Welcome to the blog. Have set this up today to record our family trip to New Zealand and beyond in December.Hopefully the entries will get more exciting once we get under way....
Well, I know this blog has been set up to diary our family New Zealand trip, but as I am here in Poland with my dad, I thought I would make use of it. The trip started ominously when there was a fire alarm at 1am at the hotel in Hitchin, prior to flying out. There was only one other family at the hotel, and when we stumbled down to reception there were no staff to be seen ! We eventually went back to bed as we could see no flames licking up the side of the building. We got to the airport OK in the morning but once on our Wizzair plane, we had to wait for an hour for a slot to take off. Nice purple and pink colour scheme though and plenty of leg room. Once at Warsaw airport, got thru the formalities OK and my bag was the third one out, but then lost my dad for about 20 minutes ! Eventually met up again, and got the keys to the hire car. At first could not start it (it is a push button starter with a creditcard key !). Eventually got on the road, and remarkably found the MDM hotel in the centre of Warsaw about 15 mins away with no trouble. After a well earned beer and some help from the porter in feeding the parking meter, we went for a late afternoon stroll through some dodgy dark underpasses and side streets to see the Vistula. Having got there it was too dark to see anything ! That brings us about up to date. Feels quite cold here and was semi dark pretty early although has been an overcast day. Hopefully I will finf somewhere to update this tomorrow. I am on my last minute of 15 so I will sign off now. Hopefully not too many spelling mistakes !!
Woke up to another very overcast day. Went for an early morning stroll around the local streets. After breakfast we arranged with the hotel that we could retain our rooms until 1pm (and so leave our lugagge behind) - we then took a drive out to the north of Warsaw to visit Zoliborz, which was the area where the `Warsaw ghetto` was. There is nothing there now to tell of what happened here 60 years ago, but when walking around I felt a very sombre atmosphere, although that may have been the weather ! We got back to the car, and headed a couple of miles back south to the Old Town. The drive took us about 30 minutes, but we had been warned about the heavy traffic in Warsaw. The main square is quite breathtaking - a huge open area dominated by the castle and monument in the centre. It is amazing to think that most of it has been rebuilt (in the original style) since WW2. Nowadays a major dual carriageway runs right underneath the square but you would not know it was there. I am sure that on a fine day there would be fine view over the city, but not today. Having driven back to the hotel to collect our bags we set off south out of the city, but clearly took a wrong turn as we found ourselves back at the airport, from which it took several attempts to get back on the road we needed. At about 2pm we pulled off the main road at a services which turned out to be a very posh looking restaurant which appeared to be expecting a wedding party judging by the seat and table decorations. Any way they were happy to feed us and despite their limited English and our non existant Polish, we need a nice meal. Back to the main road and the rest of the journey to Tomaszow Maz was incident free. We are here to visit a company tomorrow which is building us a family narrow boat, and they had arranged for us to stay in a hotel about 5 miles outside town in village called Spala. Driving out of Tomaszow we were struck by the huge area of derelict factories on the outskirts of town. The Hotel Moscicki is on the edge of a huge area of woodland which at this time of year is very orange. The hotel is very comfortable, with friendly staff, although no English is spoken. Lovely food in the restaurant. I ended the day watching the film `Speed` with a Polish voice over as there was no speaking programmes. A good day. I hope the weather brightens up a bit tomorrow.
Set off from the hotel in Spala to visit Hexagon Boats in Tomaszow. Showed the address to the hotel receptionist, and managed to get some rough directions, but where she said we should be going turned out to be the acres of industrial wasteland we had seen on the edge of town yesterday. After asking a couple of locals using international sign language (!), we eventually found the boat builder in the midst of the long abandoned industrial centre. It was a successful visit and we were able to see how our boat was taking shape. After leaving the boat builder`s we took a trip into the centre of Tomaszow, and wandered around the square. It is nice to go and see the regular towns as well as the ones all the tourists usually visit - you get to see a slice of regular Polish life. On leaving the town centre, we drove the few miles south to a large lake (Zalew Sulejowski) which is clearly a summer destination, but in November was pretty much closed. The sun finally came out whilst we were there, and we had a stroll along the head of the lake which is huge and is bordered by acres of forest. By now it was mid afternoon with no more than an hours light left so we headed back to the hotel and lazed about for the rest of the day.
Final day in Poland. No real plan other than to take a leisurely drive back north to Warsaw Airport and take in the polish scenery. Initially headed east towards Radom and stopped at a small village called Szydlowiec, where we stopped to look around. Again great to stop and get a feel for regular polish life. Picturesque square and church. Proceeded to turn north and pick up the main road. Met a fair bit of traffic due to extensive road works, and eventually pulled off at Bialobrzegi to get something to eat. A pleasant provincial town, we stopped in a local bar which served food. I had cheese dumplings which were actually large ravioli style pasta parcels with a kind of goat style cheese inside, served with a sweet sauce. I also had cabbage which I don`t think are normally served together, but again my polish let me down. Once we joined the road again, we had great difficulty finding the road into the airport - ironic after earlier in the trip when we found ourselves in the airport when we did`nt want to be and could`nt get out ! Anyway, we made on time for the flight which left on time despit the plane having come in late form it`s previous destination. The flight was unenventful, and the day ended with a tiring 2.5 hour drive home. Next up Hong Kong, and the on to New Zealand !
Well, we are finally underway. Left home at 3.30 snd had a trouble free journey to Heathrow. Plane left on time at 9pm, and I can recommend the service from Air New Zealand. An unbelievable array of films were available to view, and Paul got his veggie meal as pre booked. We did not get a lot of sleep on the plane, as there were only about 4 hours of darkness, however the plane arrived about an hour earlier than advertised so that was compensation. The views of central China from the plane were fantastic. On arrival at the international airport on Lantau Island, we passed through customs without problem, and quickly found our bus to the hotel. The drive from the airport to our hotel in Kowloon took about 40 minutes, and was a tantalizing drive as the sun set over the city and we weaved up and down bustling streets filled with shops and markets selling every conceivable item. We are on the 11th floor of the hotel but the view is limited to the tower blocks on the other side of the road. Having had an evening meal in th hotel restaurant which was nice but expensive, we took a stroll around the immediate area. Despite being 9PM there were lots of shops and stalls open. We found one street that had noting but shops for pets. There were shops selling nothing but dog food, several shops selling puppies and kittens, and a shop specialising in clothes for your pet ! We finally retired to our hotel at 9.30pm feely slightly jaded after our travelling. One final challenge for the day though - Ali reports that she cannot open the combination lock for her suitcase - the number she set it at back at home seems to have changed and the lock now does not work - meaning she will be lugging a suitcase full of clothes round Australasia for a month without being able to use any of the contents ! Luckily a bit of trial and error results in the case being opened by using one digit different from the supposed number, and the use of heavy duty pliers was avoided !
First full day in Hong Kong and Ali`s 15th birthday - since she had already received presents before departure from the UK, a small treat was supplied on the day ie a card written in Mandarin with a few Hong Kong Dollars slipped under her door ! We hadn`t actually quickly learnt to write Mandarin, rather Paul copied some off a teabag, but it looked authentic. All a bit tired after the 24 hour travelling and limited sleep yesterday, but sun was shining and it was pleasantly warm, so after a continental breakfast from the baker`s round the corner, set off at 10am to tackle the day. Walked to the nearest underground (MTR) station (Mong Kok) through the back streets - local shops and markets clearly do not open until later in the day. At the MTR station bought an Octopus card which allows you to travel on most forms of public transport in the city pre-paid and with a discount, so avoiding purchasing lots of different tickets, and saving money - recommended. Whilst we were purchasing the cards, we turned round to see Naomi and Ali having their photo taken with a Phillipine guy and his family who said they thought they were film stars ! I`m not quite sure what films they had been watching, or perhaps something was lost in the translation....! As an aside to this story, it is very noticeable that outside of Hong Kong city centre, there are very few westerners to be seen. Anyway, armed with our Octopus cards we set of to tackle the underground system. Everything is very well signposted and all extremely clean. The stations are huge however, and you do tend to have quite a walk to reach the street. The trains are all behind glass, which slides back when the train arrives to allow entry. There were huge numbers of people using the underground, but that may be because it was a Sunday. Certainly the sheer volume of people everywhere is very noticeable, and walking along the street is by necessity a slow process. We took the train from Mong Kok south to Central Station which is on Hong Kong island (as opposd to Kowloon where the hotel is), and took a 10 minute walk to the Peak Tramway, which is a fernicular style railway which takes you a few hundred feet up into the hills to a wonderful viewing spot where you can look down on the city and harbour. At the top this has been extensively developed into almost a mini town, but was fairly breezy. The journey up is extremely steep and at one point I am sure we were going up at a 45 degree angle, which was challenging for those who were standing as we were cos of the lack of seats. Despite the grooves on the floor to allow you to `dig your heels in` and get a grip, at one point Ali was declaring that she "couldn`t hold it much longer" ! On return to ground level, and after stopping to have a snack in Chater Gardens, we walked to the Ferry Terminal to catch the Star Ferry back across the harbour to Kowloon. A recent addition to this side of the harbour is a Hollywood style `walk of fame` which pays tribute to the Hong Kong film industry, and has plaques in the walkway (complete with handprints in the concrete) dedicated to the likes of Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and Bruce Lee. By now it was early afternoon so we decided to retire to the hotel to recharge our batteries before the evening. The girls got the MTR back, but I walked the couple of miles back to soak up a bit more local flavour, and because my Octopus card refused to let me through the barrier at the station ! At 6pm, having re-charged the batteries, headed out for an evening at the cafe ap the road - real local`s place that would serve ham n eggs if it was in blighty, instead Singapore noodles for 3 and a BLT for Ali (!!) at £13 - a cheap birthday meal. We then caught the bus (using the faithful Octopus card) back down to the harbour to see the Symphony of lights show - this was not actually put on especially for Ali`s birthday, but is a light show projected on and from the skyscrapers on either side of the harbour and happens every night at 8pm. While we were waiting Naomi found me a basement CD and DVD shop, in which I supported the local music scene by buying a CD by a local Hong Kong band, and also found several interesting DVDs for less than £2 each - bargain ! Looking foward to another full day tomorrow.
Our second full day in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (as it is officially known) and our over riding feelings are of a clean and friendly city, which is constantly on the move, and is aided by an incredibly efficient, organised and inter linked public transport system. Today was hot in the mid 20`sC, and started at about 10am when we caught the underground (MTR) over to Lantau Island, which amongst other things is home to the Airport and Disneyland. These aside, a lot of it is made over to Country Park, however we were going to visit the biggest (we think) Buddha in the world. The MTR goes overground after leaving Kowloon, and crosses a fairly narrow strait on the Tsing Mai Bridge before following the northern coast of Lantau Island and reaching it`s terminus at Tung Chung. From here we caught a cable car which took us into the hills and provided some stunning views of the airport and surrounding area, until near the top the huge Buddha comes into view. We shared the cable car with 4 Chinese woman, and by the time we had completed the 25 minute journey we had nicknamed them the crazy gang, due to their somewhat excitable demeanour - we had a photograph taken with them at the top and somewhat dubiously got involved in swapping email addresses,although the only common language we understood was please and thank you. At the top it was a short walk through Ngong Ping village, before reaching the Po Lin Monastery, and the giant Buddha, which is plainly visible from the plane as you come into Hong Kong. The Monastery is amazingly colourful, which is emphasised by the thousands of flowers in and around the grounds. The smell of incense was in the air, and it really did feel very peaceful. You are able to buy cheap vegetarian food in the grounds and we escaped the midday sun for a while to have a huge meal of bean curd, rice, strange mushrooms, and catte (?). To walk off the meal we scaled the 100 or so steps to get up to the Buddha, and used our meal ticket from earlier to gain free access to the museum which is housed within it. Mid afternoon, we caught a local bus back down the hill and across to the other side of the island to catch a ferry back over to Hong Kong city. The crossing took about 30 minutes and although it was a hot windless day, it was still fairly choppy simply because of the huge volume of craft continually criss crossing our path - other ferries, small private craft, ocean going vessels etc. Finally a short dash across the harbour back to Kowloon on the ferry we used yesterday, and the number 7 bus to the hotel. There we chilled out for a couple of hours until early evening. Spent our last night in Hong Kong walking around the night markets. One well known one is in Temple Street where the road is closed off and hundreds of covered stalls are erected selling everything from fake rolex to silk pygames,and everything inbetween. Part of the street is also filled with tables where you are served with a wide variety of local, and not so local foods. We also visited Ladies Market which is not full of stuff for the girls rather it appears that all the stalls are run by the fairer sex, who don`t let you pass their stalls without a bit of verbal sparring.....Got back to the hotel in time for a quick splash in the rooftop swimming pool, then back to the room with some local rice wine - 125ml and 38% proof for under £1 at the convenience store opposite the hotel. We will all be sorry to leave Hong Kong so soon tomorrow, however it is hard to believe we have only been away for 4 days, having done so much already.
We will be leaving Hong Kong today and flying to Auckland - excited about the next stage of the journey, but will be sad to leave this great city. Last night one of the staff at the hotel knocked on the door and gave us a card telling us what the weather would be like tomorrow "to help us plan our day" - it said it would be 21C and sunny, so once we are packed and breakfasted, we will be going to see Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple in the north of Kowloon. We have booked ourselves on the hotel shuttle to the airport at 3pm for our early evening flight. Not sure when I will next be able to update the diary. Keep watching - have a good day wherever you are.
Update - Visit to temple was really interesting. There has been a temple on the site for a long time but today it is surronded by modern skyscrapers. Various bits have been added and it largely succeeds in being a little oasis in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the city. There are a constant stream of people passing through to pray and burn incense sticks all day every day. When we arrived and exited the underground, we were greeted by a gaggle of old women selling incense sticks to burn in the temple. On our return to the station, we were amused to here raised voices, which to the untrained ear appeared to be the usual excited babble of the locals, however when we looked over we realised a fight had broken out between two 80+ women, presumably over terrotorial incense stick selling rights on the station concourse. Security were called, however the fight by now had reached fever pitch, with one woman hitting another over the head with a wholesale bundle of incense sticks, whilst the other was ramming everyone who got in her way with her makeshift trolley/stall. I wanted to take some pictures, but Tracey would not let me. We left without identifying a conclusive winner.
We had a few hours still to kill, so we went back down into the city, and strolled around Kowloon Park, attractions in which included an exercise area for the elderley, a maze, and flamingos. We then returned to the hotel, collected our bags and set off on the bus to the airport. The plane which was due to take off at 7.15pm, eventually left just before 8pm due to some re-fuelling problems.
Have arrived safely in Auckland - have not got time to do blog at mo, will update hopefully in the next few hours. Have been travelling for about 16 hours, and last slept about 22 hours ago, and not likely to go to bed for another 6 hours, so bear with us !
Update - The trip from Hong Kong was quiet gruelling, coming so soon after the flight out from the UK, and no one got much sleep. We picked up our hire car at the airport and drove the 10 miles to the hotel, which is brilliantly situated within the heart of the city of Auckland. On check in we discovered that we were on the 7th floor, but the lifts were out of action due to a fire drill, so lots of huffing and puffing up the emergency stair well ensued.
New Zealand has a population of 4.3 million, and 1.4 of those live in the Auckland area. The country is 104,000 square miles compared with the UK which is 94,000 square miles but has a 15 times greater population.
It is nice and hot here, and promises to be the same over the next few days. After a bit of chilling out and a refreshing shower, we went to explore, as we are here for less than 24 hours. We started by going up the Sky Tower which is about 100m up the road. This is one of Auckland`s more recent attractions. It has the highest viewing platform in the southern hemisphere with spectacular views over the city, a revolving restaurant at the top, but best of all, it is the site of the New Zealand`s highest bungy jump - 192 metres at 83 KM per hour, and there is a regular flow of people willing to thow themselves off the building. As you wander around the viewing area, the cry goes up "Jumper in 30 seconds" and everyone races round to the south facing side to see the body drop down, come to rest for a few seconds, then continue on it`s journey to the street. It is so high that as you watch them hurtle towards the ground, they become too small to see !! Also, the lift has a glass bottom floor - scary.
After Sky City, the girls then went to do some shopping, whilst Tracey and I went to chill out in Albert Park just around the corner. We ended the day with a take away pizza and a bottle of wine. Now we have finally got to New Zealand, we are hopeful that our bodies can now attain some kind of equlibrium as we have not yet been able to get a full proper night`s sleep since we left the UK.
We are 12 hours ahead of the UK now, and as I type this in the hotel room, the air conditioning is cooling the room, and it is 8pm and still daylight.
Have limired access to the internet at the moment so bear with us - photos to follow.
Left Auckland at 10am and travelled the 150 odd miles south to Rotorua about half way down the North Island. The town is in is the centre of a large geo thermal area, and as we approached our hotel on the shores of Lake Rotorua, there was a strong smell of sulphur in the air.Worryingly, the literature in the room gives advice on what to do if there is an earthquake !! I have not seen any large cracks in the ground yet though.
THe journey down was uneventful, but interesting to see how little traffic there is on the roads, and how minor the main route south is. Signposting is also excellent, so little chance of getting lost, and it appears that driving around in NZ is going to be a joy, especially as the car we have hired (a Ford Territory) is really comfortable and spacious. It was warm but cloudy when we left, but by the time we arrived at our destination, the sky was blue and it was qiuet hot.
Rotorua is squeezed between the shores of the lake, and a range of hils. We wandered around the shops in the afternoon, after checking in and looking at the lake. The girls went in search of bikini bottoms having forgotten to bring any (!) and I (as usual) went in search of a CD/DVD srore. It is interesting to see that both here and in Auckland, there is no sign of the xmas shopping madness thatgrips the UK and other places in Europe at this time of year. Some shops have cursory decorations up but not many, and a few have messages on the wall wishing their customers a happy xmas, but that is about it.
In the evening, we went into town to get something to eat, and on our return we had a session in the spa`s/pool within the hotel that are open air and naturally heated. Finally we watched a film on the hotel TV, again only saw one xmas themed advert in the breaks.
WE are staying here for a couple of days, and hope to visit Waimangu Volcanic Valley tomorrow (14km from town) to experience some of the geo thermal wonders of the area.
As I sit here typing with 11 minutes worth of time left on the Internet, it is 6am (don`t ask), and the sun is up, and I am looking at Rotorua lake out of the hotel window, steaming away - qiute a sight - I will go out in a minute and try to get a picture.
At present I can not upload photos from here, so that will have to wait for a few days. THe weather forecast says warm with rain, but the sun is up and at present there is not a cloud in the sky !! Hope all is well with everyone in the UK and it is not too cold ! We have been away for nearly a week now, and apart from the erratic sleeping that we are experiencing, everyone is really enjoying the experience. I know that this is all going to end too soon, so need to make the most of it whilst we are here. Please feel free to leave messages on the message board - it`s really easy and it is good to here from back home.
Well time to get out and take that photo - I will try to update this agin within the next 24 hours.
uPDATE - Today we visited the Waimangu Volcanic Valley, which is the world`s newest geo thermal area. It was created in 1886 when the volcano Mt Tarawera erupted, causing huge craters & fissures, and releasing materials from beneath the surface of the earth.
For approximately 17 pounds per person, you get a self guided 2 hour walk down into the valley where you get to see craters with steaming, bubbling water; streams with multi coloured deposits, hot water springs, geysers, and amazing rock formations. Everywhere you look, there are bubbling pools, and steaming water. With names like Inferno Crater and Frying Pan Lake, you get the picture. Frying Pan Lake is the world`s largest hot spring. You also get a 40 minute boat trip out on the lake that has formed in the largest crater, and a bus trip back up the trail out of the valley.
We were extremely lucky with the weather today, as once again it was hot and sunny, and really brought out the colour of the rocks and water. Some of us also got a bit sun burnt. Onceback at the hotel and fed/watered, we again took advantage of the thermally heated pool at the hotel.
Have some great photos that I will hopefully be able to upload in the next day or so.
Well we are now entering our second week, and I am typing this on Saturday morning prior to leaving Rotorua, and heading a further 85 miles south to the real heart of the north island and a place called Turangi. We will be travelling through more geo thermal areas and the heart of Maori country.
I have just noticed that the weather on the blog home page says 14C and rain, but its is yet again warm and blue skies, although the forecasts here say that the next couple of days will be good, but then the start of next week will be rainy so we will have to see.
Tonight`s accommodation is a fishing lodge so I am not sure I will have internet access, but hopefully I will be able to catch up and load some photos on arrival at our friend`s Dawn and Ross on Sunday.
We intend to do some kind of activity on the way down to Turangi today but not sure what.
Update - Checked ou of the hotel at 10.30am and stopped in town to pick up supplies. Then headed south on Highway 5 until we got to the outskirts of Taupo, where we stopped to look at the Huka Falls on the Waikato River. The falls are not very high, but a tremendous volume of water passes over them every minute, and the water is incredibly blue, made even more colourful as the sun as yet again shining on us - although one of our party was hiding away from the sun as thy were protecting badly sunburnt arms.
We have ben following the `Thermal Explorer` route south, and after leaving the Huka Falls, we drove to the so called Craters of the Moon - another geo thermal area. It is basically a huge bowl within which are numerous craters and fissures from which hot steam is constantly rising. There is a bubbling mud bath, and one fissure in the hillside that sounded like a plane taking off as the steam was ejected under tremendous pressure.
Leaving the town of Taupo, we continued south joining highway 1 which took us along the banks of the river Tongariro, and is the self styled "trout capital of the world" ! We are staying in Creel Fishing Lodge which is basically a series of cabins set in extremely pleasant surroundings, near the banks of the river. The cabins have two separate bedrooms, a loung and kitchen - you are expressly forbidden to clean any fish you catch in the cabins, however we should be able to live within that restriction !
Once we were settled in, we drove into town, which has a few facilities, and bought some food to cook back at the lodge, and a cheap DVD to watch later.
During our drive down today, I was again impressed with the driving experience in New Zealand. The roads are very quiet with very little traffic outside the larger cities, the signposts are clear, people drive politely and within the speed limits, and in towns drivers pay great respect to pedestrians who always seem to have right of way. There is also minimal use ofthe horn. This is all helped of course by the fact that the population is a fraction of the size of places like the UK.
Back at our cabin, after a tasty home cooked/prepared meal of ranch salad and pasta, we went for a short walk down by the river, and afterwards watched the DVD we had bought earlier - "Death at a funeral" - a recent british comedy which had us all laughing.
Tomorrow, we have a 200+ mile drive to complete the journey south to the Capitol Wellington, where we will be staying for 2 nights with our friends Dawn & Ross, and their 2 children Dewi and Maisie. We have not seen each other for about 4 years so we are all greatly looking forward to the visit.
Left Turangi and Creel Lodge and headed south once again on Highway 1. Yet again the sun is shining and it is extremely hot. Apparently it can be quite wet sometimes in December, but we have not seen any rain since we left the UK on 5/12/08.
Almost immediately, the road rises up into the hills and Tongariro National Park where there are stunning views of 2 volcanos, one of which was used for some of the filming of Mount Doom in Lord of the Rings. After reaching the top of the pass, the road levels off and is known as the desert highway as it traverses a huge plateau of desert scrubland. Bizarrely someone had planted a fully decorated xmas tree into this landscape, although this was almost topped by the sight that greeted us as we entered the "Desert Oasis" of Waiouru - a female shop mannequin by the side of the road dressed in Ann Summers style Miss Xmas attire - very strange.
Continuing south we stopped at Taihape for coffee - this town is famous for Gumboot (Welly) throwing and has a huge Gumboot statue to prove it, but when quizzed as to "why here" a local could not provide an answer - they certainly don`t manufacture them in the town.
Ever southward, we stopped briefly at Foxton to buy some rolls and crisps, and then went down to Foxton beach on the Tasman Sea to eat them. The highway 1 then continues along the Tasman Sea coast down to Wellington, at which we eventually arrived at 4pm. Dawn & Ross live in the western suburb of Karori, way up in the hills - I have been told to say that we are staying in 5 star accommodation, and who am I to disagree as they have given up their bedroom for us, supplied me with beer and Tracey with strawberry champagane, and are at this moment preparing a barbie !!
We have a day in Wellington now before we take an internal flight to Queenstown, South Island, on Tuesday.
Well, it`s heading for 7pm and the sun is still hot, so time to head out to the garden for beer and barbie - someone has to do it !
After a nice evening last night catching up with news from Dawn and Ross & family, we drove down into the city with Dawn so that she could show us around the Capitol. This has been the first day we have seen some rain, although it is still very warm.
We started with a walk along the harbour front. Part way along the harbour front is a plank extending out over the water, and in typical New Zealand style, if there is a chance to jump off something then they will take it - so if you fancy walking the plank and flinging yourself into the harbour you are quite at liberty to do so, and there are even some handily placed ladders to aid your climb out.
The main centre of Wellington is built at the foot of a series of steep hills that hem in the city, whilst the suburbs have spread up into the hills, with several houses seeming to literally cling to the hillside.
We visited a free museum where we learnt a bit of the history of Wellington. North and south island are linked by an inter island ferry which sails from Wellington, and in 1968 a ferry called the Wahine was sunk in high winds whilst attempting to enter the harbour, with a loss of 160+ people - we saw a short film in the museum telling the story of the Wahine.
We then went on to Te Papa (Our Place) - an interactive/educational area where amongst the current attractions are the "Colossal Squid" - a giant 4 metre plus squid that was caught (accidentally) in a net off the coast recently, and has now been preserved and put on show. There was also a lot of information and exhibits about the Maori culture.
On leaving here we drove around the coast and saw the harbour and the city from a different view. The hillside comes right down to the road, and the houses are built into the hill and have garages at the roadside, with private cable cars/lifts to get up to the house. We stopped at Lyall Bay to have a snack at the Marupuia Surf and Life Save Club Cafe, which is a local surf hang out. Had some good value food whith great views across the harbour to the city and airport.
From here we drove right up into the hills to the top of a peak with a wind turbine on top where (despite the scary drive along a two way road with no barriers and only enough room for one car) we got some great views of the city.
After a short wander around the shops, we returned to Dawn & Ross`s house for the evening.
Tomorrow it is off to the airport for an internal flight south from Wellington to Queenstown in the south of the south island.
Left Dawn & Ross`s house at 10am to drive to the airport and drop off the hire car. We are travelling a bit lighter now as we were able to leave some stuff at the house as we will be returning to Wellington on 23/12/08. The plane was delayed slightly and then due to some technical issue, we had to land at Christchurch airport in mid south island rather than going straight to Queenstown, but the flight was still little more than the scheduled 2 hours, and despite the low cloud at Queenstown, there were some good views of the mountains and lakes as we flew in to land.
Queenstown describes itself as "New Zealand`s adventure capital". It is an alpine style resort with every type of outdoor activity catered for. We are here for 3 days and hope to squeeze as much as possible into that time. One problem however is the unpredicatable weather in this area even in summer - we have been here only a few hours and already we have had hot & humid, sun, and torrential rain.
We have excellent accommodation - a 2 bedroomed apartment with kitchen and lounge, and 180 degree views out to the mountains and Lake Wakatipu. On arrival we went to the local supermarket to get some food for the next few days, as we intend to avoid eating out where possible, although there are loads of nice looking eating places here. We then went for a quick drive around the town to et our bearings. It looks like there is plenty here to satisfy the shopaholics amongst us.
Chilled out for the rest of the day at the hotel.
We realised last night that it gets dark really late here (10.30 ish) as we are so far south - we are almost as far south as Dunedin where trips to Antarctica famously start. This means we can fit a lot into the day, and this morning the sun was out from early on so we were off to a good start.
We left the hotel at 10am and drove 10 miles out of town to the River Kawaru and the bridge where Bungy jumping was `invented`. This is a fantastic location and viewing the bungy jumping is free, but the jumps cost $160 for an adult (about £65). We chilled out here for a while as the the weather was so nice, and then I had my picture taken by the jumping platform before.....ha ha you thought I was going to say I jumped didnt you ! As no one could be pursuaded to do a jump we moved on.
Next we visited Arrowtown a few miles up the road - this is a real strange place to come across in the mountains of southern New Zealand. It is an old gold mining town - apparently in the late 19th century a lot of chinese came over to the area to mine for gold and struck lucky - a valley up the road was in fact the wealthiest gold mining valley in the world in terms of gold extracted. The place is a strange mixture of Wild West, Chinese and New Zealand influence, and even a bit of UK ! The main street has buildings preserved in the original style, and in the north of the town there are some of the original chinese miner`s shacks. These now have a conservation order on them since 2002, when the NZ government apologised formerly to the Chinese Govt over the treatment the original Chinese settlers received from the local NZ population at the time.
After having a quick snack, we left Arrowtown and headed back towards Queenstown until getting to Arthur`s Point on the Shotover River. Here the river charges through a steep sided canyon and on down the mountain towards Queenstown, and at Arthurs`s Point you can take Jet Boat rides along the river and through the canyon. Ali, Naomi and I eventually pursuaded Tracey that going on a Jet Boat was good idea, so at 1pm we were off ! This was a fantastic experience. You get a 30 minute ride up and down the river, and through the canyon. The boat holds about 14 people,and goes at speeds up to 50 miles per hour, and you are flying along within inches of the canyon sides, and every so often the driver will spin a whole 360 degrees, or drive at speed towards the rocks. You do get extremely wet, but are provided with a mac and a life jacket - I was informed that I looked the funniest in the get up. Once we were underway the driver informed us that it was going to be especially bumpy due to the rain we had had yesterday and he was not wrong - you had to move up and down in your seat a bit like riding a horse (for those who have done that) to avoid dead ass. We all thoroughly enjoyed it and would have done it again except for the cost.
Next it was down into Queenstown, and up the skyline Gondola. This is a cable car which goes up to the top of a local peak, from where you have fantastic views of the town. You can also have a meal in the restaurant, or walk along one of the many trails, or have a go on the luge (little go kart type things). We chose the latter. After collecting our safety helmets (I again looked the funniest apparently), we grabbed the luge lift further up the mountain, grabbed our luge and raced each other back down the hill - I won, although I did set off first. Tracey came in a poor 4th but maintained that she was looking at the view on the way down.
By this time it was late afternoon, so we retired to our hotel to chill out for an hour or so before a visit to the Minus 5 Bar in Queenstown. This is the self styled "coolest bar in town" - everything is made of ice. The walls, the bar, the seating, the glasses you drink from are all made of ice. When you go in, you are issued with a pair of gloves, and a thick parka style coat with hood. The bar was actually operating at minus 8.6 today. Unfortunately the bar was somewhat lacking in atmosphere as we were the only ones in it at 6pm on a weekday, but it allowed us to take some good photos. WE all had a complimentary drink - Tracey and I had Vodka cocktails - an arctic sunrise and an icebreaker, the girls had non alcoholic fruit cocktails. I understand the company have just opened one of these bars in Las Vegas.
After this arctic experience, we retired to the hotel to cook some pasta for dinner.
After an action packed day yesterday, we had a more relaxing day today. We left the girls sleeping, and at about 10am we left to go on the 30 mile drive up the coast of Lake Wakatipu to the mountain outpost of Glenorchy. This is a fantastic scenic drive and we were pulling over every couple of miles to take photos. There is not much to see at Glenorchy, but there were a couple of cafes so we stopped for a snack/coffee, and then headed back down to Queenstown.
In the afternoon, we looked round the shops in Queenstown - most of them are agencies where you can book accommodation or activities, and the rest are food and clothing, however I did manage to find a reasonable record shop and bought a couple of CDs.
Then we paid a visit to the local liquor store to purchase a a Tui beer for me and a NZ cider for Tracey, and then went and sat in the `village green` (the local town square/park) to drink our purchses in the sun, and reflect on our first two weeks away. Interestingly (for those drinkers amongst you) in NZ you can usually only by wine and beer in supermarkets. If you want to buy spirits you need to go to a liquor store, and these quite often resemble petrol stations with a covered area out front to park in and then a warehouse like store.
We then returned to our hotel, where the girls were chilling following a hard morning`s window shopping and Macdonalds consumption.
The rest of the day was spent chilling out and popping to the supermarket to buy some food for our trip tomorrow. We have booked a trip out to Milford Sound, which is in the heartland of the west coast fjordland area of the south island. The drive out is 5 hours on a bus through the mountains, then a boat trip on the fjord, then hopefully a flight back to Queenstown. I say hopefully, because the flight is dependant on the weather ie there will be no flight if it is too windy/rainy, and there is a chance that visibility will be poor anyway if the weather closes in - the forecast is fairly good, but then the forecast today was cloudy, and it has been extremely hot and sunny although very windy, so you never know - it is very unpredictable in this area due to the mountains.
I am writing this on our balcony at about 8.30pm and the wind has dropped and the sun is still extremely hot.
Although every day is unpredicatable we have become used to the nomadic existence of `life on the road` (after a hesitant start due to disrupted sleep patterns), and we are looking forward to the remainder of our time away.
Today we had a wonderful day travelling out to the west coast of the south island and into the Fjordland National Park and Milford Sound. The intention was to travel out by coach, go for a cruise on the Milford Sound (Fjord) and fly back, but this was all dependant on the weather.
We got up at 6am as we were being picked up outside our hotel at 6.55 – Milford Sound is very remote and although as the crow flies it is not too far from Glenorchy where we drove to yesterday, by road, it is 300 km hence the early start.
Once we were on the coach we headed south the first 100 km down the coast of Lake Wakatipu, the 3rd largest lake in NZ (the largest is Lake Taupo where we were last week). We had a somewhat stuttering start, as the driver had to hire the coach for the day (as the usual one was in for repairs) and he was not used to driving a manual, so he stalled a couple of times ! He was however quite amusing in his running commentary as we travelled down the lake, so this took our minds off the forthcoming dangers of the road across the mountains. In his commentary, in one session alone, the driver said “guys” 160 times (Copyright : Naomi & Ali useless facts 2008). He also renaged us with several Maori myths and legends during the journey.
The journey is so long as we have to drive around the Eyre Mountains, and then cross part of the Southern Alps which run right up the west coast of the south island. We eventually turned west and stopped for a coffee at the town of Te Anau, which is the gateway to the Fjords.Although our destination is called Milford Sound, it should really be called Milford Fjord, as it was carved by a glacier, and is now filled with sea water. Milford is the first of 14 such fjords along this coastline. The Fjordland National Park is a huge wilderness area, which is protected, and is criss crossed with hundreds of trails, most of which are closed until 1st November due to dangers from excess snow and avalanches. Before the road was built, the only way in was on foot – a 8 day hike there and back. Milford Sound is one of the wettest places on earth having an annual rainfall of about 8 metres.
On leaving Te Anau, the scenery became really breathtaking with snow capped mountains, waterfalls, and clear water rivers. We stopped a couple of times to take photos, or test the waters of the mountain streams. On one stop we were forewarned about the Kea bird – there are only 2500 of these birds left in the wild – they are the size of a small eagle but look like a cross between a dodo and a parrot. We were told they are very cheeky and will fly off with anything that is not nailed down. Their speciality is removing rubber from around car windows ! Sure enough, as soon as we stopped two Kea’s swooped down, and landed on the roof of the coach looking for a stray camera case or hat to nick. As they could not find anything, they flew over to a nearby parked car, and sure enough started pecking around the windscreen. Apparently, it would take them 2 hours to remove sufficient rubber from around the windscreen so that it could be easily removed by hand!
Within a couple of miles of Milford Sound, there is the Homer Tunnel, which actually looks like a large concrete sewage pipe, however our coach was able to fit through it, although it is one way and traffic light controlled. We finally arrived about 20 minutes before our boat was due to sail. We left the coach driver promising he would find out whether planes were flying, and get us on one if so, otherwise we were set to return on the coach. Although there was little wind, and it was warm, with patchy cloud, there was no guarantee that there would be a flight out, as the conditions change by the minute, and there was plenty of cloud hugging the mountain tops, so visibility higher up, may be poor.
The fjord itself was really dramatic, with towering 80m metre granite cliffs, huge waterfalls, and all around mountain views. The 1.5 hour cruise took us up one coast to the mouth at the Tasman Sea, then back down the other coast, stopping under waterfalls, and to see wildlife including, dolphins and seals. The fjord itself is 300m deep !
On return to harbour, we were told a flight had been secured, so we were driven 1 mile up the road to the airport – these are the only two facilities at the sound bar a small amount of basic accommodation. The airport consists of an aviation tower, and a car park, with several light aircraft in it. We were flying back in a 6 seater. Once the pilot had found another 2 passengers to make up the numbers, he escorted us up to the plane, and proceeded to give me the co-pilots seat. I was therefore strapped in next to the pilot with a wheel and set of controls in front of me ! Despite insisting I did not have a pilot’s licence, he passed me a set of headphones, and we were off. It turns out that everyone else in the plane also had headphones, so that they were protected from the noise of the aircraft, and could also hear some commentary from Brad the pilot.
The flight was fantastic as we flew low back out over the fjord and then turned north up the coast for a few miles before flying over the Southern Alps, back along Lake Wakatipu, and landed at Queenstown Airport – this was a bit disconcerting as we waited for a commercial airplane to land then proceeded to head into the airport at right angles to the runway – eventually landing on the grass, and crossing the tarmac runway, coming to rest on the grass on the opposite side – I can only assume that this was the standard approach for all light aircraft. It was a really exhilarating experience flying so low over the mountains, and getting such good views, and I was relieved to have arrived without accidentally knocking any buttons, or putting my feet onto one of the foot pedals !
From the airport, a taxi had been arranged to take us the 6km into town and our hotel. There were so many stunning photo opportunities, that I have almost run out of memory and battery today, and unfortunately will only be able to put a couple on the blog as I am limited to 40 overall.A great last day in Queenstown. We will be sorry to leave, and could easily spend more time here. Great climate with loads to do and a really friendly place.
Tomorrow, we have a long drive north back across the Southern Alps and up the west coast to a town named after it’s local glacier – Franz Josef.
Today we start our trek back north towards a return to Wellington for xmas. We are leaving early as the drive today is well over 250 miles through the Southern Alps and up the west coast.
Last night we had torrential rain and all day today this continued. We left Queenstown at 9am for the long drive north through the mountains to Glacier country. We headed out on Highway 6 then a few miles on, we turned left on a minor road to cross the Crown Range. This is a skiing area in winter but is very quiet at this time of year. AS we neared the top the rain was turning to sleet/snow. The road up was quite narrow with lots of hairpins but then straightened out and followed the Cardrona River down into the town of Wanaka. Here we stopped for a coffee and late breakfast, then filled up with petrol, as we were not sure when the next filling station was likely to be.From Wanaka, we re-joined Highway 6 and continued north. We travelled along the shores of lakes Hawea and Wanaka, before passing through Mount Aspiring National Park. The scenery here was fantastic despite the continuing torrential rain. The visibility could have been better, but there were literally hundreds of waterfalls to be seen, some tumbling down the mountain side in the distance but even more, literally crashing down on to the side of the road from the sheer rock faces above.After going over the pass, we started heading down the mountains towards the west coast and the township of Haast. Before this the road crosses the River Haast at the “Gates of Haast”. The river today was a raging torrent crashing over boulders the size of houses. After Haast the road continues north along the Tasman Sea coast road for a short while before turning inland again and into the foothills of the next set of mountains in the Southern Alps. Along the coast road here there is a spot where you can see penguins, however unfortunately we were unable to see any today.Once we had turned inland, we entered the Westland National Park along Highway 6 which here is called the Glacial Highway. There are 2 glaciers in this National Park, both of which have small towns nearby – Fox Glacier, and where we are staying tonight – Franz Josef Glacier. The neighbouring National Park has a further 3 glaciers, as well as the highest mountain in NZ – Mount Cook.We eventually arrived at Franz Josef Glacier town at about 3.30pm, and it was still raining, never the less the drive had been tremendously scenic, and the rain had enhanced it in many ways, with the dramatic waterfalls and raging rivers, and the scale of the mountains is amazing in any weather.Having watched Psycho last night all were slightly disturbed to find so many similarities between Bates Motel and tonight’s accommodation – the Alpine Glacier Motel, although we are in Cabin 2 not Cabin 1, and the owner is Billy, not Norman !
Once the rain had turned from torrential to just bloody heavy, we ventured the 4km out of town to the car park from which you can do various walks to the glacier. Unfortunately the main walk to the” terminal” of the glacier has been washed away by flood waters in the last few days, but we did an alternative that gave good views despite the weather.
I am making this entry to the blog in the coolest place - it is an old bus at the back of town where you can also book Kayaking etc. I will get a photo tomorrow.
Back at the room, we cooked an evening meal in our ‘family room’ then settled down to watch the Golden Compass.
Today we are continuing our drive north on Highway 6 up the west coast, before turning east back into the heart of the Southern Alps and to a mountain pass stopover called Arthur`s Pass.
First thing in the morning the sun was shining and there was blue sky so I took the opportunity to go back up to the glacier before the girls had awoken, and get a couple more shots. The glacier can move down the mountain or retreat up it depending on snow fall up at the top and the melt down at the bottom and which is winning out. The advance or retreat can be up to 1 metre per day, so it is obviously a very volatile area. I walked as far up the track as I could upto where it had been washed away due to the sudden change in direction of the river. It looked fantastic in the early morning sun.
I then came back to the internet bus to update this blog before heading off.
The longest day of the year and we have had wall to wall sunshine and blue skies – quite a contrast to yesterday. Left Franz Josef Glacier at about 11am and continued our drive north on highway 6. The weather meant that we could really appreciate the scenery which was stunning pretty much the whole drive today.
The road took us down out of the mountains and back towards the coast. By this time we were ready for lunch, so we turned down towards the beach just outside an old mining town called Ross, and found a pleasant spot to eat our pre-prepared picnic. The beach was nice and sandy and the Tasman Sea was pleasantly warm, and we had a paddle. Naomi even went so far as to change into her ‘boardies’.
We then re-joined the main highway, and continued up the coast to a small township called Hokitika where we stopped for a look round and a coffee. I found a second hand bookstore open on a Sunday – books are unbelievably expensive here. New paperbacks are usually about £15, and shops don’t discount new titles nearly as much as in the UK.
After leaving Hokitika, a few miles up the road we left the main highway, and turned inland to take the road across the Southern Alps. This is really dramatic as it climbs up into the mountains. Along the Otira gorge, there are small tunnels to protect the road from water and rock falls. We stopped at a view point here, and found we were sharing the car park with the cheeky Kea Birds again, busy trying to steal food and rubber from around car windows. They are our now officially our favourite birds.
Just around the corner we travelled over the rather scary Otira viaduct, before doing the final few miles today to the village of Arthur’s Pass where we are staying tonight. The village is just a couple of KM below the top of the pass, and is little more than a few houses and information points, but there are a lot of walks around here, hence it is reasonably well served with basic accommodation. We are staying in a nice 3 room cabin.
Commenting on the lovely weather we had today, the owner confirmed that not only had they had a lot of rain yesterday like we did where we were, they also had some snow, so we definitely timed our visit right.
After settling in, Tracey and I took advantage of the weather, and went out at 5pm to do the 1 hour walk to the “devil’s punchbowl”. The sun was still very hot and was still shining onto the snow on the mountain tops around us. The walk took us up a river valley to the foot of a huge waterfall that dropped hundreds of feet.
We got back to the cabin, then collected the girls and walked into the village to the Wobbly Kea Bar where we had an evening meal, and Tracey discovered a liking for Jack Daniels & Coke. I had a pizza that was so large that I had to have my own table !
Got back to the cabin at 8pm to update the blog. The sun was still shining on the tops of the hills, but the temperature has dropped quite dramatically elsewhere due to our height here.
Tomorrow we drive out of the mountains for the last time and over to Christchurch on the east coast for our last night on the south island.
Today we are travelling from Arthur`s Pass in the Southern Alps right down to the east coast of south island and the biggest city - Christchurch. The sun has been shining here in the mountains since early morning and has melted the water that had condensed on the car windscreen and turned to ice in the cold mountain air. It`s shorts weather again today, and first thing we will be doing another of the local walks before getting in the car for the 100 mile drive.
The Bealey Valley walk took us to a river chasm, and then further up the river valley to an avalanche area. We got some great views of the peaks around us as we climbed through the trees. Following this we went back into the village and had a late breakfast/early lunch in the Wobbly Kea cafe.
We were then ready for the road and set off at about midday. Once again, with the sunny weather, we were granted some excellent views as we came out of the alps. We pulled up at one spot where there were some cavers going down into some limestone caves, and there were some dramatic boulder strewn valleys.
Once out of the mountains, the drive across the flatlands towards Christchurch was uneventful. The sun was still shining when we arrived in Christchurch city centre. We are staying in a 2 room suite with a nice lounge and plenty of room. Once we had settled in, we set off on a walk around the centre.
Christchurch is the biggest city in the south island, and although it is on the coast, the city centre is away from the beaches and estuary around which Christchurch is built. Just around the corner from our hotel is Hagley Park, which is very similar to some of the London Parks - a big area of calm within the bustling city. It has the Avon River running through it, and Victoria Lake in the centre, as well as Botanic Gardens, various different sports grounds, tea rooms etc.
Strolling around the city streets you see still more english influence - the city is some times called the most english city outside england. There are very english looking houses, a lot of the street names are english (Gloucester St, Worcester St, Hereford St), and you can go punting along the river Avon and under oxford or Cambridge Terrace !
There is a tram, that runs around the `city loop`, and like other NZ cities we have visited, there is a gondola (cable car) that takes you to a high spot in the city where you get good city views.
At about 8pm we drove out to east of the city though the suburbs to the Pacific Ocean coast and a place called New Brighton. Here we ate our evening meal whilst looking out over the beach where there various beach activities were taking place including wind surfing, sitting around playing guitars, fending off seagulls, and walking along the pier. The pier at this Brighton is made of concrete, but at least ths means it won`t catch fire or get washed away.
Then it was back to the hotel for a Jck Daniels and coke before retiring ready for tomorrow`s flight north back to Wellington.
Another lovely sunny start to the day. We had a couple of hours to kill until our flight back to Wellington for xmas with friends Dawn & Ross & family, so we went back to Hagley Park after checking out of the hotel. We had a laugh at the antics of the local birds, while having a brunch at the cafe in the centre of the park.
Then we headed to the airport to catch our 12.30pm flight - domestic air travel is a joy compared with international flying, all is so smooth and relaxed. We had perfect views flying up the north half of the south island and arrived at 1.30pm to find Dawn at the baggage claim to meet us. This was extremely helpful as we had hired a much smaller car for the next few days and there was no way we could get all our luggage in it, so some went into Dawn`s car, and we followed her home. [The previous two cars we had hired had been Ford Territory`s which are brilliant for this sort of trip, and when we get to the USA, we will have a Ford Explorer, which is a very similar model - they are roomy, comfortable, have a nice high ride height, and are very easy to drive - I want one !]
In Wellington it was extremely hot, and once back at Dawn`s house we had to head straight for the garden for a drink, and in my case a game of badminton with Dewi, who eventually gave in as he was too hot !
At about 4pm once Ross had got back from work, we headed across the hills to the west of Wellington, to Makara Beach, where we had a bit of a walk then a picnic, and most of us went into the Tasman sea for a quick dip. There were also sveral people in speedboats jetting back and forth.
Later we came back to the house for a nice evening meal of fish or chicken, and then a game of "Shout it out" which was quite funny.
Woke up (late) this morning to find that it was pxxxing down with rain, but we are still hopeful of a sunny day tomorrow.
After a lazy morning around the house, we went out for an xmas eve lunch at the SOI Cafe Bar in Hataitai, which is on Evans Bay to the east of Wellington. Interestingly, the xmas menu includes Char Grilled Lamb Sanwiches, Risotto Cakes or Fish and Chips !, and for dessert Mince Pie, Chocolate Mousse or Melon Ball Skewer.
The SOI is built on stilts out into the water affording waterside seating for the majority of patrons - pity the weather was not better. We had a good view of the planes coming into land at the airport across the bay though.
After we left the cafe we went out to the north of the city up the Hutt River valley to a shopping centre to buy a couple of last minute gifts, then back to the house. Wellington city is built around the harbour but most of the suburbs stretch up the various coasts or up the steep wooded hills that surround the city. Dawn & Ross`s house in Karori is in one of the higher suburbs and a lot of the streets are very steep and twisty. One of the routes between the centre and Karori takes you passed Premier House - the residence of the Prime Minister. It is a very real contrast to Downing Street, in that it is a normal residential street, with unrestricted traffic, no visible security and the house itself is visible through the bushes and trees beyond the wooden fence surrounding the house.
We got back to the house at about 5.15pm and settled in for the evening - it was still raining ! Spent the evening playing various Playstation and card games until the younger ones eventually went to bed.
In the morning we are intending to undertake the local xmas day ritual of going down to Scorching Bay and having a dip and a picnic - will update you on the result of the adventure.
Got woken up at about 6am by the sound of children, so turned over and went back to sleep ! Eventually got up at about 7.45am and found the sun was shining as the forecasts promised, so gathered togther the Pims and Xmas hats, and set off for Scorching Bay.
Scorching Bay is about a 10 minute drive from Dawn & Ross`s house in Karori, and is a small secluded Sandy Beach. When we arrived at about 10am, Dawn & Ross`s friends Neil & Claire were there to meet us. On arrival I was the first in the water, and the others quickly followed and we all had a bit of a swim as the water was pleasantly cool. Afterwards as the sun got hotter, we had a Pims, some champagne and a few nibbles that we had brought with us, and some went exploring the rock pools, whilst others chucked a rugby ball about for a bit.
After a couple of hours, we headed back to the house, but on the way, we stopped at a large rusty iron ship moored on a quiet mooring, with some fisherman enjoying an xmas day fish - this is actually the boat that was used in the recent King Kong re-make, which was made up the road at Peter Jackson`s studio.
Once back at the house, it was back into the garden for some drinks and some present opening with Neil and Claire who had also come back to the house. They left after a couple of hours, and then Ross fired up the barbie for the xmas meal - BBQ`d meat, veggie sausages, salad, and pasta (no sprouts, turkey or xmas pud here !). Some of us had to keep nipping back into the house because the sun was so intense, whilst others engaged in garden volley ball !
Following a late alfresco xmas lunch, we went for a short walk up in the hills behind the house, where we had great views of Wellington and it`s suburbs. Then back for xmas pudding - pavlova, kiwi fruit and water melon.
Then it was full steam into the evening festivities.....playstation, trivial pursuit, etc etc, etc
Woke up at 8.30am to glorious blue skies - going to be another scorcher ! We therefore decided to take a trip out and have a picnic. We set off up Highway 2 out of the north of the city and up the Hutt River valley, until we got to the Kaitoke Regional Park.
This is an area that was used to film part of the Lord of the Rings. There are literally hundreds of locations throughout New Zealand that were used in the filming of the LOTR trilogy, however there is a particular concentration around Wellington as this is where the Weta Film Studios are. `Rivendell` and `Fords of Isen` were filmed at the Kaitoke Park although there is nothing much to see now as the sets have long since been removed.
We went for a forest walk, and across a precarious swing(ing) bridge, and then got the food from the car and found a spot on the banks of the River Hutt to have our picnic. After the food, we had a bit of a play in the river, some building a dam, while others dozed ! Ali and Dewi went for a swim in the river.
By mid afternoon we had had too much sun, so we headed home, on the way driving up one of the hills surrounding Wellington - Mount Victoria. There are yet more great views to be had from this point, but this is also another site where some LOTR scenes were filmed. These include the scene where the hobbits hide under the tree routes in the first film. Dawn had a location guide, and so we knew approximately where the site was, but there were a couple of false starts before we found the actual place this was filmed, including at one point Dawn scrabbling around trying to find some `roots` to make one particular random tree more realistic.
Having found the site, we then had to enact the scene using 3 small persons to stand in for the hobbits !
We then returned to the house for an early evening barbie in the back garden, before another session of Playstation and board games, including a male vs female Trivial Pursuit re-match.
Our last day in "in zid" (NZ) has sadly arrived, and this evening we will be leaving for Los Angeles.
Having just had NZ`s longest day, we are now going to have our own personal longest day. We are almost going to live the 27/12/08 twice, because at the moment we are 13 hours ahead of of UK time, so although we have nearly 24 hours travelling ahead of us, crossing the date line, and LA being 8 hours behind the UK, we fly at 10.45pm 27/12/08 and arrive LA at 2pm on the same day.
The day started at 8.30am warm, but overcast after the last two very hot dry days, but as we drove down into the city in mid morning the sun was coming through and by midday it was very hot again. For our final few hours in NZ we took a trip up the Cable Car to the Botanic Gardens in Wellington. Here we had a walk around, had a coffee, looked at the views and played on the kid`s adventure playground !
After a final walk around the shops, we headed back to Dawn & Ross`s to get packed. We have to be at Wellington airport at 5pm for a 7pm flight up to Auckland to get our connection to LA later in the evening. Our next accommodation will be outside the gates of Disney in Anaheim, LA. We know the hotel as we stayed there last year. None of us are looking forward to the long flight though.
We have had a great time in NZ, especially our time staying with Dawn and family, who have been great and generous hosts, and given us the insider`s knowledge of the Wellington area.
Update - we have now arrived at our destination hotel in Anaheim, LA after 21 hours travelling, and it is still 27/12/08 ! Checked in at Wellington airport at 5pm and our flight to Auckland left on time at 7pm. We then had a few hours to kill before we caught our 10.45pm flight to LA. We looked around the shops and bought a couple of last minute souveneirs, got some food, and then we were off to LA.
The flight was 12 hours long, but we did all manage to get some sleep. We croosed back over the international date line an hour or so after leaving NZ. On the approach to the US West Coast the sky was cloudless, and there were some great views of LA and it`s suburbs, including the hollywood hills/sign. We landed on time at 2pm 27/12/08 and were greeted by cloudless blue skies, although it was cooler than NZ (16C as opposed to 22C).
As usual there was a bit of a queue to get through customs at LAX, and after getting the bus shuttle to the rental car area, we had to queue to get the pre booked rental car, and eventually got away from the airport at 4pm, We then had a drive east across LA to Anaheim and arrival at 5pm just as the sun was setting - a bit of a shock following the long evenings in NZ but then we are back in the northern hemisphere and winter again. It is still nice enough to wear shorts in the evening though.
After a shower we went out to get something to eat, and then back to the hotel to chill out and watch the film Step Brothers (with Will Ferrell) as we have had a very long day.
On awaking at about 9am we found the sun out and another glorious day. We went over to the cafe next door to the hotel for our breakfast, then at 10am Naomi and Ali went off for a day at Disney,meanwhile Tracey and I were going to take a drive up into the San Bernadino Mountains to the north of LA.
I have now been to LA four times, but I never cease to be amazed at the sheer scale of the place. You can drive for 80+ miles from Burbank in the NW to Santa Ana in the SE and still be in the greater LA area. This equates to about 25 miles in London. Seven or eight lane freeways criss cross the city, linking literally hundreds of suburbs and city areas. It really is an awesome place. You get some sense of the size, when you are on the Freeway and see a sign to the next suburb saying `Riverside next 12 exits` !
Actually, this reminds me of an amusing sign I saw in NZ which said "Merge, like a zip" which I did not understand at all until my back seat driver (Tracey) explained it ie one from the left lane, one from the right etc.
We took freeway 91 east and north towards the mountains that ring the city on the northern side. After about 45 minutes on the freeway we had reached San Bernadino, and we took Highway 18 up into the mountains. This road takes about 12 miles to take you from sea level to well over 5,500 feet (Ben Nevis is 4400 feet). The road starts as a two lane dual carriage way, but after about half way it turns into a normal one lane road. There were some incredible views of the surrounding hills and the San Bernadino Valley as we ascended, and the temperature dropped from about 75F in the valley to a low of 43F.
As we went up we could see the road above us, and on a couple of occasions considered turning around at the sight of some of the dramatic twists and turns it was making whilst hanging out from the edge of the mountain. We eventually rose above the snowline we had seen from the valley, floor and it soon became clear that a lot of snow had fallen very recently, despite the blue skies we have seen since being here. Cars were coming down with huge piles of snow on their roofs, and then some with snow chains on.
When we eventually got to Arrowhead Lake at the top it was obvious that the town had only just become reachable by vehicle. Snow was piled high everywhere where roads had been cleared, although pavements were still under snow, and everyone was walking around very gingerly. Huge icicles were hanging from the buildings, and a lot of the buildings had that fairytale quality you get after a fresh snowfall. The town is a bit of a picture postcard place anyway, nestling in the woods, right next to a lake, with lots of holiday cabins around. Most vehicles that were on the move were pickups with snow chains, and a lot of vehicles clearly had not moved over the xmas period and were still piled high with snow.
We stopped at the lakeside Cheeky Monkey cafe to have a sandwich and a coffee, then made our way back to where we had parked the car, which was like an ice rink - we did feel the part though with our 4x4 Ford Explorer.
We then drove back down into the valley, and on our way back to the hotel took a detour around Matthew Lake, in the hills near Corona, which is actually a reservoir, and was curiously very far from being full despite the season ie winter. We had noticed earlier a sign stating that the danger of forest fire was hire, which seems understandable because of the cloudless blue skies and high temperatures, but contradicts the fact that there had clearly been a lot of snow/rain fall recently, at least in the mountains.
Naomi & Ali returned at 6.15pm from a hard day`s Disneying. We then decided we would all go back over to Disney for eats and to see the holiday firework and light show. As the show did not start until 9.30pm, we decided to try and go on some rides, however despite the time and the fact that it was now dark, there were long queues for a lot of the main rides. Naomi & Ali were keen for Paul & tracey to go on the scary rides (it`s not a very steep drop, honest!), so in the end we went on Pirates of the Carribean, Splash Mountain, Indiana Jones, and Haunted Mansion. Pirates we had done before and is a very impressive homage to the film, Splash has a big drop and yes we got wet, Indiana Jones is good, but over too quickly, and Haunted Mansion has now been changed to a Nightmare before Xmas homage, but was still very good.
After a couple of rides N & A left us to do the extreme stuff, and we went and watched the tamer xmas fireworks/light show. We eventually got back to the room at 11.30pm for a post Disney chillout Bacardi & Coke (we did not have any Jack Daniels), and awaited N&A`s return which was at 12.10am after having been chucked out by the cleaners ! We worked out that N&A have spent 13 hours in Disney today.
Tomorrow, we head off down south to San Diego for a couple of days.
Another day of blue skies and comfortably warm temperatures reaching a high of 70F at about 4pm (an hour before sunset).
Left Anaheim at 10am and joined freeway 5 south towards our next destination - San Diego. Our first stop after about 15 miles was the mission at San Juan Capistrano in Orange County. The mission was founded over 200 years ago and was originally built by Spanish padres and indians as a self sufficient community, becoming a centre for agriculture, industry, education and religion. The mission is a pleasant place to stop for 30 minutes with it`s peaceful courtyards and orange groves. The town has a reputation for having swallows visit, and there are nests within the mission. We also saw several hummingbirds which I had never seen before.
We then left San Juan Capistrano and rejoined Freeway 5 south, occassionally taking one of the exits to join the Pacific Coast Highway 1, which we followed south of San Fansisco last year.
Just before reaching the outskirts of San Diego, we stopped at the seaside resort of La Jolla, which has a large retirement community. By now it was quite hot so we parked on the seafront and spent some time on the beach. I have really been quite surprised how warm and sunny it has been in California in the winter - we literally have not seen a cloud since we arrived in CA. After a quick dip in the Pacific which was a very pleasant temperature, we walked 5 minutes up the beach, where there were some seals basking on the sand - these are protecyted by federal law here, so they are not disturbed by the human population. There were also a group of pelicans basking in the sun.
We then got back into the car for the 10 mile drive down into San Diego. We are staying in an area called Coronado which is a beach community to the west of San Diego, on a small island linked to the mainland by the very dramatic Coronado Bay Bridge - a concrete structure that curves 80 degrees, is 2 miles long and has a maximum height of 200 feet, and looks as you drive on, a bit like a roller coaster !
Here in Coronado we are only 10 miles from the Mexican border. The area is clearly quite well off and has lots of hotels and eating places, as well as fantastic sandy beach that stretches for miles. The area is also the home of a large US Navy Base.
Once we booked into the La Avenida Inn Motel on the main street (Orange Avenue), we used the last hour of daylight to go and see the beach a few hundred yards from our accommodation. We got quite a surprise to see ice skating going on on the beach - a special seasonal treat for visitors ! The beach is lovely here - sandy, clean, safe and miles of sand. Had fun using the oncoming sunset to take unusual photos on the beach of our shadows etc and Naomi and Ali went into the sea for the second time today.
Once the sun went down, we returned to the room for a shower, and then went to the restaurant next door and had a lovely locally caught swordfish meal.
Woke up to more blue skies - San Diego has an average annual temperature of 71F and the coldest month is January. It also has an annual rainfall of just 10 inches - this contrasts with Milford Sound in NZ where we were earlier in the month - this has annual rainfall of 9 metres !
Anyway, as the others were not looking like getting up anytime soon, I took the car to the local garage to fill up (just $40 for a tank full of unleaded !), and then headed south along the Silver Strand Boulevard - a man made spit of land about 5 miles long that was built during the second world war to link what was north and south Coronado Island. There are some good views of the city across the bay, and the Coronado Bay Bridge.
At the end of this drive is Imperial Beach - the last town before the Mexican border at this point (although there is no border crossing here). There is though a traditional wooden pier, which again gives good views back to the city.
After this, I drove back to the hotel to meet with the others to go and pick up the San Diego Trolley Bus, which we had pre booked. This takes you on a 2 hour narrated drive around the cities sights, allowing you to alight and return to the bus at specified points on the route.
