras going. Battambang is a world away from Siem Reap - a real backwater despite being Cambodias second town. An Amok and beer at the wonderfully named street cafe Smokin'Pot restored our equilibrium. A bit of a disappointment; the train to Phnom Penh is no more so a more conventional way of travelling to the capital tomorrow - a bus.

Friday 28th November 2008

2008-11-28T12:02:00.002Z

Our final night in Siem Reap after 3 long days of temple exploring. We are just about all templed out but have had a great time. Our first morning saw us get up at half past four to see the dawn at Angkor Wat; along with several hundred other people. It was incredibly atmospheric with the light breaking in the sky, the sounds of the jungle all around, the flash of a thousand cameras and the Japanese obstructing the view whilst they took photos of eachother. The best bit about the morning was when the coach tours departed back to their hotels for breakfast and we had the place virtually to ourselves. We hired a tuk-tuk driver for the three days, a necessary option if you were to have any chance of covering all there was to see in the time available. Great fun nipping around the roads on this. We made our way around many of the key sites on the first day, running the gauntlet of the hawkers and food stalls at each site. I think that children are born knowing how to say 'postcards one dollar' here. Although we'd expected to be wowed by Angkor Thom (the most wellknown site after Angkor Wat) we found it rather a disappointment and much preferred the Ta Prohm site (featured in the film Tomb Raider). This was left much as it was found originally with the jungle bonding with the stone work. More sites followed during the next two days - we didn't manage to get a sunset though which was a bit of a shame. The highlights were definitely the smaller, more remote sites (no Japanese coach parties). You half expected Indiana Jones to come racing through the trees (pursued by a thousand camera clicking tourists!). Siem Reap is rather touristy but we like it. The food is fab and you can drink yourself into oblivion for about ten dollars. There is a Khmer curry called Amok which we've rather got addicted to. Up early tomorrow to catch a boat to Battambang.

Tuesday 25th November 2008

2008-11-25T11:30:00.002Z

A very early start to catch a 5.55am train from Bangkok to the Cambodian border it took nearly 6 hours and all for 48Baht which is less than a pound. An entertaining train journey which took about an hour just leaving Bangkok city all level crossings holdingg up the incredible traffic that the city has 24 hours a day. On then across a very flat landscape with a lot of rice fields and lots of dogs scratching themselves everywhere. The border crossing was very manic everybody trying to sell you something in the heat and the dust and all the vehicle transfers between the Thai train and the shared taxi on to Siem Reap. The Cambodians are obviously trying to improve their roads but they have no driving rules at all, anything goes and this on a dust track with pot holes that would defeat utterly most family cars.

Here tonight in the tourist capital of the country Siem Reap for our 3 day visit to Angkor Wat starting at sunrise tomorrow. Hired a moto driver to show us the sights. Never seen a town with so many motor bikes its a nightmare to know where to jump first to avoid them.

Monday 24th November 2008

2008-11-24T08:20:00.002Z

Yesterday was spent on the tourist trail in Bangkok, taking in the obligatory Grand Palace (including the Emerald Buddha), Wat Pho (a reclining buddha), a river trip and for good measure a marble temple with yet another buddha - sitting up this time. The temple containing the emerald buddha is the holiest site in Thailand. The buddha itself is green (of course! but made of Jade, not emerald. Apparently it took a few centuries for them to realise this and the name stuck), about 500cm high and totally dwarfed by the gold altar it is perched upon. That and the surrounding site are equisitely decorative. The reclining buddha is HUGE (45m long), made of gold on plaster and had enormous feet, enlaid with mother of pearl. Bet it takes some pumice stone to manicure them. We enjoyed the Marble temple; having the opportunity to listen to some monks chanting and peaceful stroll in the gardens afterwards. We hired a longtail boat for an hour-long river tour; with views of the city and some very voracious fish; although given the look of the water I'm surprised anything lived in there. It certainly made me think twice about ordering river-fish when we ate. We are still acclimatising to the heat (31C) and after five hours were glad to escape back to our air-con room. Watched the premier league football. In the evening had a beer and a plate of food in the street market; a five minute stroll from the hotel. Apparently there were demonstrations last night in the vicinity of the hotel; some guests were complaining about being kept awake. We were undisturbed though and assume that any protestors had been swept up by the street cleaners as there was little evidence of anything this morning. Today was a sorting out day; namely the details of our onward travel to Cambodia and beyond. We have a very early start tomorrow. Angkor Wat here we come....