The journey started omniously when a woman shut one of the windows on her fingers before we had even turned a wheel, meaning that a paramedic that happened to be on baord did some emergency running repairs (a plaster and an ice pack from a nearby pizza parlour), and Bill the driver had to fill in lots of paperwork. About 25 minutes later another trolley bus came along and we jumped on that.
The tour took us from Coronado Island back over the bridge and up freeway 5 to the San Diego zoo. This is one of the biggest zoos in the world, and the car park alone seemd to be the size of a small town. Next it was on to Balboa Park where there are loads of free sporting facilities and museums as well as many buildings built in various architectural styles.
Next it was on to Old Town where we got off the bus to find something to eat. The Old Town is now a recognised California Park - it is where the original spanish explorers first settled. Unfortunately nowadays it has the feel of a film set, The architectural and culteral influences include, spanish, red indian, and American old West. It is certainly the place to buy your souveneirs.
We had some nice mexican food at a small cafe, and then headed back to the bus, which headed down the harbour front. This is a huge long strip and includes a Cruise Ship Terminal, the Star Of India which is the oldest original sea going tall Ship, the vessel that was used in the Russell Crowe film Master and Commander, the Midway Aircraft Carrier Museum, the Coronado Ferry, and Seaport Village, which was our next stop. Here there were several street vendors selling all sorts of goods, but we limited ourselves to a stroll along the sea front with views over the bay to Coronado, and the Coronado Bay Bridge. Ali and Naomi found a man with lots of parrots, one of which was placed on their shoulders for a photo opportunity - unfortunately I was not ready with the camera, although Ali confirms that it was yellow parrott and contrasted nicely with her purple top.
Up to this point the weather had been warm and sunny, with totally blue skies, but then at 3.30pm completely out of nowhere a fog fell over San Diego and the tops of the buildings completely disappeaerd, with the temperature dropping several degrees, and leaving me feeling rather foolish in my sunglasses and shorts ! At this point we decided to catch the next trolley bus back to our hotel.
Later in the evening we went to the local Deli/Liquor store to get provisions for the evening and tomorrow - we a=will be travelling north back to LA and our flight back to London.
Today we are travelling north back to LA and a flight back to Heathrow. Personally, I could quite easily carry on living out of a suitcase and travelling around (although I may need to wash a few clothes !). We have all greatly enjoyed our trip, and there have been so many highlights, that when we were trying to name our favourite bits, we all struggled as there were so many. We also struggled to remember things we had done a couple of weeks ago, so this blog will be a useful reminder, along with all our photos.
We left San Diego at 10am for the 130 mile trip back to LAX (airport). It was another pleasantly warm day but there was still a slight mist lingering from the day before. We stopped after about an hour or so at San Juan Capistrano again, as it was about half way, and had a cup of coffee and a snack. Then it was back on the freeway/interstate for a final drive across LA.
We dropped our rental car off, then proceeded to the airport and the customs control, which was actually not too bad. There were still alot of people travelling despite (or perhaps because of) New Year`s day. Our flight was due to take off at about 4pm, but was delayed by about 20 minutes. By coincidence, 4pm was the time that you in the UK were celebrating the beginning of 2009.
When we got on the aircraft the pilot welcomed us by wishing those from the UK a happy new year, and we had the option of champagne as a drink when the first round of refreshments came round. By this time the weather had close in at LA and the fog had returned. The 10 hour flight was probably the worst long haul we had done on this trip because we were surrounded by babies and did not get any sleep. We landed at Heathrow at 10.30am and were through the airport within an hour.
WE were quite shocked by the cold when we exited the airport to catch the shuttle bus to our car, and we immediately had to put another two layers on ! As we were driving back along the M4 we were greeted with a bit of a winter wonderland as all the fields and trees still had a white layer on them from the morning`s heavy frost - the car recorded a temperature of 0C, and the day was grey and foggy - what a return.
We arrived thankfully back home at about 2pm, having stopped at a service station for some essential supplies, and spent the next hour shivering as we tried to warm the house up following it`s month being empty. I had explained to everyone on the way back that although we may all be tired it would be best if we tried to make it to early evening before going to bed, to try and get back to the normal sleeping patterns. At about 3.30pm we all went to bed !
We eventually got up at about 6.30pm, had a light meal, watched the film "Hancock" that Dewi had given us when we left NZ, then back to bed. By 4.30am we were all up again, and by 9am we all back in bed ! Hopefully we will have it sorted by Monday !!
This is the last entry on this blog - hopefully you have enjoyed reading and it has given you an idea about what we have been up to, and what the place we have visited have been like. I have enjoyed doing it, although it has sometimes felt like a bit of chore having to organise a connection each time you arrive somewhere - certainly the qulaity of connection has varied. What I do have now though is a record of what we have done that I can keep - at the very least this will help me organise the 1000+ photos I took !!
The first day of our family trip to Turkey for a short week's break following the completion of Naomi's & Ali's exams. We are staying in the Art Bodrum Hotel in Gumbet/Bizet. On leaving the plane we knew it was going to be a hot week with tempratures in the mid 40s C. The transfer by coach took about 40 minutes from the reasonably new airport on the north of the Bodrum Peninsula. On arrival at the hotel we spent the rest of the day looking around our home for the next 7 days. The hotel consists of small separate apartments on the side of a hill overlooking Bizet Beach and has 3 pools. In the early evening we walked down the steep hill to have a look at the beach. We watched the sun go down back at the hotel as we ate our evening meal alfresco.
Our first full day in Turkey. Spent the morning chilling by the pool, then in the afternoon took a trip into Gumbet using the local bus (Dolmus) which stops just outside the hotel. The centre of Gumbet is only a short 10 minute journey, which is just as well in this heat as the only ventilation is from the small open windows when the bus is moving. Took a walk along the beach which was bustling. Eventually found a spot on the beach where we stayed for a while and had a cocktail. The beach is only very thin all along this coast and so it is only a few paces to get into the sea, which is just as well because the sand in the mid afternoon heat was impossible to walk on in bare feet. We all had a swim in the sea which was not quite as warm as we expected. Later we went back to the hotel, but not before identifying a suitable bar to return to later in the evening. Once fed and watered, it was back on the Dolmus to Gumbet Beach and to the Cozzy Bar where we had a good evening which culminated in some male belly dancing and a slightly bizarre cabaret and snake show.
After another lazy morning round the pool, after lunch, we all headed off into Bodrum, which is about 20 minutes on the Dolmus. Bodrum is a bustling town with a nice sea front where you can walk along and look at all the boats in the marina. It also has a famous castle and a large mosque, as well as the usual network of thin windy streets filled with every kind of shop. As it was so hot we felt it only right that we should spend time in one of the many bars along the front by the marina. Back at the hotel, we had another excellent meal, before going down to Bizet in the evening for a beach party, where some of us danced around the fire and Naomi and Ali entered a limbo competition, with Naomi coming second !
Today we went on a cruise up the Bodrum Peninsula coast on a Gulet - a wooden motor sailing boat used extensively in the local area. Once again a very hot day in the mid 40Cs so looking forward to getting out on the sea (and in it). We got picked up from our hotel and driven down to Gumbet where we boarded our Gulet once having given the crew our shoes - they promised to give them back later ! The Gulet had a flat roof where you could sunbathe, whilst the main deck comprised of a shaded area with some tables and chairs for those who wished to get out of the sun, and more open areas at the bow and stern for those who didn't. Once on the move it was nice to have a bit of breeze. The sea was a lovely blue and generally calm. We cruised for about 40 minutes up the coast before our first stop at "Camel Beach" (not it's real name). Here we were given back our shoes and had an hour on shore to get some refreshments, stretch our legs, or of course ride a camel, which all four of us wanted to do. Having never ridden a camel before it was good to be able to have the experience, but we only had chance for a few minutes aboard the ship of the desert by the time the owners had coaxed them to stand up, and we only went around the back of the nearest building and returned, still it was a great experience and I could easily imagine going on a longer trek on a camel given a chance ! Back on the gulet having given up our shoes again, we cruised on until we dropped anchor near a small cove for lunch - all food and drink was provided. After we had eaten, a lot of us left the Gulet (in a variety of ways) to have a swim in the sea which was lovely and warm. Later we cruised on for a while longer before dropping anchor again further up the coast, for a further swim with a school of fishes, who were easily pursuaded to perform for the passengers when given bread by the crew. Finally back on board after our swim, we headed back to Gumbet and on to the hotel for the rest of the evening.
Spent another relaxing morning beside the pool. After another fantastic hotel buffet lunch, we went into Bodrum again with a view to visiting the castle. Unfortunately, the castle does not open on Monday, so we decided to do the ten minute walk in land to visit one of the seven ancient wonders of the world - the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus. Once we left the main road we had to negotiate a thin walkway running around the back of some houses, before coming out on a quiet suburban road. We turned right to where we thought the Mausoleum must be but did not immediately see any sign of it as there was no signs and simply a whitewashed wall, and a closed metal driveway gate. On peering through the gate, we realised that this must be the entrance, and after sliding the gate back, we entered and eventually found a man to give our small entrance fee to. Halicarnassus is the name for what is now called Bodrum, and the mausoleum was originally bulit in 351BC and was 135 feet tall. Now there are only some fallen pillars and a couple of tunnels, but there are some impressive pictures of what it used to look like. After we had looked round we headed back into the town, and went into one of the many bars that hang over the water and look over the bay towards the castle. We had a nice drink whilst watching the fishes. We then caught the Dolmus back to the hotel.
Once again did nothing much in the morning except chill out by the pool. We followed that with an early lunch at the hotel, before catching the Dolmus back into Bodrum for a second attempt at visiting the castle. On arrival had a drink in Ali Babar's sea front bar, before heading to the castle which we found open today. It is a lovely place to walk around, with shaded areas to sit out of the sun, lots of individual rooms off the little squares and courtyards that have various exhibits, and brilliant views of the town and coastline from the walls that you can make your way around. After the castle, we had another look around the local shops before heading back to the hotel. After dinner, we walked back down to Bizet Beach for another nice evening at the Cozzy Bar.
Our last full day in Turkey and we spent the early part of it once again around the pool. Later in the afternoon, we took the Dolmus into Gumbet and went down to the beach. After a spell in a bar, Naomi and Ali expressed a desire to undertake some water bourne activity in the bay, so a few minutes later they were out on the water being dragged along at high speed on an inflatable sofa ! Nothing could really top that so afterwards we made our way back to the hotel with a last ride on the local Dolmus. We spent the rest of the evening in the hotel bar overlooking Bizet Bay.
Got up early as we are travelling back to the UK today and we leave the hotel at 10am for the airport. We have had a good time, the hotel has been great, the staff friendly, and the weather has been perfect. The food at the hotel has also been excellent. Took a final couple of photos across Bizet from the hotel, had breakfast, and then we were off. The flight was delayed by about 20 minutes, but we eventually landed at Gatwick on time.
This all seems a bit strange as I attended my father’s funeral yesterday, but we booked this trip some time ago, and I know he would have wanted us to go, so here we are in Rome.
We started off this morning for Bristol airport in the drizzle looking forward to seeing some Italian sun. The flight was on time and the weather was good and we had excellent views of the Alps, and then Rome as we descended into Ciampino airport in the south east of the city at 3.40pm. We got straight through passport control and our suitcase was the 4th on the carousel so we got through the airport in record time – 15 minutes from stepping off the plane to getting out of the airport. This was great except that we had booked a 5.20pm coach into the city centre, so after a quick discussion with the relevant information desk, we arranged to catch an earlier coach at 4.15pm. Standing outside waiting for the coach it was quite warm (about 21C), and so the jacket came off and sunglasses went on.
The journey into the centre took about 40 minutes and the coach dropped us at Termini main line station. We descended into the maelstrom that is a city centre railway station and found the Metro entrance. A helpful local guided us through the process of buying a metro ticket and then we made our way down to the platform to go the three stops north on the B line to Piazza Bolgna. As our train pulled in we fought valiantly against hundreds of Roman commuters to squeeze our suitcases and ourselves onto the carriage......but failed miserably. Oh well, there will be another one along shortly. This time we were ready, and as the train came to a stop we shoved our way to the front with shouts of “scusi”.....and we were on! Alighting at Piazza Bologna, we quickly found the street where our hotel was and within a few minutes had made it to our room.
The area is a mixture of residential and retail with lots of flats which have shops at street level. Once we had unpacked we set off to explore the immediate area. By now it was dark, but most of the shops were still open. Just around the corner we could buy some Calvin Klein underwear or a handbag, but we had to walk a bit further to find a supermarket and some food. There were a lot of street vendors selling bags and jewellery etc that were still there well into the evening. We found a supermarket called Punto where we got some snacks and drink and then retired to the hotel for the night. It is quite a warm night and I can hear the sounds of a vibrant city coming through the open windows. Tomorrow it is Tracey’s birthday and we are off to do some sightseeing.
It’s Tracey’s birthday today and as we opened the curtains this morning we could see it was going to be a nice day – bright sun and not a cloud in the sky (Scorchio!). Once we had eaten breakfast we picked up our complimentary ‘City Box’ – a picnic bag to take with us containing sandwiches fruit and water. We set off at 9am to walk round to the Metro station and go the 5 stops south to the Colosseum.
The metro costs 1 euro for a 75 minute ticket which would take you easily to either end of the line on both the Line A or B. You can also get day tickets for 4 euros and weekly tickets as well. We opted for a 4 euro ticket and set off. As you come out of the Metro the Colosseum is directly opposite, however you first have to take your life into your hands crossing the 4 or 5 lane road. Although it was still early there were hundreds of people milling about, including numerous Roman Centurians (see photos) ! We took a walk around the outside of the building, and then made our way to the entrance, however it turned out that it was closed due to industrial action ! We intend to return tomorrow. Our next stop was the Roman Forum opposite, but that was also closed, so we had to content ourselves with peering through the railings.
Undaunted, we set off in a westerly direction to find the River Tiber and take a stroll along the bank. We had to cross several main roads and the traffic was absolutely gridlocked, although this was not helped by the fact that the local police had cordoned off a couple of roads for some reason. Apparently only local residents are allowed to drive in the centre of Rome to try and reduce congestion, however I think further measures are needed.
We joined the river at the point that the Ponte Palatino crosses and started making our way north up the east bank. This is the equivalent of walking along the embankment in London – I would say that the Tiber is slightly less wide than the Thames as it makes it’s way through the city, but it looks a lot cleaner, and there are well maintained cycle tracks running all along the length that we walked.
At Ponte Fabricio we walked over to the tiny island of Isola in the middle of the river where we stopped in a small cafe to have a coffee outside in the sun. By now it was getting very hot and I was regretting not wearing my shorts. Back on the main road, we continued north along the tree lined avenue, stopping at each bridge to take photos and look up and down the river. At Ponte Sant Angelo, which in common with several of the bridges is pedestrianised, we crossed to the west bank to have a closer look at Sant Angelo Castle. This is now a museum but we did not go in as the weather was so nice. From here you get a good view straight down the Via Della Conciliazione to the Vatican and St Peter’s Square. We will probably visit there tomorrow.
By now it was lunch time, so we found a suitable place to sit near the castle, looking over the river to the heart of the city, and ate our ‘City Box’. Having eaten, we set off again north and re-crossed the river on the Ponte Umberto to make our way to the Piazza Navona. Once you leave the river, it all becomes a maze of tiny cobbled lanes and piazzas, and we were glad that we had a good street map with us which we had picked up at the airport. These tiny streets and squares have got so much character, with busy bars and cafes, and small boutiques everywhere you look. There is also as much to see by looking up at the buildings surrounding you, as what you are seeing at ground level. There appears to be no buildings in the centre of Rome that are more than 6 or 7 stories high, and no modern office blocks at all.
After a couple of wrong turns we finally emerged from the sun starved alleys and lanes, blinking into the bright sun in Piazza Navona. This is one of the main squares where tourists and locals come to sit and have a coffee or a beer and watch the world go by. Not to be outdone, we did exactly that, although at 8 euros for a beer and about the same for a glass of wine, we made them last ! The square is built around the fountain in the centre and there were hundreds of local artists selling paintings and hand made jewellery.
On leaving Piazza Navona, we did the short walk to the Pantheon. This is a temple that dates back to the 2nd century AD, and is famous for it’s huge domed roof. It is free to go in and has an amazing marble floor. At this point we were starting to feel a bit weary, so decided to make our way to the nearest Metro station, however there was still plenty to see on the way. We passed Tempio Adriano with it’s many pillars, Palazo Montecitorio, and the Trevi Fountain, which was swarming with tourists. Tracey did the throwing ‘three coins in the fountain’ bit, although owing to the high cost of the drinks earlier, it was strictly low denomination coins.
It was then a five minute walk to Barberini Metro station where we picked up the B Line south a couple of stops to Termini station, where we changed on to the A Line back north to Piazza Bologna and our hotel. Termini was as busy as ever and we were absolutely jammed into the train for the three stops. We arrived back at the hotel at about 4pm for a rest before going out again for something to eat, and to ensure that we got full value from our day Metro ticket !
At about 6.45 pm we set off back to the Metro to return to the Colosseum in order to see it lit up at night. We arrived a little after 7pm and naturally the crowds had thinned considerably. It looked quite impressive all lit up and we managed to take a couple of good photos. We then walked up through some gardens opposite to a road that overlooked the Colosseum, and found a restaurant where you could sit outside and eat whilst looking over at the building. After a tasty meal of spaghetti and cannelloni, we caught the metro back to the hotel, stopping on the way at the Punto Supermecato again to stock up on provisions (alcohol including birthday fizz and snacks) !
The two capital cities that lie closest to each other geographically are Rome and Vatican City. Today we are going to visit Vatican City, the smallest independent state in the world, covering approximately 100 acres. It has a population of about 1,000 and it’s own militia – the Swiss Guard.
Before all that, we had breakfast and picked up two City Boxes again with our complimentary sandwiches. It was a hot again last night and we kept the air conditioning on all night – this morning the sun was out again as we set off for the metro.
We bought another 4 Euro day ticket, and then caught the B Line train south to the ever busy Termini, and then changed onto the A line to go the 6 stops north west to Ottaviano station for Vatican City. The entrance to the city is via St Peter’s Square which is only a short walk from the Metro, however as we got nearer, it became increasingly clear that something was happening as there were hundreds of teenagers about with scarves and banners. On entering the square we encountered a crowd of thousands – we had arrived on the day of the annual Catholic Youth gathering (or at least that was what it appeared to be – we never found out exactly what it was).
There was no way we could make our way beyond the entrance to the square as it was simply a sea of flag waving, chanting, singing Italian youth. We assumed that they were there for the day so decided to walk around the outside of the square to try and gain access to the museum and Cistine Chapel, and eventually joined the end of a very long queue. By now it was about 11am and the sun was nice and warm, but after an hour and a half shuffling forward in the queue and still not getting near the entrance we gave up.
We walked back to the Metro and back two stops to Flaminio station. Just before this station the train unusually emerges onto ground level to cross the River Tiber via the Nenni Bridge and shares the bridge with two way car traffic, becoming almost like a tram. At Flaminio we left the Metro and walked into what we were hoping would be a nice quiet square (Piazza Di Popolo) where we could get away from the crowds and grab a drink.
It was nice and quiet when we arrived but it was obvious that an event was going to be held here later in the day (it is a Bank Holiday weekend here). We found a seat in the sun outside a cafe on a corner of the square and had a beer and coffee that were marginally cheaper than yesterday. We then decided to climb up the steps at the back of the square to the Villa Borghese – a large park area where we hoped to get some views of the city. We did get some good views of the city, however we also saw something else – a sea of humanity was flooding down main street towards the square – it was the massed Italian Catholic Youth movement again !
At least up in the park we felt safe from them so we grabbed a seat next to a fountain and ate our sandwiches. As we sat there we could hear something in the background – chanting and singing – they were coming up into the park to eat their packed lunches ! That was enough – we headed back down into the face of the hoards and fought our way back to the Metro to escape. We went another 3 stops back south on Line A to Repubblica where we got off to look around Piazza della Repubblica.
We then walked the few hundred yards down to Termini Station and boarded the train back to our local stop at Piazza Bologna. Before walking back to the hotel, we stopped at the local supermarket again for some salad and snacks, then got a slice of takeaway Pizza in a nearby bar. Back at the hotel we chilled out before we ventured out again later in the evening.
Having failed miserably to see much of St Peter’s Square earlier in the day, we set off again at 6pm to repeat our journey to Vatican City and see what it was like lit up in the dark and with fewer people. By the time we arrived there were only small pockets of people wandering about and most of the buildings and fountain were well lit so that we could get some good photos.
We then walked down the Via Della Conciliazione to Sant Angelo castle by the River Tiber which we saw yesterday – this was also all lit up. We then strolled along the River until we reached Cavour Bridge, which we crossed to head back to the Metro. It was a lovely warm evening and there were plenty of people about as it was Saturday night. We headed up Via Condotti which has every designer label shop you could think of – Prada, Gucci, Cartier, Jimmy Choo, Dior, etc. We were also surprised to suddenly come across a Ferrari F1 car in the window of a shop – it turned out to be a Ferrari store where you could buy a baseball cap for £35, a jumper for £95, or get your picture taken with the car for £16.
At the top of the street is Trinita dei Monti – a church set atop a steep set of steps which were crowded with tourists. At the top of the steps you could get glorious views of the city. We went back down to the square at the foot of the steps and found a takeaway pizza and ice cream shop to cater for our immediate needs. We then caught the Metro from the nearby Spagna station back to our hotel, and retired for the night.
We got up early today to make a second attempt at getting in to the Cistine Chapel. We left the hotel at just gone 7.30am and made the return journey to Vatican City. Unfortunately, as we were approaching we could see the queue ahead – it was even longer than yesterday and the museum and Chapel was not even open yet. There was ome light drizzle (although there was 98% humidity!) but this had not put people off clearly. We decided to give up and turned around to get back to the Metro to make our way to the Colosseum.
On arrival we were pleased to see that the queues were short and within 10 minutes or so we were in having bought a joint ticket to access the Roman Forum over the road as well. There were not too many people walking around, and we spent a pleasant hour wandering about inside, occasionally stopping to listen to tour guides giving their groups some detail of the history of the place. Afterwards we retired to a nearby cafe for coffee.
Next we went into the Roman Forum which covers quite a large area and was formerly a place of trade, worship, social gatherings, political demonstrations and announcements. You could spend hours wandering around the fallen pillars, remains of churches, and gardens. Part of the grounds are quite high up and give some spectacular views of the city.
Next it was back to the Metro and a couple of stops south to Piramide station simply because it sounded intriguing. The Metro actually goes overground here and the area appears a lot more suburban. The reason for the name becomes apparent as you leave the station – a large stone pyramid sits there making up part of a wall, some of which is castellated and all next to a busy roundabout. It seems to be a bit of a curio/folly, but there did not appear to be any immediately obvious explanation or information about it.
By now 3 solid days of walking around Rome was beginning to take it’s toll, so we decided to head back to the hotel to re-group before heading back out later this afternoon.
At about 3.30pm we set off again to Spagna Metro Station to see Trinita Dei Monti and (what we now know to be the Spanish Steps) in the daylight. Like yesterday there were hundreds of people milling around taking in the atmosphere on the steps, and looking at the view from the church at the top. Once dusk started to settle at about 5pm (as the clocks went back last night) we went to the neighbouring square (Piazza Mignanelli) and had a pizza at the Cafe Leonardo.
Afterwards we set out to walk the short distance to the Trevi Fountain to see it in the dark. It is Halloween tonight but I think we only saw about 4 people dressed up in Halloween gear. The atmosphere at Trevi Fountain was amazing. There were literally thousands of people sitting around the fountain, and people constantly coming and going, taking photos of each other chucking coins in the water. We sat there for about an hour people watching and drinking a bottle of wine. The rain from this morning was long gone and it was a lovely mild night. Later, we left to do the short walk to Barberini Metro station to return to our hotel.
Unfortunately today we leave Rome. We have had a great time and seen plenty considering we have had a relatively short time here.
Our flight was due to leave Ciampino Airport at noon, so after a leisurely breakfast, we packed and left the hotel at about 8.45am. The hotel (Mercure at Piazza Bologna) has been pretty good with reasonable size rooms and helpful staff, however if breakfast has not been included it is very expensive to buy, and there was not much choice especially for vegetarians. The real advantage of the hotel is the location with easy access to the Metro, some handy shops and cafes right round the corrner, and more reasonable room prices than equivalent hotels right in the city centre.
We had booked a bus back to the airport with Terravision and picked this up right outside the main line rail station at Termini - the journey took about 30 minutes - a lot quicker than on the way in as today is a Bank Holiday in Italy. Although it was warm and humid, it had been dry until we reached the airport, at which point it really started to hammer down, and by the time we were ready to take off after a short delay, there was an electrical storm in full swing.
The pilot promised us a bumpy ride initially, and he was not wrong with one particularly stomach churning drop not long after take off. He later let us know that he had gone 25 miles off course to avoid the worst of the storm ! Ironically, it was dry and sunny when we got back to Bristol (although 10-15 degrees cooler) and we got some excellent views over Bristol as we approached the airport including the Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol City's football ground, and the new Severn Bridge. We will now have to start looking forward to our trip to Malaysia in the new year.
We started our trip straight after work on Friday 28/1/11 with a 2 hour drive down the M4 from Bristol to the Radisson Edwardian Hotel right next to Heathrow. We are leaving our car here whilst we are away. We took advantage of a two for one offer at the Henley Restaurant then retired for an early night as we have almost two days in one tomorrow.
At 7.15am on Saturday 29/1/11 we caught the hotel shuttle bus round the corner to Heathrow to catch the 10.45am Malaysian Airlines flight to Kuala Lumpur. We were well fed during the flight and the air hostesses wore particularly fetching outfits, but after 12 hours in the air and nearly 7,000 miles, we were glad to get off at Kuala Lumpur airport at about 7.30am on Sunday 30/1/11.
First impressions of Malaysia on leaving the airport were : steamy, sultry and wet. It was about 26C at 8.30am and overcast. Our transfer into the city was a 10 seater van which we had all to ourselves, and the driver promised us it would be raining all day....and he was right.
It is about a 40 minute drive into the city of Kuala Lumpur (or KL as the locals call it), and there was little traffic around as it was Sunday. Only 10 minutes from the airport, you can just make out the Formula One Circuit at Sepang. We were dropped at our hotel – the Dorsett Regency which is very central. Our room was not available so we shed some clothes in the hotel wash rooms, left our cases with the concierge and set off to explore....umbrella in hand.
Clutching a hotel street map, and with some slightly complicated sounding directions, we navigated our way down a couple of side streets to get to the nearest rail station – Bukit Bintang, which was about 5 minutes away. This gives access to the Monorail which runs North South through the city between the main rail terminus (KL Sentral), and the interestingly named Titiwangsa station. From Bukit Bintang it only costs 2 Ringitts to go to either end of the line (40p).
We took the Monorail one stop to Raja Chulan, where we got off to do the short walk up to the KL (or Menara Tower). This is the 4th tallest tower in the world (421 metres), and it’s biggest claim to fame is that from the observation deck near the top you can look down on the tallest building in the world – The Petronas Twin Towers building (the Taipei 101 building has been the tallest since 2004). Presumably the distinction is that a ‘tower’ is not actually actively occupied like a ‘building’ is. Canada has the tallest tower (CN Tower), and the Sky Tower in Auckland that we visited in 2008 only comes in 10th. There are naturally some great views of the city to be had from the KL Tower, however the rain and clouds did distract a bit from the views today.
We returned to ground level and returned to the Monorail station. There are a lot of lanterns and lights hanging from trees and buildings at the moment – this is in anticipation of the Chinese New Year which is on Wednesday 3/2/11. This year it is the year of the rabbit.
We took the Monorail south to KL Sentral Station as we had heard that architecturally it was worth seeing, however there was a lot of building work going on so we came away disappointed. The Monorail runs at about 20 foot above the streets in most places and so gave us a good chance to see a bit of the city. At one point it crosses a river and Tracey claims she saw a small alligator sitting on the bank, although this could not be verified. We did however both see a Malaysian ‘ladyboy’ at the main station, although I am not sure whether this made up for the lack of stunning architecture.
By now it was gone noon, so we made our way back to the hotel, and finally got into our room (on the 26th floor!) after about 20 hours solid travelling and sightseeing. We intend to chill out for a while before venturing forth in the evening, if we have the energy. Having siad that, I have jusst looked at the forecast and there is going to be 30 MM (!) of rain tonight so I am not sure about going back out after all.
Despite the rain we decided to walk round the corner to find some food rather than eat in the hotel. On entering the Pavillion Mall we found a huge 6 storey shopping complex with a massive choice of eating places as well as a huge area dedicated to the forthcoming Chinese New Year. After thinking long and hard we decided to get something to eat at a stall that was doing various foods on hot plates. I had grilled Stingray....I could not persuade Tracey to have the Marmite Chicken (!) so she ended up with hot Chicken and green beans. It seems here you can get chicken done in almost any way imaginable whilst other meats are conspicuous by their absence.
We then went into a supermarket to get something to take back to the room : Strong Lager and cider £1 a bottle/can, and a £4 75CL bottle of Malaysian brewed rice wine 48% proof !
We stopped off to look around the Chinese area, and Paul beat a drum for good health. Back outside it was now dark (sunset and sunrise vary by only about half an hour year round and it always gets dark at about 7.30pm). This showed off all the lights and Chinese lanterns that were up in the street. There were also fountains with light displays to set it all off. Finally as we walked back to the hotel, we caught a glimpse of the Petronas Towers Building all lit up with cloud around it – see photo.
Tomorrow we intend to go North out of the city to visit the Batu Caves.
Got up this morning to find it is still raining, although still very warm ! We left the hotel at about 9.15 and walked round the corner to catch the Monorail back down to KL Sentral station to pick up the Kommuter Line northwards out of the city to Batu Caves. The ticket cost us 40p return for a 40 minute round trip journey. Whilst we were waiting for the connection we noticed that part of the platform was marked off for “Ladies only waiting at all times” which was strictly observed. The train when it arrived also had a Ladies only carriage, although Tracey agrred to travel with me in the mixed sex area !
It was once again very hot and humid today, and we were finding that once we got off the air conditioned trains our glasses immediately steamed up ! Although the platforms are usually partly open to the elements they are also often air conditioned by way of strategically placed fans, although these are usually only affective if you stand directly underneath them.
The Batu Caves stop is only a 2 minute walk from the caves which are within a huge rock outcrop – this means you have to actually walk up to get to the entrance of the caves – 272 steps to be precise. At the foot of the steps is a giant gold statue. As you walk up the steps you have to try and avoid tripping over the hordes of Macaque Monkeys which are continually running and climbing all over the steps and inside the caves – check out the videos for a couple of clips of said monkeys.
Once inside you find yourself in a massive cavern with a roof hundreds of feet above your head. Part of the roof is open to the weather. Inside the cavern is a hindu temple which attracts thousands of visitors each year.
Once we came out of the caves it had finally stopped raining although the grey clouds remained. We headed back to the station and caught the next train back into the city. Since writing yesterday’s blog I have realised that the station with the interesting architecture is not in fact KL Sentral but the station just north of it – Kuala Lumpur, which was the original station which acted as a terminus and central terminal before the new one was built. We therefore alighted there on the way back to take a couple of photos.
We then walked the short distance to the massive national mosque, but it was closed to non Muslim visitors so we carried on to Chinatown which is a short walk just the other side of the river. As expected this was a hive of human activity with literally thousands stalls and shops – if you want to buy leather goods or watches, this is the place to come. There are also any number of places to eat, but we passed them by on this occasion as we intend to eat out tonight. We therefore bought ourselves a sandwich and a drink and sat down on a step to watch the world go by.
Whilst we were there we struck up a conversation with one of the locals who had decided to do the same as us and stop for a snack. He assured us that the amount of rain we had seen over the last 48 hours was not typical – it is usually in short sharp bursts and not continual. He did say however that it was a mixed blessing because it kept the heat down as it is usually very hot at this time of year. Interestingly he said that the locals did not like the humidity at the moment, where you might expect them to be used to it – I did mention how cold it was when we left the UK though ! He also mentioned that Penang, our next stop is likely to be very busy with city dwellers who have gone there for a few days to celebrate the Chinese New Year. He reckoned that KL would be quiet – people work in the city but go elsewhere to holiday.
We then walked to the Pasar Seni station where we caught the (semi) underground line to KLCC – Kuala Lumpar Convention Centre which is where the Petronas Twin Towers are. This area hosts a large shopping Mall (underneath the towers) and gardens, lakes, offices, and Convention Venue. The gardens and lakes are a tranquil area to get away from the noise (if not the heat) of the city. We could not go up the tower today (closed on Mondays) so we sat in the gardens for a while before walking the 15 minutes or so back to our hotel for a rest before we go out this evening.
At 7pm we left to find something to eat - ending up in Madam Kwan's who serve "authentic Malaysian cuisine". Tracey ordered what she thought was prawn noodles and got one absolutely enormous prawn on a bed of noodles with an unknown asian vegatable (which looked a bit like asparagus). I had fried squid starter which was huge and bigger than my main course - Lotus root and fungus (!), with cashew nuts and beans. Both were really nice but extremely filling.
In order to offset the huge meal, we power walked back over to the Petronas Towers to get a closer view of them at night. The gardens were all lit up and there was a fountain "display" in the lake. We sat and watched that for a while before heading back to the hotel bar for a cocktail. We were entertained by New Vibrations - a Philipino/Malaysian band of two girls and a guy who came over and introduced themselves to us when they left the stage for a 15 minute break. They were competing with the telly in the corner that was on silent showing an ice hockey match from the Asian Winter Games !
Tomorrow we are not quite sure what we are doing but hopefully we will see the sun !
On waking up found that the sun had finally arrived. We left the hotel at about 10am to walk round to the Petronas Towers again to try and go up to the Skybridge which is the walkway that links the towers at floor 41. Unfortunately when we got there all tickets for the day had sold out – I think this was partly because it is not open on a Monday (yesterday), but primarily because today is a public holiday in Kuala Lumpur and two other areas – Federal Territory Day.
To temper our disappointment we decided to find something to eat as we had not had breakfast, so after taking a picture of the F1 Sauber Petronas Racing Car in the foyer of the complex, we went to a cafe overlooking the lake outside the towers and had an omelette and coffee.
Fed and watered we headed off to the underground station to catch the train to Masjid Jamek station. On this line the trains have a large window at the front which is accessible to the passengers, and you can get a driver’s eye view of where you are going, which I think is quite unique. From the station we walked to Independence Square. This grass covered square was where the Union Jack was lowered as British Colonial rule ended in 1957 – the flagpole here is one of the tallest in the world ! There are several very English looking buildings around the square, as well as those with a definite Arabic influence.
Today in the square there were various activities going on to celebrate Federal Territory Day. A city bike race was due to culminate here later in the day, there were some sporting activities like handball and tug of war going on, there were various stalls, BMX stunts, and best of all – live music. The first band we saw were a bunch of 12 year old Malaysians doing Black Sabbath covers, and the second were a local metal band called Sherin (these were grown ups) who did all the classic metal numbers (Whole lotta love, Born to be wild, Smoke on the water etc). They were actually quite entertaining.
By this time it was up in to the 30’s and Tracey had found a new use for the umbrella that we had brought along (out of habit) – sheltering from the sun. Whilst we were sat on a wall (taking a break from the metal), we were accosted by a young Malaysian girl who asked us if we could fill in a survey for her to help with her university work. This turned out to be a 40 question survey about the cycle race that was happening today – we explained that we had not seen any of it (!), but she said she would be really grateful if we could do it anyway – “just imagine it was like the Tour de France”. So we sat there answering questions like “does the participation of the cyclists differ from previous cycling races you have experienced”, and “do you think you will visit this event again”. Anyway she was grateful for our efforts, and we sat talking for a while - It turns out that she was at Cardiff University last year, so she was aware of Bristol when we said that was where we came from.
By now we were in need of a mid afternoon alcohol fix so we made our way back to the Petronas Towers to the same cafe we had visited in the morning and people watched with a cold drink. Afterwards we walked back to the hotel to take advantage of our air conditioned room.
At 5pm we went down to the 4th floor to have a dip in the outside pool. The water is not heated and the sun had gone round the corner of the building but it was quite a nice temperature, and after we spent 45 minutes sitting by the pool enjoying the cooling breeze that had blown up.
Later we went out and took a stroll down one of the main shopping areas in the so called "Golden Triangle", and then found a cafe to have some food. Tracey had Pak Choy and noodles, and I had Asam Kedash Terisi, which is basically spicy fish head soup and rice. On return to the hotel we did some packing ready for our trip to Penang tomorrow (have to leave at 7.30am for the airport), and then went down to catch another set from Good Vibrations in the hotel bar.
Got up early to catch our transfer to Kuala Lumpur where will catch a plane to the Island of Penang off the west coast of the Malaysian mainland. We have enjoyed our few days in Kuala Lumpur – the people are genuinely friendly, helpful and have a sense of humour; there is a fantastic mix of cultures (Malay, Chinese, Muslim, Indian, European, etc) all getting along; and the city has a fascinating mix of architectural styles and is easy to get around using public transport. Like any city there are some things that could be improved – there are wild dogs and cats in certain parts of the city, the pavements and walkways are quite poor if you stroll just a few metres from the main shops or hotels, and it can often be tricky to be a pedestrian ie when trying to cross any of the main arterial roads. All in all though a fantastic place to visit.
The bus to the airport took about 50 minutes and the roads were quiet. As we keep being reminded, it is Chinese New Year (New Year’s eve today) and lots of the city will have got away for the holidays. There is (another) public holiday on Thursday and Friday – they have 22 or 23 a year in Malaysia due to the many different cultures present.
Our plane took off 30 minutes late, and we eventually arrived at Penang airport at about noon, after enjoying our complimentary guava juice and peanuts ! Penang is an island that is part of Malaysia, and is approximately 20 miles long by 10 miles wide. The population is predominantly Chinese (90%), and the island’s primary industries are tourism, textile and electronic manufacturing. We had arranged for a car to take us the 35 km to our hotel on the North Coast from the airport in the extreme SE corner of the island. The mains roads run north to south up the east coast and the interior is predominantly jungle. Our driver was very chatty, and gave us a lot of advice about where to eat, the local transport, place to visit etc. He told us that the standard of living in Penaang is quite low and we could see evidence of this in the shops and houses along the road as we headed north.
Traffic is a big problem on the island and we avoided the main city Georgetown as we would have got caught up in queues. Once on the north coast the road changes from a two lane dual carriage way to a one lane windy hill road hugging the coast. On the way we saw some evidence of the destruction that the 2004 tsunami did here. We were deposited at our hotel (the Park Royal in Batu Ferringhi) at about 1pm. By now the temperature was in the mid 30’s and there were just a few clouds about.
From our hotel balcony we have a view of the sea/beach a few yards away (all be it you have to peer through the palm trees to see it). In the distance are the tree covered slopes of the interior hills, and below us is the hotel pool. At the moment I am typing this on the balcony, however the keys are starting to get too hot to touch, so I think I had better retire to the air conditioned room.
Later in the afternoon, we went for a walk along the main street which contains an assortment of general stores and eating places. There is also a store called the Banana House that sells nothing but bananas and items made from bananas like grilled banana balls, banana fritters etc.
Later on we intend to continue our search for the perfect Malaysian dish in one on the many cafes and restaurants, but for now I think I will go back to the balcony....
Once we had watched the sunset from our balcony, we headed out to the main street to find some food. We settled on the Ferringghi Garden which we had spotted earlier. We both decided to try the dish that had beeen recommended by our cab driver today - Penang Char Koay Teow, which is a dish of flat rice moodles, prawn, bean sprouts, Chilli, and eggs. It was absolutely delicious. We made an effort to use chopsticks, and washed it down with Tiger Beer.
On leaving the restaurant, we wandered dowwn the main street which after dark turns into a hive of activity as it becomes the Batu Ferringghi night market with stalls selling all sorts of stuff - we could have bought a DVD of The Kings Speech for 80p !!
We then returned to the hotel and went for a stroll along the beach, before going to the hotel bar for a drink and to watch The Mixx Band doing various covers.
We then went back to the room and sat on the balcony hoping to see some fireworks to usher in the Chinese New Year, but instead had to listen to more of the Mixx Band drifting up from the bar. As I wrrite it looks like an electrical storm is developing......
Tomorrow we will probably go and visit Georgetown a few miles back down the coast.
Another hot day today - last night the temperature did not drop below 28C/82F. There were lots of fireworks at midnight to celebrate the Chinese New Year - the year of the rabbit. Yesterday our cab driver was telling us that this year there will be a lot of chinese marriages because the Chinese like to have a child born in the year of the dragon (which is next year) - this is considered a good sign to be born under. This causes problems through because the schools have to cope with an unusually high intake a few years later ! Coincidentally we found out that Tracey was born in the year of the rabbit and I in the year of the dragon back in the 60's !
Today we intend to go into George town - the state capital of Penang Island.
At 10am we were just getting ready to go and catch the bus into George Town when we heard this massive bust of sound from within the hotel – firecrackers and cymbals. We rushed down into the bar and lobby area to see smoke clearing and a group of Chinese drumming and doing a dragon dance in celebration of New Year. Not sure where they had come from but they moved in a kind of procession all through the hotel and gardens and then up the stairwell and moved along the corridors of the first floor !. It was a fantastic spectacle bringing out all the hotel guests to see what was going on, and the hotel staff co-operated by opening doors for them etc. See video section of the blog for a quick snippet
We finally caught the Rapid Penang Bus 101 from just outside the hotel at about 11am. The journey took about 40 minutes although only half of that was getting into the city – the rest was winding back and forth through the crowded streets, before finally reaching the bus terminus next to the marina. When we alighted we followed the crowd presuming that they were heading into the centre of things, but too late realising they were all going to catch the ferry across to the mainland ! As we realised our mistake, we were swept up by a tidal wave of humanity flooding off a ferry that had just landed. Once we dusted ourselves off, we managed with the help of the city plan the hotel had provided, to orientate ourselves, and headed north to visit Fort Cornwallis.
The fort was built on the site where Sir Francis Light made landing in 1786 and is one of the earliest European buildings on the island. It is named after the then Governor General of Bengal (Charles Cornwallis) and was used as a military and admin centre for the British East India Company and to protect the island from the French, although even during the Japanese invasion here in the 1940s no battles were fought on this site.
From the fort we headed into the centre of the city – all the major historic, architectural, and religious sites are within easy walking distance of the bus station. It really is amazing how many different religious buildings you can see in such a small area. Mosques next to Chinese Temples next to Christian churches. Add to this all the colonial British built buildings, and you really have a huge variety of things to see.
The most amazing site was probably the Chinese Kuan Yin Temple which was in the midst of the Chinese New Year’s day celebrations. Hundreds of people were milling around or entering the temple. Giant incense sticks were burning everywhere, makeshift stalls had been set up selling all manor of things including caged birds. Chinese monks were dotted about and the whole area in front of the temple was strewn with the remnants of fire crackers, and incense sticks and food.
We walked a few hundred yards to a much more peaceful street corner and grabbed a drink, before pressing on back to the coast road to find our way back to the bus station. On the way as we walked down quiet side streets we caught glimpses inside the houses whose fronts open right on to the streets. We knew from our cab driver yesterday that all the Chinese would be getting together on New Year’s day for family reunion meals, and we could see in the dimly lit houses people having large family meals with candles flickering inside and incense sticks burning outside on the pavement.
We were told we should check out the clan jetties when we got to the coast road. These are communities of Chinese residents from the different clans, who live along wooden jetties that extend out into the Andaman Sea. Each jetty is the home of a different clan – we walked along the Clan Tan Jetty. The houses are built along the jetty (4 planks wide) on stilts. Some families make their living from fishing. As we looked across to the neighbouring jetty again we could see the open rooms of families gathering and eating their reunion meals. From the end of the Jetty we could see in the distance Penang Bridge, which links the island to the mainland and is 13.5 km long (!) with a design very like that of the second River Severn crossing back home.
On our return to the bus station we queued up for our bus, marshalled by the bus station fuhrer, a man with a loud voice and a whistle who, despite the well ordered mass of 15 people who wanted to board the bus, continued to shout and blow his whistle to indicate we should shuffle forward or board the bus.
The trip back to the hotel was a nightmare as we seemed to have hit a rush hour despite this being a public holiday, and it took an hour and a half to do the 40 minute trip. On returning to the hotel, it was back to the balcony and a cool beer, before we decide where to go and eat tonight.
At sunset strolled down to the beach to find hundreds milling around and getting the last bit of activity out of the day before darkness at about 7.45pm. Horse riding, power boating, paragliding, sandcastle building etc We ate at a beach side cafe with Paul having the same Penang specilaity as yesterday for half the price as last night - starter, 2 mains, 2 drinks for £7!
Walking back to the hotel we cam upon another impromptu chinese new year celbration with the dancing dragon. Finaally got back to the hotel and sat on the balcony watching fireworks and listening to the band in the bar.
Tomorrow we are doing something entirely different - trekking in the jungle!
Another scorching and humid day today. At 9am we met with our guide Ali who will be taking us on a jungle trek through part of the Penang National Park about 5 miles West of Batu Ferringhi on the North Western tip of the island.
After a short van drive we were in the National Park which is bordered on two sides by the Andaman Sea coast. At the start of the trek we walked along the coast and could see shacks on stilts which are used (and can be hired) by fishermen. These have only been here a few years as previous huts had been thrown up into the jungle by the 2004 Tsunami.
Despite the shade in the jungle it was no cooler, in fact if anything it felt hotter and more humid. Our guide pointed out things to us as we went along including trees with poisonous bark, earth that can be mixed with spit to stop bleeding (a touch of the Ray Mears), leaves to help alleviate insect bites, plants that close up when you touch them, Rattan plants, giant bamboo and the Cinammon Tree. We also saw large spiders, common and monitor lizards, eagles, large termites, flying lizards, dragonflys and of course Macaque Monkeys (see video for more evidence).
On returning to our hotel we had to spend a little time in the room with the air con on full blast to recover. We then retired to the pool and spent the rest of the afternoon chilling out, Tracey eating star fruit and me drinking beer. Later we strolled down to the beach and then had something to eat and one of the roadside cafe's - Tracey has Singapore Bee Hoon and I had a very hot Squid and Dried Chillis. On the way back to the hotel I could not resist buying some DVDs from the market - six for £4 including King' speech, Black Swan andthe Coen Brothers latest True Grit (out in UK cinemas a week or so ago. We tried them on the laptop and they work fine and are good quality. I am currently on the balcony listening to the Mixx Band in the bar murder some Creedance Clearwater Revival songs - nit an obvious choice.
Tomorrow we may hire a bike and go explore....on the other hand we may not !!
Tracey's little blog - (Paul's out of the room, so I've managed to prize the laptop!) Here are a couple of my observations:
- insect bite scores, Paul has 9 and I have 7, not as bad as I thought it would be....
- I think I am just getting the hang of these hole in the floor toilets, was facing the wrong way! though I don't really think european underwear and clothing help!
- there are alot of different cultures here, which is really facinating, although strange to see muslim women swimming, covered head to foot
- the bed in the hotel room is massive, I can do 2.5 log rolls from one end to the other?
thats all from me - Tracey x
Paul's blog ....Our 4th day in Penang and not even a hint of rain. Although the blog weather always seems to show grey clouds it has been sunny all the time as you can see from the photos. It seems strange to think that weather wise the days here are almost identical every day - 31/32C (dropping to 25C at night), sunny and dry (except in rainy season), and with sunrise at 7.30am and sunset at 7.30pm....all year.
Today we decided to catch the local bus back up to the National Park and do some more jungle trekking. We did not go so far this time, but went up on to the Canopy Walkway, which is a rope bridge at about 30 to 40 feet above ground strung between the trees wwhich gives you an opportunity to try and spot wildlife in the trees and generally see the jungle from a different viewpoint. There was a lot more movement on the walkway than I would have liked - it swung from side to side and bounced up and down as you walked. You had to keep at least 5 metres between others on the walkway, and only 4 people on it at a time. As it happen this was not a problem because there was only us and one more couple up there.
When you enter the park, and start on the canopy walkway you are signed in, and then later signed out, to ensure that they do not loose anyone !
On leaving the park we found somewhere to buy water, and then waited for our bus back, during which we met a german, who lived in China and was visiting Penang for Chinese New Year.
Back at the hotel after the 10 minute bus ride back into town, we sat by the pool planning the rest of our stay in Penang. We believe there is some sort of snake "event" at 5pm, then we may possibly make a boat trip tomorrow to a local area called Monkey beach which is on the edge of the jungle and is known for sightings of monkeys coming down to catch fish and have a swim ! Then on Monday we have been invited to some kind of Chinese celebration and exhibition of food carving and dumpling making, followed by a visit to one of the largest temples in SE Asia.
Update - the snake event has now happened - it involved a 5ft local snake charmer/handler showing us his python (which we were allowed to hold) and his Tiger Snake and Cobra (which we were not as they are poisonous). There was a moment of concern when he got bitten by the Tiger Snake (which drew blood) having told us that it is highly venomous, but I saw him in the bar an hour later and he was still alive ! I held the python which was really nice - Tracey was really brave and got near enough to take a photo even though she hates snakes.
At about 8pm once the sun had set we went out to have a stroll through the bustling night market and to find something to eat. We were tempted to stop at the massive food hall which is basically a huge warehouse type area with food stalls all around the outside and literally hundreds of tables in the centre - you pick up your food (£1 per dish) and then go find a table. Unfortunately it was so busy there was no space, so we settled for a much calmer restaurant a few yards down the road. I tried Kangkong Sambal (spicy vegatables and rice) and Tracey had salty fish and bean shoots.
After eating, we decided to avoid another night of the Mixx Band at the hotel and walk up the road to the Hard Rock Cafe at which a band called the High Rollers were playing. The entrance fee aand drink prices were extortionate, but the band were excellent. By the time we got back to the hotel at about 1am, most of ths stalls in the night market had closed, although you could still get a foot massage, or get some supplies in the mini market !
Tracey's mini blog - a couple of things of interest:
- the other night Paul was actually dancing on our balcony! I'm not sure if it was the 'creedance clearwater' tune the house band were 'murdering', but more likely he was dancing for joy, the fact he had discoverd a cheap 12% lager in a local shop?
- Paul and I couldn't help smiling today on Monkey beach, a muslim chap stopped and asked Paul if he could take a picture of him and his wife posing on the beach etc - the thing that made us smile, was his wife had the whole head to foot gear on, plus the veil, (Abaya and Hijab), and she was also wearing dark sunglasses! she looked abit like the invisable man, only in a dark sheet - it's a strange world...
- I now have more insect bites than Paul!! I reckon he put a mozzie in my side of the bed last night, as they weren't there when I retired?
- my last thought of the day - just around the corner of the hotel, is a men's barbers. Everyday we go passed it, this really short guy, coming up to paul's waist, comes running out, asking to shave Paul! the other day he followed all down the road, calling after him - a funny sight. Paul now trys to aviod eye contact with him, but the shop is next door to the dvd place, so it's tricky for Paul as you can imagine. Little does Paul know, but tonight I've arranged for some hotel staff to manhandle him into the barbers and get rid of that ever growing goatie! - ha!
anyway it's goodnight from me....and over to Paul...
Haggling
Another swelteringly hot and humid day. After our partying at the Hard Rock Cafe last night we had a lie in, then at about 10am I went down to the beach to try and negotiate a cheap price for a boat trip out to Monkey Beach. After some haggling and setting two boat owners at either end of the beach against each other I managed to get from a starting price of 200 Ringitts for the boat trip and half an hour on the beach to 120 Ringitts (£24) for the boat trip and 1 hour on the beach. I was quite pleased with myself !
Boat trip
At 11am we set off in a small fibre glass motor powered boat, with the driver and his mate, for the 20 minute journey up the coast to Teluk Duyung (or monkey beach as it is colloqually known). This is a strech of a few hundred yards of privately owned (by University of Malaysia)beach which is adjacent to the national park and the jungle, and is known as a local beauty spot and place where the Crab eating Macaque monkeys will come out of the jungle and swim in the sea and look for crabs. The boat journey was exhilerating as we sped across the waves to our destination..
Monkey Beach
Once we made landfall, we set off to stroll up the beach looking for wildlife (Paul) and trying to keep out of the midday sun (Tracey). Along the beach there are strategically placed seats and tables where you can pincic in the shade, and some of the locals have taken to bringing over food and providing BBQs. The boat and drivers meanwhile made anchor and set about waiting in the sun for our hour to elapse - it's a hard job but someone has to do it.
Lizards and monkeys
This being the third day in a row that we have been into or on the edge of the jungle, you get used to standing perfectly still and quiet and looking for the tiniest movement in the trees or on the ground that may be an animal of some sort. I quickly spotted a very large lizard slinking through the undergrowth and on into a little pool before coming out and moving behind a large rock. A bit further on I heard a rustle in the trees, then I saw movement as several monkeys could be seen swinging through the trees. It was then that I sensed that someone was behind me, at which point I turned round to find an adult Macaque sitting quitely just a few feet from me. On returning my gaze to the jungle undergrowth, I could see a large family of adults and children playing just yards away. Unfortunately, none went on to the beach, but you will be able to see from the photos and videos that we were able to get very close to them (ee new improved monkey footage).
By the pool
We returned to the hotel by boat (thus avoiding an hour and a half jungle walk followed by a 15 minute bus ride). We had a quick and vital intake of liquids before walking down to the restaurant we used llast night, and getting a quick snack of fried noodles to tie us over until the evening. [Nick & Cheryl - we have found the ultimate fish restaurant for you two - every kinf of fish imaginable swimming in tanks in the restaurant waiting to be chosen and eaten by the patrons - see photos]. We spent the rest of the day by the pool.
Later...
After sunset we went back out to wander around the night market again, and have another meal at the Jewel of the North where we have eaten three times now.....Tomorrrow we intend to check out the west coast of the island by bus and visit Kok Lek Si Temple - one of the biggest in Asia.
Very hot (again)
Last full day in Penang and I started it (as I had originally intended for every day of our trip (!)) - by going to the gym. There is a fantastic view of the jungle clad mountains to be had as you pump away on the cross trainer. Interestingly, on the TV in the gym they showed the temperatures at all the major cities in the world for today (Monday 7/2/11), and the only place hotter than Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur 33C) was Mumbia in India (36C). By the time I had got back to the room, Tracey was up, and at about 9.30am we set off from the hotel to go to Kok Lek Si Temple. This is the biggest Chinese Temple in SE Asia and is in the centre of the island, so we decided to do a round trip going south, then head into the centre of the island to the temple, then across to the state capital George Town on the East coast, before heading back West to our base at Batu Ferringhi.
Eating off the beaten track
Things started off well as we left the hotel and caught the Rapid Penang Bus 101 almost straight away for the 3km trip up to Telek Bahang in the North West corner of the island. We intended to catch the 501 bus south at 10.30, but on our arrival we were informed that the next one was not until 11.30. We therefore had an hour to kill in the sweltering heat. As we had not had any breakfast we decided to try and find somewhere to eat. Most places do not open until at least middday, so we were not spoiled for choice - we decided to stay near to the bus terminus (a layby with a small hut where the local bus manager resides). With trepidation we entered Khaled Nasi Kandar Restaurant, an open area with a part roof where the food was displayed out in the open, and cats, birds and flies outnumbered the customers. No english was spoken and all the food was itemised on the wall in Malay so we were reduced to pointing and making a best guess as to what we were asking for. Tracey ended up with cold fried egg (manhandled by our waiter from the main tray into the bowl) and green beans with some spice and other bits of vegetable. When I tried to identify one of the foods the waiter asked me if I wanted to grab a handful and taste it to see if I liked it - I did (a salty red vegetable) so I had that with a bowl of rice. You would thing drinks would be easy, but Tracey asked for tea, and ended up with something that looked like hot chocolate and had froth and was very sweet. All in all a semi success as the food was tasty and we beat our previous record for cheapest meal - 2 drinks and 2 meals for £1.40 !!
Back at the bus terminus, I was acosted by a very large local female on a bike with Security badges on who wanted to know where I was from - on finding that I was from the UK, she seemed to associate this with cold and skiing, which I suppose was partly correct ! She kept saying I was cool - I did not know whether she found me personally attractive, or that I come from a cold country. Luckily our bus arrived shortly after, and we were unable to continue the conversation much longer except to ascertain that she was part of the security team at the nearby Chinese Girls School.
Scary bus ride
The 501 bus runs southward to the town of Batik Palau and in the process goes way up into the jungle covered mountains and back down into the valley. This was a genuinely scary bus ride ! It did not bode well when after a few corners one of the 20 odd seats suddenly flew into the central passageway. The rear door that I was sitting next to kept falling open, and ascending into the mountains the road become a non stop series of hairpin bends with sheer drops - the driver just flung the bus round the corners - the angles that the bus leaned at as we went round the corners had to be seen to be believed. Add to this the fact that the bus was rattling and the brakes were screeching - I did not think I was going to see another sunset. A bit later a woman got on with a small child and as she was paying the driver (who had already pulled away), we rounded a corner and the child (and seat) flew into the passageway, doing a suk-ahara with full twist !! Luckily the child seemed unscathed and the journey continued.
Arrival at the temple
We finally arrived at Balik Palau unscathed and caught the 502 back up through the hills into the town of Air Itam where the temple is. This is a predominantly Chinese area and as we got off the bus in the midday sun, we joined a huge throng of Chinese trying to avoid getting run over by the incessant traffic as made our way through the teemimg streets towards the temple. The temple is on top of a hill and we knew we had to ascend some stone steps but it took us a while to realise that we had to enter a dark tunnel of stall traders who were lined up along the steps selling all manor of religious and other artefacts to the masses ascending the steps to the temple.
Kok Lek Si Temple
Near the top you can pause to look at a small pagoda and a pond which contains hundreds of turtles basking in the sun. On reaching the top of the steps and entering the temple complex, after passing by the Vegetarian Restaurant (£1.50 for a buffet meal) you are faced with an array of rooms each linked by open spaces or a small set of steps. There are also more traders here but these sell figurines, incense etc simply to raise funds to maintain the temple. At some points you have a view of George Town 8km away, but generally your gazed is turned inward to the magnificent architecture and colours of the various parts of the temple. In one prayer room there are 3 life size gold statues which your gaze is initially drawn to, then you notice that around the walls of the room are literally thousands of small Buddha statues, each one identical and covering every square inch. The temple is massive and what with the extreme heat and the hundreds of (predominantly Chinese visitors) we did not see everything but we made a point of going to the highest point (via an Incline Lift) to see the absolutely huge statue of Kuan Yin (Goddess of Mercy) which is 30 metres tall. The statue is so tall that it is very difficult to actually fit into a decent photo that shows it’s scale.
Illegal trading
We caught the 502 down into George Town and changed on to the very packed 101 underneath the Komtar shopping complex. We got back to the hotel at about 5 and had a dip in the pool. Later we went out to grab some food at the restaurant that we used on the first night and which has turned out to be our favourite (Ferringhi Garden). Tracey then went off into the night market to buy a souvenir whilst I returned to the DVD shop. I say shop – basically it is part of the night market and is simply a 3 walled space where the guy sets up some tables to display his wares. I was just trying to make my final choice when there was some shouting (and increased activity on the walkie talkie that always seems to be warbling away) and the shop owner suddenly pulled down the metal shutter with me and a couple of other customers still inside. No one said anything and we all just carried on browsing, then there was some banging on the shutter and more shouting. I thought – this must be the DVD copying police ! The shop owner ignored this and eventually whoever it was went away. I decided it was prudent to try and make a withdrawl, so I made my purchase (including Skyline & The Boat that rocked if you are interested) and asked to be let out. I noticed he put the shutter down again after I left.
Tomorrow
Tomorrow we leave Penang and fly on to Singaapore
Goodbye to Penang
Today we are leaving Penang Island (Pilau Pinang or Bitter Nut Island) to fly south to Singapore. First there was just enough time before our transfer to the airport at 12.30 pm, to have a dip in the pool. We had another chatty car driver to take us on the hour long drive to the airport, so learned a few more bits about the island. We have often heard people talking in Malay and then switching mid sentence to English - the driver explained that Malay is the first language, then English and often people will then have a third language (their mother tongue). He said that nowadays it is useful to know chinese for getting jobs. We passed the Penang Bridge which links the Island of Penang with the Mainland (some of which is also part of Penang) - this bridge is 13.5 km long and is the 5th largest bridge in the world. A second bridge is being built, and when finished it will be over 20 km long and the 2nd longest. We saw this new bridge under construction as our plane took off from the airport.
Arrival in Singapore
The flight to Singapore was about an hour and 20 minutes. We were quickly through customs and met our car and driver in the arrival hall for the 20 minute transfer to our city centre hotel (Ibis). Singapore is a city state just north of the equator with a population of about 4.5 million - the state is getting bigger as more land is reclaimed. As we drove along the main dual carriageway heading West into the city from the airport along the coast (East Coast Parkway), first impressions were that everything was very clean. We passed the Marina Bay area and saw the amazing Marina Bay Sands hotel, as well as driving over the pit stop and start/finish line area of the Formula One course, part of which is a street circuit. Our driver explained that despite going through the city streets, there is nowhere where you could see the race without paying !
Train to Marina Bay
We arrived at the hotel at about 5pm - the weather is very sultry - about 30C but grey clouds, and at about 7.30pm we had a very heavy rain storm which was over in about 10 minutes. When we went out at 8pm the ground was already drying out. We decided to walk 5 minutes round the corner to the nearest MRT (Metro) station (Bugis) to travel to the Marina Bay area to eat and possibly see some Chinese New Year inspired free entertainment. We purchased a pre paid E-Card that can be used to swipe at turnstiles on the buses and trains to pay your fare. The stations are immaculately clean and the signposting is very good, and we managed to find our way quite easily to the required platform, and to change from the East West MRT to the Circle Line in order to get off at Esplanade which is a stop down at the Marina Bay area of the city. This area has been entirely re-developed with lots of eating places, shopping malls, hotels and entertainment areas.
Hotels and Formula One
There are two weeks of various activities to celebrate Chinese New Year and as we emerged from the network of air conditioned underground walkways linking the tube, the malls and the Esplanade theatre, we immediately saw a stage hosting some Chinese dance which we stopped for a while to watch. After stopping for some Thai food, we walked along the Marina Promenade where you get fantastic views across the water of the tall buildings in the city centre, the Fullerton Hotel, and the massive new Marina Bay Sands Hotel all lit up. This has 2,500 rooms and a rooftop swimming pool at 200m. The floating harbour is a performance area which at present is given over to free entertainment and displays. This sits on the water right next to part of the Singapore Formula 1 circuit and the stands erected here are permanent, used for both the motor race and other events throughout the year. Tonight a Chinese male singer was singing his heart out, but I have no idea of his name. Also just by the F1 Circuit is the Chinese Flyer (just like the London Eye) which is the World's largest Giant Observation Wheel.
We decided to walk back to the hotel to see a bit more of the city. By now it was gone 11pm and the traffic was very light – the main streets are 3 or 4 lanes wide and looked very empty at that time of night. The walk took us about 20 minutes, with a couple of wrong turns, and on the way we passed Raffles Hotel, and then stopped at a 24 hour supermarket to get some food and drink supplies. Tomorrow we intend to head to the far north of Singapore, not far from the Malaysian border, where we will try and find the road/house that Tracey lived at when she was a small child.
North to Kranji
Today we are going to the north of Singapore to an area called Kranji, to try and find where Tracey lived for a couple of years when she was a small girl. This is about 20 km from the centre and near the Malaysian border so we decided to try our EZ Link swipe cards on the bus and caught the 170 from a few hundred yards away from the hotel. Bus fares depend on the length of the journey, type of bus and whether or not it is air conditioned ! Luckily this one was as it was about a 50 minute journey, which for the most part followed the path of the Rochor Canal (which actually appears to be an off flow for the storm drains). Throughout the city there are extensive works as they build the remainder of the circle line train (it is currently only a semi circle line) and the new Downtown Line.
A half remembered childhood
Kranji has a Commonwealth War Cemetery and Memorial which can be seen from the main road as we got off the bus. Tracey lived on Jalan Bumbong which is a short residential road next to some protected woodland and close to industrial estates and an army training area. As we walked up the road Tracey felt she had some vague recollections of living there, however she was only 5 when she left. We were not sure whether or not the house number was 91 or 99 which were both close to the end of this no through road. It was obvious that some of the houses had been knocked down and re-built as they were all originally armed forces accommodation, and some of them now look like mini mansions with security gates and expensive cars. When we got to 91, Tracey felt that this was not the right house, so moved on to 99. The owner of the next door house was in his front garden, so we explained why we had come and asked if he thought his neighbour would mind if we took a photo with Tracey in front of the house – he was very helpful and said that the current owner was home and he was sure she would not mind if we asked her and explained. When we rung the bell, an Indian lady appeared who hardly spoke any English and I do not think she understood what we trying to say, however she said her son would be back soon – whether to help us or see us off the premises we were not sure, so we took a couple of quick pictures of the house (and the road) and were on our way, still not entirely sure if this was the right house.
Return to the city
We decided to walk the mile down the road to catch the Metro from Kranji station as we thought this may be a bit quicker, and have better air conditioning and leg room than the bus, however as the North South line goes out to the west before we had to make a change at Jurong East to get onto the East West Line (are you following this !), it took about the same time as the bus. We alighted at Bugis Station, walked through the covered market and headed back to the hotel for a midday break.
Marina Bay
In the afternoon we decided to go back to the Marina Bay area to see it in daylight. We walked around to the Bugis Station and caught the train to Raffles Place and changed for the southbound train to Marina Bay. The whole bay area is still under development and we had to walk through a semi building site before getting on the Marina pedestrianised area. From whatever angle you look, there is no doubt that the Marina Sands hotel is an awesome sight. We walked to the base of the hotel where there is a very glamorous shopping centre – not surprisingly there was a Ferrari shop with an F1 car in the window – there was a sign saying “no photographs” but Tracey got caught taking a photo of an arab in front of the car and they both were sent packing with a flea in their ear. More surprisingly there is a canal running through the shopping centre complete with little gondola type boats for hire ! We also encountered yet another Chinese Dragon Dance causing mayhem in one of the shops – it is quite amazing how they will completely bring business to a standstill and are not only tolerated but welcomed. I suppose they are trying to bring luck to the rooms and premises that they visit.
Marina Bay Hotel Skypark
I was wondering whether you might be able to go up the towers of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, and just as we were deciding that you probably could not (and it was just for guests), we took an elevator down to what we thought was the subway and found ourselves in the “Skypark” ticket area. For £10 you can take a trip up to the 58th floor observation deck (basically the banana shaped area) and take in the view. We could not resist so up we went – the lift had a choice of floor 1 or 58 and it ascended the 58 floors in an amazingly quick time. Once up on the deck the general public have access to about a third of the area – the rest is set aside for guests, including the 200 metre high largest outdoor pool in the world. The views are stunning - you can see the continuing construction in Marina Bay, hoards of ships at anchor off the coast, a whole lot of Singapore, and the pit straight of the F1 circuit. There is also a bar there where we decided we must have a drink - £15 for a pint of Stella and an iced coffee !!. Naturally, we made them last and sat talking to another English couple who have been visiting Australia and have stopped here for a couple of days on their way home.
We then descended in the super fast lift and walked on to the F1 circuit pit area, which is currently being readied for a Chinese New Year event on Friday which we will unfortunately miss as we will be on our way home.
From there we completed the walk of the marina area and caught the train back to the hotel to take a breather from the heat.
Vegetarian chicken on the streets of Singapore
At about 8pm we took a stroll round the block to look for some good local food. At a conservative estimate, I reckon you could eat at a different place every day for a year without going more than a few hundred metres from the hotel. We ended up in Xing Hua Restaurant – a local cafe with some tables on the street. We were somewhat surprised to see chicken and fish on the menu of a vegetarian meal, but our waitress explained in broken English that all so called meats are tofu or bean curd etc. Tracey had Mango oat chicken and I had dried chilli and mushrooms with some beautiful rice. The waitress was lovely and said we should also try a special Chinese New Year salad only made at this time of year. She bought it all out and prepared it in front of us explaining what each ingredient was. Then we shared a large bowl between us – a Chinese couple came past, recognised what we were eating, and stopped to comment about us celebrating the new year and wished us good luck. Throughout our trip this has been typical – complete strangers offering us help, directions , information and advice, or just simply being friendly – and not just those in the service industry but lots of people we have met on the street or whilst using public transport. We will be sad to be going home on Friday.
A morning at Raffles
Our last day in Singapore before an early start tomorrow morning for our flight home. At 10.30am after a lazy start, we headed off into the sweltering heat for the 15 minute walk to Beach Road and Raffles hotel. As we walked keeping in the shade of the buildings where we could, we noticed again how the locals often use umbrellas to avoid the direct sun, although the humidity is as much an issue as the sun.
Raffles is at 1 Beach Road, however because of the reclamation of land, the sea is now nearly 1Km away. Raffles covers a huge area and includes shops and a museum, so once we had got to the main guest entrance I left Tracey waiting in the shade whilst I walked on to check where we enter to get into the Long Bar. After finding the right entrance, I went back to collect Tracey to find her in deep conversation with the Raffles doorman who was an Indian gentlemen in a striking colonial uniform . It turns out that he is a bit of a character, having worked at Raffles for 20 years – he very kindly posed for a photo with Tracey.
We got around to the Long Bar just in time to see the bar staff opening up. We went in hoping that our chosen dress would pass muster against the dress code. We did look at the drinks menu, but we could not resist asking for two Singapore Slings – current price £12 each. Each table has a bowl of monkey nuts for your edification, and the tradition is to throw the shells on the floor. Tracey was a bit hesitant, but checked with the waitress, who referred her the sign on the wall "littering is encouraged" by the time we left, a big pile had developed by our table. It was funny watching people coming in and carefully considering what to have, and then without fail ending up with a Singapore Sling. We started laying bets on whether anyone would order anything else, but no one did whilst we were in there. We then went on to have a quick look around the museum, where we were surprised to find that the doorman was actually a bit of a celebrity – he is the most photographed person in Singapore, and you can even buy very quirky bags and t-shirts with a cartoony picture of him on. We then headed back to our own more modest hotel.
Sentosa Island
After the ubiquitous break for a dose of air conditioning, we went back out into the afternoon heat and caught a 65 bus down to the harbour front which is a little further out from our city centre hotel, and is right opposite Sentosa Island just off the coast. After the 30 minute journey out through the west of the city we alighted into the heat and went straight into the air conditioned comfort of the Vivo City Shopping Mall. We were immediately greeted with the now familiar banging of drums and crashing of symbols denoting yet another Chinese New Year dragon dance – this time at M&S. You don’t get this at Cribbs Causeway !
We walked through the mall to get to the sea front promenade, and were very surprised to find that there was a boardwalk (or walkway) that links the mainland to the island. Sentosa Island styles itself “Asia’s favourite playground” and has got everything that you can possibly imagine for a family fun holiday (Universal Studios, Hard Rock, Cafe, Aquariums, Beaches, Cafes, Nature areas, Casinos, Cinemas, Golf Course, Luge etc - Naomi & Ali you would love it) and was previously linked to the mainland by a road bridge and a cable car. There is now this board walk which enables you to walk (or in Tracey’s case travelate !), and we found out later that it had only opened a couple of weeks ago. Like everything else here it is spotlessly clean, and very well designed and thought out. It only costs 50p to go onto the island which you pay right at the end, meaning you can walk the boardwalk for free. The various activities on the island are extra but not expensive. You could easily spend 2 weeks on the island and not be bored. We stopped at a cafe on the boardwalk and had a drink and salad/cake before catching the MRT (Metro) back to our hotel, before going out for our last night in Singapore.
A final return to Marina Bay
At about 7pm we left for our final night in Singapore. We caught the bus from outside the hotel down to Marina Bay again, and caught some of the free entertainment, including a chinese band called Cha Ben Sheng who had two good female lead vocalists. We had a Thai Meal overlooking the bay, and then at about 9pm we headed back to the hotel via the MRT (stopping at our home station to collect a refund on our pre paid EZ link ccards which have served us well during our short stay). We leave the hotel at about 4.30am tomorrow for a flight back to Kuala Lumpur, to get the return flight to Heathrow. I better go now and get an early night...
Stayed overnight on the 16th at the Radisson Hotel opposite Heathrow in order to be able to get to the airport early on Saturday morning for our 10am flight to Newark airport New York. Flight left on time and apart from a slightly bumpy approach, landed in a very grey New Jersey at 1pm local time after a 7 hour flight with Continental. Cleared customs OK, and caught our pre booked bus from outside the terminal for the 20 minute ride into Manhattan via the Lincoln Tunnel under the Hudson River
We had pre booked a privately owned apartment back in December, with a brilliant location in the middle of the Theatre District, and we texted the owner from the airport to say we had landed and would meet her at the apartment within the hour. The bus dropped us at the Port Authority Bus Terminal on 42nd and 8th, so we just had to walk a few blocks to the apartment on 49th and 8th. On arrival however, we found the apartment locked and no one around. I phoned the owner to be told she had emailed me 3 weeks ago to cancel the booking and had refunded the money - this was news to me ! It turns out that there is no water supply and the plumbers are booked for next Tuesday - we are in a strange city, it is mid afternoon on a Saturday at the start of the Easter period, it is raining, and we have nowhere to stay !
I phone the owner again who is very apologetic, and suggests a couple of other places nearby, however after dragging our luggage round the local streets we find that none have any rooms left. We are starting to get a bit desperate now as we phone the owner back for some other options and she starts to tell us about an internet cafe where we can start searching for a room online - by now it is late afternoon.
As we seek out the internet cafe, we shelter from the rain in the foyer of an apartment block, and Ali suggests we try them to see if they have a room - they have - a penthouse suite (!) on the top floor for one night - we'll take it !
Once ensconsed in the very spacious two room suite with cooking facilities and two 50 inch TVs, we get online and after a couple of hours searching we manage to secure a further 3 nights accommodation in the Best Western round the corner. We also manage to check our account to confirm that we had been refunded our original apartment booking fee !
By now fairly exhausted and in need of food, we head round the corner to Broadway and find an Italian self service Buffet place which was frantic but tasty. After, we fought our way through the crowds, the yellow cabs, and a thunderstorm to find some supplies ie Crisps and cider and an "Arrogant Bastard" ale for Paul, and then retired to our Penthouse for the night.
Tomorrow, we change accommodation, go exploring, and attempt to find some more accommodation for the second half of the week.
A nice start to the day
After the travelling, loss of accommodation, and thunderstorms yesterday, it was nice to get up this morning to see cloudless skies and know that we can start relaxing and getting to know this amazing city. Today we intend to take an open top bus tour and do some proper sightseeing. First though, we spent another hour or so on the internet searching for and securing accommodation for the second half of the week. After popping round the corner to buy some croissants, sandwiches and drinks for breakfast, picking up the pre-booked bus tickets, leaving last night’s accommodation and dropping our luggage at the Best Western on 48th Street (just off Times Square), we set off.
Central Park and homes of the rich and famous
The bus does 4 different loop tours with accompanying commentary which was both funny and informative, and you can hop on and off at certain designated points. We departed at about 9.30am heading north up 8th Avenue (which runs parallel to the park) passing the Trump Tower Hotel at the SE corner of Central Park - the first of several hotels that Charlie Sheen had apparently stayed at recently, having not left the room quite as he had found it (allegedly !). We passed Sting’s and Robert De Niro’s NY residences, and drove by the apartment building where John Lennon used to live, and where he was shot just outside. There is a memorial garden here (Strawberry Fields) within the park, which was established by Yoko Ono. We continued north along Central Park West, turning east at one point to see General Grant’s tomb on the banks of the Hudson River, and a glimpse of the George Washington Bridge in the distance. This is not just a city of modern skyscrapers, there is a lot of amazing architecture here.
Harlem and a walk in the park
North of the park we headed into Harlem (the centre of Black America), driving down Malcolm X Avenue, and passing the famous Apollo Theatre, where Ella Fitzgerald first performed as well as others like Diana Ross, Jackson 5, Aretha Franklin etc. Once the bus turned back South and starting heading down the West side of the park, we got off to go into the park. Central Park is 2.5 miles long by 0.5 miles wide and feels huge. I was immediately surprised by how many trees there are, and how diverse an area it is, containing several children’s play areas, a reservoir, a boating lake, a large Bridle Path network, landscaped areas, a children’s zoo, running tracks, the Metropolitan Museum etc. We strolled through the park enjoying the sun and trees in blossom, stopping a while by a small foot tunnel under one of the roads that run through the park (closed to traffic today) where a busker was playing, then headed down to the boating lake and had a drink at the Boathouse Cafe.
Times Square
After catching a quick glimpse down Madison Avenue, we re-joined the bus for the remainder of the tour back south into Times Square. Visiting the square (more like a triangle) leaves you with a feeling of sensory overload. The square and it’s immediate area are a continual mass of people on the move, flashing advertising hoardings, theatre queues, people trying to sell you tickets, honking cabs, street artists, etc A lot of what there is to be seen is above your head and if you look up, passed the advertising, towards the tops of the towering skyscrapers, you can just catch a glimpse of the sky ! The bus terminates just round the corner so we alighted and returned to the relative sanctuary of our hotel, a block away, for a late afternoon breather.
Downtown Manhattan night tour
After grabbing some food in a nearby cafe/restaurant, we headed back to the bus stop on 8th Avenue to pick up the open top bus again, this time to head South on a night tour. Manhattan is one of 5 NY boroughs (the others being Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens & Staten Island), and is an island that is just 23 square miles but has a population of 1.5 million (NY City as a whole is 8.2 million, and the NY Metropolitan area is 19 million). We are staying in Midtown, this morning we went uptown, and this evening we are going downtown towards the southern tip of the island (where the Statue of Liberty is).
After leaving behind the bustle of Times Square we soon caught a glimpse of first the Chrysler Building, then the Empire State. Re-joining Broadway, we passed the first skyscraper built in NY City – the Flat Iron Building which is an unusual triangular shape, and looks out on a small grassed area which was the spot that baseball was first invented. We then headed further South into Greenwich Village (the “Village”) which has a very distinct feel due to the lack of a street grid system like elsewhere in the city, and is famous for it’s bohemian culture, and boutique shopping, along with neighboring Soho which we passed through next. After skirting the largest Chinatown in the world (outside China !), and Little Italy, which apparently is little more than a single street now (as increasing numbers of Chinese Immigrants push into the area), we head across Manhattan Bridge into Brooklyn, crossing the East River just as the sun is setting. To our right we can see the famous shape of the Brooklyn (suspension) Bridge, which at present does not allow buses and trucks across due to maintenance.
Brooklyn
Our host commentator was from Brooklyn so he waxed lyrical about the area (no it is not it is not a “tough” area, yes people are very proud of the Brooklyn roots and will always say they are from Brooklyn NOT New York), and went to lengths to explain that he had to go to college to speak “bus commentator” English as tourists would not be able to understand the Brooklyn drawl. At one point we passed a gas station, which is a rare sight – there are only 11 gas stations on Manhattan Island, and the few people that do drive in to the island have to memorise where they are – we certainly have not seen one, although we had noticed that there is about one yellow cab for every private car in the city. Interestingly, our 22 year old guide said that he did not have a driving licence and did not ever expect to learn to drive. Only one of his friends from High School in Brooklyn has got a car. Everyone uses the Mass Transit System which is a flat rate of $2.50 for any journey however far it is. We then pulled up at a decidedly dodgy looking deserted area, so that we could all look back over the river and take pictures of the Manhattan skyline by night. Then it was back north over the river to Midtown Manhattan and our hotel to build up the stamina for tomorrow !
Highlights of the day :
Another Empire State drive by
The first skyscraper
World Trade Centre site
A first glimpse of the Statue of Liberty
United Nations
Night time in Times Square
A trip Downtown
A lot of cities claim to “never sleep” but New York certainly lives up to the claim. There is a constant buzz of sound in the background, primarily traffic noise, which we were able to hear all night from our 14th floor room. We decided we had never heard so many fire engines, but later found out that we were a block away from a NY Fire Department Fire Station ! On awakening in the morning, we were pleased to see that it was another sunny day. Once we had grabbed some food, we headed off for another day exploring the big apple. We have another 48 hours to use the open top bus service, so we walked round to the local bus stop and got on the Downtown loop, which goes down to the bottom tip of Manhattan and back.
Back on the bus
If it was possible, there seems to be even more people about today, but it is the start of Easter and ‘passover’ celebrations this week. After 10 minutes in the queue we were on the bus and heading south. A lot of the journey follows the same route as we did yesterday on the night loop, but gives us a chance to see things in the sunlight. We passed by Madison Square Garden (where Lady Gaga is apparently playing soon), and then came up on the Empire State from a slightly different direction. Then we drove passed the Flat Iron building again, which was the first skyscraper built in New York and hence the world. With it’s ornate external stone and distinctive shape, it really is a unique looking building. We then carried on down to Greenwich Village again, along the edge of Chinatown, and got off at Vesey Street, just a block east of the World Trade Centre site.
World Trade Centre site
I am not quite sure what I was expecting of this area, however basically it is currently a very large building site, with all activity obscured by hoardings. Apart from at least two skyscrapers that are currently under construction around the site, the main thrust of the work seems to be the building of a memorial area consisting of water features and gardens, along with an underground plaza, which is due to be completed later this year for the 10th anniversary of the destruction of the original towers. The plans are available to look at in a building in Vesey Street next to St Pauls church which you can view for free. At lunch time we grabbed something to eat in a Deli/Diner next to the Memorial building yards from the site. It is run by Italian Americans and is a whirl of shouting and activity but you get really great food served fast and efficiently at a good price. Whilst we were there we saw a steady stream of construction workers from the site coming in for food. It was eerie to think that people would have been sitting in those very seats eating 9 years ago on 9.11. We later walked down the side of the site and I noticed that there were small chips out of the wall of the neighbouring building, and you cannot help but wonder if these were caused by debris from the falling buildings on that fateful day.
The Financial District and Hudson River
From the WTC site, we made the 10 minute walk to the Hudson River coast. At this point there is an esplanade which you can stroll along to take in the views across the river to Jersey and further round to the south, a distant Statue of Liberty, which we will be visiting tomorrow. It is from here that you can also catch a regular ferry across to Jersey. We walked along for a few minutes, sharing the walkway with business men having a lunch time stroll, and then sat for a while in front of the river front offices where there is mooring for yachts. We then cut back inland and walked the half mile or so through the Financial District to the East River coast of Manhattan, passing the NY Federal Reserve on the way, which is the US version of the Bank of England. Even at it’s widest, Manhattan is only 2.5 miles wide but here it is very easy to walk from west to east.
East River, Pier 17, United Nations, and the Rockefeller Centre
Once we hit the East River we walked a few minutes North to Pier 17 where we were going to pick up the return bus. We had a quick walk around to look at the ferries going in and out, the tall ships moored there, and the views across the river to Brooklyn. The return bus journey took us North parallel to the river through the lower east side, East Village, past a huge apartment complex bulit for people returning from WW2 that has a massive 12,000 apartments, and finally the United Nations building, before turning West and inland to drop us off at the Rockeller Centre, a huge shopping area (and today including an open air ice rink), from where we walked for 5 minutes back to our hotel.
Night time in Times Square
At about 7.30pm as it was starting to get dark, we went out to wander around Times Square and see what was going on. Disappointingly, there was no street theatre or anything, so we retired to a delicatessan for some cheap food, and then went and sat on the temporary steps that have been put up in the square and watched the world go by. Later we bought some snacks and retired to the hotel.
Back to Lower Manhattan
Opening up the blinds of our 14th floor hotel room confirmed the TV forecast that it would be a grey day with rain later. After popping round to the local Deli to get some breakfast (Tuna Fish croissant !), we walked round the corner to pick up the 9am express bus down to Lower Manhattan Battery Park to catch a ferry over to Liberty Island and the Statue of Liberty. The bus took us down the Wet Side Highway which is a main commuter route north/south for Manhattan. It also takes you right past the World Trade Centre site and gives you a very good view of the work going on at the site.
Battery Park
We got off at Battery Park to find a huge queue for the ferry. Using tried and tested techniques for this sort of occasion, Naomi and Ali took up a place in the queue, Tracey went to find the head of the queue to check it was the correct queue, and I went and asked someone in authority where I might pick up tickets purchased in advance. I was sent to a window in the opposite direction to the queue, and issued the tickets straight away – the only challenge now was to re-locate everyone else, which was eventually accomplished after about 10 minutes and lots of gesticulation from different sides of a metal fence. Having joined the queue for pre booked tickets we advanced quickly towards what was an unbelievable set of security checks.
Security madness
First, having provided ID and credit card to pick up tickets, we passed through an airport style security including removal of belts and shoes, and placing of jackets and shoes into a tray as we passed through an x-ray machine. We then boarded the ferry for the 15 minute cruise across the Hudson River to Liberty Island. On alighting, we had to report to the information centre where we were issued wrist bands to confirm that we had booked to go up into the crown of the statue. Then we had to deposit our luggage in a locker which required a $2 payment and a fingerprint to access the locker – the fingerprint allows access to the locker to retrieve the bags after the visit. Then we entered the base of the statue, where had to pass through a second phase of airport style security – exactly the same as the first, only in my case, extra entertainment value for the rest of my party – I was asked to enter a scanning booth and proceed when the red light turned green, however as I stood in the marked area I was suddenly blasted with harsh blasts of air at high power, the purpose of which is still unclear, but the result of which is that my trousers rippled and my t-shirt rose up to expose my well honed body. Why this was so funny is unclear, but it continued to provide laughs hours later.. Once through this stage we had to report to a Park Ranger (Liberty Island is a National Park), names wert taken and we were given a time to report back to ascend the statue into the crown.
Up into the statue
Only about 350 people per day are able to go into the crown – most visitors just go into the base and the observation platform at the foot of the statue. We had tickets to go right into the statue and the crown. Whilst we waited for our allotted time, we sat in the waiting area reading about the history of the statue and looking at the original torch which is on display, and was replaced in the 1980s. Finally we gathered with a Dutch family to start the ascent. The statue is comparitively small, and the 350 steps up into the top are very steep and thin. It is worth the effort though, because once in the crown, although it is very cramped and difficult to stand up, there are great views and you can actually look up the arm towards the torch. There was also a very helpful ranger there who took our photo and explained a bit about the monument. On the way down you actually go past the inside of Liberty’s face.
Once back outside we walked round the base of the statue, however it had started raining, so we did not spend as much time as we might have. After collecting our bags from the locker room (using fingerprint ID !) we joined the queue for the ferry back to Manhattan. The ferry stopped at Ellis Island but we did not alight and continued back to the city where we picked up the bus back to Times Square and our hotel. Once we got back we dumped our bags, and headed back out to the Vietnamese Restaurant next door to have a late lunch/early dinner, with a 10% discount because we are staying at the hotel.
An English woman in New York
At 7.30pm Tracey and I headed out to see Yeovil girl made good PJ Harvey at Terminal 5. The venue was an easy walk from the hotel, 7 blocks north and 4 blocks west near the Hudson River again. We picked up our pre booked tickets with no proble, but to get into the venue we had to show ID if we wanted to drink, and I had brought my passport to pick up the tickets, but Tracey had not got hers. So in we went, me with my pink wrist band allowing purchase of alcohol, Tracey with a stern look on her face - 47 years old and unable to purchase or drink alcohol ! Mind you, they did noit have any cider anyway...
The venue was a converted warehouse, with 3 storeys, and reminded me of the old Granary in Bristol where you have a balcony all round where you can look down from upstairs into the crowd and on to the stage. I tried talking loudly in an english accent to see if anyone would let me into the VIP area, but to no avail. PJ Harvey was good but played mostly new material from he last LP - it would have been nice to hear a bit more old stuff.
Tonight is our last night in the Times Square area - tomorrow we move hotels and go south to 32nd Street right near the Empire State.....
Highlights of the daay :
A move to new accommodation
A first ride in a yellow cab and the NY Subway
Punk Rock sightseeing in the village and the Lower East Side
A bit of shopping
A Broadway Show
A move Downtown
This morning we have to move to new accommodation for the last 3 nights of our trip. First, Tracey and I went round to Times Square subway station to get some Metrocards to enable us to use the Subway later. To use the subway in New York now you must have a pre paid Metrocard which is available from kiosks or machines in the stations. After a couple of false starts we managed to purchase two cards with $20 on each from the machine – these can be used for multi trips (any trip costs $2.50) and can also be used for up to 4 people per trip (by swiping at the turnstile multiple times). We then went to a deli to get some breakfast to take back to the hotel.
Our first Yellow Cab
At about 10am, after we had all eaten we checked out and hailed our first yellow cab to take us the 16 blocks south from West 48th Street to West 32nd Street at the junction of Broadway. This was an uneventful trip and was quite cheap (only $6). West 32nd Street at Broadway is also called Korea Way and has a lot of Korean and Vietnamese shops and restaurants. Our hotel, La Quinta, is just behind the Empire State Building, and luckily they were happy to allow us to leave our luggage there until we could check in after 3pm. We retired to a local Deli (again) for a coffee and to decide what we were going to do today. In the end we decided to split up – Tracey, Naomi and Ali to head back up to Times Square to go to “Ripley’s Believe It or Not”, and I to head south to Greenwich Village in search of a (pre investigated) record shop. With Metrocards in hand we set off in opposite directions.
Our first NY Subway trip
The NY Subway is a bit tricky for the novice because there are a lot of different lines, and you have to know some basic geography of the city above to know which direction you are headed in – it;s not as easy as simply north or south, although I don’t suppose it is any trickier than the London Underground. I managed to get it right first time catching the red line south from Penn Street Station to Christopher Street. I heard later that the others had not fared so well, having got on the train to go north from 32nd Street to Times Square at 42nd only to look out at the first station stop to find 4th Street ! Still, a prompt change of platforms did the trick and the cost of the journey is flat rate $2.50 no matter how far.
Greenwich Village and the Lower east Side
Once I had made it back to surface level, I immediately recognised where I was from a previous open top tour. Map in hand I picked my way through the streets, which at this point south start to lose the grid pattern a lot of the rest of Manhattan has. I quickly found the record shop I was seeking, and spent a good couple of hours browsing, and eventually buying. On leaving, I noticed a peculiar shop opposite dedicated to the Big Lebowski, the character played by Jeff Bridges in the Coen Brothers film. As it was a nice day, I decided to walk the few blocks over to the Lower east side to track down an underground punk club and artistic centre (ABC No Rio) that has been going for years. On the way I walked down The Bowery which is where the famous music club CBGBs used to be although it has now closed down. Again, with my trusty map, I found the place quite easily, took the obligatory photo for posperity.
A stroll up Broadway
I found my way back to the nearest tube (Essex Street), and waited for a northbound train......which never came. At first I thought I must have been waiting on the wrong platform, but on asking a fellow passenger (there never seem to be any subway staff about), It transpires that there was some sort of delay. I decided to get on the first train that arrived, then go a couple of stops (just because I could) and see where that took me. Incidentally, before I left the UK, there had been a story in the English press about the number of rats on the NY Subway – whilst I was waiting for the train I saw two of them, scurrying between the tracks. Unfortunately I was not quick enough with my camera ! Once back on the street, I found myself back on the Bowery, so I decide to forgo the Subway, and walk over to and up Broadway. I am not sure how long Broadway is, but it stretches the entire length of Manhattan from Battery Park at the southern tip, right up to the north and onwards into the next borough. Along the length that I walked between 5th Street and 32nd Street, you can see street markets, huge department stores, gothic churches, small parks, the first ever skyscraper, the tallest building in New York, cheap perfume shops, and lots of people.
An evening of shopping and a Broadway Show
I got back to the hotel at just before 3pm and checked in. Tracey, Naomi & Ali arrived back from their adventures half an hour later. We all chilled out for a while and swapped Subway stories, then at 6pm went out to the Deli (yet again) to have a snack before going out tonight. Tracey, Naomi and Ali are going back to Times Square to see The Lion King musical at the Minskoff Theatre. I went back down Broadway to visit a cheap DVD shop I had noticed earlier in the afternoon and snap up some bargains.
Tomorrow it is meant to be particularly warm and sunny, and we are hoping at some point to go up to the observation deck in the Empire State...
Highlights of the day
Riding the subway to Queens
A cable car ride above across the East River
Strawberry Fields
A drink on a Manhattan roof top bar
Views from the 86th floor of the Empire State
Another nice morning – cool but sunny. Tracey and I took advantage of the complimentary breakfast at the hotel of bagels and coffee, but as we could not convince Naomi and Ali to get out of bed we decided to head out on our own, agreeing to meet back at the hotel at 3pm. We had pre paid Metrocards burning a hole in our pockets so after a quick look at the subway map, we decided to go East into Queens and stop at Forest Hill (simply because it sounded nice).
A stroll through Queens
As we poked our heads up out of the subway entrance we found ourselves in a fairly regular looking suburban town centre, however a quick walk of a couple of blocks and under the mainline railway bridge took us into a completely different world – Surrey, England, or at least that is what it looked like. Wide tree lined avenues with huge English style detached house with drives, front gardens, garages etc. We even saw a squirrel hopping about on the pavement. A lot of the roads were classed as private, which translates as you cannot park your car there if you are not a resident. Traffic was very light and not a sign of a yellow cab. After strolling around in the warm spring sunshine for quarter of an hour, we headed back to the subway.
Roosevelt Island and a Cable Car ride over the East River
We noticed a sign on the Subway – Ride Inside – get there alive – Do not surf the train. There has been a trend in New York (whether to avoid fares or as a white knuckle sport) to hang onto the outside of the subway trains and get a free ride ! We caught the express subway train which only stops at selected stops and decided to alight on Roosevelt Island. This is a small thin strip of land in the East River sandwiched between Manhattan and Queens. The island is 3km long but only 800 feet wide at it’s widest point. There is a bus service on the island but you cannot get onto the island by car. There a few thousand residents, but the only way on and off is via the subway, or a cable car which takes you over to Manhattan and costs the same as a subway ride ie $2.25. After a quick look round – there is not much to see (although there are a couple of coffee shops/cafes), we caught the cable car which takes about 4 minutes to take you across the river giving views of Manhattan, although somewhat obscured at some points by the Queensboro Bridge which runs over the top of the island linking Queens and Manhattan at this point.
A return to Central Park to see Strawberry Fields
We decided to walk west and head back into Central Park. On the way we found ourselves walking past Bloomingdales department store, so Tracey went in and bought a couple of bits of makeup for Naomi and Ali so that they could have a Bloomingdales bag ! Central Park was a hive of activity again with various street theatre and street art going on. We stopped for some food at one of the food trucks that have recently been allowed to start trading in the park. Then we walked over to visit the John Lennon Memorial area Strawberry Fields, which was established by Yoko Ono after he was shot nearby. The main attraction is a design on the ground with the word imagine written into it. It was swarming with tourists and is not particularly an area of quiet reflection.
Downtown to Madison Square Park
We then hopped on to the subway again at 72nd Street and headed south to 14th street, from where we took a stroll through downtown Manhattan eventually stopping in Madison Square Park by the Flat Iron building (and with excellent views of the sunlit Empire State) to have a coffee. From there we walked another 9 blocks north back to our hotel on 32nd street for our rendezvous with Naomi & Ali. We were all hungry so decided to pop out for a late lunch/early dinner at a nearby pizza place.
Rooftop Bar
Once back at the hotel, Tracey and I left Naomi and Ali watching junk TV (of which there is plenty) and headed up to the 14th floor rooftop hotel bar. This has stunning views of the 102 floor Empire State building towering above, and was a pleasant way to spend half an hour.
Up the Empire State Building
We originally had a plan to go up the empire state late afternoon so that we could see the city in daylight and stay up in the observation area as night falls to see the city by night. All seemed to be coming together – we had pre booked tickets for the 86th floor observation area, it was a beautiful cloudless day, and it was still 2 hours to dusk. As we walked round the corner to the 5th Avenue entrance the queue outside was only a few yards long and appeared to be moving well. At this point we were accosted by a ticket seller – on confirming that we had tickets, he explained that we were in a queue that would take at least 3 hours to get to the 86th floor ! The solution he explained, was to upgrade to include the “Skyride”, which would allow us to skip the queue (going in another entrance).
He had us hooked so off we went through a side door and up two floors to......another queue. This one was for another lot of airport style security. Once through this we had to go into the refreshments area to swap a receipt the ticket seller had given us for a proper bar coded ticket. Then we were herded into a waiting area for the skyride – this turned out to be a theatre style experience where you soar above the Manhattan skyline aas if in a helicoptor. It lasted about 5 minutes and was an interesting distraction, but by this time we had already been queuing for about 1.5 hours.
On exiting, we then joined the observatory queue that we were originally in – we would have liked to think we had jumped ahead a bit, but I am not sure we had ! After lots of shuffling forward, we eventually got to the lift – this whizzes you up to the 8oth floor – only 6 to go.
Unfortunately there was a half wait for the next lift.....or we could take the stairs. Like hundreds of others, we opted for the latter option, and found ourselves trooping up the stairs between the fire & emergency exits between floors 80 and 86. We finally emerged on the 86th floor observatory area about 2.5 hours after joining the first queue
By now of course it was well and truly dark, but the views were amazing as it was a very clear night. You can walk right round the building and stay as long as you like, although it was actually very windy and quite cool up there. Having taken some photos, we headed for the lift back down – and found we had to join another half hour queue, although this gave us time to study the marble and amazing art deco interior of the building. By the time we returned to the hotel, we were exhausted, and soon retired to bed.
Inclement weather
A cooler day today with light cloud, but we are thankful that we have not had the weather some of the central states have had – torrential rain and tornadoes. As I write, there is breaking news that winds have damaged St Louis airport which is currently closed. There were 24 tornadoes in that area alone. After breakfast Tracey and I departed for the subway agreeing to meet Naomi & Ali back at the hotel in a couple of hours. I had convinced Tracey that we should go to the Bronx in an effort to visit all 5 boroughs of New York.
Into the Bronx
After topping up our Metrocards, we headed north on the F line, then changed at Lexington Avenue on to the 5. This turned out to be an Express (as opposed to a local) so we had to get off a stop earlier than intended – it is not always easy to tell if you are getting on a local or express and more than once we have caught a train to go two stops (10 blocks) to find ourselves whisked 50 or 60 blocks away, and having to catch a train back in the opposite direction. By the time we reached 149th Street station we were the only white faces in the carriage. We emerged from the station to find ourselves on a wide busy street called Grand Concourse which we headed north on towards (we hoped) the NY Yankees Baseball Stadium. We were still to spot a white face at this point.
Yankees Stadium
Although I wanted to stay on the main road, Tracey convinced me to take a short cut through a park, and after a couple of twists and turns through the side streets, we found ourselves just up the road from the stadium. As we walked down the road towards the stadium we noticed 5 NYPD cars and vans parked on the corner, although we could see no sign of anything happening. We passed under the “El” or Elevated Railway, and walked on to Babe Ruth Plaza which runs across the front of the stadium. This is a huge place and even though it was closed there were plenty of people milling around taking photos and buying merchandise. We were also not the only white faces anymore. We grabbed a quick snack , then caught the elevated subway at 161st Street, back into Manhattan and our hotel on 32nd Street.
Back to Central Park but too cold for chess
Naomi and Ali were now ready to face the day, and as none of us could quite decide or agree on what to do (except that it should not involve queuing), we decided to return to Central Park, to see if there was anything going on specifically for Easter. On arrival we stopped at the food trucks again to get some tacos and salad. As we walked through the park, we noticed an area dedicated to playing chess – it has permanent concrete tables which have chess boards inlayed into them – although there are about 20 tables, there were only two games going on as it was not very warm. We got to Grand Army Plaza, which has often got ad hoc entertainment going on but although there were hundreds of people milling about, there was nothing much happening. We decided to head back to the hotel, and on our way to the subway, we saw a large queue which turned out to be the Apple shop, everyone trying to buy an I-Pad etc. There were also masses of people trying to squeeze into a toy shop to get that last minute easter bunny.
We chilled for a while back at the hotel, then went out to a nearby Mexican Restaurant run by Hawaiians where we had some nice burritos. Then it was back to the hotel to spend the rest of the evening watching Family Guy !
Last day in New York – our flight back to London from Newark Airport is at 7.25pm. On getting up found it was a repeat of our first day’s weather here ie heavy rain, so this was going to influence how we used the remaining hours. We decided to have a late breakfast and leave the room at the latest time we could – noon. This gave us a chance to check in online for our flight and print the boarding passes, and check that our flight was not impacted by the weather and closed airports elsewhere in the US.
We needed to have something to do inside, so we got the subway to try the Museum of Natural History, where apparently some scenes for Ben Stiller’s film Night at the Museum were filmed. Unfortunately when we arrived, we found that thousands of others had got the same idea, and there was a massive queue, so we headed back down south to Times Square and went to the AMC Cinema to see a film called Hanna (about a female teenage assassin). We all quite enjoyed the film, and the cinema was really good – very clean and spacious – our screen was on the 7th floor ! Afterwards, we grabbed some food, then as it had stopped raining we walked the 10 blocks back to our hotel to pick up the bags. Then it was back on the subway for the final time to 42nd Street and the Port Authority Bus Terminal to get our pre-booked Express Bus back to the airport.
Once on the bus we were quickly through the Lincoln Tunnel under the Hudson River – this is a bit of a traffic blackspot usually. The rest of the trip from the tunnel to the airport is quite grim as it seems to consist entirely of highways, marsh land or massive container and lorry/train parks. Our plane left on time and arrived promptly at Heathrow at just gone 7am on Sunday 24.4.11.
Apart from the problems of arriving to find we had no accommodation, this has been a great trip. We managed to do pretty much everything we had planned to do, and really soaked up the city – we now need to catch up on some sleep !
This trip we are travelling to NE Crete with our friends Nick and Cheryl for a week half board in the Island Hotel in Kato Gouves, on the north coast.
Arrival
We left a grey and wet Bristol Airport on the 1.15pm flight – Paul rather optimistically in his shorts and t-shirt. It felt like being on a school bus/trip during the flight as there were loads of post exam students rushing up and down the aisles, trying to drink as much as possible. We arrived at the end of the 4 hour flight at 7pm local time to be greeted with temperatures in the high 20Cs and a cloudless blue sky. We found our coach quickly and after a short 15 minute drive from the capital Heraklion, we turned off the scenic coastal road onto a thin windy lane and down to the Island Hotel at Kato Gouves. At this time of year the sun sets a bit before 9pm, so after unpacking we headed down to the restaurant for an alfresco meal whilst watching the sun go down over the sea.
First evening
After the meal, and an expensive £19/E19 bottle of wine, we headed off to look around the extensive hotel grounds, which by now were subtly lit against the darkness. The hotel has just two floors but is spread over quite a large area, with lots of places to sit, two pools, a bar, a pool room, a shop etc We then ventured out of the grounds and walked a few hundred yards along the quiet local road that runs between the hotel and the beach to the local shop where we stocked up on Ouzo and water, before heading back to our shared balcony overlooking the sea for a drink and a chat which eventually concluded at gone midnight.
An early start
Paul was up early trying to find a wi fi spot in the hotel to logon and order some Olympic tickets – we await an email to see if he was successful. The early morning sun provided some excellent photo opportunities for what is quite a picturesque location. Once Tracey was up, we headed down to a lovely buffet breakfast with all manor of choice of both hot and cold food including the ubiquitous feta cheese and Greek yoghurt. After breakfast Nick and Cheryl went off to the beach, whilst we sat around the pool for a while.
Along the coast
The temperature today is well into the 30Cs so after an hour or so by the pool, we decided to go for a walk along the coast road and into the heart of the village. It would appear that there is a constant breeze coming off the Cretan Sea here and this was nice and cooling as we strolled along the thin ribbon of sand and rock the makes up the coast here. On the way we passed a very picturesque church that judging by it’s size must have a congregation of about five. After about a mile we stopped at a sea front cafe for a beer and a local dish of yoghurt, mint and pepper, before heading back via a circuitous route that took us inland along the high street and then down some local lanes before re-appearing back on the coast road. All along the coast here you have views of the island of Dia sitting out in the Cretan Sea, which I believe is uninhabited.
Back at the hotel, we met up with Nick and Cheryl who had just come back from the beach. Whilst Tracey had an afternoon nap, Paul, Nick and Cheryl went and had a beer at George’s Bar just opposite the rear of the hotel.
Powercut
We met up again at 7pm for another lovely evening meal at the hotel buffet. After the meal the hotel suffered a partial powercut, so instead of going back to our room, we decided to explore the hotel further. It consists of a vast network of rooms and apartments and there are endless alleys and steps and corridors. We eventually got a bit lost (as some of it was unlit) before finally finding our way way back to the main area of the hotel. It would appear that a lot of rooms are not occupied. We walked past the Yachting Club which is part of the hotel to find the resident band (2nd avenue) playing by candlelight (acoustically). Once the power went back on, we returned to our rooms and spent the rest of the evening chatting on the balcony, with our Ouzo, Gin and Bacardi.
Lazy day
Got up at a much more respectable time this morning (8.30am) and started the day with half an hour laying in the morning sun by the pool, then went off to have breakfast. We then returned for another session by the pool – at one point the peacefulness was shattered by some megaphone announcements that turned out to be coming from a van driving along the road running by the hotel – in the end we decided he was selling fruit. Later we met up with Nick and Cheryl in the hotel to arrange hire car for the next two days so that we can go out and see some of the island. We spent the rest of the day lazing around the hotel, and watching the European F1 qualifying (in german!), whilst Nick and Cheryl did the coast walk we did yesterday.
Surreal train journey
At 5 o’clock we met up again with Nick and Cheryl down on the beach road ready to catch the “Fun Train” which does a one hour return trip along the coast to Gournes and back. This was definitely one of the stranger ways to spend an hour. The “train” has a white plastic Thomas the Tank Engine style front engine (from Italy), travels along the road, and pulls 3 open air carriages behind it which contain the hapless passengers who pay 9 Euros each for the journey. It starts off pleasantly enough driving along the coast road or 5 minutes, but then turns inland and passes through an abandoned US Army base (weeds, rusting radio masts, windowless crumbling buildings), then along some windy lanes, back on to a high street where bar owners wave at the passing train from their empty bars, then back down some weed choked back streets with abandoned half constructed buildings, eventually making it back to the coast road. Why anyone would think that tourists would want to see the majority of the route, I have no idea !
A musical evening
Back at the hotel, after showering, we met up again for the evening meal – we are staying half board here, and the food really is excellent. A wide range of hot and cold foods, loads of vegetarian options, and all really tasty. After dinner we took a walk up to the local supermarket, before retiring to our joint balcony to watch the sunset. Later, we went to the hotel Taverna, where 2nd Avenue were playing “songs from the movies” to a sparse audience – we had a very expensive cocktail, had a short chat with the hotel staff, then went to bed.
Ancient civilisation
Woke up to find it was cloudy – first day that we had seen a hint of cloud. After breakfast we met with the hire car guy to take possession of a bright red Toyota Aygo. At 10am, we all set off (with Paul driving) to the ancient palace of Knossos just south of the capital Heraklion. There was very little traffic on the road, so despite the three navigators taking us off into a dodgy graffiti strewn part of the capital before finding the right road south and inland, the 20 minute journey was fairly trouble free. Parking was free, in a dusty olive grove (although the owner of the grove was very keen for us to go into his cafe) and the palace was just a 100 metre walk away. Knossos is the biggest ancient palace in Crete, centre of the Minoan culture, and is the site of the earliest known civilisation in the Med (built in approximately 1600BC). There is some controversy over the renovations that have been done in more recent times by an Englishman (Arthur Evans), and the use to which some of what remains was originally put to is the subject of some debate. Whilst we were there the sun remained behind the clouds but it was still very warm, and we spent a pleasant hour or so wandering around the remains.
Up into the mountains
Afterwards, we walked back to where the car was parked and stopped for a drink and some tomatoes & bread. Nick had a water ice which turned out to be a slush puppy which was so cold that it gave him severe pain behind the eyes and in his chest which kept us amused! We then drove back North towards the capital and re-joined the main East/West road back towards Kato Gouves, and on past, before taking a right turn inland again to drive up into the mountains. At this point the sun started to come out and it was good to have a well air conditioned car. The main road was quite well surfaced, but quite thin in places, and very twisty, although there was very little traffic so this was not an issue. Every so often the road passed through tiny villages where there was only enough room for one vehicle to get through at a time. There were lots of very picturesque churches dotted around the hillsides, but it was difficult to stop and take pictures. We went over a pass near Kera (where there was a Museum of Homo Sapiens [from caves to the moon!] – very odd place high in the mountains), and descended into the Lassithi Plateau, which is a lush plateau high up in the mountains, famous for it’s windmills which were used to pump water and irrigate the land. Now a lot of the windmills are in disuse, with more modern methods being used to supply water where it is needed. This is one of the few areas in the Med that has permanent residents at a height of more than 800 metres. Near the village of Tzermiada, we stopped to climb up a path to investigate a local cave – it clearly went a long way into the rocks, but we did not have a torch so were only able to make our way a short distance in.
Evening chill out
We then drove out of the plateau eastwards passing through Neapoli, before re-joining the main East/West road back towards Kato Gouves and our hotel. On arrival we dumped our stuff and headed for a late afternoon beer at George’s bar opposite, before chilling out in our rooms before dinner. After dinner we sat on the balcony and watched the huge waves being generated by the very strong wind that had blown up earlier to blow the clouds away. After the sun went down we sat and planned our second day out in the car tomorrow when we hope to go to Spinalonga Island – a former fort and leper colony a little way east up the coast.
Woke up to find clear blue skies and another very windy day, although still nice and hot. Paul tried to take some early morning shots of the waves being whipped up by the wind, and got a little bit too close, resulting in very wet legs. After breakfast, we met up with Nick and Cheryl for our second day out in the car. Once again the roads were empty and it was a joy to drive around this area of Eastern Crete, except for the fact that any slight incline meant dropping down to 2nd gear in our Toyota Aygo.
Journey to Spinalonga
We headed East again on the main East/West road, which is part New Road, part Old Road, as they are in the process of extensive road improvements. The new road is wide straight, higher up in the hills and has several dramatic gorge crossings and tunnels. The old road hugs the coast and goes through all the resort towns which slows progress. We mostly stuck to the new road, but at one point there is a rock fall on the new road and traffic gets diverted back to the old road via the popular (with 20+ year olds) town of Malia. Here you have to be wary of quad bikes and pedestrians coming at you from all angles.
First sight of Spinalonga Island
We continued on to the point where the road skirts the resort town of Agios Nikolaus and the coast is East facing rather than North, and turned on to the north bound minor coast road towards Spinalonga. The road has some breathtaking views of “Ag Nik” before descending down into Elounda which is an extremely picturesque resort village, frequented by the rich and famous. The road here runs literally next to the sea, and this is where you catch your first glimpse of Spinalonga. Spinalonga Peninsula is separate from Spinalonga Island and is connected to the mainland by a very thin spit of land at Elounda. It forms a natural bay for the few miles along the coast to the village of Plaka where we decided to catch the boat out to the Island which is a small dot at the northern end of the peninsula. You can catch boats to Spinalonga Island all along this bit of coast, but we chose Plaka because it was the nearest (and so the cheapest) and because this was where Victoria Hislop stayed for a while when she wrote the book “The Island”.
Boat trip to the Island
All parking around here seems to be free which is a bonus, and we were able to park in the small harbour at Plaka. We immediately managed to get a place on the next boat and only had to wait a few minutes. Passage was 8 euros each, which was a bit steep for a 5 minute boat trip, however it is only 2 Euros to look around the island, so overall well worth the money. The boat was a small fishing style boat, and despite the wind, the crossing was smooth. Spinalonga Island was previously used as a fort by the Venetians, before being abandoned 100+ years ago. It was then taken over by the authorities in the early part of the last century and used to house Lepers and others with contagious diseases. This continued until 1957 when it was abandoned again and the residents were re-located to hospitals. The lepers attempted to live normal lives on the island and took over the buildings that were there from when the Island was a fort. I understand that many were pleased to be sent to the island as it allowed them to work, earn money, raise families, and live a reasonably normal life. It is also a glorious location which may have helped even in those circumstances.
On the Island
Although very small the island requires one or two hours to look round. You can walk right round the outside wall/battlements which are halfway up the rocky coastline. There are also many buildings still standing and some where only the walls remains. There is a high street of sorts and some buildings and shops have been renovated to look like they would have done when the island was inhabited. The cemetery is still there, and you can also climb up into the centre of the island. On top of all this the views from every point on the island are stunning.
Plaka and Kritsa
Aftyer a couple of hours, we caught the next boat back to Plaka, and had a cool drink in a windswept sea front cafe. We then took a stroll up the main street of the village, bought a piece of locally made hand painted glass, visited the local church, then headed back to the car. Next we decide to drive back south past Ag Nik and on up into the hills to visit a Byzantine Church (Moni Panagia Kera) in the town of Kritsa which apparently had amazing paintings inside. When we arrived however we found it was closed on Mondays, however it was a very nice little church from outside in a stunning location.
Lato ancient hill fort
On the way up to the church, we had noticed a sign for Lato ancient site 4km away, so we headed further up into the mountains to see that. We knew we had got there when the road ran out – unfortunately this was also closed on Mondays, however the gates to the site were open, so along with a couple of other people, we ventured in (we owe the site 2 Euros !). After a short but stiff climb, we arrived at the remains of the hillside settlement. This was an ancient hill fort and birth place of the Admiral of Alexander the Great. More stunning views, including one back down the coast to Ag Nik in the far distance.
Table Tennis and Motown
By this time it was 4pm and we had all had a lot of sun and wind, so we decided to head back to our hotel – about an hour’s drive. On arrival we dumped our stuff and retired to George’s Bar for a large glass of Mythos beer before showering and an evening meal in the hotel. Paul has taken to eating nothing all day so that he can save room for as much food as possible in the evening at the hotel – it is so nice and with so much choice. After dinner, and observing the glorious nightly sunset at 8.40pm, Nick & Cheryl went up to the local shop, whilst we stuck our head into the hotel Taverna where 2nd Avenue were wowing the crowds (6 couples) with Motown covers. We decided to make use of the local table tennis table instead and managed a rally of 5 shots before deciding it was too hot. As the live music had stopped, we headed back to our balcony to resume our nightly chats with Nick & Cheryl over Ouzo, Gin, Whiskey or whatever is available.
Will we have to stay in Crete...!?
Another windy start to the day, with blue sky and sun. After a late breakfast we sat around the pool for the rest of the morning. We began to hear whispers of flight cancellations from other residents, so we checked the internet from the hotel reception, and it appears that there is a 48 hour general strike in Greece, however the air traffic controllers are only doing two 6 hour sessions each day. Sure enough within half an hour of the first part of their strike at noon, planes started flying overhead again (the airport is just a little way down the coast). We will see if this affects our return home in a couple of days time.
Early afternoon we took a stroll along the coast road and stopped in a sea front cafe for a beer and salad. After we retired to the cool of the hotel and lazed about on the balcony where there was a cool breeze.
After dinner, we walked down the road to the little local church to watch the sunset, then it was back to our balcony to sit and reflect on the day. We can usually see planes going into the airport from our view point but the strike was obvioiusly being well observed because we saw none until after 10pm when the strike was due to end for the first day. The resident band 2nd Avenue weree playing the hotel bar again. Tomorrow we plan to go into the Cretan capital Heraklion for a look around, assuming the buses are running.
Bus into the capital
Greeted by cloudless blue skies and just a slight breeze this morning. After a couple of hours lying by the pool we went to breakfast, where we met Nick and Cheryl. At 10.30am we all set off to walk up the lane to the main road to catch a bus into the capital Heraklion. Just as we found the bus stop the bus appeared, which was just as well as it was 30C+ and there was no shade. I was a bit disappointed with the bus – I was expecting a Turkish style dolmus with no windows that rattled along the roads, and instead we were greeted by a state of the art coach with air conditioning and TV. Actually the air conditioning was a godsend. The 30 minute trip along the coast into Heraklion cost 2.20 Euros which was not too bad. The bus took us right into the centre and the bus station which is a couple of minutes walk from the harbour.
Heraklion
We walked round the small harbour which was filled with fishing boats, and along the wall to the Venetian fort which is clearly a big attraction to visitors. From here you can look across to the port, which I suspect is used mainly by the large Cruise Ships now rather than any freight. We then walked up the hill into the centre. We are in to the second day of the general strike today, and there were posters everywhere urging strike action. We also saw a couple of municipal buildings which had small crowds with banners gathered outside and there were some speakers in one of the mains squares. Heraklion is not particularly big (290,000 population) and it is easy to walk around the mains areas of the centre, a lot of which is pedestrianised. Boutiques mix with tourist shops and markets and there are lots of thin streets to stroll down where you can find some shade. There are the remains of some of the old city wall here and there, but not a lot of photogenic buildings, although plenty of graffiti. We stopped in a side street cafe for a beer, wandered around a bit more, then headed back to the bus station where we managed to find our return bus without too much trouble.
By three o’clock we were back at the hotel – Nick and Cheryl went for another beer in Georges Bar, whilst Tracey and I cooled down on the balcony which does not get the sun until late afternoon. Later, we went down to the beach, and Paul went into the sea. You can walk out an extremely long way here before you need to start swimming, and it is sandy not pebbly underfoot, however there are strong currents, and we have seen the red flag out on the beach a number of times, so caution is needed.
After an early dinner, we retired to the balcony, and as has become a habit, watched the lit up cruise ships go by in the distance, and watched the planes come in from the north and turn in for the airport (although not till after 10pm tonight due to the strike).
Our last day in Crete dawned as usual with sun and blue cloudless skies. Paul was up early and spent a couple of hours by the pool before breakfast. Whilst sitting by the pool you can hear the sea which is relaxing, however there are distractions as a lot of ladies here have been going for an all over tan.
The general strike in Greece is over today, and planes are flying normally, however we were concerned we may be impacted by the Civil Service strikes in the UK today, specifically customs staff, once we arrive in Bristol.
Today it is in the mid 30Cs again. After breakfast, we went to our room to pack, then sat on the balcony in the cool until we had to leave our room at noon. We then left our luggage in reception and took a walk along the coast eastbound, before turning inland and making our way in a circle back to the hotel where we stopped in at George's Bar for a large beer and orange juice. After, we had a game of pool, before making use of the hotel "day room" where guests who have checked out can shower and change.
Having refreshed ourselves, we met up with Nick and Cheryl for some food and a last drink in George's Bar where we had a really nice meal. Then it was back into the hotel to pick up our coach to the airport. Heraklion airport is very small but obviously handles a lot of tourists at this time of year and there were long queues at check in. Tracey and I were so busy browsing the duty free shop that we missed the call for our flight and were paged on the tannoy !
The flight left on time at 8.10pm local time as the sun was starting to set. The amazing thing was that we chased the sunset for the complete 4 hour flight anf it never got completely dark until we landed at Bristol 10.15pm local time, so we were accompanied all the way by a pinky/orangey sky. On arrival it was just about warm enough to justify travelling in shorts, and luckily, there were no delays at customs Already looking forward to our next trip in August over to Krakow in Poland.
Left the hotel (having come down to London last night) for Heathrow airport at 5.30am on the shuttle bus for our 7.20am Scandinavian Airways flight to Oslo. Cloudy in London and most of the 2 hour flight, but on arrival at Oslo it was nice and sunny and we had good views of the local countryside as we came into land.
After collecting our luggage we caught a domestic flight at 11.45am for the 700+ miles north to Tromso.
Once again as we came into land the sun was out and we had some stunning views of Tromso during the descent including the famous Arctic Cathedral which stands out quite clearly from miles away.
We landed at 1.35pm with about an hour before sunset. We caught the regular shuttle bus into the city centre about 4km from the airport. Most of the journey was through a network of tunnels – it is the first time I have been in a tunnel with a roundabout in it !
After 10 minutes we reached the terminus right on the banks of the Tromsoysundet (Tromso Sound I think), and after a little bit of confusion with the local street map, managed to find our way round the corner to our Hotel which is also right on the water and has fantastic views across to the Arctic Cathedral and the main road bridge connecting Tromso to the mainland.
A little background
Tromso is situated approximately 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle. It is at the same latitude as Siberia to the East, and Greenland or Baffin Island to the West. It is right up in the far north of Norway – there are a couple of small towns further North (Alta being the biggest and Nordkapp being the furthest North), but beyond that it is just the Arctic Sea and the North Pole !
Tromso itself has a surprisingly large population of about 65,000 – approximately the same as Wrexham, Rugby or Taunton. It is called variously the “Capital of the Arctic” and the “Paris of the North”, and is home to many of the most Northern things in the world including most Northern Brewery, University, Cathedral, Symphony Orchestra, Botanical Garden (!), Top Division Football Club, Catholic Bishop and Mosque. Thankfully the most Northern Macdonalds is over 200 miles south in Rovaniemi, Finland near the Arctic Circle.
Tromso is on the coast and the area is dominated by islands and spits of land divided by a network of fjords. Tromso is concentrated on an island (Tromsoya) with bridges connecting it to the mainland and the nearest island Kavaloya. The indigenous people are the Sami, but the population is multi cultural and includes Russians, Finns and Kvens (indigenous to Finland).
Because of Tromso’s geographical position above the Arctic Circle, it experiences 24 hour daylight during the summer, however conversely on 27th November the sun will set and will not rise again until 15th January, and then for only 15 minutes ! This is the polar night. We will be having about 6 hours of daylight for the time we are here, but the sunset is at about 2.30 in the afternoon.
As the darkness arrived at 3pm (!!), the weather remained cold but dry. Talking to the hotel receptionist, it is very unusual not to have had much snow by this time of year, and the forecast suggests that none is likely whilst we are here – we shall see.
Tonight we intend to look around the immediate area and familiarise ourselves with the locality before exploring further afield tomorrow. We will also be keeping an eye on the sky for the Northern Lights, although it is quite cloudy at the moment. Tromso is one of the best places on earth to see the Northern Lights, so we are keeping our fingers crossed.
Update
Late afternoon we went for a wander around the local streets. The first thing that strikes you is that you have boutique shops, next to business units, next to moored fishing boats, next to supermarkets, where in other towns all these things might be in different distinct areas.
Apparently Tromso has so many places to eat that a third of the of the population could all sit down to eat at one time. Norway is notoriously expensive so we went into a local supermarket to see the price of food – large lump of cheese £10, Mars Bar over £2, and small ham roll £5 ! We bought some local beer and cider – each about £2.50 which was not too bad. In the hotel a shot of Jack Daniels is £10 – at Heathrow we could have bought 2L of Jack Daniels for £35.