23rd November 2008

2008-11-23T02:17:00.002Z

Well here we are in Bangkok; just about recovered from the flight. We'd forgotten just what an endurance event a long flight was. Although, to be fair, the Qantas experience was ok apart from the anaemic sausages.

Hotel is fine and we are off today to explore the city.

Friday 21st November 2008

2008-11-21T14:21:00.002Z

Well we are ready to go! It's hard to believe that after the events of the last week or so that we are leaving as planned. For those who don't know, our landlord was declared bankrupt and we were advised last week that the mortgage lender would seek to repossess the flat - meaning we'd have to go somewhat earlier than we intended! What to do - delay the trip and try to sort something out or go and risk having no flat to come back to. Into the breach steps Stuart - thank you - who has bravely committed to move our stuff out if necessary so we don't have to come back early (do you realise just how much we have???). Thanks also to David and Nicola who will be flat and RAV4 minding whilst we are away.We have had a frantic few days, making the final arrangements for the trip and packing, not just for that but for the flat move, when it happens. So here we are battered but unbowed and ready for our great adventure.We had a lovely few final days, Kate's mum and dad visited for three days and we had an early Christmas dinner. A small lake of sauvignon blanc was duly quaffed. Bradley and Damion were two on Tuesday and we had a fantastic day with them, Kate and mum playing pass-the-parcel for all we were worth during the day and a grown-ups party for everyone else in the evening. Two lovely parties and two very lucky little boys. This time tomorrow we will be in Bangkok and hopefully a little warmer! Watch out for the first of our exciting adventures.

Wednesday 12th November 2008

2008-11-12T09:18:00.002Z

The next part of world travel is now set - we leave Witney on Friday 21st November to travel to Bangkok in Thailand. We spend a few days there and then move on to Cambodia then Vietnam where we spend Christmas. Between then and New Year we move on to Laos then after that back to Bangkok for the train journey through Thailand and Malaysia to Singapore where we spend a few days before flying to Wellington in New Zealand on 20 January. We spend 9 weeks in that country before going on to Australia on 23rd March then we go via New South Wales, Tasmania,

Victoria,South Australia,Queensland,Ayres Rock to Western Australia and arrive back in the UK again on 31st May 2009.

Hopefully we will start to update the blog again in Bangkok.

Friday 26th September 2008

2008-10-03T13:17:00.003+01:00

Back home again; we spent two days travelling back through France and caught a ferry back from Caen (see photo-leaving the harbour). We have had a terrific 10 weeks, seen and done everything we wanted to in Spain. We have discovered new mountain areas, which have loads more potential to explore (Pyrenees, Sierra Nevada, the Gredos), been inspired by some stunning classical cities, eaten and drunk well and, even so, lost weight. Highlights were:

1. Mountain 'highs' - the Sierra Nevada Trek, the ridge scramble to the summit of Pic De L'estanyo in Andorra, the ascent of Castillo D'Acher from the Echo Valley, the Ibex in the Gredos.

2. Best cities - Seville (wow!), Toledo, Cordoba (the Mesquita and old town and the best tapas we had), A Coruna (for the harbour and beach area) and Santiago de Compostela.

3. The visit to the Bodega at Logrono, Pauls birthday meal in the French Pyrenees, the light 'at the end of the world' in Finisterra and the stay in Lanjaron.