We navigated our way to the start of the road bridge that goes over to the mainland (and the Cathedral) so decided to walk to the half way point. The views of Tromso all lit up on both sides of the water were fantastic although it was not a very pleasant walk with the traffic racing across kicking up salt from the road and making a racket with their snow tyres against the tarmac.
Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel and consumed our beer, then went down to partake in the complimentary evening buffet – breakfast is also included in the price along with free coffee and tea all day, and waffles from 3pm to 6pm which you get to make yourself.
To finish off the day, we went for another wander round town and stumbled across the Bla Rock Cafe which I know does gigs from time to time, and the Bastard Bar which also does live music - there was a show there two days ago.
On our return to the hotel we had a final drink and sat in the dark looking out over the bay at the illuminated Arctic Cathedral and watched the boats coming and going. No northern lights tonight - too cloudy - maybe tomorrow.....
Although as you would expect the hotel rooms have double glazing, some of the sounds of the town did filter through during the night – not road traffic but boats coming and going !
Today we intend to explore the town a bit more – this time in the daylight (!), and then have another stab at glimpsing the northern lights later. Tromso is right under the Aurora Borealis belt and between October and March you are almost guaranteed to see them in this area as long as the weather allows it.
When the daylight finally arrived at about 8.30am this morning we were greeted with low cloud and rain. After breakfast at about 9.30am we set out as planned to explore Tromso a bit more. It is really easy to walk around and is very compact – nothing is very far from the centre. We walked up the hill a bit from the main street and into the suburban housing which overlooks the town and harbour. A lot of the houses are wooden, and some are quite large. Road are steep and not always in the best condition but are nice and wide with only light traffic.
A lot of the houses as well as the municipal buildings are brightly coloured and make a nice scene even on this drab day. We intended to visit a couple of the free museums, but as we were getting drenched (and cold) and they did not open until 11am we decided to head back to the hotel to dry out and have a complimentary hot drink.
Early afternoon we headed out into the cold and rain again to visit the free Polar Museum, which was no longer free. We then walked over to the free Museum of Contemporary Art – not open on Tuesdays ! We decided that fate was telling us to go to a bar and have a drink, so we retired to the Bla Rock Cafe. This is a rock bar that does some food and also has gigs occasionally. The place has 3 floors and two bars but is actually quite small. The walls are covered with gig posters and guitars, and they also have a good selection of record sleeves signed by the like of Iggy Pop and REM. We had a Bulmers Cider and a glass of the locally brewed Mack Beer – cost was about £14 !! We made them last !!
By now it was mid afternoon and dark, so we walked back to the hotel to chill for a while before heading out again at about 4pm to walk over the road bridge to the Arctic Cathedral to see it up close.
By now it was mid afternoon and dark, so we walked back to the hotel to chill for a while before heading out again at about 4pm to walk over the road bridge to the Arctic Cathedral to see it up close. As we walked over the bridge the rain continued unabated. On arrival at the Cathedral we realised that the lights that normally light up the building were all off meaning we could not take photos.
Deciding to try and have a look inside, we could not work out how to get in at first, but eventually found a door round the back that turned out to be the tradesman’s entrance (!) but at least it meant avoiding the £4 entrance fee. Inside it was very dark as they were trying to get the lights ready for a concert later in the evening but we did manage to see the massive stained glass window all lit up.
When we got back outside, the external lights were still not on, so we walked up the hill away from the water towards the cable car that goes up the mountain and provides great views of the town on a clear day. There were some lovely houses up in the hills just minutes from the city centre. The majority of houses have wooden exteriors, although we could see one being constructed and they are definitely brick built but with wooden fascias.
A few minutes later we headed back down to the cathedral and the bridge and found the external lights back on so I took a few photos before we headed back to the hotel for our complimentary buffet meal.
After, we chilled out in the room for the rest of the evening as there was no point in going out to try and see the northern lights. Maybe tomorrow.....
Today we decided to hire a car and take in some of the surrounding area. Although the forecast suggested a dryer day, it was raining and dark when we left the hotel at 8.30am to walk round to the local Avis.
The day had started ominously when we realised we both had a case of the Tromso trots but this passed quickly enough, and luckily did not re-occur during the day.
We set off from Avis in our Toyota Avensis at just gone 9am - at this time of year all cars are fitted with snow tyres which have lots of small metal studs all over them. After stopping back at the hotel to pick up some food and extra clothing, we set off over the bridge to the mainland, and headed out on the E8 which runs south along the Balsfjorden. We then joined the smaller E91 which goes across the peninsula to the Ullsfjord where we planned to catch a ferry. The roads were generally good and traffic was very very light, and although we could tell that we were travelling through some breathtaking scenery, at times it was difficult to see through the mist and cloud.
At Breivikeidet we found the ferry terminal easily as that is the only thing there. As we were arriving the ferry was pulling in, so we joined the queue of 8 other vehicles ready to board. The ferries are the lifeblood of the area as far as transportation is concerned – if they were not running it would add hundreds of miles to journeys. The ferry is a roll on roll off and you pay as you drive on (£18 for a car and 2 passengers) – it is a very fast and efficient service – 25 minute crossing time and a well equipped cafe and lounge. No sooner does it reach the other side then the gates come down and the traffic is off.
We had crossed the Ullsfjord and arrived on the Lyngen Peninsula, which is dominated by the Lyngen Alps. The road south hugs the fjord and the scenery is very dramatic. At one point we came across some old style dwellings which have turf on their roofs. The weather was still annoyingly wet and overcast as we arrived in the village of Lyngseidet on the other side of the peninsula on the shores of the Lyngenfjord.
We parked up and had a wander round the village. There is a famous wooden church here but we could not go in as a funeral was taking place. There is also another ferry service which runs across to another part of the mainland – a village called Olderdalen. At the ferry terminal we saw our first father Xmas of 2011.
On leaving Lyngseidet the weather finally started to clear up and we even saw a bit of blue sky. We pulled up at the side of the road to eat some food and look at the view down the fjord. We then continued on the road south and soon found ourselves entering a tunnel 3.5m long. The tunnel had been carved out of the rock but was not “finished” inside so the walls were very jagged and the road was not the same width all the way through. There were also passing places where it got narrow. I was just thinking that I hoped I did not meet a lorry coming the other way, when suddenly that is what happened. I just pulled over as near to the wall as I dare and held my breath as the articulated lorry thundered by.
Once out of the tunnel we pressed on stopping every five minutes to take photos, until we got to the junction at Lynskroa. By now it was about 1pm and likely to be about 2 hours maximum of daylight left and I wanted to turn north up the other side of the fjord and on inland to go up to the border with Finland but we were concerned about being in the mountains after dark. After sitting on the side of the road for 2 minutes debating, we decided to do it even though we knew that we would not get back in daylight (bearing in mind there is very little traffic and no lighting, cats eyes etc.)
So we headed north up the banks of the Lyngenfjord, and then turned inland east on the E8 towards Finland. The road was spectacular with massive snow covered peaks, deep gorges, pine covered slopes......and moose ! We had seen several beware of moose signs but as we rounded a bend we were greeted by a group of moose (mooses ? meese ? moosi ?). They ambled off up the hill but a few minutes later we came across another lot who were less eager to move. After we had taken a few photos we edged the car nearer and they eventually moved to the side of the road and we pressed on.
By now, although it had dried up the sun had gone behind the hills and the light was getting worse. It was also quite a lot higher and there were lots of frozen lakes around. Just as we thought we must have driven over the border without realising we were greeted by a voice saying “Welcome to Finland” – it was the sat nav that up until now had remained silent and which we had not been using ! This is one of the few road crossings into Northern Finland - the first town you would get to is the Lapland city of Kilpisjarvi a few km south. Any way we parked up, took a few photos, I did a pee in Finland and Tracey did a “Bruce Forsyth” under the Norway sign, then we turned round and headed back down the mountain, running into the same group of Moose again (this time it’s serious !) on the way down.
It took us about an hour and a half to get back to Tromso (at 4pm) and most of that was in the dark but the journey was not too bad. We had done a total of about 200 miles. After dropping the car back, we walked back to the hotel and after the by now ubiquitous beer and cider, we headed down for our evening meal.
Once again the weather is no good for looking for the northern lights, so tomorrow we may have to resort to going on a Northern lights hunt with a guide if the weather is reasonable ie clear skies (which it is meant to be).
The picture shows what we hope to see tonight, but will the weather be good, how far will we have to go to see the Aurora Borealis...........
Got up to find low cloud and mist – the weather is meant to clear during the day however, so we decided to book ourselves on a northern lights hunt tonight leaving at 6.30pm.
After breakfast we went for another walk around town – it is very cold today. In a souvenir shop we saw a local calendar with some striking architecture on and having found out it was only a 10 minute walk away we set off to find it. On the way we stumbled across some very bizarre art in the car park of the theatre – photos below. For some reason there was also a small metal dachshund looking out across the water – not sure why.
Just around the corner we found the architecture we were looking for. A whole area next to the water seems to have been set aside for architectural experimentation. The most striking buildings are those that appear to be leaning at very sharp angles. The buildings appear to be residential flats.
We were a bit cold and damp by now so we headed back to the hotel and had a couple of complimentary hot drinks before going back to the room and sitting in front of the big window watching the comings and goings of the boats for a while.
A little later we went for a final stroll round the town and then up in the hills looking at the houses, before coming back to the hotel and using the free sauna and steam room as a precursor to our northern light hunt later. At present we have no idea where we are going to be taken to try and see the lights, but it could be as much as a 7 hour round trip !!
Update 4pm local time
Disaster !! Just had a phone call from the guy we were going on the northern lights hunt with - cloud and fog in every direction for at least a 3 hour drive - no chance of seeing lights today, and we are going home tomorrow. It will have to be a trip to the local cinema to see TinTin if there any tickets left !!
Update 5pm local time
Just got from booking Tintin tickets (3D) - film will be in English with Norwegian subtitles - not quite as exciting as the wonders of nature but it just means we will have to come back another time !
Update 9pm local time
Film was really good - bed soon as we have to get up early to catch internal flight back down to Oslo at 6.40am. Then a 10.40am flight back to London and home.
Last day - nothing to do but check out of the hotel, get the shuttle bus to the airport and catch the 6.40am flight to Oslo.
Typically as we left the hotel it was still a lovely clear night and the stars were clearly visible - we could have seen the lights if we had been here just one more day....oh well.
Flight to Oslo and transfer to Heathrow all went fine, and we quickly had to start shedding clothes once we were back in England (17C !!)
We had a good time in Northern Norway and I think given a chance we will go back some time.
Wow....finally in India. I started as I meant to go on by having curry for breakfast on the plane ! Lovely and warm here - about 20 plus degrees. We had a scare when we arrived at the airport as our bags were not on the carousel. Then we realised we had the wrong carousel, but they were not on the next one either. Then after asking someone we found that an airport employee had taken all the bags off and they were standing in a big pile on the floor !
Re- united with our luggage we set off to find the guy who was driving us into Delhi.....
Some facts
India's population is 1.2 billion and it is the second most populous country in the world after China.
Delhi itself has a population of 16.7 million and is the eighth largest city by population in the world, compared with London which has 7.8 million.
There was Mughal rule in Delhi for three centuries ending 1803 with British east India company taking over. Delhi was the capital of the Mughal empire, but in 1857 direct rule by the British Empire started. The Capital of British India moved to Calcutta in 1911 and a new admin and political area was built at new Delhi.
An interesting drive
The drive from the new international airport to our hotel was about 20 minutes but was certainly interesting. At almost the first junction after the airport the car was surrounded by people trying to sell us model airplanes for a few Rupees - it is hard to ignore them but we were told that is the best thing you can do. Most of the roads had 3 or 4 lanes marked on them, but that did not seem to influence where the traffic went at all. Cars, motorbikes, lorries, pedal bikes, pedestrians were all constantly changing lanes and they use the horn continually, not to alert to any danger, but to announce "I'm coming through!" How we did not se an accident I do not know.
When we got to the hotel, we found it was guarded and before we were let in, they searched the boot and the engine ! We are staying at Claridges (!) which is in a part of New Delhi which has a lot of Government Buildings and Embassy's, so that may explain it. The hotel is lovely, but the staff are trained to almost fawn before you every time you pass them in the corridor and want to do everything for you, which means you need to have a tip ready, or offend them by doing it yourself.
Gandhi
By now it was about 2pm and after we had settled in the room and chilled out a bit (having done an 8 hour overnight flight) we decided to go for a walk round the local area, hoping security would let us through the iron gates on our return.
A 3 minute walk round the corner took us to Gandhi Smriti - a memorial area for Gandhi who was assassinated at this spot almost 64 years ago to the day. it is a lovely peaceful spot with gardens and lots of information about the man. He lived the last 144 days of his life in a house in the grounds, and the walk that he did from the house to a prayer spot in the grounds where he was killed is marked out with concrete footsteps.
India Gate
Afterwards we decided to walk on the mile or so to India Gate - a monument and park area dedicated to fallen Indian soldiers. It is an impressive site with a huge central roadway stretching through the arch and on towards the national stadium.
Walking around on the local roads presented some issues - the little 3 wheel motorised bikes cum taxis that proliferate are continually trying to get your business, and are quite happy to drive along against the flow of traffic beside you as you walk along the pavement. The streets and pavements here are very wide, a sharp contrast I think to what we will see in Old Delhi. It is also quite unnerving to walk along past the entrances to the Government building and see guns pointed at you from sentry points.
Finally we walked back to the hotel to plan our next day. Later, we had a lovely curry in the hotel before retiring.
Really packed a lot in today (as usual I hear you cry) - but was worth it.
Started the day with Dosa which was an Indian pancake with curried potatoes and chutney - really nice. We had arranged to get a local guy called Preem to drive is around Delhi today, so at 9.30 set off to the north and old part of Delhi to see the Red Fort.
It is hard to describe the experience of driving around Delhi - it is manic, yet it seems to work. I am absolutely amazed that we did not see any accidents. The rule seems to be keep moving at all times, and make constant use of the horn - no matter how many lanes there are marked on the road (anything from 2 to 6), there will always be about two more lanes of traffic. No one goes above the speed limit but they will undertake and overtake at will and will go though gaps that basically do not exist. And that is before you add in suicidal pedestrians and traffic on the wrong side of the road !! And horses.
Red Fort
Preem left us at the car park for the Red Fort with strict instructions not to allow anyone to unofficially guide us or sell us tickets, and to make sure that we had all valuables locked down - we had arrived in the heart of old Delhi. The walk from the car park took us around the external walls of the fort, passed armed guards and wild dogs. The fort was built in 1638 at the height of the Mughal empire and was a garrison for soldiers.
Once armed with a ticket (purchased for what we eventually realised was the stock price for all places of 250 rupees (£3.50) at the ticket counter for foreigners), we entered through the bag check area and found ourselves in a covered market - this was not built in 1638! Once through this the fort opens up into a huge open area with various buildings dotted around. The place is so huge that often you cannot see the inside of the fort walls. We went in to the small on site museum of Indian independance where I learnt that the current Indian flag was only introduced in 1947.
Old Delhi markets
On leaving the fort we took our lives in our hands crossing the 8 lanes of main road and went into the main street in old Delhi - Chandri Chowk - Chowk meaning market. This is the real heart of Delhi. The streets are teeming with people, dogs, Tuk Tuks, bikes, stalls, and there is a constant barrage of noise, shouting, hooting etc. You have never been anywhere like this before unless you have been here.
We had the idea of going along one of the side streets to find a local Mosque, but at one point the road seemed to be running out and we came upon a large area of rough land with hundreds of clearly very poor people hanging around it - at this point I did feel a bit apprehensive - we were the only white people around (in fact so far we have seen very few Europeans or North Americans), however we could see some cross traffic ahead and decided to push on. Luckily this was the right street for the mosque. Of course as you walk along, there is a constant stream of people wanting to get you to ride with them in their rickshaws or Tuk Tuks.
Jama Masjid Mosque
On arrival at the Jama Masjid Mosque, we took off our shoes, and entered barefoot, after having fended off (successfully) someone who searched us for a camera (there is an extra charge), and not so successfully succumbed to someone who wanted Tracey to dress in a by bright patterned shawl thing to cover her up, even though she had long sleeves and I had short, and they did not challenge me.
The mosque consisted of a large courtyard with a wall running round the outside which gave us great views of old Delhi which were worth the price of admission.
Having been re-united with our shoes and divested of unnecessary bright garments, we battled back through the markets and Tuk Tuk drivers to find Preem, and head off to our next destination, back in the south of the city.
Inspiration for the Taj Mahal
Humayan's Tomb was built in 1579 and stands on the banks of the river Yamuna. It was apparently the inspiration for the Taj Mahal. This is definitely the most impressive building we saw today. After passing through a couple of arch ways you step out into a large garden area with water channels and fountains, all of which surround a massive red and white brick and stone mausoleum. You cannot go inside but there is a huge upper level rampart that you can walk around to admire the views.
Lotus Temple
Next we had arranged with Preem to drive us a little further south to the Bahari or Lotus temple. This is a temple that looks like a lotus flower set in a huge area of tranquil gardens (or they would have been if there had not been loads of school kids there). Again we had to walk though the gardens in bare feet. The temple is for the Bahai faith - who believe in unity of all religions and people ie any faith can worship here. The inside of the temple is therefore vary sparse and has no deitys or decoration. The outside of the temple was surrounded by very inviting looking blue water - it has been a very warm and pleasant cloudless day today.
Minarets
Back at the car we wanted to see one more thing - the Quatab complex which contains more gardens and a mosque which has the tallest brick built minaret in the world, which is covered with ornate carvings and verses from the Koran.
Finally, a 30 minute drive back to the hotel and some well needed calm.
Tomorrow we have a last day in Delhi before catching the night train the 380 miles to Jodhpur in the west of Rajasthan. Cannot wait!!
Last day in Delhi, but we will be back here again prior to flying to Nepal. Today we took it easy, prior to catching the 9pm Mandore Express sleeper train to Jodhpur.
Lodi Gardens
After a late breakfast, we walked over to Lodi Gardens which are a five minute walk from the hotel. The gardens mark the southern end of New Delhi, and were created by the British in 1936, around two important tombs which are still there - one from 1444 (Sayyid Dynasty), and one from the Lodi Dynasty (1517). Two villages sprung up in the centuries in between centred around the two tombs, and these villagers were relocated when the park was established.
It is like an Indian version of Central Park in New York although not so big, and you will find locals jogging and doing Yoga, or just sitting on the grass. Clearly a good place to come and get some peace and quiet, and some shade from the sun.
We then strolled back to the hotel to pack ahead of a 2pm check out. Once we had left our luggage with the concierge, it was off to the next challenge - the Delhi metro !
Connaught Place
We were heading for Connaught Place (Rajiv Chowk Metro) which is an area of shopping and markets. The nearest Metro station to our hotel is only a five minute walk away (Race Course) and we were soon in the queue to buy a ticket. The cost of the short five stop journey was only 15 Rupees (20p) but we decided that we would get a tourist card for 100 Rupees that we could use again. As we have become accustomed to, when entering any public place, we had to have a scan and bag check before entering the metro. The station was very clean like other Asian underground systems, and our train came after a few minutes. All the signage is really easy to understand and we were soon alighting at Rajiv Chowk where we joined thousands of locals at this popular spot.
Although this area is classed as a business and commercial area with several office blocks, it is characterised by the circular road (inner circle) that houses hundreds of shops in white Georgian architecture that is modelled after the Royal Crescent in Bath. The road itself is full of the usual bustling traffic, whilst inside the circular road is a large park where this Sunday lots of Indians were picnicking and generally chilling out in the warm afternoon sun.
We have experienced a lot of staring and attention while we have been walking around Delhi. On the one hand you get people trying to sell you something or simply asking for money. they are usually fairly quickly put off with a shake of the head, a sharp "no thank you" or simply not making eye contact and walking on. Surprisingly what is harder to deal with is the seemingly more well off locals who want to engage you in conversation, ask you where you are from, how long you have been in India, where you are going etc. They appear very friendly but you are never quite sure if they fit into the first category ie that they want some money from you. And whilst it is nice to have some interest shown, and to talk with the locals and maybe find out some useful information, they just won't let you go, and carry on walking with you for miles if you let them. You don't want to be rude but sometimes there does not seem to be any other way. For the above reason, it is lethal to sit down in a busy park or street.
Ride in a Tuk Tuk
At about 3pm we went to a local restaurant to fill up with sustenance prior to our overnight journey later. The place was full with locals having a late Sunday lunch with their families, and a sprinkling of tourists. We caught the Metro back to our local station, and decided it was time to try a ride in a Tuk Tuk. Once The driver understood where we wanted to go the ride was great - exhilarating but comfortable. We drove to Lodi Gardens again to kill some time before going back to the hotel to wait for the car to take us over to Delhi station to catch the train to Jodhpur.
Catching the night train
Preem arrived at 7.30 as arranged with a friend to take us to one of the three mainline stations in Delhi that connect to other parts of the country. The drive through old Delhi at night was something to behold. The streets are teeming with life. Every inch of pavement and the side of the road is covered with pallets of goods or rubbish left by daytime activity. Fires burn every few yards, people are swarming everywhere, and everything is eerily lit by the weak sodium glow of the street lights and the headlights of passing traffic. It looks a bit like an apocalyptic scene from a film. At one point we saw a large sheep making it's way quite hurriedly through the bustling traffic.
Old Delhi station was the first to be built in India, in the 1830's and it is huge. We were warned to ignore anyone who might come up to us to try to "help", but luckily we were shown to our train which was on the platform a whole hour before it is due to leave. God knows how long the train was but we walked a fair way to find our coach and the end was not in sight. To find your carriage, you need to look for your name on a list of passengers which is Sellotaped to the outside of the carriage. We had booked a first class air conditioned cabin (3204 rupees or £50 for both of us) but we did not know whether we would get a closed in cabin or whether we would be sharing with anyone. In the end we lucked out - not only did we have a cabin with a door, we were not sharing.
On the train
There are about 8 different classes of train travel in India, and first class does not bear any resemblance to first in the UK. We saw some second class cabins and they consisted of wooden benches in open carriages with barred windows with no glass. The cabin was not particularly clean and consisted of a double bunk with a wash basin, and a blanket and pillow were supplied. I will not describe the communal loo but safe to say I was glad I had not had a lot to drink today. The first item on the list on the cabin wall entitled "Help the railways serve you better" was "In case of theft, avail assistance of guard to prefer reports". This was our home for the next 10 hours and 380 miles.
Great train journeys of the world
You may not be surprised to learn that we did not get the best night's sleep ever, but taking the sleeper train across Rajasthan in Northern India was a great experience. The train did the first hour or so quite slowly, but after we retired to our respective bunks it seemed to pick up quite a bit of speed - I just hoped that all the cows and various other things that may be on the track up ahead in the dark got out of the way. Before we went to bed, we sat for some time in the cabin with the light off looking out the window wondering what was out there in the dark, but it was rare to even see a light flash by once we had cleared Delhi.
I had a fitful sleep from 11pm and eventually woke at 2pm to find us just pulling in to Jaipur the state Capital of Rajasthan, at least I think that was where it was because it is notoriously hard to identify what station you are in from the train, unless you have been counting down the stops. It is worth mentioning here that whilst Jodhpur and Jaipur are in the state of Rajasthan, Agra is in the bordering state of Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi is it's own state. I am really looking forward to later in the trip when we take a daytime train back to Jaipur - it will be good to see where we are going !!
Awoke again at 5pm to find we were just leaving another station. I don't think the fact that whilst looking for photos of the Mandore Express on the Internet yesterday I came across a startling picture of the 2009 derailment in which six were killed helped me sleep ! India has the largest rail network in the world outside Russia, but it also has a huge amount of rail fatalities every year.
Arrival and death in Jodhpur
Jodhpur is the second largest city in Rajasthan with a population of about 1 million. It is variously known as the sun city because of the amount of sun it gets (it is on the edge of the Thar Desert), and the blue city after the fact that most of the houses in the old city are painted blue (because the Braman caste who live there believe that blue will ward off mosquitoes, keep the house cool, and acts as a kind of religious offering).
We pulled in to the station at about 7.30am half an hour after sunrise, exactly on time. As we stepped off the train we entered a maelstrom of activity on the platform with people everywhere most carrying things on their head. After a few steps we had to walk around an old man laying on the platform who had clearly died in the night - welcome to Jodhpur.
There was a bit of a nerve racking couple of minutes after we got out of the station where we had to wait for the guy who was picking us up and had to fend off a few unwelcome advances from locals who had spotted two white people. Our hotel was only 5 minutes away by car,and we had the welcome news that the hotel could let us have room right away. On the way in the car we hastily arranged to be picked up for a tour of the city at 11am and then some kind of desert village trip the following day.
Mehangarh Fort
At 11 we met our guide in the hotel lobby and set off across the city to the main attraction - Mehangarh Fort, one of the biggest forts in the country, which towers above the city on a massive rock outcrop. The approach is via a windy hill road which takes you out of the noisy dusty city. Just below the fort is another tomb (Jaswant Thada) made of marble and in a stunning location.
The fort was started in the 1400's but most of the current fort dates back to the mid 1600's. The views down to the blue city are amazing, and there a lots of rooms which are used as a museum to the people who have lived in and used the fort.
Hard sell in Jodhpur market
We then went down into the city centre which has another manic market and a more serene clock tower. We walked around the market trying not to get mowed down by Tuk Tuks, bikes, cows, etc, and found ourselves dragged into a textiles shop where the owner was proud to tell us that he sold material to Gordon Ramsay. After we had been shown 7 floors of material and cloth we succumbed to buying a scarf ! I have to say though that the work sold by the local women was impressive.
Afterwards we drove across to the other side of the city where the largest palace in the world sits above the city, and can actually be seen through the heat haze from the fort. Umaid Bhawan Palace was completed in 1943 and is part hotel, part museum, part private residence.
By now the heat of the day and the effect of our overnight journey were telling so we drove back to the hotel.The Vivanta Taj hotel is huge itself and is I believe a former palace.
Just noticed that the blog temperature is reading 0C but believe me it is up in the high 20's. They regularly get high 40's here in the summer.
Later in the afternoon we sat round the pool for an hour or so. Had a lovely evening meal then retired to bed with thoughts of our trip out into rural Rajasthan tomorrow to visit a Bishnoi village - The Bishnoi are conservationists and Eco friendly down to the even death rites. The preservation of animal and vegetable life is a religion.
Just sen the uk weather, looks like you have some really cold night temps coming up - here today it has been nudging 30c, but of course it is winter so it's not really hot !!
Had a fantastic day today out of the city in rural Rajasthan. We had arranged for a guide to drive us out into the edge of the Thar Desert to see some local villages which are home to the Bishnoi tribe. This tribe live only in this part of north west India and live in a particularly environmentally and Eco friendly way. They are vegetarian and do not kill animals. Interestingly our guide said that the population of local jails was 40 percent Bishnoi !
The madness of the open road
We were picked up in an open jeep at 10am and headed out of the city. At one point we came across hundreds of trucks parked at the side of the road - this is apparently because there is a tax payable if they drive any further into the town so they unload on the outskirts, resulting in a very busy, congested and dusty part of the city. Once we got out of the city we were able to pick up some speed as the traffic decreased. The traffic is primarily trucks and motorbikes out of the town.....and cows, but as you pass through the villages you get the tuk Tuks, tractors, bikes, dogs, pedestrians, etc again.
This was our first experience of drivIng on the open road. The road was really smooth with a good Tarmac surface, but the driving was as mad as in the cities. The trend seems to be to overtake as usual using the lane for oncoming traffic, then don't bother moving back over, until you meet some oncoming traffic them just beep at them and keep going on the wrong side, and only move over when the two lane road has about five vehicles across it.
Village potter
Eventually we turned off onto a dust track to the first village and a visit to the home of a potter. Primarily he makes large pots that are used by locals to store water. He showed how he used a large concrete potters wheel on the ground to create pots using a clay that comes from a few km away. The spindle of the wheel was made from wood and rock - no electricity here. While we there the guys family were wandering about and I sat for a while with his little boy who was feeding their goats.
Some opium with your tea sir?
Next it was off further into the desert scrub to the home of a family where the man of the house was going to give us a demonstration of opium smoking and drinking ! This is illegal now, so the demo was with a sugar based substitute that looks like opium, or so we were told. Opium is still gown in north India but the government does strict checks on its distribution.
The demo commenced after our guide had introduced us and given us some history. We were offered some Indian tea from our hosts wife which we accepted. The guide started showing us the sugar substitute opium, then our host interrupted at which point he translated that actually this was the real stuff and the guy was offering us some that we could dissolve in our tea ! I did not want to offend our host by refusing, so........
Rug weaving
Next, it was back in the jeep and on to another village to see some rug making. Up to this point our guide had been translating for us, but almost at once the carpet guy asked us in very good English where we from. When we said Bristol in england, he exclaimed "ah, M4 !,". He also knew that Bristol was near Exeter ! Turns out he has always lived in the village but has learned the langauge from visitors and from books. He knows about places because he sends his carpets aboard (he belongs to a weavers co-operative) and he will look up the places in an atlas. We did not buy a rug but gave a donation to the co-operative.
A return to the city
After this it was back to the jeep and a drive across the bumpy tracks to the main Tarmac road and the city. Before regaining the road we spotted some gazelle. This can be added to the other more unusual animals we have seen so far this trip including falcons, wild parakeets, chipmunks, and peacocks. Yet to see any snakes which pleases Tracey.
Once back at the hotel it was a chance to chill out before a really early start tomorrow when we catch a train to the state capital of rajasthan Jaipur. A journey which should take about 5 hours.
In the evening got a Tuk Tuk into the centre to get a cheap local/ non hotel meal at the Gypsy Restaurant. A meal for two and non alcoholic drinks cost us £3 plus 70p each way for the Tuk Tuk. We were such a good fare that the Tuk Tuk driver insisted he would wait to take us back after our meal ! It amounted to him earning £1.40 an hour !
Now I am off to look up the after effects of opium....
Check back later for some photos...
Our sixth day in India and we have yet to see a cloud......but that's enough of my problems !!
Another train journey
Early start today as we picked up from our hotel at 5am to go to the station to catch our 5.55 am train the 320km to the Rajasthan state capital Jaipur. The driver made sure we had the right carriage - it can be so confusing with the different classes and all the commotion that a train departure creates. The train's ultimate destination is Indore so we needed to make sure that we checked the stations as we passed through them as there are no announcements on the train. Also the carriage we were on was a sleeper and some berhs have no windows, and most of the time the curtains are drawn - passengers seemed to settle down to sleep on board despite the time of day, probably because of the length of the journey.
We were in an AC3 tier carriage which basically means that the carriage is air confitioned and is 3 benches high alllowing 3 people to sleep one on top of the other in the main part of the open carriage, and down the window side there are two tiers to allow for the constricted room with the slope of the carriage roof. Unfortunately our tickets were for berts 8 and 32 which were both on the top with no window, and not particularly near each other. Despite some negotiation, we could not pursuade any fellow travellers nearby to move to allow us bunks together, so Tracey staked a claim for her top bumk, and I sat on the bottom one nearby, hoping that whoever was booked on it would not want to sleep, and was willing to share the bench as a normal seat.
As it happened this worked fine, as one of the 8 berths in our little area was not booked so I sat there and spent some time talking to a fellow traveller - a 48 year old indian civil servant who was going on a 10 day training course in the east of the state. I discovered that he was a civil engineer walking on water irrigation p[rojects - a high profile job in this area.. He earned the equivalent of 10K pounds pa.
Half way through the 5 hour journey after my fellow traveller went to sleep, I managed to shuffle over to the window to watch the world go by. The landscape changed very little for th\e whole journey - semi desert scrub broken up by thousands of trees that look very similar to the Joshua Trees in the US. A small mountain appeared at one point with the ubiquitous fort perched on top, and a huge area of salt flats broke up the desert monotony. Mostly though there was the occasional village, level crossings where i saw a couple of camels, and from time to time groups of people or individuals walking along the tracks.
Arrival in the state capital of Rajasthan
We pulled into the station exactly on time and were met on the platform by the guy who had driven us around Delhi. The station was the usual hubbub of commotion. Jaipur is another desert city with a population of about 3 million. It seemed to have the same manic feel as Jodhpur as we drove the 20 minutes to the hotel. Lots of poor on the street, buzzing markets, crazy driving. There seems to be more cycle rickshaws here and more reliance on horse, cow and donkey to pull carts of goods. I even saw a camel driven cart.
We were in the hotel by noon and decided to spend the rest of the day relaxing. The hotel is unbelievable - it was originally the city residence of the ruling Samode family and is liberally sprinkled with courtyards, gardens and small little alcoves. Despite the opluence the hotel is tucked away at the end of a very ordinary side street right in the heart of the old city. Jaipur is known as the pink city because of the stone used to build the old city.
Soon after arriving I realised that I had left my ipad charger in the last hotel so although it is being sent on I now have limited access for a couple days, using the hotels PC access. On discovering my loss, I did take a tuk tuk ride into the city in the vein hope of finding a shop selling Apple replacement chargers, but to no avail, although the ride was an experience, up and down dozens of back streets, each one with little or no proper road surface, and each one full of local traders. I saw very few shops as we know them and just one or two name stores eg Vodaphone and Honda were about it.
Tomorrow we plan to go to the hilltop Amber Fort, maybe involving an elephant ride, see the palace of winds, and absorb more of the manic Indian desrt city life.
Photos to follow.....
Elephant walk
We left the hotel at 8.15am to drive the 11 km north of the city into the hills to the town of Amer and the Amer Fort or Amber Fort as it is more widely known, due to the colour of it's stone. The fort was built in the 16th century as the former capital of the Kachwaha rulers of the old state of Dhundhar, and is a complex of palaces, pavillions, halls, and temples. It is approached by a steep windy road, which can be ascended with the help of a ride on the back of an elephant. Having established that the animals looked healthy and well treated we took the plunge and took the slow swaying trip on the back of an elephant up the hill and into the main courtyard of the fort - what an entrance !
The Amber Fort
Once in the fort there are a wealth of corridors, rooms, halls, courtyards, and architecture to see, but the greatest thing for me was the views - down into the town of Amer below which was shrouded with early morning mist, or up further into the hills to Jaigarh Fort, linked to the Amber Fort by subterranean tunnels, and by a huge wall that snakes across the hills and used to completely enclose Amber Fort.
Palace in the lake
Next it was back down the hill and into the northern outskirts of Jaipur for a photo stop by the side of the road to take in the magnificent Jal Mahal Water Palace The golden palace is in the middle of Man Sagar lake - a man made body of water built in the 1500s to address the water shortage in the area. It is a stunning location and I hope my photos do it justice.
Coping with poverty
Whilst stopping to take photos, like other areas where tourists are likely to stop and in the cities generally, we were immediately targeted by begging children. In this instance I had by sleeve tugged by a litlle girl with the cutest smile saying mister mister....please, please. Further along a boy adopted a different stance by just coming up to me with hands out and a forlorn expression on his face. Some of the children say you can take a picture of them to justify the payment. I don't know which is worse, this or the woman with no arm clasping a young baby, or the man with no legs dragging himself across a dusty car park, both in the town later in the day. The trouble is that if you give one some money, even a few pence which is a lot to them, you will get hundreds gathering around in seconds - - it is not a problem you can easily solve, but hopefully in an indirect way my tourist pounds will do something to help the poor in this area (or is this a forlorn, optimistic hope) ?
Star gazing
Next it was on in to the city centre to see an amazing place - the stone observatory - Jantar Mantar. Built by Maharaja Jain Singh 11 in 1734, it is an amazing collection of gigantic stone and marble instruments which were used to make very accurate observations about the movement iof the stars and planets. One piece is 27 meters high. The whole place is like some surreal Daliesque creation.
City Palace
Next door is the City Palace - a collection of courtyards and lavish rooms, part of which is still used by the Maharajah and his family. The amazing thing about all these lavish and grand buildings are that they are yards from the teeming masses out on the streets and yet you would never know it as they are all without exception very tranquil, calm and airy places, except when the peace is shattered by some burst of traidtional indian music or dancing. It has to be said that some of this calmness comes from the fact that as a white tourist you have a temporary cessation of the continous onslaught of locals trying to sell you something, get you to ride in their vehicle, or the afore-mentioned begging. This sort of behaviour within the monuments is completely forbidden by the authorities.
Palace of the winds
Back out on the streets, it was back to the continual tooting of horns, peeing in the streets (curiously there is a lot of this in Jaipur but have not seen it elsewhere), begging etc Our final stop was at the Hawa Mahal Palace of the winds - this is an amazing piece of archtecture located on Badi Chaupad in the centre quite near our hotel. It was built in 1799, and has 953 windows which allowed royal ladies to observe happenings in the street below, whilst remaining unobserved themselves.
Finally it was back to our hotel to spend the rest of the afternoon beside the pool. In the evening we went out to eat in a local restaurant called Royal Treat which was recommended by Preem who has been driving us around. Good food at reasonable prices, and some live indian music with saried lady dancing with increasing numbers of pots on her head. Although the volume of traffic at night is less, it is still just as crazy with the usual driving down the wrong side of the road malarkey, but for added spice, a lot of the vehicles have not got their lights on !! Although there is a bit less traffic once darkness settles, the human activity does not cease. It is quite an experience driving through the streets at night with the headlights revealing the smog and dust hovering over the road, added to by the smoke raised from the fires that people light on the street or in old metal drums.
Photos to follow once I re-instate proper ipad access
Another day, another fort.....and more cloudless skies and mid 20's temperatures.
Temples and Government
Our final full day in Jaipur was a bit less full on. At 9.30 we left the hotel to have another driv around the pink city. Our first stop was the Narayana Temple - a Hindu temple built completely of marble. Next it was a drive around the new modern part of Jaipur, where the roads are much wider, and like New Delhi, is the home of all the Government Buildings which includes the parliament of Rajasthan, which had a slight feel of Buckingham Palace about it, as it is at the end of a long straight multi laned road, and had a lot of pigeons on the road in front of it. Just yards from the parliament building, there is a large dusty area where people are living in tents and little children scuttle around, while pigs forage for food amongst the rubbish.
Views of the city
Next we drove back through the old city and out towards the Amber Fort where we were yesterday, but turned off before there, up a windy hill road to the Nahargarh Fort. This fort is much smaller, and less sumptious than those we have visited previously on this trip but it has superb views out over the city, as well as the palace in the lake. The drive down the hill was a bit scary, and I was glad to be back on the flat in the city.It was now lunch time so we retired back to the hotel for a quite read in the shade (Tracey), and a beer beside the pool (me) - I was also entertained by the monkeys climbing all round the hotel walls.
Braving the old city on foot
Later, I took a walk out into the old city to try and take some pictures of the street life. The contrast between the hotel grounds and the street outside is hard to describe - from the tranquility and order to the intensity noise and squalor in a matter of a few steps. There are very few white Europeans around and you can feel very conspicuous walking around, but I found that if I walked with a sense of purpose like I knew where I was going, I was pretty much ignored.Whilst the traffic buzzes around on the road, at the side of the street the major occupation seems to be sitting around talking and watching the world go by, with a bit of selling thrown in from time to time. The fruit and veg always looks lovely but as someone said to us a few days ago, be careful with the street food, as you do not want to end up with your belly outside of your body (I think he meant being sick !). There are zebra crossings but I am not sure what the purpose of them is, as absolutely no one stops at them, so you may as well try to cross the road anywhere - a favourite place for locals to cross is at major roundabouts !!There is a lot of work being down in the city as they are constructing the first lines of a new metro system - women can be seen helping the men doing roadwork eg carrying gravel and rocks. After taking a few snaps, I walked back to the hotel, and after a coffee started to pack ready for our 230km drive to Agra tomorrow, when we will leave Rajasthan and enter the state of Uttar Pradesh.
Explosions, weddings and alfresco dining
During the evening and late into the night and early morning, it is not unusual to hear fairly large explosions - the first time we heard them in Jodhpur was shortly after we had been told that there are a lot of army bases in the area due to the cities reasonable proximity to Pakistan - we thought hostilities had started up. It turns out that these were local wedding celebrations - a lot of marriages happen at this time of year.For our final meal in the hotel we ate outside under the starts with fires burning smoky wood for warmth as the temperature in the evenings drops to maybe 9 or 10 degrees. If you go out in the evening or early to mid morning you will see the locals with big coats and scarves wrapped right round their heads.
Our driver (Prem) who was arranged by our travel company was waiting for us as we left the hotel with our luggage ready for the 5 hour drive east to Agra in the state of Uttar Pradesh. I was also re-united with my iPad charger sent on from the hotel in Jodhpur, so assuming that I can get WiFi at the hotel in the evening, I will be able to upload photos again.
Agra (also known as Akbarabad) sits on the banks of the River Yamuna which also runs through Delhi a further 200km further North. It has a population of getting on for 2 million. It has the same semi arid climate of Jodhpur and Jaipur. While reading about Agra on Wikipedia, I came across this advice : Caution: When you enter from Jaipur / Bharatpur side, beware of robber in uniform (State police / RTO) at the entry point of Agra City. They will chase you and threaten you for no fault of yours. By doing these they will loot big amount of money from you and make you uncomfortable !! Mmmmmmm........
Road trip east
The start of the journey was through the now familiar streets of old Jaipur, and it seems as the the city would never end as we fought our way through the usual maelstrom, and past the dirty dusty communities of the poor at the side of the roads. Eventually we joined the national highway N11- a two lane divided dual carriage way. The divided bit is significant - this means that you only have to deal with the traffic going in the same direction as you, or that was what I thought. Actually we quite often came across trucks, bikes and carts going in the opposite direction to us, on a dual carriageway. Occasionally there would also be sheep or goats crossing the road.
Every so often we would pass a toll gate and have to pay a few Rupees to enter the next stretch of road. I was disappointed not to see a fee for camels as we saw quite a few, however as they are not legally allowed to use the road, there is no charge ! Amusingly, there is a long list of exemptions for paying the tolls, including bikes, carts, and the President of India....and the vice president, and any car carrying a dignitary.
Camels and Saris
Once on the open road, the traffic comprises mostly of bikes, buses, assorted local carts, camels, livestock, pedestrians, and trucks, who are not allowed in the inner city areas without paying high charges. There are actually very few cars.
I love seeing the women at the side of the road in their spotless brightly coloured saris. Some will be walking carrying a bundle of something on their heads, others working in the fields, some working on the road, either helping the men, or cleaning/painting. The men on the other hand can be seen in their scruffy clothes, sitting at the side of the road chatting, or peeing, or arguing. We saw a lot of people using a water pump to gather water or wash themselves.
Abandoned city
Half way to Agra, we stopped at the Gangour Motel for some coffee and a snack, before pressing on. Shortly after crossing the state border from Rajasthan into Uttar Pradesh, we turned off the main road to visit the abandoned city of Fatehpur Sikri. This is a national monument. It was built in the 1500's taking 15 years, then was abandoned after 14 years due to problems with maintaining a good water supply
The irony is that it is anything but deserted now, with thousands of little shops outside to lure the tourists, and locals everywhere wanting to be your guide for a few rupees. Once inside, and away from the hassle of the local tradesmen, it is quite and calm and much like some of the other forts and palaces we have visited over the last few days, but no less awe inspiring for that.
Arrival in Agra and a first sight of the Taj Mahal
Finally back to the car for the final 40 km to Agra. As we approached it was clear that this city was not a whole lot different in terms of traffic volumes and poverty as other places we have seen, however the buzz of life in these places is still amazing to behold. We are staying in the Gateway Hotel, and the view out of our window is amazing. We can plainly see the Taj Mahal over the rooftops of this part of the city - apparently it Is 3km away but it looks closer.
On entry to the hotel we had a Bindi applied - this is the red decorative dot applied to the forehead which amongst other things is thought to protect against demons and bad spirits. After our long drive we stayed in the hotel for the evening.
Visit to the Taj Mahal
Today we are visiting the Taj Mahal - one of the seven wonders of the world and the second that we have seen after the Colosseum in Rome.
Situated a couple of KM from our hotel, it is a huge white marble mausoleum built as a monument for his third wife who died in child birth, by Mugal Emperor Shah Jahan. Situated on the banks of the Yamuna River, it was finished in 1653 after 21 years of design and building.
When we got up we could not see the Taj Mahal out of our "Taj view room" because of the haze and smog from the city. The authorities do not let petrol engined vehicles right near the building, but as the exclusion zone is only about half a km, I am not sure how effective that measure is in a city of nearly two million.
Entrance to a seventh wonder
A 5 minute drive found us in the car park, where we picked up a free battery powered bus to get to the entrance, after fencing off the usual crowd of persistent locals trying to get us to take a guide or buy shoe covers or buy a carpet or take a ride in an auto rickshaws etc etc
There are four different gates you can enter by and all take you into the so called entrance court which is huge in itself, built in the local red stone, and with English looking lawns. You then pass through an archway and the Taj Mahal is laid out before you in all it's glory. It is built at such an angle that the sun is alway on the side that you approach from (the rear being the Yamuna River.
Beauty on a large scale
The thing that strikes you is just how big it is - 55 metres wide and the same tall. I imagine this must be one of the most photographed buildings in the world, and today there were huge crowds of tourists, mostly Indian, snapping away. You can walk across the lawns but most people walk down the water channel in the centre and up on to the marble platform in front of the building to get a good vantage point.
There is a huge marble platform in front of the tomb that you can use to walk right round the building, and you can go inside the mausoleum which is actually surprisingly small, but shoes must be removed. The scale and craftsmanship is amazing. We probably stayed in the grounds for about two hours, before heading back to the car, and driving a few KM across to the other side of the river where you can visit Agra Fort, built in the local red stone again, and a point where you can look across the river at the Taj Mahal. To be honest though, the smog was quite bad today and our hotel room view is much better.
Lazy afternoon
On the way back to the hotel we were persuaded by our driver Prem to get some tickets to a cultural Indian dance show tonight at the Kalakriti. Not sure quite what to expect, but we are up for it. I am sitting here typing this with the Taj Mahal in plain view - a stunning building and well worth a trip to Agra to see.
Spent the rest of the day chilling by the pool. Although we have so far avoided Malaria and Denque fever, I suddenly developed a stinker of a cold a couple of days ago. So far I have eaten nothing but Indian (including the beer) and the other day I was pursuaded to try Masala (ginger) tea to help cope with my cold, but tea here is usually served really sweet with milk, so I did not really enjoy it, and so far it does not seem to have helped !
Bollywood Agra style
At 6pm we went round the corner to a local theatre called Kalakriti to see a show called Mohabbat the Taj - the story of Shah Jahan and the creation of the Taj Mahal. Although a stage show, there were filmed images presented on a backdrop. A mixture of dance dialogue and images, produced by people from the Bollywood film industry in Mumbai, this was a really entertaining show, helped by a Hindi to English translation on headphones. The costumes and stage sets were amazing and well worth the £13 ticket price.
Tomorrow we leave Agra for a 4 or 5 hour drive to Delhi, where we will stay one night before flying out to Nepal.
Smog
Woke up this morning to find a thick fog/smog hanging over Agra. No Taj Mahal view today. At 9am we set off on our road trip back to Delhi. It was quite weird for it to be grey and dull after 10 days of sun but we better get used to it as we will be back in England this time next week.
After negotiating our way through the outskirts of Agra, we were off North through rural Uttar Pradesh. This time we were using the N2 which like the route coming to Agra from the West is a two lane dual carriageway. The road surface did not seem so good though, and there were a lot more trucks, although very few cars as per last time.
driving with no rules
We saw the usual sights along the route, and we find that we are beginning to get used to the manic driving style that is the norm over here. Prem, our driver did make comment that outside of Delhi there are no rules, so traffic will use the wrong side of the dual carriageway, and will ignore red lights, however in Delhi drivers would get a fine if they did this, assuming they got caught.
Snakes and another state
After about an hour the fog cleared and the sun came out and normal service was resumed. About half way in to the 200 plus km journey, we stopped at the Maharaj Motel for a coffee and Aloo Til (spicy potatoes and sesame seeds). In the car park there were a couple of guys with a cobra and another smaller snake, so I asked if I could handle them - this was ok and they took my picture, but wanted 100 rupees (70p) - our driver said do not pay them more than 10 or 20 so I took his advice, although it feels slightly churlish to then have them shouting after you for more money when the amounts are so small. At about this point in the journey we passed out of the state of Uttar Pradesh, and into Haryana.
traffic jam India style
About 30km outside of Delhi at a place called Faridabad we hit a massive traffic jam. Generally traffic outside the towns and cities is light, but there are a lot of factories in this area including JCB India, and this is where a lot of trucks stop so that they do not incur charges for entering the city. This being an Indian traffic jam, the traffic did not actually come to a halt, rather vehicles just left the road and started driving round the jam, sometimes having to push back in when a tree or shop or wall stopped their progress. At one point I counted 6 lanes of traffic on a two lane road !! And while we are talking numbers, Tracey saw a Tuk Tuk with 17 people in it - this is a vehicle with a bench seat in front for the driver and normal seating in back for 3 or possibly 4 !!
Farewell to Prem
We eventually got in to our Delhi hotel at 2.30pm, and said goodbye to our driver who has been with us on and off for the last 10 days - he has been really excellent and it was sad to have him leave us. It's a pity he could not meet up with us in Kathmandu ! ironically he is from a Himalayan town in Northern India. He works the tourist season in and around Delhi and Rajasthan and then goes back to his family in May, June, July time as this is the hottest time of the year and tourist numbers reduce.
Aborted Tuk Tuk ride
After a couple of hours in the hotel, we decided to take a Tuk Tuk round to the Khan Market where there were apparently some western style shops and some eating places. After the first roundabout the driver stopped the rickshaw and got out mumbling something about the brakes ! Then a passer by stopped and asked us where we were going. When we told him, he said we should not go there, we should go to a nearby bazaar, much better for clothes. We said we did not want to do clothes shopping, just get something to eat. He continued trying to pursuade us, then he got talking to the driver who then said he could take us somewhere cheaper to buy clothes and would take us there for no extra fare! This is typical of the sort of situation that arises - you are not sure whether people are trying to be helpful or get more money out of you by taking you to their cousin's shop or whatever.
In the end we got a sandwich at Khan Market as the eating places did not open til later, and then walked back to the hotel, where we later got room service !!
There seems to be an issue with uploading photos at the moment but hopefully some more will appear in the next 24 hours....If Internet access OK in Nepal.
Tomorrow we go to the airport to catch a Jet airways flight the 660 miles to Nepal and the capital Kathmandu.
Had a fantastic day today - our first day in Nepal
After a quick breakfast, we left the hotel for the 20 minute drive to the airport. We were not expecting him, but our friend Prem the driver turned up to take us which was nice. I have been trying these last few days to get a photo of an Ambassador - an old English car that is very common in Delhi. They are either white (usually a government car) or black and yellow used as cabs. They look a bit like the old 60's Volvo. Anyway, the drive to the airport was my last chance to get a good photo and I failed - now I am going to have to come back to India :)
Flight to Nepal
We arrived at the airport in plenty of time for our midday flight to the Nepalese capital. Indira Gandhi airport is brand new and is apparently the world's 6th largest. We got checked in quickly and efficiently ready for our Jet Airways flight. The flight was full despite there being several flights a day between Delhi and Kathmandu. I wanted a window seat as I was expecting great views but we could not check in online beforehand, so once on the plane, we did some gentle negotiations with the man who was booked into the window seat where we were seated- he was a Nepalese called Shankar and he was happy to swap seats as he had seen the mountains "many times before!" Shankar spoke good English and it turns out that he had studied for a year in Newcastle, although he said that it took him 6 months before he could understand the Geordie accent !!
The weather was sunny, and the majority of the flight was across the low lying land of Northern India, but about 10 minutes before the end of the 100 minute flight the snow capped peaks of the Himalaya could be seen in the distance. Then the plane turned toward the mountains and started to descend, and I think the approach to Tribhuvan airport in Kathmandu is the most amazing I have ever seen. The plane passes low over some wooded mountains and you can plainly see small communities grouped on the top of individual peaks surrounded by what looks like perfect green lawn. Then you start to see the Kathmandu valley slowly open up before you, first dotted with a few individual houses, then bigger communities before the main bulk of the city opens up, surrounded by green mountains with snow capped peaks in the background.
First hours in Kathmandu
We passed quickly through the small brick built airport, and out in the car park we met up with Birendra, our local tour guide who is going to show us around over the next 3 days. We have been used to driving around India in a 6 seater air conditioned Toyota, so it was a bit of a surprise to be shown to our car - a 20 plus year old Japanese car with no seatbelts fitted. At first glance, the city of Kathmandu appears very similar to some of the desert region cities we have seen in India - lots of traffic, very dusty, lots of poor at the sides of the streets selling their wares etc. But there are subtle differences - no cows wander the streets, traffic is mostly cars, buses and bikes with very few Tuks Tuks and rickshaws. the traffic is also a bit less manic, although reliance on the horn is still a factor.
I am slightly concerned about our cash flow at this point. We have some Indian Rupees, but when we tried to exchange them at the airport, they would not do it - they want stealing, yen, dollars etc. In India we were told that the Nepalese will accept Indian Rupees, but only notes of 100 or less - about £1.30. Our guide said higher notes will be accepted cos he will be with us ! It all sounds a bit iffy !
Kathmandu has a population of about 2 million, with Nepal having a total of 16 million. Like India the population is 80 percent Hindu, most of the rest are a mixture of different religions including Buddhists and Muslims. The country has the highest point on Earth with Everest on the Tibetan border in the north, and I think 4 of the remaining 7 highest peaks also being in Nepal, but surprisingly the low point in the country is only 17 feet above sea level. Kathmandu itself though is quite high - as I type my height measuring app is reading 4267 feet which is higher than Ben Nevis !! The area does suffer from earthquakes but most are vey low on the richter scale although reasonably recently they had a 6.8 richter scale tremor with some building damage.
It is spring here and the day time temperature is in the low 20s whilst at night time it goes down into single figures. It very rarely snows in the city - lowest winter temperatures are around freezing point.
The drive to the Everest Hotel only took about 15 minutes, and we agreed to meet up with our guide again at 4pm after we checked in and had a break. We were amused when we were asked whether we wanted a big bed for two or separate beds? The view from the hotel room is amazing right across the city with mountains in the background. Apparrently the electricity supply in the city goes off twice a day for 6 hours each day, but our guide promised us that the hotel would maintain a supply all day. Certainly, later in the day after sunset, when gazing out across the city, there were very few lights on, and even as I was typing this sentence, in a very weird coincidence, the electricity in the hotel suddenly went off for a couple of minutes !!
Temples and death
At 4pm we met with our guide in the lobby and set off for a short drive across the city to the Pashupati Temple. I suppose I was expecting some marble temple built a few hundred years ago, but what I got was something else entirely. The full title for the area is the Pashupati Area Development Trust - this is a Hindu temple complex some parts of which are earlier than 600 AD. The first thing we saw on entering was the bereaved burning their dead. The temple is built on a river that flows from the Himalaya to the north and eventually runs into the Ganges in India in the south, which is considered a holy river and so local Hindus perform a water ritual with their dead, before creating them and putting the ashes into the river.
Our guide Birendra, a Hindu himself, explained the details of the procedure, and told us a few facts that perhaps we did not necessarily need to know ie it takes about two hours for the human body to burn and turn to ash, and after about twenty minutes there will be a loud pop which which will be the head ! Bizarrely, yards away from this on the other side of the river were several parked motor bikes on which monkeys were amusingly sitting !
A meeting with some holy men
It was quite surreal after only a couple of hours in the country to watch families mourning and cremating their dead, whilst standing in the afternoon sun, at the side of a dirty river, with monkeys running around your feet. We then walked up a few steps to be confronted with four elderly gents dressed in bright orange and with dreads and very impressive beards. These it turned out were the holy men - basically anyone can become a holy man by renouncing all desire, eating only veg, taking no alcohol and having no belongings. They can then come to the temple and if they have no money, the trust will feed them, otherwise they buy food (with money given by the likes of me), cook it themselves and live a simple existence in the temple grounds. The true holy person will never leave the temple grounds, but there are some fakes that dress up in orange, beg on the streets for money, then go back home and dress in normal clothes and drink liquor !! It' something I am seriously contemplating!!
The trust will also help the bereaved by helping to pay the 1000 Nepalese rupees that it costs for wood and a priest if they can not afford this for their own loved one, which is less than 10 pounds.
Life in Nepal
As we walked back to the car through the locals on the street selling souvenirs we found that there was so much less hassle to buy than in India. Back in the car we drove through the rush hour traffic back to the hotel. We will be going out with our guide again tomorrow although not sure what he has got planned - hopefully not more burning dead bodies. On the way he was telling us a bit more about the country - there are 3 arms of the local police - tourist, traffic and armed police. He also stated that there was a lot of corruption both in the police and government. I am hoping we will not be awoken in the middle of the night to be arrested for talking with seditionaries!
English is taught at all schools so we should be able to get by conversing with the locals.
Back at the hotel, we had a lovely evening meal. The head waiter was the spitting image of Odd Job from James bond. Our guide recommended the locally brewed beer - Everest, a 5 percent lager, and it proved very refreshing.
Tomorrow more sight seeing, and the following day we have been promised a flight over Everest itself ! Our guide told us that it does not actually ever snow on top of Everest due to the prevailing weather conditions, and this time of year the weather is very good for flights, which have to go early in the morning before the temperatures rise cause the clouds to develop and restrict views. Cannot wait.
Have got some great pictures from today, but having trouble uploading them here...keep checking back !
STOP PRESS - Just read in the paper that we had a narrow escape flying today as a couple of hours later a raging fire started and threatened the whole airport. The airport was closed and three international flights had to circle for over an hour until they were told they could land !!
Woke up to find it was raining and very grey. Tracey was feeling unwell, so I went out with the guide on my own at 9am. We drove across the Bagamati Bridge to another District of Kathmandu called Patan. This is a mainly Buddhist area and we have come to see a couple of temples.
Ancient square
First though we stopped to see Patan Durbar Square. There are several such squares in the city, and the name is generic to describe plazas opposite royal palaces. There was a large earthquake in Nepal in the 1920s and a lot of building were damaged or destroyed, so although some buildings have old elements, they may be less old than they first appear. In this square the buildings were originally wooden and have been rebuilt in brick.
Golden temple
There is a mixture of architectural styles with some buildings having domed roofs, some are in a sort of pagoda style, and other have the sort of cone type tower. After looking around the square, we headed off down the thin back alleys to visit the so called Golden temple, although most of the gold has been replaced with brass. This is a Buddhist temple and local people were using it for prayer, walking round the centre in a clockwise direction spinning the prayer wheels.
10 year old priest
We went upstairs into the monastery where several women were sat studying texts. Nepalese Buddhists do not generally dress in the traditional clothing, and will carry on jobs and school as normal. The current priest is a 10 year old boy, who is currently half way through a 30 day period where he will remain in the temple and not wash or change his clothes for the whole period. He was happy for me to take a photo of him in the small room where he stays, together with an older man who helps him in his studies.
From here it was back to the main square to have a look round the small palace area which is having some restoration work done. It is basically a courtyard with the palace area built around it. As we had seen at the square, there were hundreds of intricate wooden carvings in the eaves along around the courtyard. The palace area is not open to the public, but this would have been the area where important decisions were made, and because they are made in front of religious deitys, the decision when made had to be carried out.
Temple of 9999 Budhhas
Back to the car for a short drive to see the Mahabuddha Temple or temple of 9999 Buddhas, so called because the centre piece of the temple is a terracotta carving containing that many likenesses. Again the temple is entered from a side street through a small archway almost hidden away.
Monkey temple
On returning to the hotel for lunch, found that Tracey was still not well, so at one pm I once again set out with the guide on my own. We drove across town to the west of the city where we were going up into the hills to visit Swayambhunath Temple, more easily known as monkey temple. The rain has continued all day and it was now raining very heavily. Some of the roads seemed to be starting to disappear under the brown water. When we turned off the main road up to the temple the road surface was so bad that it was almost undriveable, huge holes and piles of rocks in the middle of the road.
We eventually got up to the temple in one piece and paid our 200 Nepalese Rupees entrance fee - about £1.50. It was in this area of the city that the hippies who lived here used to hang out in the 70's. They were the ones who nick named the place monkey temple. Apparently if you amble along the streets in the right places, street vendors may offer you some hashish but it is illegal.
We ascended the 100 steps up to the Tibetan buddhist temple where on a sunny day there would be fantastic views over the city, however most of the city was shrouded in cloud today. The place is very photogenic with a massive central yellow and gold stupa, Tibetan prayer flags, monkeys running about, candles burning, worshippers moving prayer wheels, the odd Tibetan Monk walking amongst the various buildings etc
Drive back through the city
As we were walking back to the car, we decided that because of the rain and Tracey's absence, we should not try going to see anything further today, but meet up again tomorrow. We therefore went back to the hotel from the temple, but passed several points of interest on the way, including the Government compound - a secure area where all government offices are located, and a very large sand square in the centre which is shared by the army for parading, and for the public to play cricket and football. Football is very popular in Nepal - there is a national league with about 12 teams, and the national team have an English coach at the moment. Naturally, our guide supports Man Utd !
I have notice a lot of United Nations vehicles on the roads, and this is because Nepal is considered an underdeveloped country and they are getting support from the UN with things like education and health. I have seen several really long queues of motorbikes at petrol stations - there is a bit of a gasoline shortage apparently, but there are also 500,000 motorbikes registered in the city!!
Nepalese tourism
According to our guide, tourism started in Nepal after 1953 when Edmund Hilary scaled Everest.The first international flight arrived in 1967, and the airport was built in 1975. I would imagine that the main area of tourism is trekking and hill climbing, although clearly there are some interesting sites for the western tourist to see in the city.
Tomorrow we have booked an early morning flight over Everest leaving the airport at 7am, so am keeping my fingers crossed that the weather improves, because all flights were cancelled this morning. The forecast is for sun again tomorrow so hopefully we will be OK.
Still having trouble loading photos, but at least have got Internet access, which I should be grateful for, as the electricity supply appears so tempremental. We went up to the Ghurka Bar on the top floor of the Hotel early this evening to have a drink, and whilst we there there were a couple of occasions when the lights dimmed, and we have had two or three short power cuts today. There are brilliant views across the city from the bar, and it is very strange to see how dark the city is after sunset, with only a few buildings having lights in the windows and only a few street lights to be seen.
Another great day in Nepal, although started off with some disappointment........
We were awoken early by some of the wild dogs outside the hotel barking and some Nepalese pigeons fighting on the window ledge...
Flight over Everest
We had arranged with our guide to meet at 6.30am to drive over to the airport and get a 7am flight over the Himalayas culminating in a fly round Everest before returning to the airport, a flight of one hour. The planes are 16 seaters, so everyone has a window seat, and everyone gets to go in the cockpit for a couple of minutes. We arrived at the airport to find it was a bit foggy, so our guide warned us that we may have some delay because the pilots have to have a minimum of 1.5km visibility. We paid our 200 Nepalese Rupees airport tax (£1.50) and found a seat in the cold warehouse like domestic departure lounge, together with a very wide range of other nationalities who were either taking a mountain flight like us or flying to other parts of Nepal eg Lucklow to go trekking. Almost immediately we were told that all flights were delayed due to fog. Then later an announcement that our 7am flight was delayed until 8.45am, then at 8.30 we heard that all mountain flights were cancelled today - disaster !! We are leaving tomorrow, and the flights can only go up early in the mornings for some reason - a chance of a lifetime gone.
Consolation trip
We got our money refunded, then met up with our guide in the car park. We had originally arranged that we would spend another day looking round the city, but I asked if maybe he could take us somewhere where we could see a bit of rural Nepal, so after nipping back to the hotel for some breakfast, we were back in the car and heading east out of Kathmandu.
As we left the city, the road surface was quite good, but we were told that as it winds its way towards the Tibetan border it gets very bad and progress can be slow. Not far outside Kathmandu is the ancient city of Bhaktapur, and it was from here that we turned North and started going up in to the mountains to the village of Nagarkot. Kathmandu is at about 1400 metres, just slightly higher than Ben Nevis, and we were now going to go up a further 800 metres to a height of 2200m - a quarter of the height of Everest.
Destination Nagarkot
The road out of Bhaktapur was terrible - it had once been concrete but was now more holes and dust than concrete. As we started to ascend, we could see across the fertile valley and up the mountain sides where potatoes, wheat, barley, corn, rice were all being grown. A lot of the farmers have to use the terrace farming methods because of the steepness, but these fields often get washed away in the monsoon period. The traffic was very light as the road wound upwards, which was just as well as it was barely wide enough for two vehicles to pass, and often it had bits missing! What traffic we did see was either motor bikes or buses packed to capacity, and often with 10 or more passengers on the roof. This is illegal but does not stop the locals, or the tourists.
The route was peppered with little shacks perched on the edge of the hills selling drinks and snacks, and as we got further up buildings strewn with Tibetan prayer flags. The distance to the village was about 20km and eventually we saw a collection of buildings and trucks perched above us - we had arrived. Nagarkot only has a few dozen buildings, but does have a nice hotel which our guide cheekily marched us through so that we could see the terrace where tourists gather in the early morning to see the sunrise on the snow capped Himalaya. Today it was misty so we could not see much other than the immediate surrounding mountains, which are forested and have wild leopards in them.
Seeing how the poor of Nepal live
From the hotel we walked back through the village, that is the part of the village you could see from the road. The guide had promised us a little hike, but we were in for a treat, because he was going to take us into the village proper to meet Nepalese farmers and look at how they live. We turned off the road and started down a dirt track, after passing a roadside policeman whom I had noticed had taken our car registration when we had entered the village - this is apparently a security measure as there have been murders in this area.
We continued down the track passed a couple of small buildings, before being led down to a small house where a lady was washing clothes outside, and an old man was sitting on the front step. These were poor farmers who had a few goats and chickens, and farmed corn. The guide took us into the house which had very low ceilings and 3 floors. The building was made of wood and mud from the immediate area and was built by the family themselves - a husband and wife and their adult daughter who has learning difficulties - for some reason she found me very amusing !
The ground floor was a cooking area and housed some livestock, although it was too dark to see exactly what livestock. Cooking was basic with metal pans and an open fire.
The second floor was a sleeping area and had some clothes laying around - this was for all 3 members of the family. The top floor was filled with dried corn cobs which were being stored for sale or consumption. Once we had looked around I gave the owner 200 Rupees for being kind enough to let us see his house.
Next we went round the corner to see another set of houses that were built by a farmer who was more wealthy. These were brick two stories and built in a terrace of 3 with livestock and small allotments out the front and nicely fenced. They also had a proper outside loo which the government lent them funds for. The government has a target to ensure that every house in Nepal has some kind of loo, but quite how this is measured in remote areas I am not sure.
Walking further on we saw overhead wires carrying electricity, where a cross cable had been fitted running away to the left and another house. This was an example of someone stealing electricity. According to our guide the electricity supplier will know this is happening, but because they know the person does not have the money to pay they turn a blind eye. The theft is not likely to be great as the man will probably just be using one 40w bulb. Ultimately someone will have a slightly larger bill, but the community generally will accept this.
Walking on further we came across a brick built school which had been built by the villagers - one storey so far but another will be built when the money can be raised. There are 130 brick kilns in Kathmandu valley so the bricks would have been reasonably cheap with little transport costs. As we continued we came across villages drying vegetables recently picked on the roofs of their houses, and girls washing their hair using the outside tap.
Back to Bhaktapur
Back at the car, we headed back down the mountain again to Bhaktapur to have a walk round this old 6th century city. The area is packed with buildings, built in the local red stone, and lots with windows and roof decorations displaying the local intricate wood carvings. Anything over a certain age in Nepal is considered an antiquity, are protected by the government, and can not be sold - this includes windows with the intricate wood carvings, so if the house is demolished, these would have to be saved and either given to the government or used in the re-built house. All the buildings are packed tightly together with small lanes running between them just about wide enough for a car. Occasionally these open up into large squares.
Pottery, Rice Paper and Wood carving
In one square we saw pots being dried in the sun. These are fired in ovens at the side of the square, which use straw and wood as fuel, and are shared by many local craftsmen. Farmers who are out of work, get work bringing the clay in from the surrounding area, and we saw a few of these sitting around on the ground playing cards.
Next we went down a small lane to visit a rice paper factory. This consists of a 5 storey house, with a shop on the ground floor, whilst the other floors are used for storage, or used for different parts of the manufacturing process. We saw some being made, and some being printed. needless to say, there is no electricity or machinery used, everything is done by hand. We were given access to the small roof, where there were fantastic views across the city and over the neighbouring houses, which are so close that you could have easily stolen the neighbours washing which was drying in the sun!
Next another short walk through the thin streets and we entered Taumadhi Square which has the fantastic five storied Siddhi Laxmi temple which is built in a pagoda style and once you scale the steep steps at the front gives another great view of the city and the square below as well as the mountains in the background. Round the corner and another square where there is a special concentration of wood carvings and where we witnessed some carving being done in an open workshop where young Nepalese practice the art that has been handed down through generations. Again all hand crafted, no machinery. We also went into the city's Durbar Square where we saw a bit of the 55 window palace that is accessed via a golden gate.
Little Tibet
Next it was a drive back over to Kathmandu. The driver took a short cut using a sandy back road that because of the rain was an absolute quagmire - I would not have attempted this in a 4 wheel drive vehicle let alone a 70's Toyota Corolla, and we were sliding all over the place. I was sure that any moment we would have to get out and push, but he was brilliant and we made it through.
We eventually arrived in an area of the city called little Tibet - this is the area that a lot of Tibetan refugees fled when China took over Tibet in the 50's. Tibetans do not get automatic citizenship to Nepal, but get issued special papers that allow them to travel into India if they wish, which a lot do to see the Dalai Lama. The area was thronging with people out shopping in the Tibetan stores, monks off to the monasteries and temples, or people simply walking around the huge central yellow and gold Boudhanath stupa spinning the prayer wheels. Finally we were taken to a monastery to spend 10 minutes watching the monks reading texts on Buddhism, and doing some fine Tibetan chanting.
Then it was back to the hotel after a hard day's sightseeing for a lukewarm bath in brown water accompanied by two periods of complete darkness as the power supply cuts out. Nepal is a great place to visit, but it would bear careful consideration to move here to live !
Tomorrow we return home via Delhi.
Return home
We knew that today would be a long day, but never underestimate the excitement of international travel. We left the hotel at 6.30am and were dropped at the airport by our guide Biren who has been fantastic over the last 3 days.
Our Jet Airways flight was due to leave at 9am but was delayed by an hour due to fog. this caused us some concern as we had a connecting flight to from Delhi to London. Anyway, the good people at Kathmandu had fulfilled my request for a seat on the right hand side of the plane by the window, so we had brilliant view of the Himalayas for the first half hour of our flight, which went some way to compensate for our cancelled mountain flight yesterday. I think we saw Annurpuna but we would not have seen Everest as it is east of Kathmandu, and we were travelling west.
At Delhi we went though transfers but should have been given an onward boarding pass in Nepal so we were held up for a good 45 minutes while that was all sorted out. then as we got to the departure lounge we learned that out onward flight was delayed. Then I got paged and was told they had lost one of our two suitcases !
Anyway we eventually got on the plane, the luggage was located, and we got into Heathrow at 6pm.
We have had a colourful, interesting, and challenging trip and had a really good time. We would have liked to have spent more time in Nepal, but glad we chose to spend some time there rather than extend the India trip. India proved to be as manic and challenging as we had read beforehand, but a great experience, and we encountered almost universal friendliness and interest from those we met.
Trip started ominously when we broke down on the way to Heathrow - luckily we were travelling up the night before ready for an 8.30 am flight today, so apart from sitting in the car for 3 hours waiting for the AA to fix the car, we were lucky !
This time around we have a special guest traveller - my brother Barry. We'll see if he can take the pace of a Paul & Tracey trip.
Arrival
After all the rain in the UK over the last few weeks it was nice to arrive in a sunny and dry Toronto, after the 8 hour 3500 mile flight. We got though the Pearson International airport quickly and were catching a cab into the city at just gone noon. The city has a population of 5 million, and it took us about 40 minutes to travel the 18 miles from the airport in the NW to our hotel in the south of the city, not far from the shores of Lake Ontario.
CN Tower
From our 15th storey hotel window we have a view of neighbouring skyscrapers and can see the former tallest building in the world - the CN Tower.
After allowing ourselves an hour to chill out and work out how to access the free hotel wifi, we se off to walk the few blocks south to the CN Tower. On the way we stopped at the Air Canada Center (rock and sports venue) to pick up some pre booked tickets for a gig next week.
Walking around Downtown Toronto we were struck how few people there were around considering it was a hot sunny Saturday afternoon. Near the hotel there is a large underground shopping mall, but it was all closed up before 5pm.
There were no queues to get in the CN Tower which is 1815 feet high. It has six glass faced elevators that ascend at 15 mph to get you to the observation deck in 58 seconds. On a clear day you can see 100 miles and the views today were great. there is also a slowly rotating restaurant, and a glass floored observation area.
Moose Bar
By now the day's travelling and the hot weather (25C) meant we were ready for some refreshment, so we walked round the corner to a sports bar called the Loose Moose, where I had a local Canadian lager called Moosehead.
On leaving the bar we walked round the corner to look at the Canadian Walk of Fame, which is modelled on the one in Hollywood. There were pavement stars for actor William Shatner, director David Cronenberg, and metal band Rush amongst others.
We then made our way back to the hotel to relax and decide what to do this evening. We were originally thinking that tonight we might meet up with a friend Sean who recently emigrated to Toronto from Bristol, but we have now arranged to meet tomorrow night.
Tattoos, cannabis and condoms
At about 8pm, Barry and I decided to check out one of the local bars - Tracey decided she would stay at the hotel and continue with her afternoon nap :)
We decided to try Fionn Mccool's Irish Bar behind the hotel. Like everywhere else so far it was really quiet. We asked the bar man why this was, and he said that because it is always quiet on a weekend because the area is primarily offices, and they do most of their business in the week, however if we wanted to walk a couple of blocks up to Queen Street West we would find a lot more activity.
We therefore took his advice. Queen Street West was bustling. There was a mix of bars, eating places, buskers, and some interesting shops - at one point we found a tattoo shop, a cannabis shop, and a condom shop right next to each other - now that's an interesting evening!
We considered going to Rex's Bar where they do blues and jazz every night, but it was charging to get in, and considering the price of beer in this area, we instead settled for the Friar and Firkin - as you would imagine, an English style pub.
Tomorrow we explore Toronto some more, and then meet up with Sean in the evening.
May 13th
After watching the F1 first thing in the morning, we set off out for a walking tour of Toronto. Once again the weather was hot and sunny as we headed back the couple of blocks to see the street we went to last night. Queen Street West was quiet at 10am in the morning and did not have quite the atmosphere it had last night. Several roads around the area were closed off by police as there was some kind if city run going on.
Chinatown and fascinating market
From there we headed north up Spadina Street to Chinatown where again things were only just beginning to open up. Loads of fruit and veg shops selling exotic looking fare. I did spot some shops selling cheap Chinese DVDs but resisted the temptation.
A block over from Chinatown is Kensington Market which is a small block of streets with some great independent shops and cafes, and loads of street art. We spent a bit of time soaking up the atmosphere and had a snack and a drink in the Grilled Cheese cafe, which serves every type of toasted cheese sandwich.
Crossing Downtown
We decided we would head across Downtown to the east and the Distillery Historic District. Our route there took us past the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Eaton Centre shopping complex, through Dundas Square (a small version of NYs Times Square), down part of the longest street in the world (Yonge Street - 1900 km), past St James Cathedral (very English looking), through the St Lawrence District (where youths played basketball in front of large blocks of flats and security guards wandered around, unnerving Barry), and finally to our destination.
This area was an old Distillery where the buildings have been preserved and now house art shops and cafes. A family atmosphere pervaded as we wandered around the cobbled streets it is Mother's Day in Canada today. There were a couple of great pieces of sci fi style street art there.
Across the lake to an island retreat
We decided to complete a circuit back to the hotel by walking along the banks of Lake Ontario. This is not always easy as there is a lot of re-development going on. At one point we came across a man made beach in front of an office block. Basically a small triangle of land had been laid with sand, a couple of trees planted, and liberally sprinkled with deck chairs. To complete the surreal picture, a huge rusty ship was being loaded right next door.
Continuing back west we arrived at Harbour Square Park where we decided to pay the 7 dollars each to take a return ferry trip over to Toronto Island. lake Ontario is so huge it is more like a sea, however the trip over to the island only takes about 10 minutes. The island is a large park with a small area of beach, a marina, and a couple of beaches. It is a popular place to go walking and cycling. we had already walked a lot today, so we headed for the secluded marina cafe where we had a beer/cider. It was a really lovely spot, very quite and with great views over the lake back to the city.
Finally we did the final 20 minute walk back to the hotel from the ferry terminal.
At 6.30pm we walked back round the corner to Queen Street West to find somewhere to eat and settled on an Indian. Just as we had finished our meal, I got a call from Sean to say he and Sarah were on their way downtown to meet us - we therefore retired to the nearest bar to await their arrival - Rex's which has live Jazz and blues every night.
It is 3 months since Sean left England, and he and Sarah live in the north of the city. They arrived about 30 minutes later following their 8 or 9 stop trip on the subway. Sean had asked us to bring a few things over with us which he was missing since being in Canada including Marmite Crisps, Heinz baked beans, and Weston's Cider - he was very pleased to receive his bag of goodies from dear old' blighty!
We quickly realised we could not easily have a conversation over the live jazz, so we retired to an ex biker's bar just up the road. We had a drink there, but when they started setting up the karaoke, we decided it was time to leave.
Next stop was Fionn McCools bar where Barry and I had been last night. Turns out that this is Sarah's regular when she is in the city as she works right opposite. We had a nice evening, but all of us had to get up early next morning - Sean and Sarah to go to a conference and us to catch a flight to Vancouver. We therefore said our goodbyes at about 11pm, with a promise that if we had time when we returned to Toronto in a week's time, we would meet up again.
Tomorrow we have a cab booked for 5.30am to take us to the airport for the 2000 mile flight west to Vancouver.
At 5.15am we were in the hotel lobby ready for our cab to Pearson International Airport for our 7am flight to Vancouver on the West coast of Canada. The Flight distance is 2000 miles and takes nearly 5 hours, but because we are flying west and going through 3 time zones, we will arrive in Vancouver at just 9am. We were amused to see that amongst the list of items that we had to declare when checking in were antlers.....only in Canada.
Another lovely sunny day meant that during the flight we had great views of the country despite being at 30,000 feet. The thing that strikes you as you fly the first hour or so is how much water there is about - there are literally hundreds of lakes, several stretching as far as the eye can see, and are much more like seas.
In the middle part of the flight we dipped below the border and over the mid north states of the US, where we were able to see the Missouri River at one point. The good weather continued as we passed over the snow capped mountains of British Columbia. The views over Vancouver were fantastic as we came into land, with the mountains in the distance and the wide rivers with logs floating downstream.
We were quickly through the airport and picked up a cab for the 20 minute drive into the city. The driver was a bit of a character. He gave as some advice about where to go and what to see. He also slipped in the helpful information that a local gang leader had recently been shot and killed by a rival gang so the police were expecting some reprisals, but the city is very safe to walk around !
Another hot day with temperatures due to reach the mid to high 20's. The drive from the airport took us through some really beautiful streets with lush English style gardens and huge houses. First impressions are that this is a really picturesque city.
On arrival at the hotel we were lucky to be able to get a room straight away, despite it only being 10am. The rooms have kitchen facilities so we shall save some money on eating out, especially as there is a 24 hr supermarket across the street. From our 17th floor room we have good view across the city.
Vancouver is situated on the west coast of Canada, fairly near the US border. It has a population of about 800,000 and the main industries are Forestry, Tourism, and the film industry. According to our driver, it is not unusual to wander around the city and maybe see four location shoots going on in one day. There are several large studios in and around the city, and Hollywood productions also use the area for location shooting.
After much deliberation we decided that we would take a ride on one of the open topped sight seeing buses that operate round the city. We left the hotel at about noon, and got a ticket at the local convenience store. There is a pick up point round the corner from the hotel, and you can hop on and off at certain points, using the bus as many times as you like over the next two days.
Downtown Vancouver is surrounded by water on 3 sides by the Strait of Georgia, which in turn is an inlet from the Pacific Ocean. The city is ringed on all sea facing sides by a sea wall which is the focus of leisure activities and is used for walking, cycling, running etc. to the north are the shores of North Vancouver, behind which are the snow capped Coast Mountains. Vancouver is very near the US border and on a clear day like today you can see the snow capped Mount Baker in the US about 70 miles away which is an active volcano.
Vancouver has quite a mild climate and does not see any snow or ice in the winter, although we have been informed that some of the mountain roads we will be driving over later this week are still impacted by snow.
Our hotel is towards the south of Downtown in the area known as Davie Village which has a large gay community.
We got on the tour bus at about 12.30 and headed north west along beach avenue which runs along Sunset Beach and English Bay. I did not have a lot of pre conceived ideas about Vancouver (other than expecting to see mountains and trees), but I did not expect to see loads of people sunbathing on a beach! The bus then turns into a lovely area at the tip of the "island" called Stanley Park. This is a large recreational area made up of beaches, wood, parks, sports areas etc. We stayed on the bus but decided to return later.
Next it was through a shopping district called Robson where there are a lot of independent stores. The bus then headed south to cross the Burrard Bridge to double back and stop off at Granville Island. Again this is not strictly an Island but can only be accessed by land from the south. We got off here to have a stroll around and stop for a beer. There is a working marina here, but also lots of boutique shops, buskers, and a superb food market where we got some great value Asian food. You can spend hours wandering around all the stores under the Granville Bridge, which sell stuff like native American art and rugs etc.
We then caught a small ferry across the bay back to Sunset Beach and re-boarded the bus for a return to Stanley Park. After sitting in the sun people watching for a while, we caught a bus tour around the park, where we variously saw some native American totems, a huge cruise ship setting to sea, a viewpoint across to the Guinness family built Lion's Gate Bridge, huge piles of sulphur awaiting loading on to ships in the docks across the bay, and a boat plane, as well as lots of woods and trees.
Finally the bus dropped us back at our hotel where we lazed about for the rest of the evening. We really like Vancouver - it is friendly, cosmopolitan, has an almost villages feel about and has some spectacular scenery on it's doorstep.
Tomorrow we look around Vancouver some more.
Vancouver gay community
First thing this morning I went for a stroll around Davie village which is the area we are staying in. This is where Vancouver's gay and lesbian community is concentrated. It stretches for about 5 blocks and all the streets have yellow and rainbow coloured flags which obtrusively mark out the area. A nice touch is the bright pink bus shelters and matching pink litter bins ! I also came across a dispensary for medicinal cannabis run out of a converted residential house.
First Vancouver settlement
Today we decided to explore more of Downtown Vancouver and the surrounding area. At about 10am we walked a couple of blocks to catch the hop on hop off bus going north to Gastown which is where Vancouver started as a town. It was Vancouver's first Downtown area and was named after "Gassy" Jack Deighton, a Yorkshire Steamboat Captain who arrived in 1867 to open the area's first saloon.
The area has been preserved for a couple of blocks and now contains a number of eateries and tourist shops. It is situated right on the north shore, and if you walk a few hundred yards further on you will get to Canada Place where there are two massive conference centres, one of which was the press centre when the Vancouver winter Olympics were held in 2010. Here you can look out over the bay and watch the boat planes taking off and landing with the hills behind North Vancouver in the background.
Suspension bridges and cliffwalks in the forest
We had decided to visit the Capilano Park which is in the hills just outside Vancouver, and is an area of preserved rain forest with trails and a famous suspension bridge. At Canada Place you can pick up a free shuttle bus that takes you over the Lion's Gate Bridge and up to the park so we took advantage of this, although it costs 33 dollars to actually get in to the park.
It was another hot sunny day, so it was nice to be wandering around in the cooler hills under the trees. You can easily spend a few hours wandering around here, but it is not an area for those who do not like heights. The main attraction is the 420ft long suspension bridge which is made of strengthened steel and is strung over the Capilano River which is 260ft below. As you walk over it bounces and sways unnervingly.
Then there is the treetop walk which consists of thin wooden walkways strung between the trees to allow you to look at the upper parts of the tree foliage and down towards the valley floor way below. finally there is the new cliff walk which consists of a thin metal walkway attached to the cliff and hanging out over the valley 300 feet below. There are points where you walk out further still on glass floored platforms.
There is also loads of information about the trees, some of which are hundreds of feet tall, and thousands of years old.
After all this we needed a drink and some food, so we went across the road from the park to the Bridge House restaurant where we had some British Columbia salmon which was lovely. After this it was back on the shuttle bus to the city - during the journey the driver entertained us with jokes he had been told last night !!
Once back in the city we walked round Canada Place and looked at the massive Cruise Liner Star Princess which is due to sail soon. It has about 10 storeys and can accommodate 2590 passengers. Finally, we caught the bus back to our hotel. On the way we saw a film crew doing some shooting, which reminds me that our cab driver yesterday had ferried Matt Damon around last year whilst he was filming a film called Elysium which is due to be released March 2013.
Gay disabled stand up
At 8pm we decided to go and find a bar to have a drink. Barry had been woken up last night by a couple of people having an argument outside the Junction Bar next to the hotel, one had been shouting "you can't do that in here". Naturally we decided to go to that bar tonight !. On entering we were told that there was stand up comedy tonight so we had to pay 5 dollars each. Once seated with our beers the entertainment commenced.
The first thing out of the compares mouth was a reference to doing stand up to a gay crowd. This was followed by a few jokes about gay sex...things were starting to get a bit awkward. But then the main acts started to do their slots, and actually they were mostly pretty funny, and did not labour the gay and lesbian angle. The last comic was a 30 year old guy who had Cerebral Palsy and was in a wheelchair (is this stand up?!!), cue gay disabled jokes, but he was really inspiring, although very difficult to understand at times with his slightly slurred speech and strong Canadian accent. We left after the comedians as there were several guys on their own that kept looking over at our table.....
Tomorrow we hire a car and leave Vancouver to head into the mountains as we cross the Rockies and drive through British Columbia and into Alberta over the next few days. Vancouver has been great and we shall be sorry to go.
Road trip !!
The Beast
Woke to find the sun out again but forecasts suggest that today will be the our first day with temperatures below the mid 20Cs. At 9am Barry and I walked the few blocks to the local Avis office to pick up a hire car ready for our road trip through the British Columbian mountains to Calgary in Alberta. As we were 3 people and luggage for two weeks we had ordered a Ford Escape - I had driven the sister Ford Explorer on previous trips to the US and found it really comfortable for long journeys. We were not prepared though for the monster that we were given - a Chevrolet Suburban in black, with blacked out windows and 3 rows of seats!! We have christened it the Beast.
The first challenge was to drive it out of the minus 8th level basement car park. Then it was a tentative drive through the Downtown traffic back to the hotel to pick up Tracey and the luggage. Luckily the traffic was light and there are 30 or 40 km speed limits which everyone observes.
Onwards with hope
With Tracey on board, we headed for one of the main east/west roads out of the city. Once on East Hastings Street it took about 20 mins driving through the suburbs before we picked up the main Freeway 1 - the Trans Canada Highway. This is a major east/west route with 2 or 3 lanes in each direction, and follows the flat lands of the Fraser River valley as it moves away from Vancouver, at one point going within a few miles of the US border.
After about an hour on the highway, the mountains start to close in and the road moves in towards the river Fraser. At the town of Hope we pulled off the highway briefly to have a five minute break. The film Hope Springs which starred Colin Firth was filmed here although the town stood in for a fictional US town.
At hope the highway swings north and becomes a one or two lane road only as it ascends into the Coast Mountains, with the Fraser River and the railway line keeping it close company. here the scenery starts to become quite spectacular, with the forested mountains, and snowy peaks. The traffic after Hope really dropped off and became very light. cars were outnumbered by the huge trucks that carry goods over the mountains. They maintain a frightening pace as they thunder up and down the passes and valleys.
Hell 's Gate
About 20 minutes up the valley we came to Hell's Gate where we stopped for about 30 minutes. This is a point at which the Fraser River gushes down through a thin rocky canyon causing white water and whirlpools which in the past made it impossible to use the river here as a means of transportation. There is a small suspension bridge linking the two sides of the gorge as well as a cable car which traverses the river in a couple of minutes. We took a ride over to the other side where there is a coffee shop and a few souvenir shops.
As we left Hell's gate, the clouds were darkening, but luckily the rain held off. Of course the weather in the mountains is changeable, and a little later the sun came back out but it has remained fairly cool today.
Ranchland and cowboys
Up to this point, the scenery had been dramatic, but as we would have expected - steep forested mountain sides with waterfalls and rock falls, and mountain passes (including Jackass Mountain pass). As we continued north however the scenery changed quite dramatically and we seemed to be entering the wild west (the road partly follows the Canadian gold rush trail). The hills became lower, the valley widened, trees became very sparse, and we're replaced by farmland, ranches, and cowboys. Not what I was expecting.
This continued for the next couple of hours as we followed the Trans Canada Highway north through Spences Bridge, where we then moved into the Thompson River valley, and on through Cache Creek and on to our final destination today - Kamloops. Fittingly we are staying in the Ranchland Motel just off the highway.
Today's drive was about 250 miles. Tomorrow we have a slightly longer drive of 280 miles which will take us high into the Rockies. I hope the weather holds.
Had a brilliant day today on our second day driving through the mountains of British Columbia.
We left early from Kamloops at 8.30am as we knew that we had a long drive - it was estimated that it would take over 6 hours to drive nearly 300 miles, all of which to be done on the Trans Canada Highway. Initially the road continued to follow the Thomson River valley, but the scenery quickly changed from the sparse scrubland of yesterday afternoon to lush green wooded mountains, which were to continue for the rest of the day.
The road was generally good enough to allow the huge trucks that use the road to maintain a steady 100km/h, although at times the road became one lane each way whilst going up some of the steep twisting parts.
Canadian Pacific Railway
Along with the rivers which tend to be a constant companion to the roads, from time to time there are huge lakes. The railway is also never far away and we saw quite a few Canadian Pacific trains with there huge long line of containers - one was pulling 116 and took about 5 minutes or more to go past us. At Salmon Arm the road really starts to ascend into the Monashee Mountains, and a few Km after the town there is a small rest stop which commemorates the laying of the "last spike" of the Canadian Pacific Railway which runs right across this huge country.
Bear sighting
The weather had started quite nice and sunny today but as we were stopped at the rest area the rain started. It was also noticeably colder since we had started to climb steeply. The rain became quite hard soon after, so we pulled into Three Valley Gap to have some food. This is a lovely place - it is not a town us such but has a very large hotel situated at the head of a huge lake. There is also a ghost town which has been moved from it"s original location and re-built here. Whilst we were in the restaurant, we heard some fellow travellers say that they had seen a bear earlier in the day. It is at about this time of the year that the bears start waking up from their hibernation, starving hungry !
By the time we came out of the restaurant the rain had stopped and the sun had come out.
Although we have been seeing snow on the tops of the mountains since we arrived in British Columbia, at Three Valley Gap there was still some snow on the ground.
Avalanche !
At nearby Revelstoke we stopped for petrol - the beast has a 5.3 litre V8 engine so is not cheap to fill up ! From here we continued to ascend and there was a lot of snow around on the ground. We soon entered the first of several National Parks we drove through today - Mount Revelstoke NP. This was closely followed by Glacier NP where we went over Roger's Pass at 1330 metres. Here we saw a cannon which is used to fire explosives into the nearby mountainside to start controlled avalanches. The whole of this area is prone to avalanches, and there were numerous signs warning you not to stop at certain points. There was a sign warning of delays due to a mudslide but it must have been cleared because we did not see it. There were also several parts of the road that were being repaired following the winter snows, and numerous signs warning of pot holes.
Heart of the Rockies
At Field in Yoho NP we stopped at a rest area to buy a pass. If you stay on the highway you do not need to buy one but as we were stopping overnight in the park we need to pay approximately 20 dollars for a pass. We are now really in the heart of the Rockies. We were now on the final few KM of our day's journey. The temperature during the day had been going up and down between 11C and 3C dependant on our height, but as we crossed the province border into Albertfrom British Columbia the temperature really started to drop and the sky turned grey. As well as crossing the border we also crossed a time zone passing from Pacific Time to Mountain Time, and so immediately lost an hour.
Snowstorm
Our final destination was Lake Louise, a small village high up in the mountains with a handful of shops, a huge swanky hotel, and a deer lodge which is where we are staying. There is also a huge lake after which the village is named. As we approached the village it started snowing and by the time we reached the lake it was real blizzard conditions.
We parked the car and walked to the lake side - it was a fantastic scene with the lake still frozen over from winter, the snow beating down, and the mountains towering all around. To get from the car park to the lake we had to trudge through the snow still on the ground and at one point we sank down right over our knees!
It was too cold to hang around, so we drove the remaining few hundred yards to the Deer Lodge where we are staying - a sprawling wooden built 3 storey building with moose heads hung on the walls, no TV, and a lounge with a roaring open fire.
Later the sun came back out although it was still very cold. We went down to the village to see if we could get something to eat, but everything was closed - the winter skiing season is over, and the summer season has not kicked off yet. We decided to get something in the lodge restaurant - I had a Grizzly Paw Rutting Elk Red Ale !!
The whole two day drive to get here has been stunning, but the location here at Lake Louise is the best yet. We could stay here for several days just to take in the views and walk the area, but tomorrow we head further east down from the mountains and into cowboy country and the city of Calgary.
A walk round Lake Louise in the sun
After the blizzard of yesterday afternoon we awoke to find sunshine and glorious blue skies (although temperatures were about -3C), so at 7 am we left to do the 2km walk around the lake. It was a bit unnerving to see signs giving advice about walking in bear country, as well as signs warning of landslides suggesting you do not stop but keep walking.
We were able to walk most of the way until at the head of the lake the path was blocked with deep snow and fallen trees. The views though were stunning and after we had been walking a little while we managed to warm up.
We got back to the hotel and and took a cup of coffee on to the outside dining area and sat in the sun. After a leisurely morning we checked out a 11am, and drove down into the village to look around the few shops there. Then it was back into the car to drive down and out of the Rockies and on to Calgary.
We left Lake Louise at 10.30am to drive the half hour or so to Banff. We took the Trans Canada Highway for half the journey, but then went over to the old single lane road that follows the Bow River. This was a nice quiet wooded road - at one point we pulled over to look at the river and saw some big horned sheep on the steep hillside.
Banff is a skiing and outdoor pursuits town. As we entered the main street there were people skate boarding and carrying snowboards. It has a nice friendly alternative feel to the place. We went into Wild Bill's Saloon to have some food - Barry had an elk Burger !Whilst there we learned from our server that it takes the massive freight trains about a mile to come to a stop, and that each summer a couple of bears will be killed on the railway by the trains.
Afterwards we went a couple of miles into the surrounding hills to get the cable car up to the peak of Sulphur Mountain (8000 feet). The views from the top of the surrounding peaks and the town of Banff below were fantastic, although I did not like the way the wind blew the cable car from side to side as we descended.
Following our descent we re-joined the Trans Canada Highway for the hour and a half journey down out of the Rockies and into the Prairie land of Alberta to our next stop at the city of Calgary.
Calgary has a population of a little over 1 million and is the biggest city in Alberta. It is surrounded by flat prairie and is very much cowboy country. There is an annual event called the Calgary stampede - an annual rodeo and festival which lasts 10 days. The city's main industries are agriculture and petroleum. Amazingly although the area is very flat, the elevation is more than 3,300 feet and so it is higher than Snowdon.
We are staying overnight here as the airport has flights back to Toronto, and Barry can have an opportunity to meet an ex pat mate of his, Dave. In the morning we head to the airport to catch our internal flight to Toronto, ready to start the second half of our trip.
At 7pm we met up with Dave in the hotel lobby, and we decided to go to the bar next door - the Atlantic Trap and Grill. Dave moved to Canada from the UK nearly two years ago and has been living in Calgary all that time. It was interesting to chat to him and get his perspective on living in Canada.
The evening was proceeding in an orderly fashion until Barry went to the bar to get a round and started talking to a local called Greg. Before we knew it Greg had joined our little group. A fight was just about averted when I asked in all innocence what the differences were between Americans and Canadians and why there was some friction between the two ! Greg was ex army....and navy, and was a very patriotic Canadian and royalist. He was also a bit of a barfly.
There was due to be some live music on at 9pm but as no band had started playing and Dave had to get up for work next morning, we left the bar and headed back to the hotel. Five minutes after getting to my room, Barry knocked on the door and pursuaded me to return to the bar as a) there was live music, and b) Greg had said he would buy a round!
So back to the bar it was. Greg described the music the band played as East Coast music, and I could not quite understand why as they were a local band playing Irish style folk, but anyway they were really good and got the bar dancing. There was also a local guy in his late 20's who was brilliant on the spoons !
Greg insisted on buying all the drinks and I did get a bit concerned about how we were going to repay his generosity, but the evening ended without an international incident, and we got back to the hotel in one piece having had an enjoyable evening.
Back East
Flying back East to Toronto today, so left the hotel just before 9am for the drive to Calgary airport. Saw a bit more of the northern suburbs of the city but only saw the tall buildings of Downtown from a distance. Dropped the car off at Avis with no problems and got checked in. Earlier in the trip Barry had lost a bottle of beer.....this was found by security in the bottom of his hand luggage as he was going through!!
Our 11am flight was just under 4 hours, but due to the time zones, we did not arrive at Toronto until nearly 5 pm. The majority of the passengers on our flight were over 60's on an organised tour - it was like a coach trip to Blackpool !
Communication breakdown
As we were waiting for our baggage, I decided to connect to the Internet on my iPad, but when I looked in my hand luggage it was not there ! At the same moment that I was rummaging around trying to find it, one of the cabin crew appeared ay my shoulder and said "have you lost something sir". She had spotted the iPad on the plane but was not allowed to take it off, however she had looked at the photos on it and recognised me, so had rushed through arrivals to catch me before I left.
She ushered me back to the disembarkation area and tried to get back on to the plane but was too late, so she deposited me at Lost and Found - a man in a room the size of a cupboard. He had a whole bunch of iPads but not mine. When he eventually got a call through to the plane cleaning staff they said they had not found it, although they had found a camera belonging to a girl who was also at Lost and Found with me. In the end I had to leave with a ref number and will phone tomorrow to see if it has been located.
A night out
The weather was amazing again - 27C and blue skies. We caught a cab from the airport into Downtown. This time we are staying in the north of the city quite near to where my ex pat friend Sean lives, so we arranged to see him later. Our hotel is in a gay area of town - in Vancouver we had a 24 hour sex shop opposite, here we have a pole dancing club! There is much more life here than where we stayed before as we are away from the office blocks and in a more residential neighbourhood.
We met Sean and Sarah in the Quail and Firkin bar about 10 blocks north of our hotel so we all could walk there. The evening was so warm that we were able to sit outside in short sleeves all night. It was a good night but by the end of it we had a 204 dollar bar tab !!
We parted ways at the end of the night agreeing to meet for a lunch time sandwich tomorrow.
Had a lay in today after last night's drinking session. At 8.30am we got up to find it was another lovely sunny day. The temperature eventually reached about 32C and it was very humid.
First thing I called my aunt who we will be meeting up with tomorrow to let her know when we would be arriving. Next I called the airport and after some halting discussions (can you describe your iPad !), I found that it had been located and was waiting for me in Lost and Found, so I agreed to pick it up later.
Subway adventure
At 9.30am Tracey and I left the hotel to try our hand on travelling on the subway. For 3 dollars you can buy a token which allows to to make one subway journey of any distance. Once you leave the subway, you need to buy another token to get back in. If your journey also requires bus or tram travel however, you can use the token, but also need a transfer ticket.
We bought our token but when we put it into the machine, the barrier did not open, so we had to push a button and get assistance. A helpful subway employee came along and let us through. The subway is fairly simple to use as it only has two lines, one north/south and one east/west. From the Hudson Bay Centre stop we went two stops east then changed and went two stops south, getting out at Queens Park.
Queens Park and the Black Camel
This is an urban park in northern Downtown that houses the Ontario Legislative building, and backs on to the University. We strolled around here, and then made our way on foot to the sandwich bar that we had arranged to meet Sean, Sarah, and Barry at - the Black Camel. They do lovely large baps with all sorts of fillings, and we took ours to the park opposite to find a table in the shade to eat them.
We spent about an hour here before parting company, Sean and Sarah heading north a few blocks to home, myself, Tracey and Barry heading south a few blocks to pick up a hire car in the Hudson Bay Shopping Centre.
Hire car and back to the airport
As before the size of the car had increased - we had asked for a medium sized saloon, and got a Chrysler - an "upscale full size Sedan" 3.5 litre V6. Once I had worked out how to push the driver's seat back and adjust the wing mirrors, we were off to the airport - about 20 minutes drive to the north to pick up my iPad. Once done we drove back via the Lake Shore Road which runs along Lake Ontario. We did head down to the Beaches area but being a sunny Sunday there were thousands of people down there and no parking spaces so we headed back to the hotel.
By now it was 5pm, so we chilled for an hour before going out at 6pm to grab something to eat. Barry and I are going to a gig later, whilst Tracey is going to kick her heals in the hotel, unless she decides to go to the lap dancing over the road where the girls are "totally nude and interactive" !!
Gig was noisy and blood was spilled in the excitement, although not ours luckily. Tomorrow we are off to Niagara Falls....
South to Niagara
Got up to find it was another hot and humid day. At 8am we left Toronto for the 130km drive south to Niagara Falls. It is Victoria Day today - a public holiday, and we were expecting a lot of traffic on the roads but traffic actually was quite light. We made good time on the freeways and expressways that form the route, and as the roads basically followed the coast of Lake Ontario for the majority of the route, we really got a feel for how huge Lake Ontario really is.
The power of the falls
We arrived at about 9.30am and found parking easily - clearly the tourists here do not get started until later in the day. We walked across the road to the railings where you can get a fantastic view of the Niagara River as it thunders down the Horseshoe Falls - it really is an amazing sight. The width of the river, the length and shape and height of the falls (156 feet), the speed and volume of water, the huge amount of spray generated that can be felt 100s of yards away, and the noise.... A road and pathway runs right alongside the river here for several miles so that you can get fantastic views of the falls and river as it goes down the gorge.
There are actually two falls - the Horseshoe falls on the Canadian side and some slightly smaller falls on the American side - at this point the US/Canadian border runs down the middle of the Niagara river. Once we had taken in the spectacular sight of the falls from the top we did the walk behind the falls. This involves going down in an elevator, obtaining a rain mac, and walking down a tunnel to come out on to a viewing platform right next to the falls. The spray was so bad it was hard to look at the falls and my camera stopped working temporarily presumably because of the water.
Niagara's fury
A separate tunnel takes you to an entrance right behind the falls - again the noise and speed of the water is incredible. Next it was into the Niagara Fury experience, which is basically a short film about the formation of the falls - 4 rivers actually feed into the Niagara further upstream. Ominously you are given a rain mac for this despite being indoors - turns out that after the film, we are ushered into another room where the lights go out and we experience what we had just seen on the film - it snows, it rains, there is wind, it rains again, and then more water is thrown over you....it was fun !
Maid of the mist
Back outside on top of the falls we noticed a fire truck with its ladder extended dangling a crew member over the side of the gorge - we thought it was some kind of demo at first but later we would find that it was something much more serious. We caught the free shuttle bus along the road to the point where you can catch the Maid of the mist - there are actually several Maids of the mist, some operating from the Canadian side, some from the US. Once issued with the obligatory rain mac, we boarded the boat on the open top deck for the 15 min trip up the Niagara River passing right up close to both falls. Once again the spray and the volume and scale is really emphasised up close in a small boat. You can also see the hundreds of little whirlpools caused by the swirling waters.
Tragedy at the falls
What we also saw from the boat was several members of the fire crew from earlier who had descended the gorge to the banks of the river and were securing a body to a harness to be winched up to the road. We found out later from the TV in our hotel room that a man had walked in to the river just above the falls and gone right over and been washed up at the bottom. Amazingly he was still alive - approximately 20 people a year go over the falls, but only 3 have ever survived without safety equipment. At the time of writing he was still in a critical condition.
Trip to the USA
Next we grabbed some food in a cafe with views over the falls, then decided we would walk over the Rainbow Bridge, which is the road bridge that joins Canada and USA at this point. It costs 50 cents to cross the bridge and there are some good views from high above the gorge. Once on the US side, we had to pass through border control, show our passports and spend 6 dollars each for a 90 day visa. Luckily there was not much of a queue and we were through quickly.
Whilst the Canadian side has a road and lots of hustle and bustle, the US side of the river is more tranquil with a large park where people were having picnics in the 30C plus heat. You can also see more of the river at the top on this side before it plunges over the two falls. There is a viewing platform that hangs over the gorge but as you have to pay as part of the US Maid of the mist trip so we did not do this.
Whitewater
We walked back over the bridge after our short trip to America, and took the shuttle further down the gorge to the Whitewater Walk. This is a short boardwalk which allows you to walk right down by the river as it tumbles and smashes it's way downstream - it has a white water rating of the maximum level 6 - basically passage by boat should not be attempted over a level 5, although naturally down the years a few brave souls have tried, most have not survived.
Provincial Canada and a visit with the rellies
It was then back to the car, and a 2 hour plus journey back towards Toronto and on East to the town of Bowmanville where we are staying the next 3 nights. This is where my aunt and uncle have lived since the 70s. Once checked into our hotel on the outskirts of town, we headed over to their house to see them, and another aunt of mine who is also over from England, and will be travelling back home with us. It was great to see my Canadian aunt and uncle - they had never met Tracey, and I have not seen them since I was a teenager, although Barry has seen them more recently.
Tomorrow we are going to have an easy day and look round the town.
Bowmanville centre
Weather forecasts for today said that we should expect thunderstorms but it was another hot sunny humid day. We left our Bowmanville hotel at 11am to look around the town which is 40 minutes east of Toronto. We parked on King Street which is the main shopping street. Although the town is not a tourist destination it has an unusually large number of gift shops. It calls itself a historic town having been settled in the mid 19th century, and a lot of the shops are called olde this or shoppe that. The main street also boasts a large number of pampering style shops like massage/therapy centres. I also found a vinyl record shop based in a converted front room of a house.
After grabbing a snack in the local mall, we went round to my aunt and uncle's house to chill a while sitting around the pool in their back garden. Their street is in the suburban part of the town, wide and tree lined. They bought the house in the 70's from new. There has been a lot of building in the town since they moved here, but interestingly the town itself has apparently lost some of it's soul, because General Motors or it's associated industries used to be the major employer, but now the town is really just a dormitory town for Toronto.
Old mills and marinas
Later we went for a drive around the local area with my English aunt to visit a local mill called Tyrone Mill built in 1846 where the owner cranked up the mill wheel to show us how they use it to grind corn and plane wood. They also sell local produce including Taunton Cider !! Then we went south to Newcastle on the shores of Lake Ontario where we had a drink in the bar at the local marina. There is actually a small quiet beach here which is a local attraction.
Meal with the rellies
After returning to the hotel to freshen up, we drove to the nearby city of Oshawa to meet up with my cousin, my second cousin, my aunt and uncle for a meal at a local fish restaurant. It was great to meet up with more relations, one of which I had never met before.
Finally back to the hotel after a stop at the local beer store! Beer stores sell beer....period. For anything else like wine etc, you need to find a liquor store (which is not easy). You cannot buy alcohol in supermarkets or convenience stores!
Tomorrow we intend going to a town about an hour away called Peterborough......
Yet another nice sunny day, with temperatures in the high 20Cs and humidity at 86%! On the news we saw that there had been a small tornado near Oshawa where we had our meal last night!
Canals and locks in provincial Ontario
We left the hotel in Bowmanville at 10.30am to take a short drive north to the town of Peterborough. This is a medium sized town of about 70,000 population that is built on the Otonabee River, Little Lake, and Trent Canal. I did not realise that there was a canal system in Canada, but apparently you can use this canal and others to travel down to Florida. At Peterborough they have the world tallest hydraulic lift lock, which basically lifts water and boat up and down about 100 feet.
Cottaging in rural Ontario
After looking at this engineering marvel, we headed into the town to grab a bite to eat, before heading further north into rural Ontario. The scenery up to now had been farming country and looked fairly English. As we headed north the terrain got a bit more hilly and wooded and picturesque. We headed up the Otonabee River valley, stopping on the way at Clear Lake which is a beautiful location. There is a tradition in Canada of going cottaging, which is going to stay in your holiday home on the lake or in the hills. All around this lake there were wooded cabins, presumably some were permanent residences whilst others were holiday homes.
Further up the valley where Stony Lake and the unusually named Lovesick Lake meet is a road crossing and an area called Burleigh Falls. There is a camp here but little else in terms of civilisation, but there is some fantastic scenery, and another lock (Trent Severn Lock). We stopped here for a while to eat an ice cream and have a walk around.
Then it was back in the car for the hour or so drive back to Bowmanvile for a freshen up before heading back to my aunt and uncle's house for a family meal as it is our last night in Canada.
Tomorrow we have a full day before we catch an overnight flight back to the UK.
Final day in Canada and another scorcher! Checked out of the hotel in Bowmanville at 10.30am and headed east on the freeway 401 to Newcastle on the coast of Lake Ontario where we had gone a couple of days ago. Here we picked up the coast road as it is called which follows the lake east. This is a quiet local road which winds it's way through farmland and some really upmarket housing.
We eventually got to Port Hope which is a small lake side town with a small beach and a small bit of industry.
We drove further east along the lake and eventually came to Coburg where you can drive on to a short spit of land which juts out into the lake. A bunch of teenagers were jumping off the roadway the few feet down into the lake, which despite the temperatures could not have been very warm.
All these small towns have populations in the region of 10 to 20 thousand with small quite quaint main streets, with the main centre of town surrounded by farm land and some exclusive streets and lanes that run down to the lake.
We then decided to go north a few miles to pick up the main east/west road to do the 10km or so to Brighton, another small lake side town. Here there is a national park called Presqu'ile Park which is an area of trees, marsh land and beaches which juts out into the lake. It cost us 14 dollars to get in for the day although we only stayed there an hour or so. It is a haven for wild birds and there are a lot nesting at the moment.
We went for a short 2km loop trail walk through the woods and along the beach. We also went down to the tip of the spit of land the park is on where there is an old lighthouse that used to guide ships around the point.
Then we went into the town and grabbed something to eat at a local cafe, before heading back on the freeway 401 for the hour's drive back to Bowmanville to pick up my English aunt who is travelling back to the UK with us. The drive to the airport should have taken an hour but the traffic around Toronto was horrendous due to the rush hour - imagine 8 lanes of traffic gridlocked in each direction. We tried coming of the freeway and using the more local roads but in the end had to re-join the freeway, but in the end we managed to get there in time for our flight which was due to leave at 8.40pm, and arrive in London at about 8am in the morning. Unfortunately it was delayed and we got in more than an hour late, but at least the sun was shing for us back in the UK.
This trip has been very enjoyable having been a good mixture of city visits, driving through fantastic mountain scenery, and meeting with friends and relatives. The weather has also been kind to us as it has been unseasonably hot and sunny. I hope it is not too long before we can return.....
Photos to follow........
Oh the irony.....looks like we will have delays leaving the UK due to snow, whilst in Iceland the forecast is for sun, all be it with a biting sub zero wind !
We left home at midday to travel to Heathrow in full blizzard conditions and the radio reporting the closure of the M4 between Bristol and Bath due to the conditions. The motorway on most stretches was down to 2 lanes and a steady 40 mph, but we arrived at out hotel safely, although the snow was still coming down.
looking at the Heatheow website, they are reporting lots of delays and cancellations, but I am hoping that things will improve tomorrow as the forecast is for the snow to stop at 7am - our flight is at 1pm.
Escaping the snow in UK
Despite sub zero temperatures and 100 flight cancellations to follow the 400 from yesterday, our flight from Heathrow to Iceland got away just 45 minutes late today, to do the 3 hour 1200 miles journey. The plane was far from full, clearly there is a limited appeal in going to Iceland in January.
Arrival in Iceland
We arrived at Keflavik airport at about 4.30pm. After getting through customs we headed outside to catch the bus for the 25 mile journey into the capital Reykjavik. The airport is in the far SW corner of the country, whilst the capital is further up the West coast.
By the time we got out of the airport and on to the bus the light was failing. The bus journey was therefore done in darkness so no real chance to see our surroundings, although a lot of the journey seemed to be though uninhibited areas of scrubland. Initial impressions of the capital : no buildings higher than about 5 stories, most homes seem to be bungalows, like Norway people are happy to have their lights on without drawing curtains so you can see inside, a lot of buildings have Xmas lights on, not sure why, light traffic despite it being Saturday night.
We got to our hotel at about 6 pm, but no chance to really see the immediate surroundings due to the darkness. That can wait fir tomorrow.
Iceland - the facts
Iceland is in the same time zone as the UK, however the days are a bit shorter at this time of year due to the northern latitude. Iceland sits just below the Arctic Circle so does not quite experience 24 hour sunlight in summer or constant night in Winter.
The land area of Iceland is about the same as Ireland and Wales combined, however the population of the country (320,000) is less than Bristol (428,000) - Iceland is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. About a third if the population live in Reykjavik and the surrounding area, and the centre of the country is entirely unpopulated with settlements dotted around the coast.
There is one major road which runs roughly around the oval shaped island, hugging the coast in the south. Although the primary route round the country, with no roads across the centre of the country, this road is still a dirt road in parts of the north.
Iceland uses 99% renewable energy, 93% of it's people are on the internet, there are no McDonald's (nearest is In Inverness, scotland), t has the largest glacier outside of the arctic, has Europe's biggest desert (the highland area in the centre of the country), and has a national dish of cured shark. The country's national dish is cured shark, and the Prime Minister is listed in the phone book !
Tomorrow we intend to explore the capital.....
A walk in the city
Today we went out on foot to explore the capital and get our first sight of Iceland in the daylight, that is once the sun rose at 10.30am !
Our hotel is slightly outside the city centre, but within easy walking distance. The city is small enough to move around the main areas by foot. There are a couple of dual carriage ways that intersect the city and take traffic in and out, but the traffic levels are low. Although there is only one small pedestrianised area, the traffic on the other roads is minimal, and it feels like wandering around a small provincial/market town in the UK.
Icelandic wind
It has been sunny all day today, that is for the 6 hours of daylight there is at this time of year, but there is a very strong wind (50 km/h) that is really bitter, and brings the temperature down several degrees in wind chill. At some points, it was hard to walk against the wind. The city is on a kind of peninsula so you are never more than a few minutes walk from the sea.
The day out did not start too auspiciously as within 100 yards of the hotel, I was on my ass having encountered a patch of black ice ! Anyway we strolled on towards the centre, firstly coming across a small lake (Tjornin) which naturally was frozen over, and very picturesque.
Mountains across the bay
We continued on, but were tempted off course by the sight of snow covered mountains across the bay glowing orange due to the rising sun. We trotted down to the sea front to get a photo, to be greeted by a howling gale which frankly we could only stand for a short time, just enough to take a few pictures. We retired to the warmth of the foyer of the concert hall, which is a striking glass building just on the water's edge.
Church of Hallgrimer and magnificent views
Having taken ten minutes to warm up again, we struck off down the coast for 200 yards to a viewing point with a steel sculpture of a Viking ship. A few quick snaps, and then we scurried back into the shelter of the side streets to make our way up the hill to see the Hallgrimskirkja, a church that dominates the skyline of Reykjavik, and where we were told we could get good views of the city.
After paying our 500 Krona each to scale the 8 storey tower, we were indeed granted some tremendous views - a 360 degree panorama. Hopefully the photos do it justice.
Leaving the church we went in search of some refreshment. We were tempted by a cafe that specialised in Icelandic dishes, including fermented shark, but in the end settled for a boutique style book shop cafe, where we had some nice veggies wraps. After stopping in a supermarket to get a bit of food and drink for later, we re-joined the coastal road and walked a bit further round, leaving the centre and eventually cutting back in to return to our hotel.
Beer, fish and sulphur
Once back at the hotel it was time to chill out with some Icelandic Viking beer, and a packet of dried fish pieces, whilst surveying the scene from the hotel room.....snow capped hills in the background, Hallgrimskirkja perched on the hill, and the odd light aircraft coming and going from the little domestic airport in the distance. Beer was actually illegal in Iceland till just over 20 years ago.
As I write this, I can detect a slight smell of sulphur as Tracey runs a bath....this is normal when running hot water in Iceland.
Aurora Borealis ??
The forecast tonight is for a clear night, so we are going out with a group of fellow travellers to "chase the lights" out in rural SW Iceland. Check back later.....
The lights !
At 7.30pm we were collected from the hotel in a minibus, and taken to the town centre where were were transferred with others to a bigger bus. We then set off for the 1.5 hour drive north to a spot 11km inland from the town of Borgarnes where there is absolutely no light pollution (ie it is very dark) and is known for being a good spot to see the lights.
On the drive a multi lingual guide gave us some background information on the lights and some local legends. She also explained that the lights were never as bright to the naked eye as they are on postcards because the camera can let a lot more light in over a longer time than the split second the eye can. It was a very clear night, so we were very hopeful, however it was explained that seeing the lights is still very hit and miss even if all the right conditions are in place.
The day before had apparently been a good viewing because they had just been a solar flare. Suddenly we veered off the tarmaced road and across some grass and dirt and we were there. A little shack has been built here where you can get a drink and go to the loo and buy t- shirts.
We were then disgorged from the bus and told we could wander off, but not too far, but as we were in an unfamiliar environment in the pitch black with only moonlight to see by, we followed our guide up the boulder strewn gravel path to the top of the hill, there to wait and see what unfolded. The view of the night sky from the peak was amazing - with loads of the familiar star formations like the plough very visible. We were told to keep our eyes to the north across the valley and towards the next set of mountains which could be see profiled against the night sky in the far distance.
It was definitely a very surreal experience. It reminded me of that scene in Close Encounters where all those people gathered on the hillside staring off into the distance expecting to see something amazing, but not sure what. We were all huddled on top of a rocky outcrop, miles from nowhere in the freezing Icelandic night, staring north into the night sky, cameras in hand, talking in hushed tones, as if we might disturb whatever was coming our way....
After about 40 minutes of standing in the bitter cold and not seeing anything despite the guide's assurance that something was building, Tracey and I decided to take a break and headed for the hut to get a drink and get out of the biting wind. Again, at times it was difficult to stand up in it and god knows how cold it was in wind chill terms. We had 4 good layers on, 2 over our heads, and it was still cold.
A little while later we re-joined the group at the top of the hill, which by now had reduced in size somewhat. We were told that we would wait another 15 minutes, and if nothing happened we would have to head home. More surreal huddling together in the dark, whispering to each other, then listening to the guide singing an Icelandic lights song.....and then suddenly a shout went up....there they were. Sure enough, we could plainly see a faint green line across the sky in the north, running west to east. This band grew fainter then slightly darker gain, then faded away.
I have to say we were slightly underwhelmed.......it did come back about 10 minutes later, but after it's second disappearance the guide started apologising and saying she was sorry but it was now 11pm and we were not likely to see anything more. We trooped back on to the bus, feeing that although we had "seen" the lights.....we had not really seen them.
On the way back we tried to get some sleep, and at one point, we pulled over again because another faint glow had been seen, but it amounted to nothing. But then as we started to see the lights of Reykjavik in the distance, the bus suddenly veered off the road again and across a dirt track, with the guide excitedly gabbling saying she could see the lights dancing over the top of the mountain to the left of us.
We all rushed out into the cold again and there they were.....not a band this time but a short wave of lime green oscillating up and down and side to side, and much brighter than before. I even managed to get a few pictures of sorts. They were only visible for a couple of minutes, then they faded away. A few minutes later they were back, only fainter,then they were gone.
Back on the coach, I found someone who had a much more professional camera than mine, who had some good shots, who promised to email me some. If i get these, then i will post them here as mine are distinctly underwhelming, although i never expected to be able to take a photo at all with my camera. We eventually got dropped at the hotel at 1.30am, contented that we had seen the lights. We also have quite a few more nights where will be in rural areas and have other chances to see them.
Today we decided to hire a car, leave the city and head north up the west coast. At 11am (once it was fully light) we left the car rental office in our silver Kia, with snow tyres, and headed onto N1 - The primary road in Iceland that goes in a loop right around the country.
Leaving the capital
Although the centre of Reykjavik is very small, it takes about 15 minutes to finally leave all the suburbs behind. Immediately the suburbs are over, the road becomes a single lane each way, rather than dual carriageway, and starts to wind between the mountains on the right and the sea fjords on the left.
Windy and cold again today, with no sun, but very good light despite the cloud cover. Even close to the city, the landscape takes on a character that it maintains for most of the 2 hour drive north - huge areas of flat scrubby grassland, bordered by snow capped mountains, and punctuated by the odd frozen lake.
Getting away from it all
Once out of the city, the traffic is extremely light and we often went several minutes, travelling at 90kmh before seeing another car. Even though we were travelling the main road in Iceland, there are very few settlements. Some villages had names and were signposted, but consisted of maybe two or three houses. It is a mjor event to see a human being on or from the road. There are hardly any trees in Iceland, although we did see a lot of the Icelandic horses grazing the rough ground, and one lot of sheep. Other than birds, that was the limit of the wildlife.
There are turnings off the main road, but 90% of these are tiny side roads that are just gravel. A tarmaced road indicates a 'major' route! We had a sat nav although apart from the first and last 10 minutes in Reykjavik, it was not needed, but at one point we were told to " turn left at the next junction in 65km"!
Fjords
Like Norway, a lot of Iceland's coast is broken up by fjords. The road builders either need to add miles to the journey by going around the head of the fjord, build a bridge, or in the case of the Hvalfjordur a few KM north of the capital, tunnel under it. The tunnel is 7km long and costs 1000 Krona which is about £5. Once through the tunnel we carried on north up the N1 ring road to Borgarnes which sits at the head of another fjord and is accessible by bridge.
Borgarnes is a major settlement on the route, even though it has less than 2000 population. It has a school, church, shops, and a petrol station - there are not many of these outside the capital so you have to judge your fuel consumption carefully.
Volcanoes, lava and Jules Verne
After the town we left the ring road to turn north west towards the
Snaefellsnes Peninsula. This consists of a chain of mountains that jut out into the sea, and where can be found at the western tip an extinct snow covered volcano that was the inspiration for Jules Verne's Journey to the centre of the earth.
As we neared the peninsula we came across a particularly spectacular lava field - it was very clear to see the well defined stream of lava that had eventually cooled and solidified into rock. After stopping for a few photos, we pressed on to the peninsula itself. It would have been nice to drive around the loop road which hugs the coast, but due to the short days, and wanting to get back before night fall, we took a mountain pass across to the north coast of the peninsula.