Our original plans were cut short by the delays over the house sale and we sadly decided to junk the low countries and Denmark part way through our trip when we realised that a trip in the time available would be more of a driving endurance feat than a leisurely exploration. Now to plan for our next trip. We will be off to sunnier climes - SE Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China and Mongolia - some time in November and will be away for about 6 months. Look at the blog for our exciting further adventures!! We wouldn't be accountants without some numbers and analysis (well it gave us something to do in the evenings!!), so here goes:

We drove 6102 miles averaging 39 mpg.

We were away 67 nights, of which 15 were in hotels/apartments and 52 under canvas.

We stayed in 19 campsites (including the 2 wild camps). Excluding those 2 (which were heaven!), the best, by far, were Camping Vorapark (in Espot, STAN), Camping El Greco in Toledo and Borda Bisaltico in the Echo valley. We also liked our last campsite in the French Pyrenees, the campsite at Finisterra and the one in the Someido Natural Park. Interestingly, no dust bowls in the South featured and the best were by no means the most expensive....

Average daily spend was 63 EURO, including ferries, petrol, all accommodation, tolls, public transport, incidentals and food and alcohol.

Litres of wine drunk - oh come on, there are SOME things you just don't count!

Tuesday 23rd September 2008

2008-09-24T21:56:00.003+01:00

Our final mountain day before turning north and home. Unfortunately, the weather was dull and there was low cloud on all the tops. However, undaunted we set out to walk up the Holzorte Gorge. Another opportunity to expose ourselves! The gorge is crossed by a suspension bridge, which looks incredibly flimsy as you approach it but, apart from a few holes in the planks and a definite bounce as you cross it, it is more robust than you think. The drop is incredible, you can't see the bottom; there is just the noise of the cataract (swelled by the heavy rainfall in the mountains the previous night) below. Not much in the way of views, the cloud clung obstinately onto the tops; so we slid and splashed our way round, including a long descent that made our knees scream for mercy.

Monday 22nd September 2008

2008-09-24T21:44:00.003+01:00

Another beautiful day another walk from the Aspe valley. Parked at the little village of Etsaut. There is a wonderful disused railway up the valley that runs under the Pyrennees into Spain. It complements the twisting gorge perfectly with its tunnels and viaducts. Also there is the Fort du Portalet a grim concrete fortress hugging the valley side that was used to house political prisoners during and after the war. The main purpose of the walk however was to traverse the 'Way of the the Masts' this is a path literally blown out of the cliff face about halfway up its 300m height by dynamite in the late 18thC so the French Navy could get to the right tree trunks to build their ships, there must have been an easier way! The exposure was huge and you have to walk along it for over 20 mins before you can regain any sort of safe ground. The rest of the walk was ordinary by comparison, however it had the perfect finish with a couple of beers in the village bar before going back to camp.

Sunday 21st September 2008

2008-09-24T21:35:00.004+01:00

Happy birthday Paul; we toasted it with red wine and a beautifully boiled up pasta meal on the gas stove. A fantastic walk today. We drove up the Aspe valley to the Col de Somport, within a sneeze of the Spanish border and climbed up through forested slopes to the Lac D'Estany, crossing the border on the way. It must have been moving sheep day, we came across two flocks in transit, one along the road on the drive in. We were highly amused at a carload of Belgian tourists photographing them for all they were worth; they mustn't have sheep in Belgium...A cloudless blue sky meant the views were amazing. An interesting descent down from a col, using the ironwork in place from the hydro-electric station. OK provided you didn't look down.

Saturday 20th September 2008

2008-09-24T21:26:00.002+01:00

Started the day by driving up the highest driveable road in the Pyrennes the Col du Tormalet (2115m) and famous as a killer montain in over 50 Tour de France races over 80 years. Had an easy day walkwise and did an hour out and hour back visiting the visually spectacular Cirque de Gavarnie for those who know it is a very large outsized Malham Cove complete with a very high waterfall. We drove on via Lourdes, so difficult to drive with your hands clasped together and found an excellent campsite next to the rugby stadium in Oloron Ste Marie just south of Pau. A good base for the next three days of mountain walks we had planned. All sites closer than that had already closed for the winter.