Ice lakes and unusual churches
This route has some spectacular mountain views, and at the summit, we came across a particularly fotogenic ice lake surrounded by lava and snowy peaks. We then pressed on to do the final 20 or so km in our 175km journey to only the second settlement in that distance - Stykkisholmur, population 1,100. This is a fishing village, and has a regular ferry service across the fjord north to the top NW corner of Iceland. It is a very picturesque place, and has a very uniquely designed modern church, perched on a lava outcrop over looking the village. Despite its size, this is an important place in the local area, having two small schools, petrol station, a fire station, police, and a supermarket.
We stopped for a while to look around, but then had to jump back in the car for the return journey back to Reykjavik, amusing ourselves on the way back seeing how many minutes would pass between seeing another car!
We got back at about 5pm, and chilled at the hotel for the rest of the evening. Tomorrow, we have the car again, so will be out exploring, not sure where yet.
Sulphur
Went out in the car again today, and visited the Thingvellir National Park, which is only about 40 km from Reykjavik.
As we walked out to the car, we were assaulted by the smell of sulphur in the air. Clearly the direction of the prevailing wind had changed since yesterday. After fuelling up, we headed out on the main road north to pick up the minor road R36 to head inland to the National Park.
Sun and snow
It was almost a cloudless sky as we headed up into the hills and although it was late morning, the sun was just starting to come up, and it illuminated the snow covered landscape spectacularly. The road was almost traffic free, but a bit treacherous in places with ice, so we were thankful for the snow tyres.
Thingvellir
We stopped at a small information centre which is perched on top of an old lava flow. There is a path carved through the lava which you can walk down, giving you a feeling similar to walking though Cheddar gorge. There were some good views across the valley and the lake as well. There are 4 small buildings here, and a church, and believe it or not, this was the original Icelandic Parliament between 930 and 1789. It was bitterly cold though, and although we had hats and gloves, we really needed a face mask as well, cos any bit of exposed skin was blasted red raw by the freezing wind !
Back in the car, we mapped out a route up a side road to a view point, but when we went to turn off found it closed/impassable, so we pressed on round the huge lake, before heading back down the towards the south coast to pick up the N1 Iceland ring road. We decided to head a short way east rather than returning west straight to the capital, and came across the first settlement of over a handful of houses that we had seen all day. We were intending to go and see a waterfall, but the side road was gravel, as are most of the out of town side roads, and we were told not to take the car down these roads. So after taking a picture of a group of Icelandic horses (very like Shetland ponies), we headed back to the hotel.
Thermal activity
The drive back along the N1 turned out to be spectacular as it rose up over a mountain pass for several miles, where the snow covered landscape was interrupted at various points by jets of steam coming out of the ground, and the strong smell of sulphur. Clearly an area of thermal activity. Unfortunately the road had snow markers and fencing all along it and it was just impossible to stop to take a photo.
Local watering hole
We just got back to the hotel in time, as it started snowing, although it stopped again soon after. Having chilled out for a while we drove into the centre to drop the car off, and went to look for somewhere to eat. Trying not to get distracted by the two record shops I discovered, we finally settled on the Laundromat Cafe. This was clearly a place where students spent a lot of time, and had a good vibe. I settled for a Polar Beer (ha ha) and veggie burger, and Tracey had the carnivore version with white wine. The food was delicious.
We then headed back to the hotel attempting to walk off the food. There is a building opposite our hotel, that by day is part of the University, but in the evening shows films, and we were tempted to go and see the life of pi, but in the end thought going back to the room and drinking Bacardi was a better option !
Tomorrow is our last day based in Reykjavik, some are going to take a bus tour, weather permitting !
Today was our last day in Reykjavik before we head out into the country for the second half of our trip.
We set off into town on foot at just gone 10am in the semi darkness whilst the sun did its best to get above the horizon. As usual the biting sub zero wind was in full effect. We headed to the tourist information to try and get a sightseeing bus, but they do not run at this time of year. We also had ideas of going across to Videy Island just off the coast which is uninhabited, but has a 'peace tower' commissioned by Yoko Ono in memory of John Lennon, but ferries only run on the weekend in winter.
We therefore set off along the Main Street of shops - Laugavegur, to visit a couple of record shops I had seen the day before. One of them is owned by Einar from the Icelandic band The Sugarcubes. There is a lot of Great Wall art around the city, and we stopped to look at some of this along the way.
There is a certain quirky edge to Reykjavik - Further along the road is the Icelandic Phallological Museum - the world's only museum dedicated to the penis ! I could not pursuade Tracey to go in, so we continued on to try and find a vegan restaurant that I had read about. We managed to find it, but it was closed, so we went round the corner to a little veggie cafe we had spotted earlier and had some lovely soup and curry.
Apart from the huge church tower on the top of the hill that we visited a couple of days ago, the other major landmark that we can see from our window in the hotel is Perlan, or The Pearl. This is a spherical restaurant and museum built on 4 huge old water tanks, perched on top of a hill, and it provides a great 360 degree view over the surrounding city from within the glass dome or if you are brave, from the external walkway that runs around the outside.
We caught the bus from the centre out to the Pearl after some deliberation to work out which bus and where to catch it from. As an aside, in the centre of the bus station was a glass display case which had a paper mache model of a white nude female form, cuddling a black dog, complete with genitalia. Art. After admiring the city views from the Pearl with an afternoon coffee and a piece of cake, we caught the bus back to our hotel and chilled out for the rest of the afternoon.
For the second half of our trip we are joining a group of about 20 fellow travellers to go out and explore some of the geological wonders of Southern Iceland. We are hoping to see the glacial lagoon that featured in the Bond film Day another die, waterfalls, geysers, hot pools, the volcano that erupted in 2010, etc. We will also have a good chance to see the northern lights again.
We are going to meet our fellow travellers tonight for a meal, before being thrown together for the next few day's road trip. Let's hope we get on. From now on, I am not sure how easy Internet access will be, but I will endeavour to keep up the blog entries.
Today we are heading off to do some more exploring of rural Iceland with our tour group who we met last night. We are travelling in two small buses as the road do not support larger coaches.
We all met in the lobby at 9am and boarded our respective vehicles after checking out. We headed out of Reykjavik and north east up into the hills. For the first hour of the drive it was dark, but as the light got better, we could tell it was going to be a dull day.
Edge of North America
We were spending most of the day in Thingvellir national park, and our first stop was to visit the rift valley caused by the separation of the North American and Eurasion tectonic plates. The distance between the plates is 7 km and some of the valley is now filled with a fresh water lake, around which are a couple of hydro electric plants.
Freezing waterfall
Next it was further north east to Gullfoss, a huge waterfall, part of which is iced up at this time of year. It was bitterly cold, and the spray from the falls was freezing on the ground, causing very difficult walking conditions. There is a cafe at the site so we grabbed some soup and coffee before pressing on.
Geysers
Next it was south a couple of miles to a small settlement called Geysir. This is a very active geo-thermal area, and has a lot of hot pools bubbling away at between 90 and 100C . There was also a large pool here that used to shoot water 100s of feet into the air at periodic intervals, and this was called Geysir and gave the name to the phenomenon that we call the Geyser.
This has been dormant since early 2000s but there is another that erupts every few minutes sending water about 30m in the air. It is fascinating watching it bubble away, and then without warning erupt with a huge whoosh. There is of course the all pervading smell of sulphur, and steam everywhere, although it was still very cold.
Volcanos and earthquakes
Next it was back on the bus, and a drive further south towards the main ring road, stopping on the way to see a huge crater of an extinct volcano. The colours were amazing, and it was a pity that it was not sunny so that the photos could bring this out more. The frozen water in the crater was a deep blue, whilst the sides were a mixture of reds, greens and browns.
Iceland is of course a very young country geologically, and as we know there was a huge volcanic eruption back in 2010. The earth's crust in Iceland is only a third of that elsewhere in the world. Apparently, the country is expecting a big 'event' any time, and the most likely is a volcanic eruption of Hakl, a volcano further along the south coast which we will drive past tomorrow.
We finally arrived at our hotel for the night at just before 5pm. The hotel is situated in the lowlands near the south coast about 45km from the capital, and is part of a horse farm. It is run ecologically, using natural hot water for heating, use environmentally friendly products, etc. This area is very prone to earthquakes, and they had a large one here in 2008. There is an exhibition dedicated to it in the nearby village of Hveragerdi.
Our fellow travellers seem quite a nice bunch, which is just as well as we are having dinner with them again at the hotel later. Tomorrow we head east along the ring road, leaving earthquake country for volcano country and the 3rd biggest glacier in the world. A third of the country's surface is ice. This is now being added to as it is snowing outside.
Got some great pics unfortunately Internet will not allow me to upload at the moment. Maybe later or tomorrow.
Fantastic day today with some amazing scenery.
A snowy start
Driving east today along the country's ring road to Vatnajokull National Park. Woke up to a heavy snowfall. It took the bus driver quit a while to get the bus door open due to the ice ! The ring road in parts of the country was closed, although the road authorities are supposed to keep it open whatever the weather 365 days a year. The road along the south coast though was still open.
Headed off again in the dark at 9am. Coach was sliding around, but driver seemed confident enough. Due to the paucity of traffic and the low temperatures, the snow did not clear on the road, but instead compacted as ice. A lot of Icelanders suffer from depression in the winter due to the long dark days, and so loads of houses, trees, bridges etc have lights on during the winter months, and this brightened up the first hour.
Volcanoes
At about 10am as the sun was coming up, we pulled up to get some photos of a range of volcanos we were travelling towards. One is the volcano that they are expecting to erupt at any time. The other just visible was Eyjafjallajokull (also known as E15) that famously erupted in 2010.
Further down the road we stopped for a short break in the village of Hvolsvollur. Whilst we were there several big monster trucks came to fuel up at the petrol station. These trucks with huge tyres are used to drive up on to and across the glaciers in this area.
20 minutes later we pulled up at the foot of theEyjafjallajokull volcano to see the Seljalandsfoss waterfall. You can walk around the back of the falls normally, however the water from the falls was freezing on the surrounding area, and it was impossible to get near ad even the grass was like ice. Further east we passed a waterfall that is usually blown upwards by the wind!
We then stopped by the gates of the biggest farm in Iceland at the foot of the volcano to take some photos and then went to a visitor centre to see how the eruption occurred and the effect it had on the local population. The centre is run the the farmer's wife, and we saw a fantastic short film depicting the eruption which started 20th march 2010. One of the big impacts other than the ash was the flooding as the cap of the volcano was a huge glacier. The road we drove along was washed away.
The authorities have mobile phone numbers of all the locals, and if an eruption occurs everyone will be sent a text message to evacuate as it is likely that you will have only 30 minutes to leave the area.
Southern tip of Iceland
After some scary driving along ice covered roads, we arrived at the most southerly settlement in Iceland - the village of Vik -population 200. We stopped for food at the small Puffin Hotel. We then went for a short walk down to the beach.
Other worldly scenes
This was an absolutely amazing sight. The beach is jet black sand and pebbles strewn with pieces of lava, with a back drop of steep snow dappled cliffs. The scene was made all the more surreal by the pristine white snow on the black beach. Top that off with a background of several huge basalt columns rising out of the sea and the other worldly scene was complete.
Drive through the most dangerous place in Iceland
Leaving Vik, we continued East on the ring road crossing into the Eastern half of the country. This is the area that they think is most likely to be the location of the big 'event' ie a huge eruption of Katla volcano. Inhabitants will only have half an hour to get to safety. It took an hour to drive across.
At one point, there is a huge flood plain as far as the eye can see, which was caused by glacial waters that one day in 2011 suddenly rushed down and washed the road away. This was due to a small eruption, which was totally unexpected. It caused loads of people to be stranded in the east of the country, unable to get to the west except by driving right round the entire country via the north.
Lava fields
We drove for miles and miles through a landscape that looked almost like another planet - totally flat black earth, with only mosses and lichens growing, peppered by huge rocks that had at some time been deposited as the result of a volcano, either blown out or washed down. Then we entered a huge lava field that probably took 30 minutes to drive through during which there were no side roads, no trees, no lakes, houses, no farms, no nothing.
We stopped to do a half hour walk along part of the original dirt road through the lava fields. The lava originated from 45km away and flowed here in the 18th century over a 2 year period.
As the darkness was falling we drove past the tongue of a huge glacier, which would take 7 days to walk across. The road has to cross a massive sea of black ash that has been deposited by the ice melt of the glacier. The road was only built in 1974, before this the area was pretty much inaccessible except by foot in the summer, and then it would be dangerous.
Tonight we are staying in Skaftafell National Park in a little village called Freysnes. We arrived at our hotel at about 5.30pm. Even though it was dark there was enough moonlight to tell this was a stunning location. Mountains and ice everywhere, a huge plain of dark ash and a glacier coming right down to the back of the hotel. The hotel is more motel, with two or 3 one storey blocks, with the bar in a separate building.
Cannot wait to see it all in the light tomorrow.
Gale force winds
That was some night. We are staying in the end of a block of rooms separate from the main building right at the foot of a glacier. During the night we thought the room was going to be blown away. The winds were apparently over 60mph with gusts of 90mph. I got up in the night to look out across the yard to the main block and was reminded of the scene in the 1980's film The Thing, where they look out across the blowing snow for one of their colleagues, fearing he may have got lost going from one building to the other !
Getting to breakfast was physically dangerous as the snow and ice had partly melted, sleet was raging across, and it was dark. We were told later that a few years ago, the hotel roof had been blown off !
Anyway, once again we were ready to get back on the bus at 9am, an hour before sun up, to go out and see some more sights, however the driver had looked at the road and had decided that it was too dangerous to drive at present due to the high winds and ice.
Glacial lagoon and a sea of icebergs
At 10am we set off further east for the glacial lagoon. The first part of the journey was through more barren landscape caused by volcanic eruptions of the past, and several graveyards were pointed out that marked the site of farms that had been destroyed. The road hugs the foot of the mountains, and eventually is squeezed into a thin route between the mountain and the sea.
For the first half hour we saw no other traffic and only a couple of farms. There is the site of an old airport for light aircraft, but this was abandoned 20 years ago.
The glacial lagoon is caused by the receding glacier which is now 5 km away. It was first formed in 1940. It is now the deepest lake on the island. Initially we went down to the beach which is made of black volcanic ash. This is where the icebergs flow down to the sea, and the beach is covered with icebergs of all sizes. We could also see seals bobbing about in the water.
We then went up to the lagoon itself which is huge and mostly frozen at this time of year. There is a sea of bergs and ice as far as the eye can see, with a couple of really large blue bergs broken away and making their way down to the sea. Amazing scenes.
Lunch at a farming village
Continuing on, we reached the village of Hali, which was the farthest limit of our travels eastwards. The ring road starts to head north east at this point so we have travelled most of the way along the south coast if the country. At Hali, we stopped for the usual soup, bread and cake meal that has characterised our lunch time meals over the last few days.
After a half hour drive we stopped at a small village called Litla-hof, where we saw an ancient turf covered Lutheran church. The village school has 4 pupils. It started to snow as we left, there are 35 words in Icelandic for snow.
At about 3pm we were back in the vicinity of our hotel, but we did not turn in, instead we went into the village of Skaftafell, and saw a short 10 min film about the local volcano, and then set of for a 40 minute round trip hike to the tongue of one of the two local glaciers. Having seen the one it seemed rude not to see the second, so we were back on the bus to drive round to the glacier that comes down near the back of our hotel. We could get right close to the glacier to get some great photos even though the light was failing.
We were back at the hotel by 4.30pm, hoping for a better night's sleep with no wind, but looking unlikely !
Road trip back West
Much better night last night, still strong winds, but was able to sleep better as less than 60mph! Although the local offshore islands had 160km winds!
Woke in the morning to find a light dusting of snow. After breakfast it was back on the bus again at 9am to head back west. Today we will be stopping to see some of the things we did not see on the journey out.
Iceland's nearest neighbour is Greenland, and due to global warming, huge icebergs are breaking off and drifting towards Iceland, and these sometimes bring with them polar bears, who are very hungry! These can be a real problem in the NW of the island.
Glacial facts
The scale of everything in Iceland is so amazing. For the last 2 days we have been in the area of the biggest glacier on the country, which together with two others covers a third of the country. There are 42 individual glacier tongues coming down from it, one is so wide it takes 7 days to walk across. We drove across the huge plain that is made up of glacial deposits as the glacial tongue receded, and it took about 45 minutes to drive across and there is nothing to see in every direction as far as the eye can see, other than this completely flat plain. Every so often, there is a bridge to cross the flood waters from the glacier - one is 1km long. Another got washed away a few years ago and you can still see the wreckage. Once these bridges or the road are washed away it cuts one half of the island from the other, and the only way to get from one to the other is light aircraft or boat.
Snow and waterfalls
As we progressed west and the light got better, it became apparent that there had been a big snowfall in the area, and we were the first vehicle to come along. It was 45 minutes before we saw another vehicle ! Another 45 minutes later and still had not seen a second vehicle.
At 10.30am we stopped at the tiny village of Kirkjubaejarklaustur (population 200) and saw the Systrafoss waterfall, then stopped for 10 minutes to get some provisions at the petrol station before heading on. The sky was black all morning with frequent hail storms.
Stormy seas and high winds
At lunchtime we stopped near Vik at Reynisfjara to go down to the beach and see more basalt rock formations. There is a big cave here, but the tide was coming in, and the sea was very rough, so it was too dangerous to go in. We then retired to a local grill for some lunch.
On pulling away from the grill, we were told that the wind on the road ahead was being reported as over 33m per second which is very strong, and the driver has the right to refuse to drive through these conditions as it is too dangerous and the insurance companies do not pay out if you have an accident in winds over 25m per second.We proceeded very cautiously at extremely low speeds !
Folk museum
We next stopped at the village of Skogar where there is an Icelandic folk museum established by a local man in the 60's who is now 90 and was there when we arrived to play us "Clementine" on an old Icelandic string instrument. We were then given a tour of the museum by a very gay Icelander, before going out behind the museum to see some old houses with turf roofs that have been preserved, including the contents, and it was very interesting to walk around these, despite the constant threat of hitting your head on the extremely low roofs.
Waterfalls and more wind
We then went just round the corner to see the huge Skogarfoss waterfall which drops 200 feet onto the black ash valley. Finally it was back on the bus for the drive to the hotel. The driver again started off very slowly, because as we found out later, he had received a call to say the wind was at 47m per second which is over 200 km per hour. If we could not proceed the guide had arranged for us to stay on a nearby farm.
As it was, we were ok and got to Hotel Hekla at about 5.30pm. On the way we got magnificent views of the active volcano Mt Hekla, which we will hopefully go quite near tomorrow. The hotel is a farm and surrounded by lava fields and mountains, about 2 miles off the main road. Amusingly considering how far we have driven over the last couple of days, as we the driver attempted to turn into the hotel, he skidded on the ice and simply carried on past the hotel.
Active volcano and another waterfall
Headed off at 10am to go and get a better view of Mt Hekla, the volcano after which our hotel is named. The sky was clear for a change, and there was a nice sunrise over the mountains. The ground was sheet ice, and surprising as it may seem, it was safer to drive than walk, as the vehicle had snow tyres, and you really need snow spikes on your boots to move around.
Hekla is an active volcano that last erupted 13 years ago in 2000. It is constantly monitored, and we know that the magma chamber is full, and the mountain itself is rising every year. From our hotel we headed NW on R30/32 into the start of the inner Highlands. The road was absolutely lethal and we were fish tailing regularly. Eventually we turned off the 'main' road, onto a gravel road and travelled a couple of miles up into the mountains to see another waterfall - Hjalparfoss
Dangerous approach to preserved farm
Back on the bus, we re-joined the Tarmac road and headed further into the mountains. As we approached a steep pass, we came across a huge tanker who had stopped in the road to put chains on before attempting the pass-ironic considering he must have been driving for miles on sheet ice to get to this point.
We turned off just before the pass to drive down to an old preserved turf covered farm building, however as we turned into the road, the driver said he could not proceed as it was too dangerous. We therefore voted that we would get off and walk, so we headed off across the snowy grassland towards the farm. It was quite amusing to see us all tip toeing across the icy road as we stepped off the bus initially.
The farm buildings were not open but it was interesting to walk round the exterior. In the distance we could now see the snow chained lorry making its way up the pass. After a group photo taken by the guide, we made our way back to the bus.
Hot spring centre
We then headed down out of the mountains towards the main N1 ring road, stopping first for a bit to eat in a little cafe in the village of Arnes, probably the easiest place to pronounce in Iceland. Once on the ring road it was full speed ahead west bound to the village of Hveragerdi, where we visited a hot spring centre where they use the water to heat the village, and grow things like bananas, grapes and lemons in their greenhouses. Whilst we were there our host put dozens of eggs in a net attached to a long pole, then lowered them into one of the hot springs, where they boiled. We then had them for afternoon tea after our tour round.
Fishing village and prison
Next it was due south to the Atlantic coast to the village of Eyrarbakki (population 550). Sail due south from here and you would not hit land until you get to Antarctica. In this small fishing village we went into some of the old houses, including the oldest habitable house in Iceland, which are now museums.
Finally, it was back to the bus to drive back to the Hotel Hekla. Just outside the village we passed the biggest prison in Iceland, which has 35 cells ! The only other cells are in a couple of police stations throughout the country. There is a very low crime rate here, but there is a waiting list of criminals waiting to serve time, once a cell becomes free.
Got back to the hotel at 5.30 ready for our last night in Iceland.
Final day in Iceland. It will be sad to leave this great country. We have seen some great sights, learnt a lot, met some nice people, and overall had a brilliant experience in a country I have wanted to visit since I was a child.
Snowy start
Started off at 9.30 in a light snow shower. We drove West towards Reykjavik learning more about Iceland from our guide. The primary industry is still fishing at 55%, although this has dropped from 95%. Second is aluminium smelting, then third is tourism. Tourism is relatively young in Iceland, really only starting about 20 years ago, and then only initially in summer.
As we drove on the N1 across the mountains the dusty snow was blowing across the road causing a total whiteout. The only thing visible was the yellow poles marking the side of the road - if they were not there we just would not have known where the road was ! On the way across we did a slight detour to drive by a Geo Thermalpower plant, which has accommodation for staff who cannot return home after their shift because the main road is closed (which is often in winter). Needless to say there was a strong smell of sulphur all around.
Back to Reykjavik
By the time we arrived back in the capital, we had driven out of the snow. We paid another quick visit to the the Perlan for a drink and a last view of the city. Driving around it has been noticeable that there are no international brand shops around. Only seen one KFC, one Subway. There is a large mall on Reykjavik which includes Next and a couple of other international stores, but they only have these single branches in the capital, as there are no other towns anywhere near big enough to support the business..
Next it was south bound on to the Reykjanes peninsula in the far SW of the country where the international airport is at Keflavik. The drive took us through another large area of lava fields with snow capped volcanoes in the background.
Blue lagoon
About 8 miles from the airport is the hot springs area that has been developed into the Ble Lagoon spa. This is an amazing area. In the middle of a huge lava field is this area of incandescent blue hot pools that are said to be very healthy to bathe in. I have seen pictures and thought the colour had been doctored but even in the overcast weather they were a fantastic blue colour, which is caused by the white silicon.
As we entered the pool, it was absolutely freezing, and snow was in the air, but once in it is lovely and warm. The pool is only a few feet deep and the bottom is very uneven black sand/grit. People use the white silicon around the side of the pool as a face mask. There is also a little shack on the side where you can buy a beer ! A complex has grown up around the pool with a restaurant and gift shop. It was very expensive to get in (£30) but a great one off experience.
Finally, it was back on the bus for the short drive to Keflavik airport. On the way we found out that this was an area prone to earthquakes, and last weekend there was one of 3.8 on the Richter scale which was felt in Reykjavik - this was when we first arrived, but we were certainly oblivious to it. Our flight is 4.30pm so we will be back at Heathrow by 7.30pm, with fond memories of Iceland.
Doing a short trip to Miami to do some sightseeing and take the opportunity to see one of my favourite bands play their first ever show outside California. Have never been to Florida so it will be great to see another part of the US and to get away from the damp and cold of the UK for a few days.
Miami is a city of 5.5 million and is served by one of the world's largest airports. I arrived there at about 5pm after a trouble free 9 hour/4500 mile flight, however it took 2.5 hours to queue and get through customs !
It was lovely and warm once I escaped the airport, with temperatures in the high 20Cs, although by now it was dark. I am staying just 15 minutes from the airport, so took a cab from the airport. The cab driver was not from the NY school of continual chatter, monosyllabic would be closer to the truth, but he got me to the hotel in one piece despite going the wrong way down a one way street, and then uttering his only sentence "i'am confused".
The hotel is in the Brickell area of the city a couple of miles south of the Miami River and Downtown. The room is really nice and there is a 7 Eleven just round the corner - handy for all my sandwich and beer requirements. The Metro station is also at the end of the street. Not sure what it looks like in the daylight yet though. Availed myself of the complimentary beer on arrival, before having an early night US time although UK time it was about 2 am.
Tomorrow, if I have my wits about me, I will hire a car and do some exploring.
Despite being dog tired after yesterday's 21 hour day, needless to say I found it hard to get to sleep and woke up 3 times before finally getting up at 6am ! It was just starting to get light so I went and had some complimentary breakfast, consisting of a small choice of hot food, croissants, pastries and lashings of coffee.
Totally blue sky today, not a cloud in sight. After breakfast, I thought there was no point in hanging around so I headed off to tackle the Miami Metrorail. Now I was aware that there was an overground mostly elevated Metrorail that has two lines that essentially both run north/south through the city. What I did not realise is that there is also a little elevated train called the Metromover - these seem to be very frequent and consist of a single carriage. Both these could be caught 100 yards from my hotel.
For $2 you can go any number of stops or you can buy an Easy ticket for a day or 3 days etc. I was off to hire a car, so I did the one off payment from Brickell station to Government Center. This stop is pretty much the Downtown stop, although like other big US cities, it is hard to pinpoint the "centre" of Miami. When I got off at Govt Centre there was a strong police presence and lots of rather ruthless looking people loitering around, but then I realised I had stepped out in front of the County Court and they were all obviously waiting for it to open.
I negotiated the 15 minute walk to the car rental office surprisingly skillfully, working out my avenues and streets, NWs and NEs, SWs and SEs, always more difficult when you are near the centre where they all effectively start from. I planned to pick up the car at 10.30 to allow for a lie in, but they were happy to hand it over 2 hours early - a lovely basic model dark grey Yaris. I usually get a Ford Explorer but for city driving and looking after the pocket - a Yaris it is.
From the rental office I headed east across the MacArthur Causeway to the Miami Beach area. There is mile upon mile of white sandy beach here in Miami and South Beach, just north of the port of Miami (where huge cruise ships congregate) is where they start. The beaches continue north for hundreds of miles up the Atlantic coast, through Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Melbourne (!) and beyond.
At South Beach can be found Ocean Drive which is a couple of miles of Art Deco style hotels, bars, roller bladers, beach volleyball, classic 50's cars, films crews etc.....feels more like the West Coast of USA. I promenaded a bit, blending in magnificently in my Yaris, white skin and black T-shirt.
I then continued driving north past beach after beach, hotel after hotel, stopping occasionally to have a stroll - parking $1.I found driving pretty easy, no one is in a rush, all keep to the speed limit, lovely wide roads. The sat nav helped, but I did go wrong a couple of times when I drove to another area and it took me onto the Freeway, where it is slightly more hectic, and the sat nav lady only gives you a few seconds to get on to the off ramp that is 3 lanes to your right !
The north/south beach road is actually a couple of miles from the mainland, with the Biscayne Bay separating the two. There are also lots of lagoons and other smaller pieces of water dotted around everywhere, with copious amounts of very nice looking cruisers and yachts. Some of the property here must be worth a fortune. Water is definitely a big thing in Miami - saw speedboats, surfers, swimmers, water skiing etc, and a lot of properties border the sea, or some piece of water. There is even a canal here!
Once I had done about 125 blocks of beaches , I headed inland again to check out the venue for the gig I am going to on Saturday. Needless to say, despite the blue sky and wall to wall sun, it felt like a bit of a dodgy area, a gravel parking lot with an old London bus graffitied to within an inch of its life and people pushing trollies around with all their earthly belongings. On top of this it styles itself as an English Pub and does pub grub ! There is a record store next to the pub, but it was closed when I was there so maybe I can check it out later in the week.
Next I headed south, back into the Brickell area which is I think primarily a business area, and over the toll bridge ($1.50) Rickenbacker Causeway. I was intending to go right down to the Key Biscayne which is a Park Island, but I pulled off at a car park to look at the view and could not work out how to get back on except to return to the city, so I took the hint and returned to the hotel.
Spent the early afternoon by the pool chilling out. By now it was back in the high 20Cs and I had to retire to the room to write this after an hour or so. Later I intend to go for a walk around the local area, find some food, and get an early night (and hopefully some sleep) before getting back in the car tomorrow and heading south to the Florida Keys.
Got up early again but had a much better sleep so raring to go. Whilst breakfasting on plates made from potato starch, I watched the news which warned of severe snowstorms over several US states including New York. Meanwhile the forecast in Miami is blue sky and mid 20Cs....lovely.
Set off at sun up (as they say over here) and once I had manoeuvred the Yaris out of the hotel car park, it was southbound on Highway 1 which runs parallel to the Atlantic coast and straight down to the Keys. Traffic was light going out of the city and through South Miami, but there was plenty of rush hour traffic in the other direction. Lots of Miami/Dade County police cruising the Freeway (or Turnpike as it seem to be called here). As I left the city limit these were replaced by State Troopers.
After about an hours driving, I got to the town of Florida City which is where you can turn right and pick up one of only 3 roads that go off west into the Everglades. On this occasion I continued south on Highway 1 towards the start of the keys.
The road changes after Florida city from a 2/3/5 lane Freeway to a one lane road. It is still a fairly fast road but is like driving down a toboggan run only straight, flat, concrete and hot ! You have to drive for 30 minutes in a straight line, single file, bordered on either side by barriers of concrete painted sky blue, with only two short passing places over the 26 miles. Either side is the far SE corner of the 1.5 million acres of swampland known as the Everglades. The road is separated from the glades by wire fencing on either side, presumably judging by the Beware of Crocodiles signs, to keep things off the road, rather than motorists out of the glades.
Finally after driving south from Miami for 1.5 hours, the road opens out and turns South West and you have arrived at the Florida Keys, namely Key Largo. The Keys are basically a series of small bits of land running for 100 miles in a SW direction off the tip of Florida. They are all linked by a single main road that runs the whole length, sometimes there is no land and just the road in the form of huge long bridges, the longest being 7 miles. As you travel SW you have the Gulf of Mexico on your right and the Straits of Florida (Atlantic Ocean) on the left. Unless you look on a very large scale map, it almost looks like someone has drawn a thin pencil line off the tip of Florida.
All along the road, there is accommodation, bars & restaurants, gift shops, moorings for boats, and very pricey real estate. There are also a lot of very picturesque fishing villages. It is very pleasant, especially with the temperature in the 80s and a cloudless sky, but I drove for 40 miles and I did find it very samey.
I was keen to go to Key Largo as I have always enjoyed the Humphey Bogart film of the same name, and the only filming location that was actually in Key Largo - the Carribean Club, is still there, so I paid it a quick visit. Inside it was a bit dark and dingy, although that may have been because of the contrast with the bright sun outside, but it naturally has lots of artefacts and pictures on the wall connected with the film.
Another Bogart film that has nothing to do with the Florida Keys is the African Queen. Surprisingly, then, you can actually see the famous boat, moored up next to a hotel, hidden away by some day tripping boats. You can apparently hire it out for short trips but it looked a bit delicate.
Shortly after middy, I started heading back to Miami. By now the traffic was much busier. I am sure in the keys this can be a bit of an issue at times, as there is only one road in and out. The road is marked as an evacuation route in case of hurricanes, but not sure why as there is no other route you could take. I did see signs for storm shelters whilst on the keys, and there was a memorial to the dead of a particularly devastating hurricane in 1935.
On my return to the hotel it was back to the pool again for an hour until I got too hot. I then went for a stroll around the neighbourhood immediately around the hotel. It is primarily a business district, so there are banks etc in abundance. I also spotted the Dominican Republic Consulate. Just as I was making my way back to the hotel I spotted a curio squeezed between the expensive glass and steel towers. A small cottage style house which clearly belonged to an artist, with graffitied walls, and half completed canvasses in the garden and pieces of art hanging from trees.
Back at the hotel I chilled a bit before going for a pizza in a cafe just round the corner. I went there last night and had a lovely salmon and ricotta one. Friday night, Miami definitely seems to be buzzing. It was nice to sit outside and eat alfresco at 7.30 in the evening.
Later I went off to the seedy side of town to see a couple of bands at a club called Gramps. This was a bit weird for a seasoned gig goer like myself. Although the location and venue all looked the part for a punk gig, most of the audience were dressed up for a Friday night paaartay, the bar staff were mixing cocktails, they refused to take money for the 3 cokes I had presumably cos it was like asking for a drink of tap water in the UK, the loos were iffy but a man had set up a little bathroom service and handed out paper towels, put soap on your hands ang gave out sweets all for a dollar tip, everyone was smoking, the bands did not start til midnight....not what I am used to.
Anyway the Yaris was safe and sound when I got back to it. The streets where I was were pretty deserted now (1am), but when I got back to the area my hotel is in I did not recognise the place. People were crowding the sidewalks, every outside table at restaurants were taken, music was coming out of every building. These Floridians like a night out.
Tomorrow, I intend to head out into the Everglades proper.
Managed to sleep until gone 7am today. After a quick breakfast, set off in the car for the Everglades national park. This is an area of 1.5 million acres, but there are only a couple of roads across it which run from east to west from Miami to the Gulf of Mexico coast.
I chose route 41 or 8th street as it is also known ! This runs in a dead straight line from Sweetwater in the SW of Miami. It runs along the northern border of the Everglades National Park. Further north is part Big Cypress National Preserve, and the rest is undesignated.
What I did not realise is that the water in the Everglades is not stagnant, but is actually flowing all be it very slowly, from north to south. Apparently the Everglades were formed when water flowing from the north reached Lake Okeechobee further north, and has no more outlets (in the form of rivers etc) so kind of seeped into the massive area of flatlands in the south. The area used to be much bigger but has shrunk because there is less water about and some of the land has been reclaimed.
There is now a programme to divert water into the everglades using a series of canals, to maintain their current size, and ensure the habitat remains for wildlife. The road I travelled in on is being raised to help this so there were delays due to the roadworks.
An hour and a half after leaving Downtown Miami, I was in the heart of the Everglades at a place called Shark Valley. There is a very small visitor centre here, but the main attraction is that there is a 15 mile loop road/track around which you can walk, cycle or get an Eco tram. I chose the tram, not because I am lazy, or it was too hot, but because I thought I might learn more, and see more wildlife. The road was originally built by Exxon when they were drilling here for oil in the 1940's, but they found none, so the Parks Service now make good use of it.
First impressions are that it looks a bit different to what I expected. There are some wet swampy areas with trees growing out of the water, but a lot is scrubby grass land and a few small bushes and trees. All the life congregates around the damp areas, which at this time of year in the dry season are fewer. In the wet season a lot of this area can be underwater including the track, although they do try and stay open year round.
Second impression is that it is amazing how close to the wildlife you can get. You can walk within feet of large birds and the star attraction....the alligators. Hopefully the photos bear this out. I am not a bird lover particularly, but to see various species of herons, bitterns, vultures, and others so close was great. The gators don't look real, but when you hear them growl it is seriously frightening. They're enjoy basking in the sun, and then every so often going into the water to cool down. Also saw several very tiny young gators.
The trip lasted about two hours, and at the half way point, you get to go up a lookout tower to get some idea how vast the area is ie you can see nothing but swampland in every direction. Also saw some turtles, fish, and there are bobcats, but did not see one.
There are loads of places along the road that offer airboat rides through the swamps and along the canals, but they are not allowed in the National Park itself for environmental reasons, so I gave it a miss.
At about half twelve headed back for the hotel. Very humid today but only hazy sun, so passed on the pool and relaxed in my room as I have to leave at 7 to go and see the gig I came all this way to see and like.y to be back late.
The gig was totally awesome. A sweaty crowd of 600 hardcore punk fans from all over the US going totally mental to eight bands for 6 hours. Wild it definitely was....parts of the venue, and probably some of the crowd will need to go in for repairs today. Never seen so much energy in one room. And cos of the Facebook event, people kept coming up to me and saying, oh you're the guy who flew from the UK for the gig ! Plus got to meet and have a long chat with the singer of the main band. Good night. Did not get back to the hotel until 2pm and was a bit frustrated to find that as well as the lateness of the hour, I has lost a further hour because the clocks went forward an hour. So I lost an hour's sleep and will not see any benefit cos I am flying home tomorrow night !
Tomorrow I think I may look around Miami a bit more unless I can come up with a good location to drive to outside the city.
Once again, woke up early....bugger. Anyway, last day so make the most of it. Once I had done breakfast I packed and checked out, then set off in the car to Key Biscayne, a so called paradise island. It is just south of where I have been staying and reached by a long road bridge from the main land.
There are 3 state parks on the narrow strip of land, and the small community of Key Biscayne itself which is definitely the playground of the rich and retired. There are yacht clubs, gated communities, golf clubs, and the residential streets feel like Beverley Hills.
I headed right to the south of the Island to Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, which has several trails, lots of places to fish, and a nice preserved light house and keepers cottage right at the tip of the island. Went for a walk along the coast and around, and saw some more fascinating and tame wildlife, including some more exotic birds, and what may have been a bobcat or raccoon foraging in a litter bin.
From here I headed back north and stopped for a short while on the beach at Crandon Park. This is clearly a huge and popular recreational area for the cities residents. There are no stalls or shops selling anything along any of the beaches, instead there are lots of seats and benches and shelters from the sun provided, and families are encouraged to bring food and drink to eat or prepare on barbecues. Being Sunday afternoon, there were loads of huge family gatherings doing just that.
Lots of Spanish being spoken, and Latin music being played all added to the party atmosphere along the beach. You are as likely to hear Spanish as English being spoken in Miami.
Finally, although I was a bit early I headed to the airport in the heart of the city, and returned the hire car, which had served me well. Then it was the joys of passing the time in the airport until my flight back home. I am expecting snow when I get back....that is going to be a shock to the system. Had a great trip and would recommend Miami as a destination....but you do need a car.
UPDATE - STUCK in MIAMI ! Oil leak on plane, not leaving til tomorrow night. Been in the airport or plane for 9 hours. Need sleep.
Flight did not go....oil leak, eventually got a room in a hotel at 4am Monday, after getting on plane 8pm Sunday....to be continued.
Update : Had a few hours sleep now so feel a bit better. We boarded the plane at 8pm, but were then told that there was an oil leak and they were looking to fix it. Kept giving us messages that it would not be too much longer, until just after midnight when we were told we had to go back into departures.
Complete chaos then took over. We're told it would take 3 hours to get our checked in luggage to us so would have to make do with hand luggage. No food or drink outlets open in the departure lounge. Took 3 hours to sort out hotels and in the interim people were making their own arrangements or going back home if local. Queries about taking duty free out of the airport and then back through security could not be answered. Took our boarding passes away, then gave then back.
Eventually said that they had some accommodation but rumours that not enough rooms could be found. Then they put all the upper class and premium economy passengers on a coach to a hotel but did not up date the rest of us about what would happen to us. At this point people started to get angry as families with small children and disabled people were being passed over for those who has pid more for their tickets.
Eventually myself and 70 others were put on a coach at 3 am 7 hours after getting on the plane, to go to the Hotel Bonaventure. What we were not told was that is was an hours drive north of Miami! When we got there we were not at all sure they had room for us. Luckily they did. The good thing though is that it is a Resort Spa set in 23 acres with golf course etc although most of us do not even have a toothbrush or other essentials as they are in the planes hold.
We have been told we will be picked up at 4pm to be taken back to the airport for a 6pm flight....lets hope so.
Having had some breakfast, explored the grounds, and looked at the hotel website things are looking up. There is a small shop where I was able to by toothpaste, sun cream etc and a spare t- shirt. The hotel is actually located right on the edge of the Everglades, although much further north that I was the other day. It is in a place called Weston, which I guess could be classed as a suburb Fort Lauderdale. I am going to go for a walk shortly and see what I can see. There are certainly worse places to be marooned for 24 hours.
As promised we were picked up from the hotel and am now sitting in the departure lounge for the second time in 24 hours. Should be on the plane soon and heading back to the snow and blizzards !
Final Update : got home Tuesday 12th. Second attempt all went to time and have been given 12,500 air miles as compensation.
It was a cold fresh day as we left England for our trip to Asia. We are heading to Vietnam for a few days, then on to Laos, and finally Cambodia.
First stage is an 11.50am departure from Heathrow to do the 6000 mile 10.5 hour trip to Bangkok. Then a change of planes for a Thai airlines flight north 600 miles to the capital of Vietnam, Hanoi.
Vietnam is officially called the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), and is Ruled by the Communist Party of Vietnam. It has 90.3 million inhabitants as of 2012 and is the world's 13th-most-populous country. 1945 marked the founding of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam under leader Ho Chi Minh.
The country is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east.
Hanoi is situated in the north of the country and has a population of 7 million, who in turn own 3 million motorbikes ! It is the second largest city after Ho Chi Minh City in the south.
From 1010 until 1802, Hanoi was the most important political centre of Vietnam. It was eclipsed by Huế, the imperial capital of Vietnam during the Nguyen dynasty (1802-1945), but Hanoi served as the capital of the whole of French Indochina from 1902 to 1954. From 1954 to 1976, it was the capital of North Việt Nam, and it became the capital of a reunified Vietnam in 1976, after the North's victory in the Vietnam War.
Our flights went to plan and we left Hanoi airport at 10.30am local time having been pointed in the direction of our car that was going to drive us from the out of town airport to our city centre hotel.
Immediately you know you are not in the west. As the car pulled out into the traffic the horns started, and cars and bikes headed towards us on some sort of kamikaze mission. It almost felt like we were back in India. As we made our way along the two lane highway into the city, which seemed to be 2 or 3 lanes of cars/lorries, and 100s of motorbikes weaving in and out of the traffic, we caught glimpses of women in rice fields off to one side of the road.
The buildings along the side of the road were all shapes and sizes, from the grand to the ramshackle. High rise buildings are dotted around, but most of the buildings are only a maximum of 3 or 4 storeys. Like India, there are plenty of locals busy at the side of the street, cooking, or trading, or mending things, or simply playing cards or other games.
At 11.30am we were finally dropped at the hotel after 17 hours of travelling. Although it is overcast, it is very warm and humid, so we took a bit of a break before going out to explore on foot.
Again, like India, one of the overriding factors about exploring a city is the mad traffic. Motor bikes far out number cars, buses and lorries, and the traffic of all kinds is constantly weaving in and out the streets with no apparent regard to any rules of the road. To cross the road as a pedestrian, you simply walk out into the road and keep going. The traffic will simply go round you, although not without excessive use of the horn.
The city centre is quite compact and would be easy to walk around if it was not for the traffic, the shop keepers extending their stores over the pavement making you walk almost constantly in the road, and the broken drain covers and other trip hazards. The road signs are good though, so with a good map, you can easily find your way around.
We walked the short distance from our hotel to the social heart of the city - Ho Hoan Kiem Lake. All life is here. We saw marriage celebrations, picnics, groups sitting on the ground playing board games, stalls selling various food and trinkets etc
We walked half way around the lake then took off into the back streets of the old quarter where traffic is slower but just as dangerous. Here you can buy just about anything, but unlike India you can walk past without getting the hard sell or being dragged bodily into the shops.
From here we walked west, stopping in a small park to look at a statue of Lenin, who watched on as teenagers skateboarded past him, and small children raced around in small toy cars.
We then moved on to a very large pedestrianised area called Ba Dinh Square where in September 1945 the Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh proclaimed the independent Democratic Republic of Vietnam. His remains are preserved here and you can pay to walk past his coffin and pay your respects.
We were starting to feel the effects of being up for 24 hours by now, so we traced our steps back to the hotel where we stayed for the rest of the afternoon and evening.
Tomorrow, we take a drive out to the coast and the world heritage site - Ha Long Bay.
Today we had an early start at 8am to travel 100 miles east to the South China Sea coast of North Vietnam to visit Ha long Bay which literally means descending dragon bay, as the huge limestone outcrops in the bay look like dragon's teeth. This covers an area of around 1,553 km2, including 1,960–2,000 islets.
We met our guide and driver in the hotel lobby, and then headed off for the 3.5 hour drive. We got out of the city fairly quickly as the traffic was light because a lot of people are off work and schools closed still following Chinese New Year on 1st February.
Once out of the city, we joined the National Route 5. This is the main road east, but is a long way from being anything like a motorway. It is two lanes only, and frequently passes through small towns and villages. The road surface varies from average to poor, and this combined with the lorries, buses, motorbikes, pedal bikes, pedestrians, and people standing on the side of the road selling bread and fruit makes the journey quite slow.
Although rain was threatened today, it stayed dry, but overcast, and humid. North Vietnam is fairly wet all year round, but February is about the driest month. We stopped half way for a coffee break at a centre where people born disabled as a result of the Vietnam War do crafts like painting and embroidery and sell them to the public. There was some brilliant work there.
On arrival at Ha Long we went to the Marina to pick up our boat. We ended up on a boat that if full would have taken about 40 people.....we were the only ones on it ! The cruise lasted about 4 hours and took us weaving through the huge outcrops, narrowly avoiding lots of other boats doing the same thing, and hooting at each other like the road traffic !!
About half an hour in we were served food, all 6 courses of it. First came shrimps and spring rolls, then next crab, followed by chips and cabbage, then rice and squid, and so on. After each dish was brought along we thought it was the last ! At least it was included in the pre paid trip !
In one area, between the huge rocky outcrops rising out of the sea, there is a small fishing community, living in small floating wooden shacks, in the middle of the sea. Apparently all the fish we were eating was caught here.
We continued cruising around and through the rocky outcrops, encountering numerous styles of other craft along the way, including small vessels selling fruit, and barges carrying coal - 4 strapped together !
Next we pulled in to a small harbour where we disembarked and climbed about 150 steps to enter a huge cave that was only discovered in 1993. Back on the boat we headed to the mainland marina for the drive back to Hanoi, arriving back at the hotel after nightfall at about 7pm.
We then grabbed some food and took the first of our anti malarial tablets ready for visiting Laos - we await any side affects with dread.
Got up late today relieved to find that we had no side effects from the malaria tablets we started taking last night. Just as well as the side effects listed appeared to include most known illnesses.
After breakfast, we walked round the corner to visit the Hoa Lo Prison/museum where US prisoners of war were detained during the early 70's. Most of the prison was pulled down to build an office block, however quite a few rooms and cells remain, some of which have been made over as a museum to display artefacts and photos. The prison was built by the ruling French in the 1880, to house Vietnamese political prisoners, but later in the early 1970's was used for US war prisoners who referred to it as the Hanoi Hilton. A central courtyard has been made into a very peaceful place to Sit for a few minutes in the shade, away from the heat of the sun, and has some interesting carvings in the walls, depicting ex prisoners.
Before heading back into the heart of the city to have a walk around, we went back to the hotel to freshen up as the sun has come out properly for the first time today and it was humid and pushing 30C.
We chose to explore a few different streets before finding ourselves back at Hoan Kiem lake. We walked round and people watched for a while, then headed back into the old quarter which was very busy and full of activity as usual, and provided plenty of photographic opportunities.
We retired to a cafe by the lake for a coffee and beer, then slowly made our way back to the hotel, stopping to watch newlyweds have their photos taken at the lake edge, and glamorous young vietnamese women take photos of each other in the Chinese New Year flower displays with their mobile phones.
Later we went out to a local restaurant for an evening meal to mark out last night in Vietnam. The place looked quite posh, but once inside, it was simply a room to eat, and all the food and drink was brought in from outside via the front door ! We had visions of our food being prepared on the pavement a couple of yards down the street, however it was a very nice meal, and when we went to pay we saw where everything was prepared next door.
Tomorrow we catch a plane for a short flight south west into Northern Laos which neighbours Vietnam. Our love of Asia has been further cemented with this short stay in Vietnam.
Woke up on our last morning in Vietnam to find it had been raining during the night, although it was still very warm. At 9.30am we left the hotel for the hour drive out to the airport to catch the 12.30 flight to Luang Prabang in the north of the neighbouring country Laos. It was a bit of a shock to find that on checking out the bill for 2 evening meals and three visits to the bar was over 3 million Dong, however when converted to £ it was found to be a lot more reasonable £90 !
Officially called Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lao is the poorest nation in SE Asia. It is Bordered by 5 countries : Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar (Burma), and China. It was established as a unified territory in 1907, although it was Occupied by Japan for part of WW2.
Laos is Buddhist country, with a population of 7 million, and monks far outweigh the number of tourists. The capital is Vientiane in the south of the country, but our first stop is Luang Prabang in the hilly north on the banks of the Mekong river, which is a world heritage site due to its architecture.
Laos is one of the four remaining single party socialist states espousing Communism, along with Vietnam, China and Cuba. Only one legal political party - Lao People's Revolutionary Party. It is allegedly one of the worlds most corrupt countries, and is the least westernised in SE Asia. Incidentally, we discovered this morning that McDonalds are opening their first store in Vietnam this week.
80% of roads in Lao are untarmaced and vehicles often do not have lights at night. The local Currency is the Kip and £1=13,000 Lao Kip, which is a bit more sensible than the 34,000 Vietnamese Dong to the pound.
A final couple of facts - Sex between a Lao national and a foreigner are illegal, except after marriage. And Laos is the most bombed country in history - during the Vietnam war there were as many bombs dropped on Laos as there were everywhere during the whole of the Second World War, and leftover landmines kill hundreds every year.
The flight from Vietnam took just over an hour with a slightly bumpy approach to Luang Prabang where we are staying. As we approached the airport, we had great views of the tree covered mountains that are a feature of Northern Laos as well as the mighty Mekong River.
There was a bit of tension as we passed through immigration at the tiny airport (one toilet, one luggage carousel, 10 staff), as we had not got a visa ahead of arrival, so had to fill out various bits of paper and pay 35 US Dollars to enter.
The drive from the airport took about 5 minutes - as we left the airport we came across some rough shacks just across the road from the airport entrance, which people were obviously living in, reminding us that this is a poor country.
Our hotel is down a small side street off the main road running through the small town of 35,000 inhabitants. Once we had dumped our stuff in the room, we headed out on foot to explore. It is hot and humid here - 34C and blue skies. It is immediately apparent that this is backpacker country with loads of small houses offering cheap rooms.
Just round the corner from where we are staying, there is a small temple, and as we walked past we could see monks chopping wood in the grounds. Religion is a big part of life here. Another big change from where we have just come from is that it feels so relaxed here, compared with the frantic pace of life on the streets of Hanoi. Traffic is very light, mostly bikes, and tuk tuks and it is safe to walk in the road. Just a few minutes walk from our hotel is the Mekong River. For a while we sat and watched small wooden motorboats ferrying people from one side to the other. Even though it is several months since the rainy season ended,it was clear that there is a very strong current on this River (the Asian equivalent of the Amazon).
There is a night market on the Main Street after 5pm, and traders were starting to set up their stalls as we headed back to the hotel. Once we had chilled out for a while at the hotel pool, we headed back out to get some food. The night market was now in full swing with literally hundreds of stalls set up in the middle of the road. Selling mostly clothes and accessories, it was bustling. We walked on and found a nice restaurant where we ate some traditional Lao food in a garden adorned with lanterns. it cost £11 for two filling meals, a cocktail and a beer.
We then headed back to the hotel, stopping on the way to buy alcohol and snacks and spent the rest of the night sitting on our balcony next to the pool. Tomorrow we meet up with 6 fellow travellers to explore more of this area of Laos with a local guide.
Today we explored more of Luang Prabang. The town is located in north central Laos, at the confluence of the Nam Khan river and Mekong River about 300 km north of Vientiane, the capital.
It was formerly the capital of a kingdom of the same name. It had also been known by the ancient name of Chiang Thong. Until the communist takeover in 1975, it was the royal capital and seat of government of the Kingdom of Laos. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The main part of the city consists of four main roads located on a peninsula between the Nam Khan and Mekong rivers. The city is well known for its numerous Buddhist temples, or Wats, and monasteries. One of the major landmarks in the city is a large steep hill on which sits Wat Chom Si, overlooking the town which is itself at an elevation of 1000 feet.
We got up late, and once we had clambered out of our mosquito net, found it to be another hot humid day. After breakfast, which was rice of course, we decided to hire some bikes to further explore the town - cost 33,000 Lao Kip for the morning, or £3. This is a really bike friendly place with very few cars, mostly tuk tuks and motor bikes. Had a fantastic time cycling along the banks of the Mekong to where the Nam Khan River joins it. Then turning back into town, going past numerous temples and cafés. Also saw quite a few monks strolling around.
We got back to the hotel at about midday after stopping for a beer in a small cafe overlooking the Mekong. Just as i am writing this my iPad shut down giving me a message - iPad needs to cool down before further use !! Well I suppose I was sitting in the midday sun with temperatures heading toward 40c.
At 2.30pm, we met with 6 English compatriots who had flown in from Bangkok this morning, along with a guide, and set off for some more sightseeing. First stop was a temple called Wat Visoun which is the oldest temple in the town. As is common with Buddhist temples, there were numerous statues of Buddha in the temple, including one huge one in gold.
Then it was round the corner to Wat Xieng Thong Temple, the grandest temple in Laos apparently. Here there are several amazing buildings with masses of ornate carvings outside and further statues of Buddha inside. There was a couple having their photos taken who were dressed in traditional Lao costumes as they had just got married.
Next it was a sharp climb up 300+ steps up Phousy Hill to see some tremendous views over the town and the rivers. On the way up there were strategically placed golden statues of Buddha, and here and there young monks wandering around as there is a monk school on the hill.
Then it was back to the hotel to get out of the heat and have a cooling beer. Later we ventured out again for some food.
Tomorrow it is an early start, as we are going to see the daily ritual replicated over the entire country of monks getting their alms from the local people. This happens at 6am ! Then later we will be doing a boat trip on the Mekong to go and visit some small villages.
Another full but rewarding day exploring the area around Luang Prabang. Firstly though, an early start to meet our guide at 6.10am (still dark!) to go and witness the daily ritual of Tagbat, where local people line the street to give alms (food) to local Buddhist monks.
This happens throughout Asia - monks rely on locals to supply food and so take to the streets at around 6am to pass by the local people who will give each of them a small amount of rice or other food. The monks then return to the temples and monasteries to eat the food for breakfast. Later locals will take more food to the temples for the monk's lunch - there is nowhere in the temples to prepare food. The monks will then have nothing more to eat for the rest of the day, and will spend the afternoon praying and chanting.
Next we walked round the corner from the street we had observed the monks in, to walk through a food market. This again happens daily- farmers from around the area come in to town to sell and trade. There were all sorts of foods here, some unrecognisable. I certainly have never seen bright pink eggs before (same sort of size as chicken eggs), or dried Mekong River seaweed. Then it was back to the hotel for breakfast.
At 9am we met up with our guide again to start part 2 of the day. It was down to the Mekong again to catch a boat upstream to visit some caves and some small rural villages.
The Mekong is one of the world's great rivers. At 4,800 km, It rises in Tibet, then flows through Southern China, Burma, before entering Laos, and them heading south through the country and on through Thailand, Cambodia and finally into South Vietnam emptying into the South China Sea.
The spot where we catch the boat also has a small vehicle ferry service to the other side of the River. The boats used to carry people are very much like canal narrow boats - about the same width, 7 foot, although a bit longer at 100 foot long. Most of the interior which has a roof but no windows is taken up by a row of seats down each side, however the rear of the boats are enclosed and serve as living quarters for those that operate them. The boats are primarily made if wood.
They have extremely powerful engines to battle the current on the river. We travelled 25 km north upstream which took 2 hours, however the return trip would only take 1 hour ! It was awe inspiring travelling up this mighty river, and watching the various craft sharing it with us - large tanker style boats carrying cement from Thailand, to small canoe like fishing boats, whose owners use small hand held nets to catch fish.
Every so often we would glimpse shacks and houses that represented the edge of a village or small settlement. The banks are often given over to crops such as squash and peanuts as the land is very fertile - the River floods during the wet season, and then sinks back to current levels leaving good growing land. For this reason however, there are not many permanent buildings visible below the jungle and forest line as they would simply get washed away each year
Our first stop was at some caves which required the ascending of quite a few steps. Both had the ubiquitous Buddha statues within them. One required a torch to be able to see anything. At this one we were also invited to light some incense and take it with us to leave in the cave and make a wish.
Next it was back to the boat and. Short trip upstream to visit a traditional village called Muangkeo. Here there were a handful of houses, a small room where locals were weaving, and a rice whiskey distillery. This sounds rather grand, but in fact consists of a wooden lean to, with some pots of rice and yeast, and some bottles for the finished product. There was a pot bubbling away and we were offered a taste - a small glass was filled from the bubbling pot via a pipe and tap and .....it was actually quite nice. A clear liquid but it did taste like whiskey, and at 45% proof and £1 a bottle, we could not resist.
We also went to look at the junior school - a small building on a patch of dust. The children of the village have to go to secondary school in a village on the other side of the River, which must be a challenge in the wet season.
Next it was a short cruise over to the other side to stop at a cafe for some food. This has been built to cater for tourists visiting the caves opposite. Pumpkin soup, fried vegatable, chilli and rice, washed down with Lao Beer. Whilst we were eating, two fisherman came in with an absolutely huge fish - it took both of them to carry it. This caused a bit of a stir and everyone was reaching for their cameras.
Back on the boat it was back downstream towards the town. A couple of km short of the town we left the boat to visit another small village where we witnessed how they make paper here. Amazingly, despite there being only a few houses and a dirt track road, there are two lavish Buddhist temples here.
Finally we got a nice air conditioned bus for the final leg back into town. Tomorrow we hope to drive out into the jungle to visit some waterfalls, and have been warned to pack insect repellant, on top of the malaria tablets we are taking !
Another hot humid day in the mid 30Cs. At 9am we met our guide to go into the town and take a walk round the national museum, which used to be the Royal Palace when Laos was still a kingdom. The building still has all the original rooms intact and many of the original furnishings that were in the rooms. The reception rooms are really grand with glass mosaics on the walls, but the private rooms and bedrooms are surprisingly spartan for a palace.
Next we got on a bus to drive approximately 25 km into the surrounding mountains to see the Kuang Si Waterfalls. The road was very quiet once outside the town with only the odd tourist bus or tuk tuk to be seen. Although the main road is tarmaced, it is quite a poor surface in some places, and all the side roads are dirt tracks.
First stop was to see a small farm which was growing rice by the side of the road. Then further up into the hills we stopped at a small village to have a walk round. All the villages seem to have chickens wandering around....literally free range. Some of the houses are traditional wooden buildings on stilts where the owner will live and work (if they have a trade like weaving, or pot making) in the open lower area, and sleep upstairs. Some though are concrete and brick and slightly French influenced, some of these with glass in the windows, some simply with shutters.
The paths between the houses are simply dirt tracks, and this village despite having no more than 20 houses, had a very elaborate Buddhist temple. We then drove on to within half a mile of the national park where the waterfalls are, and walked through another village, where the River that forms the waterfalls higher up flows through. The water is an amazing blue colour like aquamarine and crystal clear.
The park is basically a section of hillside jungle, which is protected. As you enter you can see some black bears....the only type of bear native to Laos. They were very playful, and some were sunbathing !
The waterfalls are stunning and so beautiful that it is hard to imagine that they have not been man made. The main waterfall tumbles several hundred feet over different rock levels, then the water makes its way slowly down the hillside forming tempting pools where people were swimming and diving in off nearby trees.
We had a picnic meal at the foot of the main waterfall.....rice, soup, curry, vegetables, tampura etc Finally, it was back in the bus for the trip back to the hotel.
After a 10 minute chillout we decided to hire a couple of bikes again for an hour or so. Went up the road to try and see a genuine white elephant, however it was an absent white elephant, perhaps gone for a bath....?
Just along the road we stopped to watch a game of Kator which was being played in someone's back yard. This is the Lao national sport, and is very much like Volleyball but with feet and heads, not hands.
Next we turned back into town and had a last cycle round before we leave tomorrow. We were really proud to have negotiated a large roundabout without getting hooted at, then we attempted to cycle back down the main road, but this was at the point that the stall holders were starting to set up for the night market, so as we were attempting to cycle along tents were spring up in front if us, and in the end we had turn down a side street.
All this was thirsty work, so we turned down to the road that runs along the River and stopped at a bar to have a Lao Beer and watch the sunset over the Mekong.
Tomorrow, we fly south to the capital of Laos, Vientiane where we will stay for a couple of days....
Today we took a flight from Luang Prabang to the capital of Laos....Vientiane. We left the hotel for our 35 minute flight south at 11.30am. By boat down the Mekong this would take 2 hours, and by road through the mountains it would take 9 hours !
Luang Prabang international airport is as laid back as the town. Very small, with only 4 departure gates. Very few people about as they only operate a handful of flights a day. The destinations they fly to are Southern China, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. And they sell seaweed flavour Pringles ! We are flying using the national airline of Laos.
We arrived at 2.30pm. Vientiane is the largest city in Laos, and is situated on the Mekong River on the border with Thailand. Vientiane became the capital in 1563 due to fears of a Burmese invasion. Vientiane was the administrative capital during French rule and, due to economic growth in recent times, is now the economic centre of Laos. The current population of the city is approximately 200,000, with a total of 750,000 within the city and surrounding province.