Friday 19th September 2008

2008-09-24T21:03:00.002+01:00

Yesterday was our last day in Andorra and, with the weather forecast iffy, we decided we had to bite the bullet and hit the shopping hell of Andorra la Valle. Following in the wake of coach loads of English saga-louts, we experienced wall to wall jewellery, perfume, clothing (including coats made out of every dead animal you could name) and shops selling every electrical gadget you never knew you wanted. We were a bit of a failure at this sport, coming away with two plastic dinosaurs (YES, Bradley) and a spinning top man, with fishes in its stomach which spun round when you pressed down the head. At least they should leave French customs speechless. Half a day was definitely enough and we drove down the one valley we hadn't yet visited in the afternoon, taking photos through the drizzle.

Friday and onto France; the land of consistent road signs. We paid a flying visit to Carcasonne; a wonderful walled city which promised more than it actually delivered. The external view of the walls was fantastic but once you were inside, it was reminisent of Mont St. Michel without the sea. The narrow streets were lined with vendors of tourist tat and cafes and restaurants all offering Plat de Jours which were vastly more expensive than the wonderful lunch we had had in the town itself. We decided to head for the French pyrenees, rather than linger. This made a long driving day and we reached a tiny campsite as dusk was falling in the tiny hamlet of Gerde in the Haute-Pyrenees. Cute but a bit basic and it must be one of the few places in France which still has squat toilets - you remember those girls, the trick of trying to aim properly and get everything done before your thigh muscles give way? Hungry, we followed the campsite owners recommendation of the bar in village and this turned out to provide the best meal we have had in a long time. Instead of a rustic bar, we found a cosy restaurant with 6 or 7 tables and the food was first rate...only a couple of choices (duck was off) but who needs more when you get a meal of this quality. Washed down with a 'pichet' of the local wine, we voted this an early birthday meal for Paul. Proof that France can still do food better than anyone when she wants too. I can still taste those goats cheese parcels....

Wednesday 17th September 2008

2008-09-17T19:11:00.002+01:00

We drove to the ski resort custom built village of Soldeu for another walk. The weather is still staying kind to us in Andorra with perfect walking weather of sunshine and blue skies. We clambered up to a col passing a group of resting hunters on the way planning what little furry animal they were going to shoot next. We heard gunshots near us at one point and wondered if open season had been declared on british walkers. Again fine mountain views. Descending to a lake for lunch we encountered a coach party of german ramblers who had come up the tourist path, we wondered what he towels around the lake were! Beer and chips completed a fine day.

Tuesday 16th September 2008

2008-09-17T18:13:00.002+01:00

We left Spain yesterday and travelled the 60 miles into Andorra - a country that has sold its soul to commercialism. One long traffic jam as French & Spanish tourists buy the cheap petrol,alcohol,cigarettes,electrical goods etc,etc. After a few false trails we eventually found an apartment to rent for 4 nights to avoid the low night temperatures in the mountains. We stocked up in the local supermarket and settled down for a night with the TV (including on the Tuesday evening French TV coverage of Liverpool vs Marseille in the Champions League). The walk we did today was one of the best mountain days we have had for a long time - and all to ourselves, we barely saw a soul all day. The highlight was a fascinating ridge scramble to the summit of Pic De L'Estanyo (at 2915m, the 3rd highest in the Andorran Pyrenees). Sort of like Striding Edge with atitiude. The views were amazing, although we crossed only the odd patch of snow, the far peaks still had a covering. The lakes on the descent were vivid blue - I hope the photos do them justice.

Sunday 14th September 2008

2008-09-15T12:02:00.003+01:00

On to the mountains then this time back to the Central Pyrennes. We drove 200 miles from the coast to our surprise in ever increasing temperatures and arrived in the village of Espot in the Parque National dÁiguestortes y Estany de Sant Maurici - snappy eh! we will call it stan for short. The following day went to the lake in the title which was set in a beautiful valley surrounded by very photogenic mountains and started to walk up to the col at the end of the valley then something we had almost forgotten about happened it RAINED and did it rain. First wetting for the goretex on our trip. So abandoning the original walk we took a lower circuit and as we gotback to the lake the rain stopped and the sun shone. Never mind we thought tomorrow will be OK. Oh no that night the weather took a turn for the worse rain followed by a significant drop in temperature in the night down to well into single figures. The next day walk we completed but the cloud was so low we had very little to see on the tops. Also the peaks around us had snow. This pattern was repeated throughout our stay some sun, a bit of rain, snow ever getting to lower levels etc. However we managed 4 energetic walks in total in an incredibly scenic area that is totally unspoilt as private vehicles are not allowed the only road access by 4WD taxi run by park authority. Incidently the camp site we stayed at was excellent and will probably when the voting is in go straight to the top of our list. I even met another Paul Thomas only the second one I have ever met and to cap that on a site that only had about 25 pitches used there was a third Thomas but this time a French one. The campsite owners got a bit confused! Espot was a pleasant little village basically a ski resort but with good amenities and a wonderful situation. The area is apparently famous for its white water rafting it was tempting but in those temperatures far too cold.

This will be our last full day in Spain as we leave for Andorra tomorrow where we should be staying for about 3 days before we enter France again the country with decent road signage.

Apologise for no pictures on blog but cannot upload at present but look at flickr site on our return especially ones from STAN.

Tuesday 9th September 2008

2008-09-09T19:01:00.002+01:00

We packed up our tent on Monday morning in the canvas ghost city - all the Spanish weekenders having gone home the previous day. There was just us and a Belgian couple - we half expected Yul Brynner to come stalking.... We drove to Sitges, some 40km south of Barcelona and put our tent up in certainly more lively surroundings - loads of French campers who sat up chatting until 2am. Thank God for earplugs! We caught the bus into Barcelona this morning. Of all the cities we visited this was most like London - chaotic, noisy, crowded and requiring extensive use of the metro to get around. The bus went in via the airport and we have never seen so many taxis in one place in our lives. They are all yellow and black so looked like a large swarm of wasps waiting to land on unsuspecting passengers. We had a good mooch, went up to Montjuic, which was the site of the 1992 Olympics. The stadium still impresses and, fortunately, there was no sign of any England supporters left over from Saturdays match. We admired several Gaudi (the modernist artist associated with Barcelona) created buildings including the amazing cathedral, still under construction. Paul had the longest wait for a pizza ever.

We are all citied out now and head back to the Pyrennes tomorrow.

Saturday 6th September

2008-09-06T18:01:00.005+01:00

Yesterday we began the long journey back north. We drove 300 miles and camped some 50k north of Valencia, on the coast at a place called Moncofa. Today we took a day trip to Valencia using the frequent train service which runs along the coast. Valencia is looks almost like an English city as you leave the station, some of the buildings give you a feeling of Knightsbridge. We sampled a local drink Horchata (made from crushed tiger nuts - poor tiger) and the improbably named fartons; melt in the mouth buns which you dip in your horchata. We dutifully admired the cathedral and the virgins in the plaza, surrounding a reclining male rio Turia. Paul was sorry to miss out on the wonderfully named Luis Casanova staduim - home of Valencia FC (as he's seen virtually every other Spanish football ground!).

For lunch, what do you have in the home of paella; but paella. The beach area is the best place to get the authentic stuff, so it was a hop onto the metro to take our pick from the long line of beachside restaurants offering the stuff. With our trip through the Almeria desert in mind, it was appropriate that the maitre-d of the place we ate at looked remarkably like a mexican film extra.

We itend to chill out (perhaps even on the beach!) tomorrow before heading for the environs of Barcelona.