Vientiane Airport despite being in the capital and being used for international flights is very small. We gathered our luggage from a conveyor belt about 20 foot long, where you could see the airport staff loading the luggage on outside.
The drive from the airport to the city centre hotel was about 7km and took a few minutes. First impressions were that the traffic is fairly light, but there are a lot more cars here and fewer motor bikes. Tuk tuks are still predominant though, as well as bicycles.
There is also a lot of building work going on. Our hotel, situated just 100 metres from the Mekong River is still being built although our room is very nice, and next door is a building site, although on the other side is the temple Wat Chan, from which we heard the monks chanting at about 5pm.
Once we had dumped our stuff in our room, we went out for a stroll. The city centre itself is very compact. There are temples on every corner, and lots of construction. The streets were fairly typical of those in other Asian cities, but without the hectic traffic, the French influence is particularly strong here, not so much in the architecture, but in the names of cafés and the street names, which are translated from Lao into French rather than the English version of Lao as they were in Luang Prabang. Also a lot of the locals appear to use French to converse rather than Lao.
We stopped in a local cafe for the now ubiquitous Beer Lao.
Then took a stroll along the Mekong. The Mekong is very low here and is more sandbank than river, and you feel that you could almost walk across to Thailand on the opposite bank.
There is also a park that runs parallel to the Mekong, where a night market is held every day from 5pm to 10pm. as we walked along this was just setting up, and we intend to go back down to this later tonight.
Today we did a tour around the capital city of Laos. We started off at Wat Sisaket, the oldest temple in Vientiane. As usual, there is a proliferation of Buddha statues (over 10,000), but in this case a lot of them are inset into the walls of a cloister that runs right around the temple, which is right in the middle of the grounds. A lot of temples in the city were destroyed during the second Lao/Thailand war a couple of 100 years ago, and subsequently re-built, and quite recently a large number of Buddha statues were found buried nearby when building excavations were being done, and these are now stored in a room awaiting repair.
Next it was on to Wat Phra Keo, which was the former royal temple when Lao was a kingdom. Unlike a lot of temples this is not painted gold, red and white but is plain sandstone, although very intricately carved. In the grounds of the temple is a massive stone jar which was airlifted by helicopter to here from the "plain of jars" in Central Lao where there are hundreds of them scattered over a large area. There are a few legends about these jars, but no one is exactly sure how they got there or what they are for.
Moving on, next it was yet another temple, this one very elaborately painted in yellow and gold with ornate carvings. Inside was a chanting monk, who was explaining something about his life to some Japanese. Outside, there were numerous brightly painted carvings of various religious deitys.
After visiting a daily morning covered market, which sold goods rather than food, we stopped at a restaurant to have a Lao lunch. We then moved on to visit the golden Pha That Luang Stupa, Lao's most revered shrine, and symbol of both Buddhist religion, and Lao sovereignty. This is a huge monument, and there are groups of worshippers doing the traditional walk round the stupa in a clockwise direction for long life.
Just behind the stupa is a huge golden statue of a reclining Buddha which looked magnificent iagainst the blue sky. Also in the grounds are a market, and a lovely open sided building with amazing Buddhist scenes painted on the Walls and ceilings.
Finally it was round the corner to Patuxay Park opposite the presidential palace, and on one of the main routes in and out of the city, where there is a replica of the Arc de Triomphe. For a small fee, you can climb up inside to the top for some views over the city. We were not entirely surprised to find that there were 4 markets inside as we climbed the various layers to the top.
By this time the heat and humidity were taking their toll so we returned to the hotel for refreshment. Later at 5.30pm we went down to the banks of the Mekong to see the sunset over Thailand, however we were much more entertained by the human activity on the promenade which runs along the River bank. As the night market was setting up, young Lao had come out to have a good time on this Friday night. Teenagers were banging away on their iPhones, some were roller skating, some were walikng across the sand banks to sit at the waters edge, and best of all two rival groups, one dressed in orange, and one dressed in red, were gathered around their ghetto blasters, doing a cross between aerobic, line dancing, and communist regimented military steps.
We then walked a bit further down to see a statue that by now was nicely lit up in the dusk, this is of Fa Ngum who founded the Lan Xang Monarchy, the golden age of Laos.
Then we had a nice meal in a side street cafe, where we got talking to a Dutch couple who are travelling for a few months in this area.
Finally, back to the hotel for an early night - we will be taking two flights tomorrow in order to get to Siem Reap in Cambodia.
Today we moved on to our third country of this trip - Cambodia. We got the bus from the hotel at 9.30am to Vientiane airport to catch the 11.10am internal Lao Air flight to Pakse further south in Laos. The capital's airport is very small with only a single lane for security, and what looks like bedroom furniture where the staff stand to board you on to the plane.
Pakse is the fourth largest town in Laos with a population of 87,000, and is situated on the banks of the Mekong again, near the borders of East Thailand, and Northern Cambodia. Again, a very small airport. From here we officially left Laos on the 1.10pm international Lao Air flight to the town of Siem Reap in Cambodia. We landed at 2.10pm, and then had to buy a visa on arrival to get into the country, and these were $20 each. As we flew in it looked vey flat and there was a lot of water around despite it now being the dry season.
Cambodia, also known as Kampuchea, is officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia and was once known as the Khmer Empire. Kampuchea derives from Sanskrit meaning Golden Land or Land of peace and prosperity. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the northeast, Vietnam to the east, and the Gulf of Thailand to the southwest.
Cambodia has a population of over 14.8 million. The official religion is Theravada Buddhism, which is practiced by approximately 95% of the Cambodian population. The country's minority groups include Vietnamese, Chinese, Chams, and 30 hill tribes.
The kingdom is a constitutional monarchy with Norodom Sihamoni, a monarch chosen by the Royal Throne Council, as head of state. The head of government is Hun Sen, who is currently the longest serving non-royal leader in South East Asia and has ruled Cambodia for over 25 years. Cambodia gained independence from the French in 1953.
The Vietnam War extended into Cambodia, during which the Khmer Rouge took the capital Phnom Penh in 1975 and later carried out the Cambodian Genocide from 1975-1979 when they were ousted by Vietnam and then fought against the Vietnamese backed People's Republic of Kampuchea in the Cambodian–Vietnamese War (1979-1991).
Siem Reap where we flew into and are staying at is the capital city of Siem Reap Province in northwestern Cambodia. The name Siem Reap translates literally to the 'Defeat of Siam' — today’s Thailand — and refers to the centuries-old conflict between the Siamese and Khmer peoples.
Siem Reap has grown up as a town purely because it is the nearest settlement to the massive Angkor Wat temple complex. The area gets some 2 million visitors a year, and as a result lots of Cambodians gravitate here to work in the tourist industry. 85% of the country work in agriculture. There is a lot of contrast here with the newly built tourist hotels right next to dirt roads with people living in shacks.
At the airport we were met by a guide whose name was You, who took us straight to the Angkor National museum to see some statues and to learn a bit about Cambodian history - basically there has been war of some kind in the area for most of their modern history, and the last 30 years since the Vietnam War and the Khmer Rouge have been a welcome period of peace and re-building of the country. So many people were killed during the period of the Khmer Rouge that now in recent history just through natural population growth, the population has grown by over 60%.
We left the museum to go to our hotel, then later at around 5pm we drove the few miles down the road with our guide to get our first glimpse of Angkor Wat, in the sunset. We will visit properly tomorrow, but first we had to stop at the ticket office to get our photos taken for a 3 day pass. Then we continued down the dusty road until we got to the moat that surrounds the temple complex ruins. This looks more like a major River it is so large, but is definitely man made.
All along the few miles route into the jungle area where the ruins are situated, there are shacks selling food and drink, as well as wooden houses where locals are living. There is a real buzz about the place today as it it a national holiday, and there are huge numbers of families picnicking.
We drove around to the south gate of the complex, and then got out to wait for the sunset which from here appears over the moat. As we looked on, there was a continual stream of bikes and tuk tuks going through the gate and over the moat. As if it was arranged for us, suddenly a newly married couple appeared to have their photo taken....well it is Valentines Day.
Finally, back to the hotel to get into a cool air conditioned environment, and get some food. Tomorrow we explore Angkor Wat properly.
Today we spent the day walking around the huge Angkor Wat ruined temple complex just outside the town of Siem Reap.
Angkor Wat was first a Hindu, then subsequently, a Buddhist temple complex, located in Northern Cambodia it is the largest religious monument in the world. The temple was built by the Khmer King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century in Yasodharapura the capital of the Khmer Empire, as his state temple and eventual mausoleum. It's use declined from 16th century but it was never totally abandoned, however it was the huge moat that helped ensure it was not totally over run by the jungle.
It consists of a Temple within a moat and has an outer wall 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi) long, and 4.5 m high. The complex covers an area of 400 square km!! Unlike most Angkorian temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west; scholars are divided as to the significance of this. The temple is admired for the grandeur and harmony of the architecture, its extensive bas-reliefs, and for the numerous devatas adorning its walls.
There are also numerous other temples on the site that were built by different kings at different times.
Our guide picked us up in a battery powered bus from the hotel at 8am, and we were across the huge moat we saw yesterday and inside the complex in 10 minutes. The sun was already well up and provided excellent light for photographs. We were dropped just inside the moat and started off towards Angkor Wat itself. As we walked we passed several tourists who were heading away from the temples having watched the sunrise there. We also came across many wild monkeys, a lot of which had very small young with them.
The paths are quite wide and tourist officers who control the site allow you to drive bikes and tuk tuks in a certain distance, in certain places, but not right up to the ruins. We finally got a view of the main temple at the end of a long straight. It really is pretty awe inspiring. It is so huge, and every inch of wall is covered with carvings of gods and men, and scenes from various religious stories and legends.
As you approach you feel that you are one of only a few tourists, however there are loads of internal walls, and levels, and as you make your way through and up, you encounter hundreds of fellow tourists crawling over the place. It really is so big though that there is room for everyone. You can climb nearly to the top of the central towers with the aid of some wooden steps that have been put in, to get some good views of the surroundings.
There are hundreds of nooks and crannies and it is easy to get lost and come out on a completely different side of the temple. You also occasionally come across small Buddha statues where old ladies are selling incense sticks, and the odd person is worshipping.
Monks can be seen wandering around the area and the temples, but these are not active sites of worship. Next we walked a short distance to another small temple where a temporary temple had been erected for a Buddhist ceremony yesterday. Today they were taking it down, but we caught up with them having a final chant. On the other side of the road a couple of elephants wondered by, and tuks tuks weaved in and out with their excited tourists.
On entering this temple we came across some people dressed up as Hindu gods which presented a good photo opportunity. By now, the heat and humidity was getting to us, but our guide had one more thing to show us before we could stop for food - the elephant terrace. This is a terrace carved in sandstone like most of the temples here, with elephants carved into its length and a three headed elephant on each side of the steps up to the terrace.
After this we drove back over the moat and out of the complex to get some Cambodian food at a local cafe - rice, steamed vegetables, etc then back on the bus to drive to the Bayon temple (still in the complex) which has huge trees growing up through its ruins and was used in the Indiana Jones film temple of doom. It is very impressive for a ruin - again the scale is amazing, and the fact that you have trees that are several 100 feet high growing through the walls really makes you realise how very old these buildings are.
Then it was back in the bus and to the hotel for a break from the stifling heat. Tomorrow we are visiting some more ruins, and are promised some Cambodian dancing at some point.
A day of visiting more temple ruins in the massive Angkor Wat Temple complex and seeing some of rural Cambodia.
At 8am we were picked up by the bus and drove 30km to the first temple. It was great driving through the country side and seeing how the rural community live and work.
First we stopped to see some teenage boys fishing in what was not much more than a large puddle in a field. When they saw bubbles rise to the surface they cast their nets over the area where they though the fish were and then pulled them back in. The fish they were catching were quite big - not sure how they came to be there ! Three small boys who I assume were related to those fishing, rushed out when we arrived to see what we were doing tramping over the field.
The land we were driving through was very flat, and as we proceeded we went through an area that used to be a reservoir, but has long since dried up and is now farmland. There were also thousands of landmines here from the Vietnam War - most have now been removed, but we saw three small bands of disabled musicians today who were injured by land mines and who were playing to raise money for themselves and others like them.
The first temple we saw was called Banteay Srei and was built in the 10th Century. It was built using a lovely colour red sandstone and is very picturesque. For the first time this trip we were hassled a lot today by young children trying to sell us things, most of which seemed to cost 1 dollar. They were very persistent, and were also able to speak good English. Some of them although only about 10 or 12 can speak as many as 10 languages including French, German, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean - with enough words to get by and sell their goods.
Back on the road, our guide pointed out a bike who was towing a trailer filled with blue barrels which was apparently illegal fuel that they had got from Thailand to sell in the area without paying any tax. The local farmers here live in wooden shacks on stilts like those we saw in Lao villages. Apparently these people are quite well off because they are on the tourist route.
As we passed through a village we saw lots of women cooking something in metal woks over clay ovens. This turned out to be the making of palm sugar from local palm trees.
Next we stopped at Banteay Samre temple where we were invited by a local lady to try a Cambodian coconut. With skilful use of a machete, she cut the top off and then handed it to us with a plastic straw. One we had drunk the milk, she cut it into two halves, for us to eat the meat of the coconut. We were handed a sliver of the shell to use as a spoon as it is very hard. The meat was actually like blancmange and very tasty. There was also a local doing paintings sat in the dusty street that were really very good.
This temple was built in red stone again but was quite small. Some locals were preparing for a party that was being held tonight so were rigging up lights etc as we stood looking down the ancient walled approach to the temple, a couple of water buffalo strolled across which enhanced the atmosphere !
After leaving we drove on a short distance and stopped at a village to look at the market, where food, clothes and other produce was being sold. Then it was back in the bus for the drive back towards the main Angkor Wat temple where we stopped at a cafe by a lake to get some lunch. Here we saw a farmer washing down his two cattle in the lake.
After lunch, and back in the bus. The roads we travelled today were tarmaced, but quite thin and extremely bumpy, meaning that we could only maintain a speed of about 30 mph or so. Next we stopped at Neak Pean temple, not much of which remains except a central lake and pagoda, however the place is notable for the approach which is on a wooden board walk across an old reservoir which is no longer used but still has water in it, along with hundreds of trees, giving the impression of a Louisiana Bayou. On top of this the air is filled with literally thousands of dragon flys !
Finally our last temple today - Prea Khan which is surrounded by a large moat and is like a small version of Angkor Wat, having been built at the same time and by the same king.
Then back to the hotel to get rid of the dust and cool down. In the evening we went into the town for some food at a massive food hall that did an all you can eat buffet. There were literally hundreds there, and the price also included live traditional music, and Cambodian dance which was excellent.
Tomorrow we do a 6 hour road trip south to Phnom Penh
Today we took a 10 hour road trip south through the heart of Cambodia to the capital Phnom Penh. We met our guide at 7am, and as we were getting on the bus he pointed out that there was an army generals car in the front of the hotel recognisable by its special number plate, and the two guys in army uniform standing next to it ! Apparently an army General gets paid only $200 per month, but can earn more from corruption !
We stopped a couple of times and did a detour today, so you can do the journey by road in 6 hours, however to put it in perspective, it is also 6 hours by fast boat down the Tonie Sap and Mekong rivers.
We travelled along the main N6 highway which is essentially a single lane both ways road, like a small uk A road. The condition of the road however varies greatly during the journey. It is road that links south Vietnam with Thailand and Cambodia has got a loan from China to widen it! But that work has not long started and only in a few places.
Traffic consists of a few lorries, a few cars, but mostly bikes, motor bikes and carts pulled by a variety of means. The land is very flat for the whole journey, and the road passes through many small villages, but only one other town for the whole 300+ km journey.
An hour out of Siem Reap, our guide showed us a bridge in what turned out to be his home town, that had been blown up by the Khmer Rouge in the 80's when he lived there.
The first part of the journey the road was tarmaced, although very bumpy and there were a lot of huge holes in the road. Though all the villages, the house style was predominantly wooden built shacks on stilts, and it was extremely rare to see a house with a car in the front. Some houses though have elaborate Buddhist shrines in front. Some still use palm leaves for roofs and walls.
At 9.40am we stopped for coffee by a sort of service station next to a lake which is part of the great Tonie Sap lake which occupies a large part of North Central Cambodia. This lake is 3 tines bigger in the wet season, and in the dry season it's banks retreat by several kilometres.
About half way we turned north on N8, to divert for 30 km to visit a small temple - Sambor Prei Kuk. Shortly after we turned down a single lane dirt road for several km to reach the temple. There are only a few parts of the temple left, however we did see some water buffalo washing in the waster, and some carts drawn by cattle.
We stopped for lunch at the only town on route - Kampong Thom which is on the River seine !
Then at 12.30 we set off to do the last 150 km which took 4 hours. As we left the town, the road is quite wide but only has a thin strip of potholed Tarmac down the middle - the rest is dirt on each side, so effectively there is only one preferred route that all vehicles try to take.
Some bumps almost literally throw you out of your seat. There is a perpetual cloud of brown dust as vehicles move on to the dirt, and all the houses and trees next to the road are covered with it. At one point as we were following a fully laden lorry there was a massive bang and one of the lorries tyres blew. As we were only travelling at about 30 mph he simply pulled to the side and there was no real drama.
At points the Tarmac completely disappeared and we were simply on a dust road (this is the main highway!) and the visibility was almost zero due to the dust. At one point a car overtook us and disappeared into the oncoming traffic in a dust cloud. We waited for the screeching of tyres and the sound of a crash but luckily none came.
As we got nearer Phnom Penh the road surface became less dusty and the two lanes of Tarmac re appeared. Also the surroundings became a bit lusher with lakes and rice fields at the side from time to time.
At the town of Skun we stopped for a break by a food market where they were selling fried spiders and crickets. One of the people we are travelling with tried the crickets and quite liked them although could not describe the taste.
With 31 km to go the road crossed the Tonie Sap River and we then turned to run parallel to it, following it into the capital. We could see small collectIons of houses on the water every so often - these are floating fishing villages.
In the outskirts of Phnom Penh we drove through a large Muslim area. These are immigrants from Central Vietnam and are some of the inhabitants that have now pushed the population to over 2 million. We finally arrived at our hotel at 5pm hot and dusty.
Tomorrow we explore the city and potentially visit the notorious killing fields.
Today we had a glimpse of the capital Phnom Penh, and a harrowing insight into Cambodia' recent history under Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge.
Phnom Penh is the capital and largest city of Cambodia. Located on the banks of the Tonlé Sap and Mekong River, Phnom Penh has been the national capital since French colonization of Cambodia, and has grown to become the nation's center of economic and industrial activities, as well as the center of security, politics, cultural heritage, and diplomacy of Cambodia.
Once known as the "Pearl of Asia," it was considered one of the loveliest French-built cities in Indochina in the 1920s. Founded in 1434, the city is noted for its beautiful and historical architecture and attractions. There are a number of surviving French colonial buildings scattered along the grand boulevards.
Phnom Penh metropolitan area is home to about 2.2 million of Cambodia's population of over 14.8 million, up from about 1.9 million in 2008. The city is the wealthiest and most populous city in Cambodia and is the country's political hub.
At 8am we took a short cyclo trip around the streets near our hotel. A cyclo is a three wheeled bicycle driven from the rear, with a seat at the front. It is a neat way to weave in and out of the traffic in this busy city, although it can be a bit concerning as you head out in several lanes of traffic, some of which is coming towards you, and all of which is a lot bigger and faster than you !
First we travelled down the wide road running along the banks of the Tonie Sap River, then we turned in to see the French Colonial building that is the central post office. Then we weaved through some of the bustling inner city streets to stop at the amazing Royal Palace.
Cambodia is still a kingdom, and the King was in residence today. The public have only been able to visit some of the buildings in the last few years, and the huge white and gold buildings look amazing against the blue sky. In the grounds are several stupas, and there is a large area of plants and flowers you can wander through. A lot of the buildings look very similar to the temples we have seen on our travels.
Back to the cyclos, it was nice to be moving again and to feel a bit of breeze, as the temperature was already in the mid 30Cs again with the usual high humidity you get in Cambodia. Recently some of the upland areas near the Thai border have experienced very unusually low temperatures of 10C which locals are just not used to, and many farmers have died, as they live in wooden huts without electricity, and do not have access to blankets or decent coats.
We took the cyclo to the National Museum which is an amazing red coloured temple like building. This houses hundreds of statues of Buddha, Vishnu and other religions practiced in Canbodia. In the centre is an open courtyard where we rested for a while - a party of Thai monks were wandering around the museum, and they looked striking in the red robes as they came into the courtyard with the lush green foliage against the background of the red building.
As we have travelled around, it is always amazing to see the wonderful buildings that have been built as places of worship or for important members of the community, but at times this is in start contrast to the buildings the members of the population live in. In Phnom Penh like other Asian towns and cities has that contrast - on one street you have the Royal Palace or some of the French Colonial buildings, and then literally around the corner you have people sitting in the dirt on the side of the road selling things. 85% of the country are farmers and 90% of the rural population do not have electricity. Some villages have a generator, but this is only on for a few hours of the day in the evening. Lots of people will cook using wood or charcoal.
We took a bus across the city to a restaurant where we had a buffet meal with an amazing choice of food - all you can eat for $9. Then it was back in the bus to drive a few KM out of the city. There is building work going on all around the city. Buildings are not supposed to be built over a certain height, but a couple of very tall hotels built with foreign investment have gone up recently.
Our hotel is near the US and UK embassies, and just around the corner is Freedom square. As we drove past, there were locals playing various sports or sitting around talking, however last month there were demonstrations here against low wages, and 5 people were killed, with many injured. If you cannot afford to pay, then you cannot receive medical treatment here.
After an hour of driving through suburbs and villages south of Phnom Penh we reached Choeng Ek which is one of the 3000 plus "killing fields" that existed during the regime of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge between 1975 and 1979, during which several million Cambodians were killed.
This particular location used to be a Chinese cemetery, but was turned in a military camp where people were systematically tortured and killed. It is thought there were approximately 200,000 victims at this site alone, and because of the location near the capital, a lot of those would have been important figures in society.
The population were driven out of the cities to work as farmers or labourers. The work was so hard that many died. Educated people were sent to prisons and camps. Those who could not work or were against thee regime were also sent to here. Families were split up.
At the site we visited there is a stupa that contains 8985 skulls of men women and children that were found in mass graves there. Of course most are unidentified. Perhaps even more horrific, is that this is not all the bodies - as you walk around you can see bones in the ground that are rising to the surface as the wind, rain and peoples feet disturb the ground. Many of the bodies would have been destroyed rather than buried.
At the end of the regime in 1979' there were over 1 million orphaned children, and the remaining population was over 75% female. There were no schools or teachers, so if children wanted to learn they needed to find and educated person in the area who could help teach them. Following this Cambodia was ruled for 10 years by Vietnam.
We then returned to the city on the bus to visit Toul Sleng. This was an inner city school which under the Khmer Rouge was turned into a prison, interrogation and torture centre. Again, men, women and children were killed here, and there are only two living survivors. One, a man of 82 was spared because he knew how to mend a typewriter, so was kept alive to do odd jobs. His wife was killed there. He spends his days now talking or visitors to the site. He was there today.
We returned to the hotel very briefly, to change and shower before heading out again for an evening meal on the River, which is a few hundred yards from our hotel. The Tonie Sap and Mekong rivers run through the city and join together, and are quite wide and busy at this point. We joined a small open boat about 100 feet by 15 feet for a meal and a short cruise on the Tonie Sap and up the Mekong, and then back again.
As we joined the boat at 6pm the sun was just setting, and the city lights were coming on along the banks. There were a lot of working boats on the River, some big sea going vessels, other small fishing/rowing boats who continued to work in the dark with small lights hung up.
We felt pretty exhausted after today, so it was good to be back at the hotel by 8.30pm. Tomorrow, we will see a bit more of Phnom Penh.
Today we leave Cambodia and start the long journey home that will end in Bristol tomorrow morning. First though a final day in Phnom Penh.
After breakfast, Tracey headed of to see some local children learning to do the traditional Aspara dancing that we saw a couple of nights ago, whilst I decided to join a fellow Brit in a walk around the city to look for the old railway station and central market.
Armed with some rough directions we headed off on foot despite the early morning heat and cries of "tuk tuk sir?". We soon found the station building which is next to a busy roundabout. The station will re-open for passenger traffic next year, but today it is eerily empty except for a lone police man standing out front enforcing the no photos rules.
With some gentle pursuasion involving a lot of pointing and gesticulating, we pursuaded him to allow us into the main concourse to take some photos, but we were not allowed to take any photos of the tracks, where some goods wagons were standing.
Next, we set off to find the central market. This is covered and housed in a huge yellow building in the shape of a cross, with a round bit at the centre. All sorts of goods and food were on sale, and curiously, there were armed guards wandering around as well. We stopped at a nearby cafe to have a coffee and watch the world go by, then we headed off back to the hotel for some liquid refreshment, and air conditioning.
At 2pm we checked out of the hotel and had lunch before being picked up for the hour drive to the airport. First an early evening flight from Phnom Penh to Bangkok. Our guide pointed out that the airport is only very small and does not operate any international flights outside of Asia. He also could not understand why a big airport an hours or so away that has been built and could take more international flights is not open and shows no sign of being taken out of mothballs. There is a national airline, but this is owned by China and Russia !
Our Thai Airways flight took about an hour, then we had a few hours to kill in Bangkok before our midnight flight back to Heathrow, again with Thai Airways. Finally we arrived home at 9.30am having had a fantastic trip to 3 countries where we met some really friendly people. All 3 countries have had a troubled recent history, and all 3 have made great strides to move forward, although clearly Cambodia has the farthest to travel.
We Arrived in Toronto on our Air Canada flight from Heathrow at about midday. The 7.5 hour, 3800 mile flight went without a hitch, and it was nice to find it was warm and sunny when we arrived.
Toronto is the most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of the province of Ontario. It is located in The SE corner of the country, on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. Toronto is the commercial capital of Canada and has a population of about 2.8 million - About half of the population was born outside Canada and it is very multi cultural. Both English and Chinese outnumber Canadians here. It covers 243 sq miles, and has a 29 mile waterfront shoreline on Lake Ontario. Ontario itself is the 4th largest province in the country with 11% of the total country's land area, and has a long border with the New England part of the USA.
We caught a cab from the airport for the 40 minute journey to our hotel on Bloor Street West just north of Downtown. Once settled in we stopped in a cafe across the street for a late lunch, then went for a mid afternoon walk around the immediate area. This part of Toronto is where the University of Toronto main campus is, as well as several hospitals.
We wandered over to Queens Park which is a pleasant green area nearby. We found we had arrived just as the army were packing up a set of big guns which appeared to have recently been fired for some ceremonial occasion we assumed. We watched them depart causing a nice hold up for the early rush hour traffic, then continued to wander down some of the side streets, where you can see an amazing contrast in the architecture. New York 'brownstone' type houses rub shoulders with gothic churches, modern glass office buildings and wooden houses with porches where you half expect to see someone sitting and strumming a guitar whilst drinking from a bottle of hooch.
As we criss crossed the local streets, we kept getting glimpses of the CN Tower, a famous landmark here, and the 3rd tallest building in the world, behind towers in China and Japan. We went up it last time we were here, so do not intend to ascend it again, but it certainly dominates the skyline.
We made our way back to the hotel via a beer shop (you cannot by beer in the supermarkets), and then chilled in our room for the rest of the day.
Tomorrow we hope to meet up with a local musician and an expat currently living in Toronto, and maybe catch a ferry to an island on the lake where we can hire bikes for a bit of exercise....
Great day today in Toronto meeting friends and enjoying the Indian summer.
Had a late breakfast, then at about 10am walked around to the Spadina subway station to buy a day pass to enable us to travel around the city for the day. A pass costing about £6 enables unlimited travel on subway, bus or streetcar (tram).
We then caught the north/south subway line a few stops and then walked the half a mile to Chinatown. The next block on from Chinatown is Kensington Market. Kensington Market is one of the older neighbourhoods of Downtown Toronto, and is a vibrant, colourful, multi cultural area, with lots of different independant stores. It is also a centre for artists, writers etc. mainstream stores have tried to move into the area but have failed due to local protests.
We had arranged to meet a friend of Pauls at the Thirsty and Miserable bar in the market area, but as it turned out, the name was fairly prophetic as it was closed, so once we had met up, we walked round to another bar (Sneaky Deeks) to have a beer and catch up. Paul had met Tuka on our last trip to Toronto. Tuka plays in various local punk bands, and has an interesting history, having been born in Iran, and then moved to Canada via Hungary as a refugee with his family.
After we had said our goodbyes to Tuka, we caught a tram down to the Lake Ontario shoreline, and after picking our way through the huge array of roadworks, managed to catch a ferry across to the Toronto Islands.
Toronto Islands are just off the shore of Toronto, 6 km from end to end. There is a great view of the city skyline from the ferry across or from the islands themselves. This is a place where the city folk go to picnic and relax. There are also festivals held on the island in the summer months. There are a couple of beaches and the islands are the largest urban car free area in North America.
There is a 10 minute ferry ride on a 1930s ferry to cross from the city to the islands. Once there, we walked for 10 minutes to a bike rental place on the opposite shore. We hired a bike each for about £8 per hour. The islands are only small but there is a real sense of detachment from the mainland and the city. The are a few houses on the islands, but these. Are holiday homes and most are empty now. Some have amazing views over the lake to the city. There is a beach here where clothing is optional, but somehow we missed this....
Before returning to the city, we stopped at a bar in one of the marinas for a drink and a snack. It was lovely sitting in the warm sun, looking over to the Toronto skyline. After, we caught the ferry back, and then the subway back to the hotel, where we freshened up before heading out again.
This time we were heading out on the subway line that goes out west to the suburbs, to meet a friend of ours who emigrated a couple of years ago, and has married a local girl. They now have a one year old son.The journey was about 25 minutes on the tube. We then walked for another 20 minutes or so to reach their house which is in a quiet residential area.
We had a lovely evening catching up, Sean and Sarah cooked us a lovely meal. At the end of the evening, Sean walked us to the nearest bus stop! where we caught the bus back to the subway station and within an hour we were safely back in our hotel.
Tomorrow, we pick up a hire car, and drive east out of Toronto to a quieter part of Ontario.....
Another very hot day with cloudless skies. Checked out of our Toronto hotel at 9am and caught the subway 5 stops to the car hire office. Had booked a small saloon but was still given a 4 wheel drive GMC Terrain !
Drove back to the hotel to pick up our bags, then headed off out of the city towards the East. We re driving to Bowmanville, which is a small town about 50 miles east of Toronto along the Lake Ontario Coast line. It has a population of about 45,000 and is in a largely rural area of Southern Ontario. During the Second World War, there was a POW camp here.
The drive took about 2 hours as we did most of the journey on the main roads rather than the Freeway, and we stopped a couple of times to buy supplies. On arrival at Bowmanville, we went round to see Paul's aunt and uncle who are now in their 80's and have lived in Canada since 1961. We spent a couple of hours catching up, then drove round to check into our hotel.
Later we drove round the corner to West Beach/Port Darlington to take in the late afternoon sun and stroll along the beach. The lake is so big it appears to be a sea. There are several cottages along the beach here, which were built for port workers when fruit and vegetables used to be landed here by boats transporting goods to locations around the lake.
We then drove back round to Paul's aunt and uncle to collect them and Paul's cousin Janice to go for an evening meal in a local restaurant.
Yet another nice hot day with temperatures in the mid 20'sC and cloudless skies.....we are being spoilt !
Today we spent a nice day with Paul's cousin Janice. At 10am we picked up Janice from the place where she works in Bowmanville, and started heading East. We chose to go on the back roads so that we could drive along the shores of Lake Ontario for part of the way. We also got a glimpse of what we can expect in the next few days from the fall colours as lots of the trees have started to turn in this area, and some of the colours were amazing.
We drove through Newcastle, Port Hope, and then stopped at Cobourg to admire the views. The town has a lovely spot on the lake, and you can drive out on to a point so that you can look back at the town across the harbour. It was lovely driving along the quiet back roads looking at the foliage, and the small farms that predominate in this area.
It is hard to believe that Lake Ontario is a lake. It is approximately 7300 square miles in size, and to all intents and purposes looks and acts like a sea. It forms the border between Canada and USA here. But then the province of Ontario is huge itself, being larger than the whole of Spain and France combined, although it only has a 13.5 million population.
We then continued east until we got to Brighton where we stopped at Dougalls cafe which has a lovely spot on the lake shore near a small marina. It was here that we spotted a delicacy that we could not pass up....fried Brussel Sprouts, topped with cheese and almonds and drizzled with Balsamic Vinegar ! They were delicious.
We then drove back along the Freeway which runs parallel to the lake a few miles inland, and dropped Janice off back at work. After a few hours chilling in the hotel, we returned to Paul's aunt and uncle's house for the evening.
Tomorrow, we leave Bowmanville and head due north into the heart of Ontario, where we hope to start seeing some real fall foliage displays....
Today we drove due north into the heart of Ontario Province away from the population centres on the Lake Ontario Coast.
We are heading for Dorset which is a small community located on the boundary between the Lake of Bays Municipality in Muskoka District and the Algonquin Highlands Township in Haliburton County, Northern Ontario. The town is about 120 miles north of Bowmanville where we have been for the last couple of days, and will take 2.5 hours to drive non stop, mostly on one road - highway 35.
Dorset was originally called Cedar Narrows. The community name change was chosen by some of the settlers that came from Dorset, England. It sits on the shores of the Lake of Bays, and is surrounded by forest, so is in an area known for its displays of fall foliage. It has a population of only a few hundred.
We left the hotel at 9.30am and headed due north via the local roads. We kept stopping on the way to take photos as the roads were continually lined with trees in various states of autumn colours, and lakes on either side of the road. At one point we hit a strange bank of fog which lasted several miles and was dangerously thick in places. Then all of a sudden we drove out of it back into clear blue skies, very strange.
The roads were very quiet with very little traffic. There were loads of camps and cottages on route but all were closed as the season had finished.
At lunch time we stopped at the small town of Norland, to have some food in the English style pub there. The town is basically a cross roads, and there were loads of bikers who had also stopped there. There must have been some kind of rally on, as there were loads of bikes on the highways today.
We eventually arrived at the small village of Dorset which is in the heart of the lakes and woods of Northern Ontario. We are staying at a small motel just off the main highway. After checking in, we drove just round the corner to the local lookout tower, that has amazing views over the local hills and lakes.
We then retired to the motel, where we sat on the terrace taking in the late afternoon sun. Today was an amazing drive, which photos probably do not do justice. The reds and golds of the trees against the cloudless blue skies were amazing.
Today we spent the day in Algonquin Provincial Park. This is the oldest park in Canada and covers 3000 square miles in the north of Ontario. It is a quarter the size of Belgium, and has Over 2,400 lakes and 1,200 kilometres of streams and rivers within its boundaries. There is only one road in the park which runs through the southern tip, and most of the interior of the park is only accessible by foot or in canoe. It is a centre for outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, canoeing. Wildlife includes bears, foxes, moose, beavers and otters.
We set off at about 9.30am to do the 30km drive to the west gate of the park. The golden colour trees as we drove along the road really were amazing. There is a 16 dollar entrance fee for a day in the park. During the day, we drove about half of the 50 km drive across the southern tip of the park, stopping at various places to do one one of the designated trails which feature lake walks, foliage colour walks, or walks to scenic view points.
There are several campsites in the park but most have been closed due to problems with bears. There are several signs warning of moose on the road, but we did not see any. We did see a snake and some chipmonks but that was about it for wildlife spots.
We started back to our motel at about 3pm, stopping on the way for a bit to eat at a local bar grill.
We spent another pleasant evening on the verandah/boardwalk of the motel drinking, eating, and watching the sun set over the red, orange and green trees.
Once again, the weather has been stunning for late September, with temps in the mid 20c and blue skies....
Tomorrow we do another road trip east to the capital of Canada....Ottawa.
Today we are driving the 330 KM east through Ontario to the country's capital - Ottawa. We started off at 8am to drive the 30 minutes to the Algonquin Park entrance. We went into the park again to use the road that runs through the southern tip as it is the most direct route. We stopped for petrol before entering the park as gas stations are few and far between in this area.
It was a very misty morning so the views were not as stunning as yesterday, but it gave it a different atmosphere when you could not see very far across the lakes. We stopped for breakfast at about 9am in the visitor centre, then continued on driving out of the park.
The park is at about 1000 foot so the road starts heading down to the valley and the flatter farmland between the highlands and Ottawa. There really was very little traffic for most of the journey. We drove for about 5 hours, and trips like this really make you realise how big the country is.
On route we passed through Renfrew, Glasgow Station, Pembroke, and other Great British inspired names. We also stopped at Barry's Bay which has Ontarios last surviving wooden Railroad water tower, and Wilno, which was the first Polish settlement in Canada.
We stopped for some lunch at a roadside diner, then pressed on to the main Freeway which runs into Ottawa, arriving at our hotel at about 3pm.
Ottawa is the capital of Canada. It stands on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau in Quebec and the two form the Ottawa–Gatineau census metropolitan area. In 2011 the population of Ottawa city was 883,300 and the larger combined Ottawa–Gatineau Was 1.2 million. The city is the fourth largest in Canada. It is the political and technological centre of Canada.
The city sits at the confluence of the Ottawa, Gatineau, and Rideau rivers. There is a large canal called the Rideau Canal that historically provided a safe transportation route for logging down the Rideau River where the river was too wild. Nowadays it is used purely for recreation. In winter it freezes over and becomes the world's largest ice rink, and provides a quick 5 mile route into Downtown for skaters !
Tomorrow we will do some exploring of Ottawa....
Woke up to find it was overcast and quite cool. Left the hotel at 9am and did the 15 minute walk to the Parliament building. This was via several construction sites, as parts of Downtown Ottawa appear to be being completely re-built.
From the Parliament building there are some views over the Ottawa River to the other half of the city in Quebec-Gatineau. In front of the Parliament Building is a visually a popular place to protest. We saw people protesting against abortion and ISIS whilst we there.
A short walk further on took us to the Rideau Canal which enters the Ottawa River here. There are a series of huge locks which take the canal down to river level, and apparently there are over 2000 boats coming through every summer. In winter of course the canal is frozen over as Ottawa has the 3rd coldest average January temperature of any Capital city (the capital of Mongolia is the coldest). Can easily go down to minus 30C.
Next we went into a large shopping complex to buy Tracey a wedding anniversary/birthday/Xmas gift ! After that we needed a sit down (well I did) so we retired to the hotel for a coffee.
Later, we went back out and walked round to the National Gallery of Canada which has a massive statue of a spider outside which presented a photo opportunity too good to miss. There is also a nice Notre Dame style church over the road. Next we decided to take a short boat trip up the Rideau Canal. This heads south away from the locks and Downtown for about half an hour past old Embassy buildings, sought after suburban residences, hockey stadiums, Ottawa University, parks, and National Defence Headquarters. The cruise ends at a man made lake where the boat turns and returns downtown.
In the 50s the government beautified areas along the side of the canal, moving industry and commerce away from the canal banks and replacing them with green areas. There are walkways along the canal but there also roads running along both sides, so not really a place for a peaceful walk. They are currently piloting a bar on the canalside....if it takes off there may be more !
After leaving the boat, we walked around to Byward Market which is an area of outdoor market stalls, eating places, and bars. Stopped at an Italian for some food, but there are also lots of Irish Bars, fish restaurants, etc.
We then returned to the hotel for the evening. Tomorrow we head off in the car again to Montreal in Quebec.
Today we continued east into Quebec province and to Montreal, in part using the third longest highway in the world....the 417 which runs across Canada from East coast to West coast for 4,900 miles. The longest is Highway 1 which runs all along the coast of Australia and is 9000 miles and the second longest is the Tran Siberian Highway in Russia which is nearly 7000 miles long.
The journey is only about 125 miles and on the freeway takes 2 hours, however we are taking some of the lesser roads to see a bit more of the countryside. We left the hotel at about 10am under overcast skies but within an hour the sun was out and it became nice and warm.
The road we took hugged the Ottawa River, and passed predominantly through flat farmland. The other side of the river is Quebec, and as we drove along we could see lots of nice houses built on the river bank on both sides. We stopped for lunch in a town called Hawkesbury, where a road bridge links the two provinces of Ontario and Quebec. As we got nearer Montreal, the road signs started to have French as the first language, and at our lunch stop we were greeted in French, and all the other diners were speaking French too.
As we were sitting in the diner having lunch, a metallic shiny gold Toyota pulled up in the car park, like something out of James Bond. Unfortunately it pulled away before I could get my camera......never seen anything quite like it.
We drove on joining the main freeway system to get into the heart of Montreal. Managed to find our hotel, with only one wrong turn which was a miracle. Once checked in we drove round the corner to return the hire car, then walked back to the hotel. We are on the 8th floor and have amazing views.
Montreal is the second largest city in Quebec Province. Originally called Ville-Marie, or "City of Mary" it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-peaked hill in the heart of the city. The city is on the Island of Montreal, and a few much smaller peripheral islands, the largest of which is Île Bizard.
The city has a population of about 1.8 million. French is spoken quite widely in Ottawa, however in Montreal French is the official language, and you are always greeted in French when you first meet someone, or in a shop etc.
In the late afternoon/early evening we walked up to Mount Royal Park in the centre of Montreal. The walk starts in normal city streets, that then start to rise steeply like some in San Francisco. Then you can take steps, or walk up a twisting path to the top of the highest point in Montreal at nearly 800 feet. The views over the city were fantastic, especially as the sun was still out. This area is a real magnet for fitness freaks with runners and cyclists easily outnumbering casual walkers.
Tomorrow we will head out and explore the city some more.
Another hot sunny day today. We really have been spoilt by the weather....and it is October ! The forecast for the weekend after we leave Canada is cool and rainy....ha ha.
At 9.30am we left the hotel and walked round to the nearest Metro Station. There are 4 metro lines covering the city and the suburbs. We bought ourselves a 3 day pass which is good for unlimited metro journeys, and the bus that goes out to the airport, and all for just £10. We caught a train going out to the East of the city and got off at the stop for the Olympic Park. This was built for the 1976 Olympics which were hosted here. Unfortunately, like everywhere here it seems, there was quite a lot of construction work going on. I suppose they are trying to do the work between the summer tourist season, and the severe winter. You can get a walking tour all round the venues, but we chose to walk round the exterior.
Next we were back on the metro to take a few stops back into the centre, then a train south one stop to St Helene Island in the St Lawrence River. This is a recreational area with picnicking, cycling, theme park, and roller coaster etc etc, however we had come here to take the short walk via a bridge to the Notre Dame Island next door,which once a year hosts the Canadian F1 Grand Prix on the Gilles Villeneuve Circuit. You get great access to the track and are able to walk right round, down the pit lane etc. the track goes round the edge of the island whilst inside the track it is a serene garden with lakes, trees, flowers and walkways.
Next it was back over to the Metro to take a train from the island back into the city and look for somewhere to eat in the old town. The old town is not quite as quaint as some old town's we have been to, but there is a pleasant pedestrian square where artists display their wares, there are some nice flower displays, and plenty of restaurants with seating out in the sun. We chose a restaurant which was in the square, and whilst we ate we could watch the horse drawn carts take tourists around. In the distance we could see the massive cruise ships in the dock area, waiting to depart on no doubt exotic journeys.
We then walked back to the Metro to catch a train back to the hotel, stopping to watch a band playing in the square on the way.
Tomorrow we explore Montreal some more.
Today is our last day in Canada and it was another hot sunny one. We set off from the hotel at about 9.30am to catch a tube up to the north east of the city to try and find the St Paul's looking building we had seen from the highest point in the city a couple of days ago. This turns out to be the Oratoire St Joseph which is a large church on the top of a hill with a small museum in it. We found it easily and had a look around the outside. There were some good views across the north of the city.
We then returned to the hotel to check out by noon. After, we headed off to the city's gay village for a stroll around. The usual selection of flamboyant shops was complimented by a wall covered in paintings of cakes, and the fact the. The rubbish is put out in pink rubbish bags with black spots!
We then walked back into the old town for a lovely final meal at the Jardine Nelson Restaurant, where the house jazz band entertained whilst we ate. Then we walked down to the river side to walk along the old dock area that has now been turned into a pleasant place to cycle or picnic or take a stroll. There appear to be a couple of peers which still take boat traffic but nowadays it is the huge Cruise Liners, rather than delivery of goods that happened in the last century.
It was then back to the hotel on the metro to pick up our bags, and then the 747 bus to the airport which took about an hour due to the rush hour traffic.
Our flight left at 7.50pm and we arrived at Heathrow at 7am in the morning. Had to get a hire car to get back home due to my recent accident and write off.
It has been a good trip with a great mixture of meeting up with friends and relatives, travelling cross country, experiencing the autumn colours in the autumn, and taking in 3 major Canadian cities.
Well, after about 12 hours of travelling I arrived at my first stop in Jordan, on the shores of the Dead Sea......
Tracey kindly dropped me at Heathrow as she did not fancy a trip to the Middle East! My Royal Jordanian flight took off on time at 4pm to do the 2,300 mile 5 hour trip South West across Europe and the Mediterranean to the the International airport just south of the Capital Amman in the North of the country.
Jordan is officially called the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and is an Arab kingdom in Western Asia, on the East Bank of the Jordan River. Jordan is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south and east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north, and Israel/Palestine to the west.
A history and Geography lesson
After the post-World War I division of West Asia by Britain and France, the Emirate of Transjordan was officially recognised by the Council of the League of Nations in 1922. In 1946, Jordan became an independent sovereign state. officially known as the Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan. After capturing the West Bank during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, Abdullah I took the title King of Jordan. The name of the state was changed to The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on 1 December 1948. Currently King Abdullah II is in power. Abdullah bin Al-Hussein.
The population of Jordan is about 6.6 million, and the land area is 35,600 square miles (Scotland is 30,000), however less than 1% of this is water. The Official language is Arabic, and in terms of ethnicity the country is 98% Arab. The dominant religion is Muslim. Jordan is part of a region considered to be "the cradle of civilisation".
The currency is the Jordanian Dinar and this is currently worth just under £1. Roughly 13% of the population lives on less than US$3 a day.
The Jordan Rift Valley of the Jordan River separates Jordan from Israel and the Palestinian Territories down the west side of the country. The highest point in the country is Jabal Umm al Dami, at 1,854 m (6,083 ft) above sea level.while the lowest is..........
The Dead Sea
......which is where I came in.
Jordan is two hours ahead of the UK so it was nearing midnight when I got off the plane to find a large and modern, but largely quiet Amman airport. A few US Dollars secured an entry Visa, then our local guide showed us to our small minibus. I am travelling with 6 other English folk, 2 of whom I met on the plane and the others I met as we waited for our luggage.
As I exited the airport into the night air I felt quite at home as the temperature was a cool 5C which is about average in this part of Jordan in winter time. Once on the bus, which was far from new, it was off on to deserted roads, trying to catch a glimpse of the surroundings out of the window as we bounced along the deserted night roads.
Our hotel was an hour away from the airport which is itself a few miles south of the capital. My first glimpses of Jordan were of dimly lit small shops, stalls and cafes at the side of the road (some still open after midnight but with no visible customers), and a lot of rocky fairly barren open space in between.
Amazingly, as we hurtled along the empty road, the majority of the hour long journey consisted of going quite steeply down hill. This is because my destination is the lowest place on Earth ! As we drove on I could feel my ears popping, and could sense a very steep drop just beyond the edge of the road. The Dead Sea forms part of the border between Jordan and Israel/Palestine and one point the guide told us that the cluster of lights we could see away down to our right was Jericho.
The road we were driving along would eventually take us to Jerusalem if we continued for an hour, but our destination was a hotel on the banks of the Dead Sea which we arrived at juts before 1am. I can't wait for daylight to have a first glimpse of my surroundings.....
Tomorrow, more photos, how I got on in the Dead Sea, and a road trip south....
On my first morning in Jordan, I was greeted by the sun climbing over the nearby mountains and into a cloudless blue sky. Before breakfast I had to check out my surroundings...... The hotel is a huge sprawling development with several terraces going down to a beach on the shores of the Dead Sea.
Some facts and figures
The Dead Sea also called the Salt Sea, is a salt lake bordering Jordan to the east, and Israel to the west. Its surface and shores are 429 metres (1,407 ft) below sea level, Earth's lowest elevation on land. To give a comparison, this is half the height of England's highest point (Scafell).....downwards !
The Dead Sea is 304 m (997 ft) deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world. With 34.2% salinity (in 2011), it is also one of the world's saltiest bodies of water, 9.6 times as salty as the ocean. This salinity makes for a harsh environment in which animals cannot flourish, hence its name. The Dead Sea is 50 kilometres (31 mi) long and 15 kilometres (9 mi) wide at its widest point. It lies in the Jordan Rift Valley and its main tributary is the Jordan River.
The Dead Sea's climate offers year-round sunny skies and dry air. It has less than 50 millimetres (2 in) mean annual rainfall and a summer average temperature between 32 and 39 °C (90 and 102 °F). Winter average temperatures range between 20 and 23 °C (68 and 73 °F). The region has weakened ultraviolet radiation, particularly UVB. Given the heavier atmospheric pressure, the air has a slightly higher oxygen content (3.3% in summer to 4.8% in winter) as compared to oxygen levels elsewhere. The Dead Sea affects temperatures nearby because of the moderating effect a large body of water has on climate. During the winter, sea temperatures tend to be higher than land temperatures, and vice versa during the summer months. This is the result of the water's mass and specific heat capacity.
The Dead Sea experience
At first glimpse it looks like any other large body of water. Any waves are almost imperceptible. In the far distance through the heat haze you can just make out the rocky shores of Israel. After a quick chat with a member of staff who convinced me that despite the time (8am) and the month (February) the water would be warm, I grabbed a towel and headed to the beach to be the first of the morning in the water.
We were warned that walking in can be hazardous because of the sharp pebbles and rocks, but it was not too bad. As I walked further in up to my knees, I was slightly disappointed to find I had no sensation of buoyancy, however once up to my waist I submitted to gravity and laid back into the remarkably warm water, and the experience was amazing.
At first you are tempted to keep your arms out away from your body to help keep you afloat, but they are not required. It is like floating on a lilo. The strangest experience is when you try to get upright. Normally you would need to doggy paddle to stay afloat, but in the Dead Sea you cannot physically stop your legs from flying back up to the horizontal, either in front of you, or even weirder, behind.
The correct way to take the waters is to take a dip, then allow yourself to be smeared in black mud, then return to the water. I chose to forego this pleasure, but one of my travelling companions took the plunge.
A police escort
At 11am, I met my fellow travellers and our guide (Samer) in the hotel lobby for the day's adventures. Before getting on the minibus to our surprise we were introduced to a member of the Jordanian police force who will be travelling with us as we move around Jordan. We were assured that this did not signal any direct threat to our safety, but was more a reaction to an event a few years ago when a tourist hotel in the capital was bombed by extremists.
Mount Nebo
Our first stop involved climbing out of the Dead Sea valley, and then further up in the high mountains to Mount Nebo. This is an important religious site, believed to be the place where Moses was buried.....although his remains have never been found. They are currently re-building an ancient church that used to stand on this hill top site. On a less hazy day you can see Jerusalem from this mountain vantage point.
Apparently this place would normally be swarming with tourists but very few were evident today. Jordan's tourist industry is suffering from the current political unrest, having dropped from providing 14% of the country's annual income to just 5%.
Up in the mountains, I was beginning to regret my choice of t-shirt and shorts chosen in the heat of the Dead Sea morning! Apparently a couple of weeks ago, there had been quite a large snowfall in this area, and the King had declared a national holiday ! Next we dropped down the mountain a bit to the town of Madaba, which is famous for its mosaic artwork, as well as having a high concentration of the country's Christian population.
Bedouin
The mountain roads were very twisty and surrounded by very arid land. Every so often we would see large makeshift tents in which live Bedouins who were farming their flocks of goats. Another very common sight is wild dogs and cats. There is no real culture in Jordan of having animals a as pets.
Road trip south
Once we left Madaba we headed out of the mountains and started on a 4hour plus road trip right down to the southern border of the country and the town of Aqaba. We travelled on the main North south highway (Sultans Highway)which was built to link the North of the country with the Red Sea port at Aqaba and Saudi Arabia. It is the main route used by trucks carrying produce and fuel. It is a tarmaced dual carriageway with a reasonably good road surface by Asian standards. The driving in the town was fairly mad in a similar vein to that in India, however on the main roads outside the town it was a bit more civilised!
As we left the town the arid land to the side of the road was briefly quite green, although spoilt by a lot of rubbish at the side of the road, however this quickly changed to the landscape of stony sand that prevailed for most of the journey. Sometimes hilly sometimes flat for as far as the I could see. Occasionally there would be a small village, but most of the life seemed to be centred around the petrol stations dotted along the way.
Inevitably the conversation with the guide turned to politics as we travelled the 350km journey, and at one point we passed a very small prison that until a week or so ago had housed a senior ISIS leader, until he was hanged in reaction to murder of the Jordanian pilot a couple of weeks ago.
Night time on desert roads
Long before we reached Aqaba, darkness had fallen, as sunset at this time of year is about 5pm. As we travelled southwards on the unlit highway, we would occasionally see a light out in the desert to left or right, but the real excitement was coming across a a petrol station and a few half built concrete stores selling food and drink. These would be all lit up, often with flashing lights, and there would be large groups of lorries parked on the roadside next to them, having a rest or getting fuel and supplies.
The road is dominated by long distance truckers and in the darkness some of them provide amazing light shows to ensure other traffic sees them. Covered in red, green or blue lights, often flashing, they certainly light up the road. After another checkpoint, it was a final steep hill down into the city of Aqaba and down to seal level. We eventually arrived at the hotel at about 7.30.
Tomorrow, it is off into the southern desert to visit some of the spots Lawrence of Arabia hung out in, and to share a meal with a Bedouin tribe. I am picturing sheep's eyeball soup....but maybe I have watched too many Indiana Jones films.....
Aqaba
Woke to find a glorious sunny day with the temperature in the mid 20Cs.. Frustratingly my hotel bedroom window view only gave me a glimpse of the city to the right and the Red Sea to the left, so after a good breakfast, went out to explore this small city.
Aqaba (pronounced Akaba) is a Jordanian coastal city situated at the northeastern tip of the Red Sea. It is the largest city on the Gulf of Aqaba and Jordan's only coastal city. Aqaba is one of the major tourist attractions in Jordan, and famous for its warm water and rich marine life. It is best known today as a seaside and diving resort. However, industrial and commercial activities remain important, due to the strategic location of the city as the country's only seaport. Jordan's only coastline line is here at the Red Sea, although it is only a few KM long.
Some history
During World War I, the occupying Ottoman forces were forced to withdraw from Aqaba after a raid, known as the Battle of Aqaba, led by Lawrence of Arabia and the Arab forces of Sharif Hussein in 1917, making the territory part of the Kingdom of Hejaz, under the rule of Prince Faisal. The capture of Aqaba helped open supply lines from Egypt to Arab and British forces further north in Transjordan and Greater Palestine, and more importantly alleviated a threat of a Turkish offensive against the strategically important Suez Canal.
Aqaba was ceded to the British protectorate of Transjordan in 1925.
In 1965, King Hussein attempted to give Aqaba room to grow by trading land with Saudi Arabia. In return for 6,000 square kilometres (2,317 square miles) of desertland in Jordan's interior, the Saudis traded 12 kilometres (7 miles) of prime coastline to the south of Aqaba. In addition to the extra land for expansion of the port, the swap also gave the country access to the magnificent Yamanieh coral reef.
The city of Aqaba has one of the highest population growth rates in Jordan in 2011, and only 44% of the buildings in the city have been built before 1990.
A wander around the streets of Aqaba
The town is only small having a population of about 120,000 so it is easy to take in a lot of the place in a an hour or so walk. The town is surrounded by arid mountain peaks on all side except where it meets the Red Sea and these are viable from most parts of the city. I started by taking a road that ran up hill to try and get a view over the city. It is hard to tell whether you are looking at the buildings of Aqaba or Eilat in Israel as the border is right next to the town and both have Red Sea coastline.
After taking a few shots of the view and of the suburban housing higher up the hill, I mad my way back down and found a road leading down to the shore line where a few small boats were moored up on the beach and where some of the more wealthy Jordanians keep their yachts.
I was slightly apprehensive about walking about, especially as every pedestrian checked me out as clearly I was 'not from around here', however I did have a few approaches but all were friendly. The huge amount of green cabs, kept hooting at me to see if I wanted a taxi to somewhere, and one guy offered me a share of his pancake type breakfast that he was sitting on a park bench devouring.
From the short beach front, where the influence of the nearby port was clear with huge container ships sitting just off shore, I headed back to the hotel to cool down, stopping in the way at the post office for some stamps to send some postcards.
Meet the locals
I went back out later to find a post box, then sat in one of the many small shady seated areas, to chill. Of course that was not going to happen. Several locals approached me, first a taxi driver stealthily disguised on foot, although I had quite an interesting conversation and found out that it would be 80 dinars to get to Petra from here.
Then a local called Edil struck up a conversation with me. His English was very good, and it turns out that he is local and currently unemployed but looking for work in the hotels. At first he thought I might be from one of the ships, as this is where a lot of Europeans wandering around the city hail from. He was as interested to talk about England as I was about Jordan. He was amazed when I said that it was about 3C in the day in England at the moment and sometimes drops to -4C at night!
Once I had got out of exchanging Facebook addresses with Edil, I returned to the hotel to get ready for a trip out into the desert to an area called Wadi Rum.
Wadi Rum
Wadi Rum also known as The Valley of the Moon is a valley cut into the sandstone and granite rock in southern Jordan 60 km (37 mi) to the east of Aqaba; it is the largest wadi in Jordan. The name Rum most likely comes from an Aramaic root meaning 'high' or 'elevated'.
It is nearly 6000 feet above sea level and has been used as a location in many films, including Red Planet where it stood in for Mars, and Prometheus where it was an alien planet.
This area of Jordan is quite isolated and largely inhospitable to settled life. The only permanent inhabitants are several thousand Bedouin nomads and villagers. There is no real infrastructure, leaving the area quite unspoilt. Apart from the Bedouin goat hair tents, the only structures are a few concrete shops and houses and the fort headquarters of the Desert Patrol Corps.
T E Lawrence (of Arabia) spent a significant amount of time here during the course of the British-inspired Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire during the First World War (1914-1918). Fans of the 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia will be familiar with the landscape, which is not so much sand dunes as it is a mass of soaring cliffs and sandstone and granite mountains (jebel in Arabic).
Myself and 2 others from our group met with the guide at 1pm and set off for the 45 minute drive out to the start of the Wadi Rum area. The drive took us up into the mountains surrounding Aqaba on Tarmac roads. Then we swapped our minibus for a 4 wheel drive open top jeep. The sun was warm but the air temperature was quite cool as we drove along. The area is a mixture of sand and large granite outcrops. There is little wild life here, a few small birds and lizards and snakes. There are also small patches of wiry grass here and there.
Camels, Bedouins and tea
It really is an amazing landscape - the slightly red colour sand and stone seeming to go on forever. We stopped at several spots which were good vantage points to look at the views as the land is not completely flat. Our guide pointed out some ancient rock carvings at one point. We then ran across a herd of camels and their Bedouin owners which really provided a great photo opportunity. When the truck engine was turned off it was amazing to hear the silence, and the air seemed really fresh and clean as well.
There are Bedouin tents dotted about here and there, and we stopped at one that is in the spot that Lawrence of Arabia camped for a while when he was in this area. We had some tea here, and net a Swedish national who was in the country practicing his Arabic as he is learning to speak the language !
At about 5pm we stopped at a rocky outcrop and scrambled up to get a seat for the impending sunset. It was amazing the way the land changed colour as the sun went down. It was also clear why we had been told to bring warm clothes as the temperature dropped dramatically soon after. We then drove for about 10 minutes to a large Bedouin camp where we had a large meal of salads, rice and beans whilst listening to some live local music.
Finally we were taken back to our minibus for the 45 minute drive back down to Aqaba and the hotel. I have been in a couple of desert regions before, but today was really amazing.
Tomorrow, another morning in Aqaba and a visit to the Dead Sea, and then a drive in the afternoon to Petra, which is about 130 km away.
A couple of leagues under the (red) sea
At 8.30am met up with the guide and took the mini bus about 20 minutes down the Red Sea coast past all the ports and on to a small Marina to have a short excursion on a "yellow submarine". This turned out to be a small yellow craft capable of seating about 15 people on deck, but which uniquely has a lower deck below sea level with glass on either side allowing you to view the scene underwater.
The boat took us about 15 minutes out to sea, where we were able to see a large area of different coral types as well as a vast array of small fish and jelly fish. There was also an old tank, and the wreck of a Lebanese boat, both of which had fish swimming in and out of them.
We then returned to the hotel for a short break, and to check out, then headed over to a local cafe for a midday meal of salad, hummus, falafel, and bread with mint tea. The day had started off overcast, but as we left the cafe, the sun was breaking through, and it felt pleasantly warm.
At 1pm we rejoined the minibus for the 3 hour drive to Petra, but not before stopping to get a bottle of Arac, which is a clear alcoholic spirit drunk locally. This was recommended by our guide as Petra is a "dry" area.
Petra
Petra is a historical and archaeological city in southern Jordan that is famous for its rock-cut architecture and water conduit system. Another name for Petra is the Rose City due to the colour of the stone out of which it is carved.