Thursday 4th September 2008

2008-09-06T17:49:00.003+01:00

We left Granada mid morning to go into Almeria region and a change of scenery as we drove through the desert. In the 60s the spaghetti westerns were made near the town of Tabernas and the area has a number of studio theme parks using old western film sets. The landscape looks more like Arizona than Europe and scattered near the road were old abandoned sets of a one-horse town and and an Red Indian village. Almost surreal! The heat was almost unbearable as we drove first up the coast to Cabo de Gata where there are some fine sea cliffs and a view of the Algerian coast. After dismissing a few possible campsites we settled in Mojucar. This was probably one of our worst sites of the trip, heat,smell,flies it had the lot. However we did manage to have a late night paddle and our first beach bar beer of the trip. The whole area is totally spoiled at least in our eyes by massive polythene and net constructions used to produce fruit out of season for northern europe, it was awful to see miles of these constructions.The picture is Kate at the Pass of the Wolves in the Sierra Nevada.

Wednesday 3rd September 2008

2008-09-04T17:23:00.003+01:00

An early morning bus took us the 200 km to Cordoba so we could fit this very fine city into our travels. The main reason was to visit the Mesquita an architectually magnificent mosque with a catholic cathedral inside it. The moorish part was breathtaking the cathedral had too many icons for our taste. We had an excellent tapas meal in the old town where the entertainment was provided by a lad in a Liverpool shirt photographing every plate of food he received! We got back to Granada at 7.30 and after a quick meal went into the city to enjoy the nightlife another late night ensuing.

Tuesday 2nd September 2008

2008-09-04T17:19:00.003+01:00

Leaving Lanjaron early we headed to Granada and straight to the Alhambra. We managed to get tickets for that morning which was remarkable as we were told up to a 2 day wait was possible. It was good but not that good, some of the parts of the palace were breathtaking but overall it was not quite as brilliant as had been led to believe. Three hours there and with considerably lighter pockets we had a chill out afternoon back at yet another campsite on the edge of Granada.

Monday 1st September 2008

2008-09-04T16:52:00.003+01:00

Back in civilization this afternoon after 3 wonderful days trekking in the Sierra Nevada mountains in Andalusia, with 'Spanish Highs', a trekking company based in Lanjaron south of Granada. Lanjaron is a spa town really near to the farm where Chris Stewart who wrote 'Driving Over Lemons' lives. We met the two of them (Richard & Kirsten, our guides) later after we had an excellent meal in the strangely named Bar Health. We all perhaps drank a bit too much along with couple also on the trip and bed time after 1am was the result. The local habit of bringing a tapas with every drink 'free' meant we were full of energy for the following day - although a little hung over (some of us!). I couldn´t believe how much the packs weighed when we got them on our backs, the tent's put on weight since we last used it. We left at lunch time, Richard and Kirsten kindly allowing us to leave the car at their place. Fortunately, given the weight on our backs, a 4WD trip took us to 22oom and we trecked up to our overnight camp at the Laguna Hondera. The locals call the river that flows out of this lake the 'Dogs Arse River'. From above you can see why! An amazing palce to camp, with views of Alcazabar (the 3rd highest peak in the range) and, as darkness fell a sky full of stars. However, the dog had obviously been eating sprouts - during the night the wind got up, and up. Our tent survived but Richard and Kirstens certainly looked rather unwell. Due to the wind, the ascent of Acazabar was abandoned and we headed straight up to Mulhacen, the highest mainland mountain in Europe, west of the Alps. It was a bit blowy up there as well, which made viewing the sheer drop on the north face of the summit a bit hairy. Views were fab, we managed to see the African coast hazy in the distance. Down then to another Laguna for the next nights camp. This gave us some shelter from the wind and we spent the afternoon enjoying the sun and practising filtering water. As the sun went down, out came the cartons of wine (very civilised we are) and we climbed up a bit to catch the last of the sun while we drank it. An early start the next day - and we had ICE in the tent! Another good walk and the summit of Valeta (2nd highest) bagged. The building on top made Snowdon look pretty. Beer and chips on our descent to the ski resort and back in the evening for more calorie replenishment in the Bar Health. Thanks Richard and Kirsten for what was definitely one of the highlights of our trip.

Thursday 28th August 2008

2008-08-28T18:23:00.003+01:00

We are coming to the end of two hot, steamy days in sensational Seville. I can't come up with enough superlatives to do it justice. Despite the heat (39C this afternoon, 32C at 11pm last night) we have walked our feet off exploring the wide boulevards and plazas and getting ourselves lost in the winding little streets that unravel themselves around the main roads. We are staying in the Ibis hotel, a 10min bus ride from the centre of the city - and we certainly appreciate the air-conditioned rooms when we get back! The car has been tucked away in the car park, meaning we don't need to negotiate the 5-lane highway that is the Avenida de Kansas City every day.

Last night we strolled for several hours, soaking in the atmosphere - sadly you can't capture this on a camera. We had tapas and beer just off the Cathedral square in a former Moorish bath-house. Some rather unusual twists on the theme - not a patatas bravas in sight.

Today we did the tour of the Alcazar and cathedral and, of course, Paul had his hair cut (there IS a barber in Seville!). The Alcazar started life as a fort and over the last thousand years has been a palace for both Muslim and Christian rulers (we rather liked the sound of the one called Pedro el Cruel) and the building reflects all the stages of it's past. It was worth every cent of the entry charge. The gardens are also fab; not quite cows on Christ Church Meadow but still hard to believe you are in the middle of a city. The cathedral was less interesting - apart from Columbus' tomb; where you had to fight your way past the tour groups frantically getting their photo in - it was all rather dark and imposing and full of icons for my liking. We did climb the Giralda - the bell tower and former minaret (the cathedral was built on top of the former mosque and they kept and 'improved' some bits they liked). No steps but ramps ascending up 35 floors - they used to ride horses up there, when it was a watch tower. Great views of Seville from the top. More tapas for lunch; in a bar where the owner was obviously an old retainer of the Addams family. A bit of window shopping; if you want shoes this is the place to go, nearly every other shop is a shoe shop; then back to the hotel to cool off before another round of eating and drinking tonight.

We head off to the Sierra Nevada tomorrow. We are joining up with a guided three day treck, back packing and camping out on the mountains. A bit of a contrast; en-suite hotel room to wild camp and digging a poo-hole. Still, variety etc...Hopefully it'll be a bit cooler!

Wednesday 27th August 2008

2008-08-27T14:42:00.003+01:00

Just arrived in Seville, after two days in the heat of Extremadura, within spitting distance, if my mouth hadn't been so dry, of the Portuguese border. Apparently, the locals think Extramadura means extreme and endure - and it certainly is correct as far as the temperature is concerned. We left Toledo on Monday morning and drove west through olive grove country. We stopped in a town called Trujillo on the way to our campsite at Merida (the regions capital); not the most prepossessing of places. Even the one horse had left. Paul thought the Plaza Mayor was cute and stood there busy photographing the great bronze statue of Pizarro; the conqueror of the Incas. This was where he grew up before he went off to kill South American natives. So that's what growing up in such a hot, bleak region did for you. Incidentally, Extremadura is the birthplace of the Spanish Inquisition. I rest my case. Extremadura is also noted for it's hams. It must have a lot of pigs. They sell the stuff everywhere and very good it is too. Interestingly, I never actually saw a live pig. We lunched in Caceres and braved the heat of the afternoon to explore the old town. It was built in the fifteenth century and literally every stone must still be in the same place as it was then. It was incredibly atmospheric. If the people who lived there then came back, they'd still be able to find their way around. Onto our campsite, at Merida. Merida is full of roman remains and looking at the campsite, I suspect it is one of them. Erecting at tent in 36C heat certainly tests your sense of humour. However, we bought some bread, cheese and wine, had a shower and sat there eating these at 10pm with the sky full of stars above us.

We walked into Merida early the following morning. A 10euro ticket got us into the main attractions. The ampitheatre and theatre (both still used for open air productions - Timon of Athens in Spanish anyone?) were stunning. The Moorish Alcazabar was a bit of a disappointment, although we were amused, upon descending into the cistern, to find a goldfish swimming around. I wish they hadn't tried to reconstruct so many of the remains. I'd prefer to see them as they are, with a reconstruction drawing nearby. The Roman bridge spanned the river, it's still standing and is one of the longest still remaining. The roman street and buildings uncovered when the ground for the council buildings was being prepared. The excavations duly remain with the office block buildings standing on pilings above it. Fascinating. We had lunch in a cafe with a glass floor suspended over remains of the Roman City wall. The cafe was in John Lennon Street! A street, in Spain, namd after John Lennon. Imagine....

In 33C heat we safely negotiated the Seville Ring Road to arrive at our hotel. Two nights here, to see the sights.

Sunday 24th August 2008

2008-08-24T11:28:00.003+01:00

Arrived in Toledo on Saturday morning - first task was to get Pauls specs mended - a pin dropped out. An amazing city, I can´t come up with enough superlatives to describe it. The campsite is pretty good too; we are a 20min walk from the centre of the city and there is a terrific view of the city skyline from the terrace of the bar. We spent last night walking around the city, drinking and eating and enjoying the atmosphere. Today, we have played tourist. Some good photos (by Paul) but sadly, you´ll have to wait until we get home to see them- the official blog photographer allowed the battery to run out on her camera! The heat is indescribable, alright it is - bloody hot!

Off to Extramadura tomorrow, in the far west before descending on Seville.

Friday 22nd August 2008

2008-08-24T11:21:00.005+01:00

Moving on today to the Sierra de Gredos about 100 miles west of Madrid. A really fabulous little range of mountains. We were there three nights on a campsite with a nice location but very basic in a rural sense and oh was it cold at night. We have never had such cold extremities before even camping in the UK. The temperature range was from 30C in the day to 5C at night. Great walking and we bagged a good peak one of the highest Morezon. an added bonus was coming across a herd of wild ibex who let us get very close and allowed us to take a hopeful contender for wildlife photo of the year.We also had the opportunity to cool off in a river pool, the fish jumped out in fright.

Tuesday 19th August 2008

2008-08-24T11:12:00.004+01:00

A busy two days with whistle-stop visits to Segovia, Avila and Salamanca with overnight stays on a couple of campsites, which were certainly strong contenders for worst sites of the trip.

We drove to Segovia from A Coruna on Monday; over 320 miles and getting progressively warmer as we crossed vast plains. Segovia is dominated by it´s Roman Aqueduct and we had an interesting mooch around the old city streets. The start of the dustbowl campsites....

Tuesday, we drove to Avila and spent the morning exploring the old walled city. A bit hotter than a stroll round Chesters walls! We then continued to Salamanca; an elegant university city with a Plaza Mayor that is stunningsee picture). We had a glass of beer and drank in the atmosphere as well.

Campsite was a horror though....

Sunday 17th August 2008

2008-08-17T18:21:00.002+01:00

We rounded off our Galician visit with a day in A Coruna, of Deportivo A Coruna fame (the football team!).

The city is very industrial on the approach from the west and has the most terrifying road system! It took two coffees and a delicious tortilla before we stopped shaking sufficiently to appreciate the modern and scenic harbour and bay area. We walked up to the Torre de Hercules; the oldest lighthouse still functioning in the world. A payment of 2 euro got us a walk around the original foundations and a long ascent to the look-out platform (see picture); oh, and a welcome from old hercules himself.

The promenade along the bay, with yet another blue-flag beach and a view of the Deportiva stadium, which is right on the bay, worked up an appetite for lunch. Seafood (and eat it!) of course, after which we managed to navigate our way safely to the hotel.

Tomorrow we head south, initially Avila, Segovia and Salamanca.

More pictures on FLICKR site.