Established possibly as early as 312 BC, it is a symbol of Jordan, as well as Jordan's most-visited tourist attraction. It lies on the slope of Jebel al-Madhbah in a basin among the mountains which form the eastern flank of Arabah (Wadi Araba), the large valley running from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. Petra has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985, and is one of the seven modern wonders of the world.
The site remained unknown to the Western world until 1812, when it was introduced by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. It was described as "a rose-red city half as old as time".
Road trip along the King's Highway
To get to Petra, we took the main highway out of Aqaba, climbing through the arid mountains and passing through the checkpoint which was established after the city of Aqaba was established as a tax free zone. As when we drove to Aqaba a couple of days ago, the traffic was very light and consisted almost entirely of lorries.
As the road continued to gain height there were some amazing views, and at some points you could see 50 or 60 miles with arid brown and pink land as far as the eye could see to the horizon, with no sign of vegetation or habitation.
After about an hour, we turned on to the ancient route known as the King's Highway, which is part of an ancient 5000 year old Trade route. This stretched from Egypt in the South, and ran right through Jordan, and into Damascus in Syria.
We continued to climb reaching well over 1100 metres. Traffic on this road was almost non existent. In winter there is sometimes snow on the tops of these mountains. We stopped for a few minutes at one point and despite the sun, the air temperature was very cold.
About half an hour later, as we approached Petra, we started to see small villages clinging to the hillside. Down in the valley we started to see huge bulbous rock outcrops which looked very alien. These are the Petra mountains and are very distinctive. A lot of the village houses have water tanks on the roof as they only have a water supply for 2 days a week, so have to store water until the next supply days.
The town of Petra has a population of about 60,000 and lies in a valley surrounded by arid hills, with the outer reaches of the town climbing up the hills. Some of the side streets are extremely steep and reminded me of the streets in San Francisco. We pulled into the hotel just before 4pm.
An evening at a Beduoin mountain camp (at over 3,500 feet or the height of Snowdon)
At 5pm we met up again to drive back up in to the higher mountains for an evening at a Bedouin desert camp. On the outskirts of the town we stopped to pick up a local musician called Asim who was going to provide some music. As we climbed further up into the mountains the views over the strange alien bulbous rock landscape were amazing. We drove for about 20 minutes, then turned off on to a dirt track and 5 minutes later we arrived at the camp.
There were a couple of large Bedouin tents in the lee if some rock outcrops, with a camp fire just being started. Asim started to play his lute like string instrument and we sat around the fire for a while. We were served some Arabian Coffee, then some lentil soup. Then we were shown our main meal which had been cooked under the ground in large metal pots, a mixture of lamb and various vegetables. There had also been some cold foods and salads prepared.
Despite the fire and several layers of clothing, once the sun set it was quite cold, so we ate in the tents. There was also some Jordanian red wine which was quite nice. After the meal we sat and talked with our guide and our hosts. Conversation was far ranging but included the use of the Burkha (to cover the head is part of the religion, but covering the face is personal or cultural), how to tie a head scarf the Arabian way (involves a some twisting and is not as simple as it looks), and whether it was going to snow (likely!) We were offered the chance to have some eye shadow applied or a henna tattoo. I chose the tattoo. Whilst we sat in the tent chatting, we could hear wild dogs howling in the distance.
The evening was a really great experience. Tomorrow we are going to visit the ancient city of Petra, which is a few minutes from the hotel.
Ancient city of Petra
Another amazing day today. And another modern (man made) 7 wonders of the world ticked off.
The weather forecast had predicted cold and rain for today, but actually it was warm and blue skies. When we met with our guide in the morning it was all doom and gloom.....
thinking we may need to cut short our trip to Petra because of the extreme weather coming in....snow and wind. If it snows here it is a major problem because we are very high, and all the roads out of the area would be very unsafe if icy.
The blog tomorrow may be very different, but today it was sunny all day and very hot.
I went for a cold early morning walk, up hill, to get some photos of the town from above, mixing it with the school children, then at 9am, met with the guide to walk down into ancient Petra.
This really is an amazing place. A whole city with dwellings, shops, burial places, all carved out of the sandstone thousands of years ago. Then buried and forgotten after earthquakes and the passing of time. Then re-discovered fairly recently by a French man and uncovered and preserved for generations to enjoy.
In the last century, many Bedouins made their homes in the caves and hollowed our rocks here, but were moved out by the Jordanian government when it was recognised that the site had an important part to part in the tourism industry. As a concession, the only people allowed to sell wares on the site, or to keep donkeys and camels here are the Bedouin.
To walk though the site and then back up to the town is a 10km round trip, all down hill on the way, and all up hill on the way back. I also chose to walk up 700 steps to the top of the hills to get a view of the surrounding area. There were stalls perched on the steep slopes trying to sell locally produced wares, but I was too out of breath to respond to the stall owners requests to buy something.
There is quite a long walk down through shady rock canyons until suddenly you come across the famous image from Petra, the treasury. Amazing huge pillars and statues carved out of the solid rock. About 7 years ago, you could still enter this area, but now you cannot as they discovered room below, that they do not want to risk damaging.
It is an amazing place and the scale is stunning. By about 2pm I was back in the hotel to cool down and reflect before going out a bit later for some food in one of the local cafes. Ate alfresco, however ordered a glass of local red wine, and they do not allow the overt drinking of alcohol, so had to have the wine in a coffee cup,
Returned to the hotel, then later went out to meet the rest of the group for a drink at another hotel down the street. Our guide met us there and confirmed that heavy snowfalls were still expected tomorrow (moving down from the north, with Turkey already having had some heavy falls) and we would have to change our plans.....
Getting the hell out of Dodge....
Got woken by the call to prayer at 5am this morning. Just as well I had an early start planned.....
Well, our guide is concerned about the condition of the roads around Petra if we stay another day, as planned, and the predicted snows arrive, so at 7am we set off North again. This will take us towards the weather front, but eventually into lower lands, and wider and more main roads. The Jordanians over react even more to a fall of snow than we do in the UK....last night at about 8am the king called a public holiday for the impending snow. All schools, universities, post offices and other public sector institutions will be closed today, and it is likely that the private sector will follow suit. And that is just the threat of snow....
The last time it snowed, which is very rare, there were over 300 car accidents in one day.
The long (and not very winding) road
We climbed out of Petra up the steep roads and were soon enveloped in mist. As we got on to the main road this eventually cleared, and after an hour's travelling the sun came out ! We are on a different road to the one we drove south on a few days ago. This one had almost no traffic on it, we saw a car maybe every 10 minutes. It had a good surface though and we made good time. We travelled through a long stretch of totally flat brown arid land, with nothing to see except the horizon. We eventually re-joined the main North/south highway.....the desert highway, and started to see all the trucks again.
The highway is the main North South road from Syria in the north to Saudi Arabia in the south. The border with Syria is currently closed due to the current war. There is only one crossing into Syria, and one into Kuwait. There are 3 crossings into Israel, the main one being the one near Jordan. The main crossing for trucks is into Saudi, which is Jordan's main trading partner.
Karak Castle
There are a lot of castles in this part of Jordan, and we were headed for karak Castle, the biggest castle in the Middle East. The city of Al Karak has a population of 80,000 and is the place where the Jordanian pilot recently murdered by ISIS came from. It is situated in the mountains about 100km south of the capital Amman. The castle is perched on the edge of a mountain top 1000m above sea level, built in about 1143. Unfortunately, it had started to rain when we arrived, so we could not get a good view as we approached. Only a fraction of the castle is available to walk around, and there would have been some great views if there was less cloud.
Further north to Jerash
We set off again to go further north to the city of Jerash which is about one hour's drive from the Syrian border. After a couple of hours drive, we reached the capital Amman - the main highway goes through the centre. We stopped here to get some food to take away, (I had a large Pitta covered with sesame and cheese called a zateer), and then we continued on North. By this time there was a lot of rain but no sight of the promised snow.
As we drove through the capital, I did see a couple of familiar names - IKEA, and unfortunately McDonalds. I also saw the first foreign vehicles I had seen in Jordan - one from Syria, and one from Dubai.
On the outskirts of the city, we passed a huge Palestinian refugee camp. This has been there since the Arab/Israeli war of 1967. It started as a temporary area with tents, but as it became clear that the refugees were not going to be able to return home anytime soon, small houses started to be built. The area is still administered jointly between the United Nations and Jordan. The occupants have Jordanian citizenship, but choose to stay at the camp as they then retain refugee status.
The road plunged downwards as we left the city and we had to drive through huge rivers of muddy water that was rushing down the hill from the rains. The landscape North of Amman was quite green, as this area does have a fair bit of rain. I keep getting surprised as we drive along how mountainous the country is, and how high up we have been. The road goes down hill for miles and then flattens out and you think you are out of the mountains, then to one side of the road a deep valley suddenly appears. We drove north for about 4 hours today and never left the mountains.
Ancient Roman city
We arrived at Jerash early afternoon to visit the ruins of a huge Roman city. This is the second most visited tourist attraction in Jordan behind Petra, and was discovered in 1806. The site is right in the centre of the modern city of Jerash, which is built up the mountain side. There are two theatres surviving here. We took turns in standing at the exact centre of the stage area and speaking to feel the strange sensation of the echo of your own voice coming back to you. It is like wearing headphones and hearing your own voice in them. A really strange sensation, but this effect is what helped the watching audience hear what actors were saying. Like Petra the site was buried under tons of earth and had been abandoned following destruction caused by earthquakes.
The weather hits
As we walked around the site we were caught in a tropical style downpour, and got drenched. At the same time our guide got word that it had started snowing in Amman. We then returned to the bus for the hour and a half drive back through Amman and on back to the Dead Sea. Our guide arranged a change to where we're going to stay originally when it became clear that Amman was going to have extreme weather. The forecast for tomorrow is 0C in Amman and 17C at the Dead Sea just 40 minutes away (and a couple of thousand feet lower).
As we drove through Amman the rain turned to hail and from tropical to apocalyptic. The roads were completely awash as there are no drains, just gulleys at the side of the roads. Because the roads are continually going steeply up or down, there were rivers of water cascading down, and large floods at the lowest points. As we left Amman it did start snowing and settling in small patches. At the outskirts of the town we passed a huge fleet of snow ploughs, which for a country that rarely has snow below the very highest peaks was an amazing sight.
As we climbed higher out of Amman, the visibility became only a few yards, and cars were pulling over and stopping because of the hazardous conditions, or driving slowly with hazard lights on. The start of the long descent down to the Dead Sea was a bit hairy as we drove through the slush on the road, and we saw one car who had smashed into something and was limping on. Suddenly we were out of the storm and could continue safely down once again to the lowest point on earth.
I met the guide at noon in the hotel to be told that the snow falls had been so bad up in the hills and in Amman that the bus and driver were trapped up there. The local authorities had told people not to try using their cars and to stay at home. I was therefore cut off at the Dead Sea. As it has it's own pleasant weather system - it was warm and sunny and dry, this was no great hardship, although it meant that the only place we could go and visit was a religious site about 10km along the valley.
The River Jordan and a look at Israel
Our guide had arranged for a couple of local taxis to drive us over to the site on the River Jordan where supposedly (if you believe these things), Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist. We drove along the main road that runs parallel to the Dead Sea for a few minutes, then took a minor road towards the river that flows in to the Dead Sea very near this point. This area has only been open to the public fairly recently as it was previously a minefield. This is because at this point the river forms the border between Jordan and Israel.
The area is a mixture of arid waste ground and sparkly new Christian churches built in the last 20 years. As we followed the small road down to the so called Baptism Site, we were stopped at a checkpoint and given a once over before being let through, presumably because we were not immediately recognised as tourists, being in a cab rather than a mini bus. Then we parked on a bit of waste ground and wandered through the Eucalyptus trees, every so often spotting a young Jordanian soldier, until we came up to a wooden Boardwalk on the banks of a very muddy and swollen Jordan River.
The thing I was not expecting was that it is so thin at this point. Even though it is swollen from the snow melt and had flooded a series of steps that run down to the normal edge of the river, it was only a few feet across. On the other side was Israel where dozens of people were doing the same as us (looking at a muddy river) but from the Israeli side. On our side there was just the 7 of us standing on the boardwalk, on the other side there was clearly a big concrete visitors area, and people were "baptising" themselves by dipping their goes in the water! Armed Israeli soldiers wandered through the crowds.
After this slightly surreal experience, it was back in the taxis, and a return to the hotel to relax for the rest of the day.
Tomorrow, the plan is to try and get back into Amman, the capital, to look around, snow allowing. The forecast was for more snow today but then warmer temperatures tomorrow, so this should be OK.
Spent the morning chilling at the hotel, and sitting in the sun looking out over the Dead Sea to Israel. After checking out, we were re-United with our minibus which had made it down from snow affected Amman. The guide confirmed that the roads had been cleared of snow and were passable, so at 2pm we set off into the mountains again to spend the afternoon and evening in Amman.
Amman
Amman is the capital and most populous city of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Amman's population has been estimated at around 4 million as of 2014 with an additional million residing in the surrounding areas, so well over two thirds of the countries population live here.
Amman is situated in a hilly area of north-western Jordan. The city was originally built on seven hills, but it now spans over an area of nineteen hills (each known as a Jabal, Tál, Mount or Mountain). The main areas of Amman gain their names from the hills and mountains on whose slopes they lie. The city's elevation changes from mountain to mountain. They range from 700 to 1100 m (2300–3600 feet)
As we ascended the mountain from the Dead Sea, we passed a sign showing the point at which we passed through sea level, which was a bit strange. We are travelling from a point 1,400 feet below sea level to one well over 3,000 above, or from half the height of Scafell below sea level to three quarters of the height of Ben Nevis above. As we carried on up we started to see huge piles of snow at the side of the road, and loads of locals parked at the side of the road to throw snowballs at each other or build snowmen. There were still loads of bulldozers moving around, and teams of workman out with their shovels clearing the roads and pavements.
Fabulous city views
First we stopped at a hilltop Roman ruin called the Amman Citadel which has fantastic views over the city as it climbs up and down the hills. In Jordan there are strict building controls with regard to the height buildings can be built at - most buildings cannot be over 4 storeys high, although there are a couple of tall buildings in Amman.
A wander round the souk
Then our guide took us to the Souk or market area of Amman, where we wandered around for a while looking at all the shops. Our police escort looked at his most anxious during this little walk around in what is obviously a poorer part of the city.
Then it was on to a local restaurant for some Jordanian food. Our guide has been very good in helping me ensure I am not eating any meat, however he does keep saying I should make a concession and eat this or that as it is very very good.
Finally round the corner to our hotel for a final night in Jordan, with an early start to drive to the airport in the morning for an 11am flight home.
Reflections
I have really enjoyed visiting Jordan. I did not expect to have the trip affected by a snowstorm, but this did not spoil things and I got to see all I wanted to. All the people I met have been really friendly, but it is sad that the country is suffering as tourists are just not visiting at the moment because of the troubles. There are some great sights and experiences to be had in this country and it is a great introduction to the Middle East.
Arrival
After about 15 hours travelling we have arrived in China - the second largest country in the world by land area (9.6 million sq km). We left Heathrow on Friday afternoon, and arrived at a sunny and hot Beijing airport at about 9.30am on Saturday, after a flight of 5000 miles which took about 10 hours, travelling across Northern Europe, Russia, Mongolia (which from above looks like a good place to film a sc-fi film based on an alien planet) and on into China.
Some facts
China is officially known as the People's Republic of China and has the world's largest population – 1.3 Billion people ! We are currently in the Capital 北京 or Beijing as it known in the Western World - 北 beǐ = northern, and 京jinḡ = capital. The official language in China is Mandarin, however there are several other languages widely recognised regionally, including Wu, Cantonese, Mindong, Xiang and Minnan. On top of that, there are many other minority languages and different dialects.
Religion, as in other Asian countries is important here. About 80% of the population are Buddhist, with the other 20% made up of Daoist (Taoist), Confucian, Christian 3%-4%, Muslim 1%-2%, and Atheist. Most Chinese observe a mixture of Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist beliefs and philosophies, but not necessarily practising. The state is officially atheist.
China is a single-party socialist state ruled by the Communist Party of China. It is divided into 22 provinces. With coasts on the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, in total it borders 14 nations. It borders Afghanistan, Pakistan (through the disputed territory of Kashmir), India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam to the south; Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan to the west; Russia and Mongolia to the north and North Korea to the east. This number of neighbouring states is equalled only by China's vast neighbour to the north, Russia.
Beijing
Beijing, formerly known as Peking is the capital of China, has a population of well over 24 million and is one of the largest cities in the world. It is the nation's political, cultural, and educational centre, is home to the headquarters of most of China's largest state-owned companies, and is a major transportation hub. The Beijing Capital International Airport which we flew into today is the second busiest in the world by passenger traffic. Beijing has seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites – the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, Ming Tombs, Zhoukoudian, Great Wall, and the Grand Canal, some of which we intend to visit in the next few days.
An initial exploration
After passing through the airport formalities we met up with our guide and got the bus with our fellow travellers into central Beijing. This weekend is a holiday weekend as it is the Dragon Boat Festival, so the traffic was quite light in comparison to normal apparently and we got to the hotel within 45 minutes. There is a real traffic problem in the big cities in China - Beijing has 7 million cars, and 6 ring roads, with a 7th under construction!
Once checked in and freshened up we decided to take a stroll to the nearby park which the map showed as a green area with a lake. It was now early afternoon and very hot and humid. As we walked along the wide pavements, there were lots of shaded areas with seats where the locals were grabbing some shade. It is fashionable to be white in Asia, as opposed to Europe where everybody's wants a sun tan, so there were lots of locals walking with umbrellas to keep the sun off. We found the park which turned out to be a slightly seedy looking area, surrounded by nightclubs. It also houses the local football ground (The Workers Stadium) and an arena (The Workers Gymnasium)! There was not much in the way of a green area, and the lake was hemmed in by concrete and choked with lilleys. We made out way back to the hotel to catch up on some sleep before heading out to a local restaurant in the evening to have some food with the group we are travelling with.
Tomorrow we explore Beijing some more including a visit to the Imperial Palace and Tiananmen Square
A local victory
Another hot and humid day. The meal last night in the local restaurant was nice. Tried some local red wine which was unusual - sweet and strong and 16%! Managed to get back from the hotel just before the crowds at the football ground down the road emptied out. The local Beijing team beat their rivals 3-0. Apparently there is not a very big league in China and the national team never do very well, which is clearly a bit frustrating with so many potential people in the country to draw from.
Tiananmen Square
At 8.30am we were back on the mini bus to drive into the centre of the city to kick of the day's proceedings with a visit to Tiananmen Square, which can hold a crowd of up to 1 million people!
Tiananmen Square is a large square in the centre of Beijing. It is named after the Tiananmen gate (Gate of Heavenly Peace) located to its North, separating it from the Forbidden City, which is where the emperors used to live. It has great cultural significance as it was the site of several important events in Chinese history.
Outside China, the square is best known though as the focal point of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, a pro-democracy movement which ended on 4 June 1989 with the declaration of martial law in Beijing by the government and the shooting of several hundred, or possibly thousands, of civilians by soldiers. Today it is still often the place for protest, and we were warned not to take photos if we see any such activity, as at the very least we would have our cameras confiscated.
Used as a massive meeting place since its creation, its flatness is contrasted by the 38-meter high war Monument to the People's Heroes, and the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong. The Square is lit with large lampposts which are fitted with video cameras. It is heavily monitored by uniformed and plain clothes policemen. Because this weekend is a holiday, there were more tourists than usual, but very few westerners.
The Forbidden City
Next it was through the north gate and into the Forbidden City which is in fact a huge complex where the emperors lived and entertained (hence forbidden to the ordinary man). It is huge, covering over 75 hectares, with literally hundreds of gold roofed buildings. It was divided into living areas (which included hundreds of concubines and castrated male servants), and entertaining quarters where emperors would receive important visitors. There are lots of large squares, several gates, and some nice courtyards. During our time there I came across a man who was doing quick face sketches of people on small china plates, so after a bit of haggling, I got him to do my portrait with my name written in Chinese! I think it looks more like a 15th century Italian painter, but I now have Tracey's Xmas present sorted !
A stop for tea (how many kinds!)
Next we took a short drive to a tea shop where we took part in a tea making ceremony. Drinking tea is taken very seriously here. There are over 3000 different teas, and we learned that they can be grouped into 6 different categories - oolong, flower, yellow, green, white and black teas. We tried some from each category before it was back into the minibus for a short drive to a local restaurant. Like last night we were presented with loads of different dishes on a lazy Susan which we shared, along with a local beer to wash it all down.
Temple of heaven
After the meal, we drove the short distance to the Temple of Heaven. This is not really a religious place, more political, being where the emperor would go to pray. There are a few buildings to walk round, two of which are now museums. It stands in grounds even bigger than the Forbidden City. It is also a place where the retired of Beijing go to sit in the gardens and play cards, mahjong, dominoes, Chinese chess, as well as singing and playing instruments.
By now it was about 3.30pm so we headed back to the hotel. After a bit of a chill, our group met up again at 6pm to head back into central Beijing. The traffic was quite heavy even though it is a Sunday. Our guide was saying that about 20 years ago Beijing was filled with bikes, but as the Chinese become more affluent everyone is getting cars. It is a status symbol to have a car however people have to register for one, and the government decide who can have one, and it is basically a lottery. And then when you have one, in the capital it is hard to find a parking space as there are only spaces for a fraction of the 7 million cars.
City views and back streets
We headed back to the Forbidden City area to climb a small hill with a pagoda on top to see the sunset and the views over the city. This is a man made hill - the material came from what was dug out around the Forbidden City to create the huge moat there. From the hill you can really clearly see how huge it is.
Then we walked back down and made our way to an old traditional neighbourhood where we picked up a rickshaw each to take us down the narrow dark lanes to a local family's house who had agreed (following an exchange of cash) to show us how to make Chinese dumplings, and provide some additional food for an evening meal. We crammed into their front room and after watching a few being made tried our hand at it. The dumpling is basically a water and flower parcel containing whatever you want to wrap in the centre, then it is boiled, fried or steamed. Our creations were boiled and actually looked and tasted quite like ravioli parcels.
The family house was basically 3 rooms - a bedroom, a kitchen and a living room. Most of the houses in this area do not have toilets/baths and so families have to use public facilities. This sort of place in a back alley in Beijing could fetch £25k if sold, or could attract a rent of maybe £200 per month. Some properties are still state owned though, and the rent for these would only be about £5 per month.
After our meal we again caught a rickshaw to take us back to the Main Street, and then got our minibus back to the hotel. Tomorrow, we are heading out of Beijing to see the Great Wall.......
Summer Palace
Temperatures were up to 35c today, but a hazy start to the day. Set off from the hotel at 7.30am to drive 40km to the Summer Palace. This is a huge area of park land and lakes where emperors used to stay when they wanted to get out of the city centre. On the way we stopped on a road bridge to try and get a view of the Olympic Park used for the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Due to the haze we could only really see the outline of the bird's nest.
The Summer Palace is a lovely place to go and get away from the city. The centre piece is Kunming Lake, and there is a walk way right round the lake. There is also a wooden covered Boardwalk, or corridor which is ornately painted along its entire 1700m length. People promenade along this, or sit and play music, play games etc there are lots of temple buildings to look at, but we stuck to the park land.
We walked around the lake for a while, then caught a 'dragon boat' back across the lake where our mini bus was waiting for us.
Chinese culture and way of life.
Back on the bus, we continued for an hour driving away from the city. Traffic was quite heavy but kept moving. The main roads are generally 3 or 4 lanes, and good quality. The driving is by far the most polite and ordered of all the Asian countries we have been to. Traffic is mostly cars and buses, with lorries more frequent as we moved away from the city.
Whilst we drove, we talked with the guide about some aspects of Chinese culture. Since the 1970s, the government have instigated a one child policy to try and curb population growth. Couples can only have one birth (one child or twins etc), and cannot marry before age 20 (women) or 23 (men). Whilst we were in Tiananmen Square yesterday, we asked the guide if he could tell us where the famous picture of the student in front of the tank was taken - he could not tell us as he had never seen the picture!
Whilst we have been walking around the city we have noticed some of the habits or behaviours of the Chinese people which do seem strange to Westerners. There is a lot of spitting, as the Chinese consider it unhealthy to swallow phlegm. We have also observed plenty of urinating in public places, and no one seems to take any notice. The Chinese will also stare intently, and this is considered to be curiosity rather than rudeness.
Pushing, shoving and/or jumping queues: there is no concept of personal space for the Chinese. It is perfectly common and acceptable behaviour for someone to come in very close contact with you or to bump into you and say nothing. On the underground system there are no health and safety limits to the number of passengers allowed on a carriage, so in the rush hour in the big cities, they employ staff to push people on to the trains, and even maintain a supply of spare shoes for those passengers who loose theirs in the process.
At 10.30am we stopped at a state run Jade Factory to look around. We saw how they make a hollow ball with a further 4 hollow balls within that from a single block of jade. Kind of like the ship in the bottle but more so !
The Great Wall
Then it was back in the bus to continue for a further hour or so to the Great Wall. As we got nearer the area where the wall is it was noticeable that the scenery became more rural, and we started passing through smaller towns and villages without the usual western names like Costa and McDonalds. We started to see mountains in the distance, and then we finally arrived at the small mountain side town of Mutianyu at noon, and stopped at a local cafe for some food.
After the food, a five minute drive up the road and we were at the foot of the slopes of the mountain side that the wall traverses in this area. The Great Wall stretches for 12,000 km, running between North Korea in the east and the Gobi Desert in the West, and was built over a period of 2000 years to protect China's northern borders. The bit we are visiting was built during the Ming Dynasty. The wall is roughly 10m high by 8m wide, and at this point is built along a long mountain ridge. Every 400 km there are towers which were used for defence and for housing the army manning the wall. Vehicles can only go to a certain point, and then you have to walk, which takes an hour, or take the cable car, which takes about 5 minutes and is what we did.
A short walk from the cable car, and through a small arch in the wall, and suddenly you are standing in the middle of the wall, where you can see it snake off into the distance in either direction following the contours of the mountain ridge. It really is an amazing sight, and beggars belief how it could have been constructed in such a precarious position so high up. The wall is effectively a thin roadway, sandwiched between two crenelated walls on each side about 5 feet high. Despite it being a holiday today, we were lucky that it was reasonably quiet, with not too many tourists.
Scorpions and ice cream
Afterwards we took the cable car back down the mountain, and sat in the shade in a local bar until all the group were back down. Then it was back to the minibus for the two hour drive back to the hotel. Once we got back into the city we stopped at a food market where there were literally hundreds of stalls, selling pretty much anything you could possibly think of including octopus, pigeon, spider, scorpion, starfish, sea horse, bull testicles, snakes....and fried ice cream....on bread!
After the market we went back to hotel as we have an early start tomorrow....we leave Beijing and take a high speed train to Xian which is about a 6 hour journey, even though the train reaches speeds of 300 km/h. This is the city near which the Terracotta Warriors were discovered.
Photos to follow....
A last look at Beijing
Today we left Beijing to travel 900km south west to the city of Xi'an......by high speed train. We checked out of the hotel at 8am and took the minibus across the city to the main train station. It was slow going as we had to fight through the rush hour traffic. As we crawled along it gave us an opportunity to observe early morning activity in the capital. There were groups of people doing tai chi in parks and at the side of the road, and hundreds of council workers cleaning the streets.....you rarely see much litter around. The intersections of the main through routes with 4 lanes are something to behold.
All aboard the bullet
Beijing station is huge. We had to show our ticket and passport to get in. Our luggage also had to be screened. Once inside it is cavernous. Each of the 15 platforms has a huge waiting area, and you can only get onto the platform once the train has arrived. The main concourse has hundreds of small shops selling food for the long journeys that the trains cover in this huge country. On the map of a China our journey looks short but it is about 550 miles. The high speed train goes at a top speed of 300 km per hour, however there are several stops and the train stays at the stations for a little while as there are large numbers getting on and off and everyone has a lot of luggage as they are travelling great distances, so the journey actually takes about 5.5 hours.
From the outside the train looks very like the Japanese bullet train. Inside the train feels more like a plane - seats recline and there are tables to use in the back of the seat in front, although you do not have to find somewhere to put your suitcase on a plane. Ingeniously though, the seats can be spun round 180 degrees which gives more room for luggage. Tickets are stamped and checked at various points and always require the showing of ID as well. During the journey we had a fantastic view of the changing scenery as we sped along at a very smooth and very fast 300km per hour. The speed is shown at the end of each carriage during the journey. Every half hour or so a woman came through the carriage sweeping the floor. The train remained immaculately clean despite the number of people using it.
As we left Beijing, the buildings quickly dropped away to be replaced by rice fields at first and then more general farmland. The first station we stopped at was somewhat amusingly called Bao Ding Dong. For hundreds of miles we sped through the absolute flatness of this part of rural North East China, interrupted only by the occasional stop at a small town, everyone of which seemed to be constructing new huge housing tower blocks. About 2hours out of our destination it started raining, which with the plus 30c made it feel even more humid. The landscape started to change as well with small hills, woods and rivers replacing the flat farmland.
Xi’an
Eventually at around 3.30pm we pulled in to Xi'an. Like a lot of the stations we passed through today, the station is very new, and this one is huge, more like an airport. The city formerly called Sian is the capital of Shaanxi province, and is in the centre of the Guanzhong Plain. It is one of the oldest cities in China. Xi'an is the starting point of the Silk Road, the ancient trade route, and home to the Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, which we will visit tomorrow. The city has a population of well over 8.5 million and was recently named as one of the 13 emerging megacities, or megalopolises, in China. It is only 27 km from the exact geographical centre of China. It has grown rapidly since the 1960's when large reserves of coal were discovered in the province.
We met up with our local guide and got on a minibus for the 20 minute drive into the city centre. It was a few degrees cooler than in Beijing, and drizzling but very humid. Like Beijing, Xi'an has multiple ring roads and lots of traffic, however there are 3 of the former rather than 6, and 2 million of the latter rather than 7. Apparently 10,000 cars a day go through the main arch that runs through the city wall that encloses the original part of the city, however the government are taking measures to tackle the problem of pollution - all the taxis are either gas or electric driven.
Before checking in to our hotel, we stopped at the original city wall which encloses the old part of the city. This is the most well preserved wall of its type in China, and stretches for 10 miles. It was built for defensive purposes and is 12 metres tall and 14 metres wide and has a deep moat surrounding it. Having driven for 20 minutes from further out of the city to get to the wall, it was amazing to hear that everything built outside the wall was done since the 1970's. We took a few photos and then headed for our city centre hotel where we will be staying 2 nights.
Tomorrow we head out of town to see the Terracotta soldiers......
Inclement weather
Woke up this morning to a grey wet day. The south and and east of China are much wetter than the rest of the country and the rainy season starts in June so we should not be surprised if most of the rest of our trip is damp! Today's forecast is for rain and 99% humidity!
Because of China's size the climate is extremely diverse, from tropical regions in the south to subarctic in the north. North China has four distinct seasons with intensely hot summers and bitterly cold winters. Southern China tends to be milder and wetter. The further north and west you travel, the drier the climate. Once you leave eastern China and enter the Tibetan highlands or the vast steppes and deserts of Gansu and Xinjiang in the West distances are vast and the land is very harsh.
A lesson in Chinese writing
We left the hotel at 9am to drive over to a local area called the Small Wild Goose Pagoda which used to be a religious space but is now a small park. The pagoda or shrine itself is still there but looked a bit worse for wear having survived several earthquakes over several hundred years.
Also in the park is a small art centre where you can see artists painting in the traditional Chinese style. We also learned a bit about Chinese Caligraphy and how to write Chinese characters using the traditional brush. Amazingly the written Chinese language only uses 8 different brush strokes, and these are used to draw the characters. We got try and write a few Chinese words including our own names.
Next we re-joined the bus to drive the 35 miles away from the city centre to the area where the Terracotta Warriors were discovered.
Terracotta Army
Before going to see the real thing we went to a local factory to see how they make replica figurines for the tourist shops. These are made using clay and using the same methods that were used to make the original life size versions.
The Terracotta Army or the "Terracotta Warriors and Horses" is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. It is a form of funerary art buried with the emperor in 210–209 BC and whose purpose was to protect the emperor in his afterlife.
The figures, dating from approximately the late third century BC were discovered in 1974 by local farmers in Lintong District, Xi'an, Shaanxi province. In total there have been 3 pits unearthed and these are all now covered ivy large aircraft hangar like buildings. The figures vary in height according to their roles, with the tallest being the generals. The figures include warriors, chariots and horses. Estimates from 2007 were that the three pits containing the Terracotta Army held more than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which remained buried in the pits nearby Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum. Other terracotta non-military figures were found in other pits, including officials, acrobats, strongmen and musicians. The size of the largest pit is absolutely staggering.
50% proof lizard wine !?
Whilst on the site we grabbed some food in the cafe. There was the usual local Tsing Tau beer, but more intriguing were the 3 local "wines" - jasmine, pomegranate and Tokay wine with some kind of lizard in the bottom of the jar. Three of us tried them.....they were actually more like spirits and were 56% proof.....!
Peanut bashing and nougat stretching in the Muslim quarter
Then it was back to the bus for the drive back to the city centre. Next stop was the Muslim quarter where took a stroll down the Main Street which was a hive of activity. Most shops were food shops and you can see all the food being prepared and cooked. Lots of meat (and insects) like we had seen in Beijing markets, but also lots of sweets and savouries. There were men hitting some kind of peanut brittle with massive mallets, and others stretching nougat from a hook on the wall until it was several feet long! It is not unusual in parts of China for people to rarely see westerners, so when they do, they tend to stop and stare quite blatantly at you. They also like to have their picture taken with you, either surreptitiously or by coming and standing next to you whilst a friend takes the shot. There was a lot of this in the Muslim quarter today!
Having whetted our appetite in the market, we went into a local restaurant for a dumpling dinner.
Dumpling dinner
As we saw when we attempted to make dumplings in Beijing, you can fill them with just about any ingredients. By using vegetable juices when preparing the flour and water based parcels you can also colour them, and then make them into unusual shapes. So after a starter of nuts, salad, tofu, and stingray (!), we were presented with what seemed like a never ending supply of different coloured and shaped dumplings with all sorts of fillings, finished off with a hot brown porridge!
By now it was 8pm, so some of us returned to the hotel whilst other including Tracey went off for a pedicure session in the Muslim quarter.
Tomorrow we take an early morning internal flight South west to a city called Lijang.
Leaving Xi'an
Early start at 5.30am to get the bus from the hotel to Xi'an airport for a 10am internal flight to the city of Lijang South west of Xi'an. Another rainy start but hot as usual. The drive to the international airport was an hour. The airport is quite small and is mainly for internal flights. Our flight was with Hainan Airlines, and took 2 hours to cover the xxx km. Wewere the only Westerners on the flight.
Arrival in Lijiang
On landing we were met by our local guide who is Tibetan, and immediately realised we might be in the same country but this was a totally different place. The small airport built in 2008 is nestled up in the mountains and the town of Lijang is at 2,400 meters (getting on for twice the height of Ben Nevis......or the same height as Macchu Picchu in Peru!!). As we drove away from the airport the surroundings had an almost alpine feel. The drive into town was about 30 minutes and we met very little traffic.
Lìjiāng is in the northwest of Yunnan province, and had a population of 1.3 million at the 2010 census. The name literally means beautiful river. The Old Town was the political, commercial and cultural centre for the local Naxi people and other ethnic groups for hundreds of years. There are apparently 22 minority people's in this area, and we were warned that we should carry our passports with us as we are likely to be asked to show them at every opportunity. Naxi women were well known for their hand-made embroidery. We are staying in the so called old town which is pedestrianised and does not have any traffic allowed within its walls. It is a UNESCO world heritage site, and our hotel is here - built in traditional Chinese style, just two storeys and based around a series of courtyards. The area suffered a severe earthquake in 1996, and a lot of the changes that have come to the area including better education for the population seemed to have been kickstarted after this event.
Trad vs modern
We checked in to the hotel at midday, and at 1pm went to a local restaurant for some food. It is strange to experience the calm atmosphere, pretty traditional buildings, and mountain see energy after the hectic concrete jungle of Beijing and Xi'an. We then had a wander around the thin side streets selling food and Naxi souvenirs. We saw a couple of women dressed up in traditional costume and another group doing a dance in the main square.
It would appear that this area is coming under the influence of the modern day as there is one long thin street with hundreds of bars that in the evening is filled with teenage Asian tourists, and there is also a McDonalds here, although the only way you could recognise it as such is the single yellow M amongst all the Chinese characters on the traditionally built building. As this is an UNESCO site, hopefully it will retain its character though.
The sun was back with a vengeance this afternoon and it was very hot and humid, so we retired to the hotel at 3am. After a bit of a chill out, we headed out to look for some food. Whilst standing in the street deciding which way to go a couple of monks engaged us in conversation , asking where we were from etc, which was nice. Had some food in a local cafe, then went back to the hotel for the night, stopping on the way to by a bottle of local spirit for £1 !
Tomorrow we explore Lijiang some more.
Another hot humid day in the 30C's. The thinner air at this altitude and the humid weather is really sapping. Today we are off to see the main minority group in this area - the Naxi.
Ethnicity in China
China has 56 officially recognised ethnic groups; the largest by far is the Han which comprise over 90% of the population. The other 55 groups enjoy affirmative action for university admission and exemption from the China one-child policy. The Han, however, are far from homogeneous and speak a wide variety of mutually unintelligible local "dialects"; which most linguists actually classify as different languages using more or less the same set of Chinese characters. Many of the minority ethnic groups have their own languages as well.
Many customs and deities are specific to individual regions and even villages. Among ethnic minorities, the Zhuang, Manchu, Hui and Miao are the largest in size. Other notable ethnic minorities include: Koreans, Tibetans, Mongols, Uighurs, Kirghiz and even Russians. In fact, China is home to the largest Korean population outside Korea and is also home to more ethnic Mongols than the Republic of Mongolia itself. Many minorities have been assimilated to various degrees with the loss of language and customs or a fusing with Han traditions. An exception to this trend is the current situation of the Tibetans and Uighurs in China who remain fiercely defensive of their cultures.
Black rock pool
First stop today was a very relaxing park in the city called Black Rock Pool. This was traditionally a place where the Naxi people used to worship. There is a large lake with the mountains as a backdrop. Local people go there to stroll or sit and chat with friends. Also exercising to music is very popular. There is also a small museum of local culture here which we looked around.
It is always fun to see some of the English translations on the signs. There was one in the park where it was trying to say "you are here" however what it actually said was "the position of your seat".
Baisha Naxi village and Shangri La
Then it was into the bus to drive for about 40 minutes further up into the mountains to see a traditional Naxi village - Baisha. Nearby is Jade Dragon Snow Mountain which is the last of the Himalayan peaks to the East, and is 5,500m and unsurprisingly permanently snow capped.
Part of the village is preserved as it has been for 400+ years. The other part is lived in. This area was the inspiration for the book by James Hilton "Lost horizon" about the search for a "Shangri la" up in the Himalayas - this is because an Austrian American man called Joseph Rock lived here and was employed by National geographic to study the Naxi people. He was a friend of the author James Hilton who saw some of Joseph's photos and was inspired to write the novel.
We walked round both parts of the village and then visited a local family who still do embroidered pictures in the original tradition. These are amazing and look like paintings....they sell for upward of £1000 pounds and can take over a year to complete with the artists working on them every day for 8 hours.
We had some lunch in a local cafe, then it was back to the bus, for another half hour drive even higher in the mountains to 2800 metre see where Joseph Rock lived and worked when he was researching the Naxi back in the 1930s.
As we drove up the twisting roads there was some fantastic scenery. The stony peaks ahead in the distant, the steep drops at the side of the road, and the views back to Lijiang City. The house itself is vey simple, built of wood and brick with a central courtyard, but it is stunning location. It was also great to see the locals coming of the bus from a shopping trip in town, and the school kids coming back from school both dressed in Naxi clothes.
Afterwards, we drove back to town for a break before heading out to walk over to local theatre to see some Naxi traditional music. I saw another amusing translation as I was leaving the hotel where there was a low ceiling beam : mind that you don't bump into your head !
The old town of Lijiang really wakes up at night as literally thousands of young Chinese and tourists descend on the streets, window shopping, and heading for the bars and restaurants, all of which have live music coming out of the open windows. All the buildings are lit in an orange light which makes them really striking. The streets are thin so it is hard to walk with so many people . Police are cruising around on foot although not sure what they are looking for. Shops do not seem to be selling much but if you want an ice lolly, a Jade bracelet, a silk dress, a bongo drum, a CD of local music, some shoes, any kind of food....then this is the place.
We headed to just off the main square to the Naxi Concert Hall where we were going to see something that was billed as Naxi classical music. It was basically a group of 20 musicians playing traditional Naxi music on traditional instruments, some as an orchestra and some solo. The best solo was buy an 84 year old guy who played some wacky country/bluegrass on his Chinese guitar like instrument. I really enjoyed it, but towards the end it was almost getting drowned out by the sound of the music coming from the bars outside.
The guy who established the group is now 84 but he made an appearance for the last song. In the 50s he was part of the 100 flowers group and was arrested and put in jail for 20 years. The Hundred Flowers Movement was a period in 1956 during which the Communist Party encouraged its citizens to openly express their opinions of the communist regime. After this brief period of liberalisation, The regime abruptly changed course. The crackdown continued through 1957 as an Anti-Rightist Campaign against those who were critical of the regime and its ideology. Those targeted were publicly criticised and condemned to prison labor camps.
Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel stopping briefly at the Rock Bar where some teenagers were playing crowd pleasing self composed rock songs.
Tomorrow we take an internal flight North East to the city of Chengdu .....
Today we took an Air China flight North East to the city of Chengdu 800 km away. We left the hotel early morning for our midday flight. It was another hot sunny day as we drove the 40 minutes to the airport. We have enjoyed our short visit to Lijiang, and finding out about the Naxi people. You do wonder what the future holds for these people as they are a community of only 350,000 world wide, and judging by the age of the orchestra members last night, I am not sure how interested the younger generation are in carrying on their traditions. We arrived at Chengdu International Airport at just after 1.30pm
Chengdu
Chengdu is the provincial capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China. Chengdu is the fourth most populous city in China with a population of over 14 million. It is one of the most important economic, financial, commercial, cultural, transportation, and communication centres in Western China. Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport is one of the top 40 busiest airports in the world, and Chengdu Railway Station is one of the six biggest railway stations in China.
In to the city centre
Exiting the air conditioned airport, the heat was stifling - it was in the low 30C's but the humidity was oppressive. Luckily our bus was air conditioned which made the 40 minute drive into the centre comfortable. First impression is that this city appears the most westernised of those we have seen so far, with lots of western stores. As usual there is a lot of traffic, but there are a lot more motorbikes and push bikes than we have seen so far. In the battle of the ring roads and which city has the most, Chengdu is doing well - currently has 5 and another two under construction!
We passed by the main centre square which has a huge 12m Chairman Mau statue - only 10 cities in China have still retained their Mau statues which tells us something. Chengdu is also the birth place of one of the most practiced religions in China - Taoism.
Buddhist monastery
We stopped to look at the city centre Manjushri Monastery which is a Buddhist Temple. It has a lovely calm atmosphere considering it is in the middle of the city, although the humidity made it uncomfortable walking round. Although looking really ancient, like a lot of temples in China it was re- built in the 80s following the destruction of many by the Mau regime. There were some pools in the grounds with loads of basking turtles round the edges.
Then it was round the corner to our hotel for the night and an air conditioned room. After a couple of hours chilling out we walked around the corner to a local restaurant for an evening meal.
Tomorrow we will visit the nearby Giant Panda sanctuary. Local people are quite excited as just 10 days ago a baby panda was born, and we are expecting to be able to see it when we visit.
Wow ! What a day !
A 7.30am start and it was already extremely hot and humid with a promise of 36C later. We joined the bus and drove the 20km north out of the city to the Chengdu Giant Panda centre.
Giant panda
The giant panda, a Chinese national treasure, is one of the rarest animals in the world. The total number is estimated to be 1,500, including those living in the wild, 80 percent of which are here in Sichuan Province.
The western world came to know giant pandas only after a French missionary named David first discovered this species in Sichuan in 1869. Now, the somewhat clumsy giant panda is a symbol representing the World Wildlife Fund. They are also a messenger of friendly communication between Chengdu and international cities.
Chengdu has established the world renowned breeding and research base for giant pandas, which attracts almost 100,000 visitors each year. 40 minutes drive outside the city, covering tens of hectares with bamboo groves and a native-like habitat, the base is the only one of its kind located in an urban area. The centre also has about 60 red pandas which are actually part of the raccoon family, but are here as they eat the same food.
Pandas are actually meat eaters, but are too slow to catch any prey in the wild, so eat native bamboo. Panda young are born only one thousandth the weight of the mother and are pink until about one month when they start growing the distinctive fur. The panda species is estimated to be 8 million years old, and the usual expected lifecycle of a species is only 5 million years, so they are classed as 'ancient'.
We arrived at the centre at about 8am just after it opened as large crowds were expected to see the new born. The area is very large and there are a network of Tarmac paths to walk along through the bamboo and forest areas. It was really amazing as we went round a corner and saw our first pandas. There were 3 of them laying down and leaning against trees eating bamboo. We quickly realised that eating bamboo is pretty much their only occupation. They appear lazy because they do not get much goodness from the bamboo so have to conserve energy for when they really need it ie mating and defence in the wild. The pandas are actually more black and beige than black and white.
We then walked on to see the new born - there are actually twins but we could only see one. Because it was only 10 days old, the baby was in an incubator and being constantly monitored by a vet. It looked like a small pink rat.
Next we walked on to another pound to see some more babies however these were 2 year olds that were nearly fully grown. They were hilarious to watch as two were eating bamboo but the third was determined to play and was jumping on the others and pushing them around, eventually pushing one off a wall. As we walked around there were various areas with pandas of all ages all lazing or eating. They can live for as long as 40 years.
Despite the humidity making it a major task to even stroll gently around, we carried on to see the other animal that is kept at the reserve - the red panda. This is actually one of the racoon family and is a lovely golden red colour. These are kept in a separate large compound and mingle with the visitors. We saw a couple eating and one sleeping high in a tree.
After watching a short documentary about the centre and the problems they have overcome to successfully breed pandas, we were back on the coach for the 30 minute journey to Chengdu East Railway station where we caught the 12.30 to Chongqing. The scale of the station needs to be seen to be believed....it is just like an airport, and has 26 platforms. After passing through airport style security and grabbing some food inside, we caught our second bullet train of the trip.
Chongqing
Chongquing is one of the so called Chinese furnace cities, due to their extremely high average temperatures, and in fact it has the highest of all. It regularly reaches 40C and over! When we arrived after our 2.5 hour 4 station trip it was just that 40C. The city is one of the most popular cities for catching a boat down the Yangtze, hence it being our destination.
The train journey was great as we had good seats and the views were tremendous. The country side was lush, hilly and entirely rural. There were loads of rice fields and houses clinging onto hill sides. Occasionally there was a deeper valley with a large river running through it. With all the humidity and lush green scenery, it is hard to believe that a lot of the other half of this huge country is dry desert.
During the journey a couple of young female Chinese started talking to one of our group, and it transpired that it had taken them over an hour to get up the courage to start the conversation as it was the first time that they had talked to a foreigner.
Alighting from the train at Chongqing the heat and humidity just takes your breath away. Just standing still you start sweating. I have been in humid places near the equator which have been in low 30Cs, and Death Valley in the US where it was over 40C dry heat, but the conditions here were just indescribable. The city is surrounded by mountains which traps the heat and there are two major rivers (Yangtze and Jailing running through it which contribute to the humidity. The nearest comparison would be like walking through a sauna.....with a row of ovens at top temperature with their doors open !
We were due to join a ship to cruise down the Yangtze for 3 days, but before that we took the bus from the station to a museum which provides some history and information on the 3 gorges dam further down river which will be our destination. Chongqing has a population of over 11 million, 32 million if you include the greater rural areas. Yet in 1984 it was only 6 million. The massive growth has been due to the dam project, both due to incoming workers, and over 1 million people who were displaced when the area was flooded.
The city was actually the war time Chinese capital during World War 2 when the Japanese over ran Beijing, and therefore it was very heavily bombed. There are numerous bomb shelters and caves in the city because of this. The city is now a major centre for car production. The centre of the city is on an island with the two rivers running down each side of it. North and South of this are the areas built since the 1980s.
After the museum we walked round the corner to have an evening meal - a hot pot ! This is not actually what we know in the UK but is actually where you have a giant pot of boiling water in the centre of the table, and all the raw ingredients set out round the pot. Then you get yourself a bowl, choose some spices and oils to make a sauce, drop your raw ingredients in the pot, cook to your preference, then take out and eat from your bowl with pre prepared sauce. It was tasty but quite a lot of hassle, and considering the ambient heat and humidity, not necessarily the meal I would have chosen!
Then it was back on the bus, a quick stop at a supermarket to pick up some snacks and drink, then we pulled up at the side of the main road running along the river to board our cruise ship. We had to walk down a steep slope, then across a rickety pontoon, and we were aboard. The ship has 6 levels, individual cabins and a capacity of about 300. On this trip there are only 100 people so it all feels pleasantly spacious.
Although the cabins are air conditioned, they are still very hot, and there is no escape elsewhere on the boat from the heat At about 9.30pm the ship set sail and we slowly moved off down stream through the city and out into the rural darkness. The city buildings were all lit up and there were lots of smaller scale boats also all lit up going on short night cruises. We also passed under several high bridges. We observed all this from the large sun deck on the top of the boat.
There are 13 in the group we are travelling with and two of them actually had their birthday's today, so we all retired to one cabin and had a few drinks as rural China slipped by in the darkness outside our window. Every so often you could here a lot of banging and scraping as we passed by a small quarry on the bank side, and huge barges slipped by us in the dark, barely visible except for their red and green warning lights.
We sail through the night in order to cover the journey of several hundred kilometres, so tomorrow we have an easy day just watching the world go by....that is unless we get up at 6am to do Tai Chi on the sun deck.....or visit the in boat gym !
I am writing this sitting on our cabin balcony cruising down the mighty Yangtze River in the early morning cool of 30C ! Not sure when you daily blog readers will read this however us there is no Wifi on the Yangtze!
We were woken up at 7am by the boat tannoy which is piped into every cabin. Initially some soothing music then an announcement that breakfast has started in the dining room! It reminded us of Hi-de-hi. We must try and see if we can turn that off....toady we were meant to be having a lie in!
As we looked out the sun was just coming up over the hills to our right. The river is not too wide here which means we can clearly see what is happening on each bank. The scene is predominantly lush green hills and rural. You can see progressive layers of higher and higher hills the further away you look. There is a quarry every so often, but mostly just a small fishing boat and well worn tracks down the hills to the water side, presumably to allow the locals to get to their boats. There are a few small sampan type craft and fishing boats, and we did see another cruise ship behind us at one point, but the main boat traffic last night seemed to be large barges carrying gravel or cars and other goods, although now we are away from the city, these seem to have disappeared too.
We went down to breakfast and found out that the boat is stopping later to give us an opportunity to visit the Shibaozhi Pagoda. Until then we chilled in the cabin and sat on the balcony for short periods until driven in by the heat and humidity. Your clothes feel damp before you even put them on, so we chose to leave them off when we were not in polite society !!
The Yangtze is the third longest river in the world, at almost 4,000 miles. Rising in Tibet and flowing out into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It passes through some of China’s most spectacular scenery, although some of this has been lost due to the Three Gorges Dam.
Shibaozhai
The boat moored up at a temporary pontoon at about midday, and after lunch At 2pm some of us set off to visit the Shibaozhai pagoda literally meaning "Precious Stone Fortress", which is a hill along the bank of the Yangtze River in Zhong County. To get there we had to walk up the slipway, then through a village, and across a bridge. This rocky and craggy hill has extremely steep sides and is about 200 meters (660 feet) tall. On the river side of the hill is a red pavilion built in 1819 of nine floors which leans against the side of the hill providing a walkway to the temple at the top of the hill. At the top of Shibaozhai is a three-storied Buddhist temple called the Purple Rain Pavilion. Prior to the construction of the pavilion, visitors to the temple were hoisted to the top using a system of chains. With the construction of the Three Gorges Dam the base of the red pavilion would have been beneath the reservoir's water level. A large wall was built around the base to protect it from the rising water level. The part of the surrounding town that was formerly situated below the pagoda (also beneath the reservoir's water line) has been demolished and is now submerged, and the population were moved further up the banks of the river. By the time we walked back to the boat in the 35C heat and humidity we were all literally drenched with sweat.
Gorge collapse and a change of plans
One of the features of the cruise down the Yangtze is to sail through 3 dramatic gorges, however the ship received news that following heavy rains (the wet season is just starting in this area) further down stream, part of the side of the narrowest gorge has been washed away and there is a large chunk of rock that looks likely to collapse into the river at any time. Once it collapses it can be cleared away but until then all shipping through the gorge has been halted. We have we. Informed of alternative plans for the next couple of days. Which involve leaving the ship, catching a bus through the mountains, and then re-joint the Yangtze further down to get another ship. This is a bit disappointing as this was going to be there,axing part of the trip and now we have to pack everything up, move, and in pack again.
Whilst we digested all this, we had a couple of drinks, then went to have our evening meal. After there was some entertainment provided by some of the crew including traditional Chinese and Tibetan dance, and magic. It was actually pretty good.
So, tomorrow after the ship has cruised during the night, we will moor up and have a look at the gorge we cannot go down, then a bus ride through the mountains to our second ship !
The Wu Gorge
Woke up to the usual heat and humidity and to find that the ship was just about to moor up. We have arrived at a town called Fengjie where the ship will terminate it's cruise. This is at the mouth of the Wu gorge where we understand there is a huge piece of cliff waiting to fall into the river and no shipping is allowed past this point.
After breakfast we set off to go to a nearby viewing point to see the entrance to the gorge. Leaving the ship was a major task as we are triple moored (as no boats can proceed passed this point) so we had to cross two others ships first, them walk across a pontoon, then start walking up the hill to the town of Fengjie. Ships regularly stop here, so although there were something like a hundred steps to climb, we only had to do about a third of these as there are 4 consecutive escalators to carry you up to the top.
We then got on a bus for a 5 minute drive up the road where we crossed a footbridge then ascended about 300 steps to a temple from which we had a good view down into the mouth of the gorge. Unfortunately it chose this time to start pouring with rain.....it would appear that the rainy season has well and truly started here. We got soaked on the way down, and because of the humidity, it can be very hard to dry out.
Back at the ship we had some lunch, then at 3.30pm, we set off on the bus for a 3 hour drive through the mountains to a point beyond the danger of the gorge where we can get on another ship for the next part of the cruise down to the 3 gorges dam.
An unexpected and spectacular drive through the mountains
As we set off on the bus, the rain was just easing off and the clouds were hanging around the mountain tops. Although the bus journey was not planned, it was great to drive through the dramatic scenery in this part of the world. We climbed out of the river valley via a road which was pretty much all hairpins. Then over a couple of dramatic and very high bridges, then it was in to a tunnel 5km long ! Then it was steep lush slopes on either side, then more deep valleys and incredibly high bridges, and an 8km tunnel! I reckon that at least three quarters of the journey was either on a bridge or in a tunnel, with the rest being dramatic mountain scenery. An interesting road side feature were the cardboard cut out police cars that appeared at the side of the road from time to time to slow traffic. We had to stop for 20 minutes at one point as by law bus drivers can only do 2 hours driving before having a break. After our break we set off again and turned on to a pretty hairy mountain road where passing places were scant to take us back down to the level of the river. It was fascinating going through the mountain villages and seeing the locals sitting outside their one room houses, who were obviously not used to non local traffic. At one point we passed a small landslide on the road that was blocking one lane but there was sufficient room for us to get by.
International incident...that escalated quickly !
We finally got back to the river and the point where we could board the next ship at about 6.30pm, however because of the gorge closure there were several other coaches going the same way as us, who were delivering people to the boats beyond the gorge, then picking up people to go back to the boats we had just left. When we arrived, there was a party of Chinese waiting to get the bus back, however they were clearly unhappy about having to wait all day until 6.30pm. Once our bus had pulled in we were told to stay on the bus until someone from the boat came up to collect our luggage, however the Chinese party were clearly unhappy and remonstrating with their tour guide. Then the tour guide for the Chinese starting arguing with our tour guide, and before we knew it a fight had broken out. Then one of the Chinese party opened the luggage hatch of the bus and starting throwing our luggage on to the street.
At this point I saw red and leapt from the coach to try and diffuse the situation. We did not want to be on the bus any longer and the Chinese wanted to get on the bus and start the journey back to the boat we had left, so myself and another of the group started unloading our cases ourselves.
In the end it ended amicably and the Chinese got on their way, and we got on the boat. Once on the boat, we were given free wine to compensate for the inconvenience. To be honest it may need more than that, but that is for another day.
By 9pm we were cruising again, although it was dark. The ship will pass through the three gorges dam ship locks in early morning, but apparently this will be hard to miss, as the locks are all lit up.
I will report in tomorrow's blog, which will also include a flight to Shanghai, one of the biggest cities in the world.
Another early start today, but the rain has stopped and the sun is out with the temperature in the mid 30Cs. After breakfast we set off to see the Three Gorges Dam.
Three Gorges Dam
The Three Gorges Dam is a hydroelectric dam and in terms of annual power generation is the world's largest power station. Except for a ship lift, the dam project was completed and fully functional as of July 4, 2012. As well as producing electricity, the dam is intended to increase the Yangtze River's shipping capacity and reduce the potential for floods downstream by providing flood storage space. However, the dam flooded archaeological and cultural sites and displaced some 1.3 million people, and is causing significant ecological changes, including an increased risk of landslides.
There are two series of ship locks installed near the dam. Each of them is made up of five stages, with transit time at around 2.5 hours. Maximum vessel size is 10,000 tons. In addition to the canal locks, there is a ship lift capable of lifting ships of up to 3,000 tons.
The concrete and steel dam is 7,661 feet long, almost 600 feet high and used about 510,000 tons of steel – enough to build the Eiffel Tower sixty times. The reservoir that has been created measures 405 square miles in area and allows huge ocean going freighters to sail into the heart of China.
Last night at 1am in the morning our ship entered the huge ship locks at the dam. Some of us had stayed up to watch the spectacle. The locks can be seen from a long way away as they are all lit up in bright white light. As the boat sails in the doors are opened remotely and the walls tower above the ship. The amount of water displaced as the boat moves from one lock to another must be phenomenal, but there's is only the slightest sensation of going down, like being in a slow moving lift. The 5 locks took about 2.5 hours, then I went to bed.
When we woke up we were moored just below the dam. At about 8.30 we got off the boat to catch a bus a short distance up the road to see the dam and the locks in daylight. The whole area is huge and includes accommodation for 400 engineers who maintain the dam. Parts of the area are guarded by army personnel who stand in their boxes straight and alert and completely still. They do shifts of 2 hours at a time, which is more than enough in this heat and humidity. There is actually not an awful lot to see except an area of concrete at a huge scale.
Gorge cruise
After the dam visit we returned to the boat for the hour or so cruise through the Xilling gorge. Sailing downstream, this is the third of the 3 gorges. It is wider than the other two but still very beautiful. It was great standing at the bow watching the gorge slide by, being blown about by the warm sultry breeze. The steep sides had buildings on in places, and there were occasional boats moored up at the foot of the cliffs. A road ran along the foot of the cliffs for a little while. Once through the gorge the river opened up and the city of Yichang appeared in the distance. The ship then moored up and we prepared to disembark.
Yichang and a temporary goodbye to the Yangtze
We left the boat at about 2pm for the hour or so drive through the city and out to the local airport for our internal flight to Shanghai. The city is quite small by Chinese standards but still has over 4 million population. Before the 3 gorges dam up the river, the dam at Yichang was the biggest in China, and after the 3 gorges dam was completed a lot of people who worked on its construction settled in Yichang. The Yangtze flows through the city and it has a lot of impressive bridges, including one that is an exact replica of the Golden Gate in San Francisco, and not much smaller ! When we first drove up from the river into the city we passed an old part of town that is going to be demolished to support tourism in the area (ie the 3 gorges dam), and when this happens the people will be relocated further into the newer part of the city.
Where the Yangtze flows through the city there are some more ship locks, and further out there are also a lot of mini ports for container ships. We arrived at the airport quite early and took the opportunity to have a midday meal before our 6.10pm flight. This is only a small airport, has 6 gates and only handles domestic flights. It is definitely the quietest airport I have ever been to. Our Shanghai Airlines flight took about 2 hours for the 1000km journey.
Shanghai
On arrival at Shanghai, we got yet another coach to take the one hour drive to the city centre and our hotel On the East coast of China, this is where the Yangtze flows out to the East China Sea. Shang means 'Go To', and Hai means 'Ocean'. Shanghai is the largest Chinese city by population and the largest city proper by population in the world. 150 years ago it was just a fishing village. Before 1990 people wanting to cross the rivers in the city had to cross by boat as there were no bridges. It has a population of more than 24 million. It is a global financial centre, and a transport hub with the world's busiest container port. The city was one of five opened to foreign trade following the British victory over China in the First Opium War. The city then flourished as a centre of commerce between east and west, and became the undisputed financial hub of the Asia Pacific from the 1930's.As of 2014, there are 14 metro lines, 329 stations and 538 km (334 mi) of tracks in operation, making it the longest network in the world. On 22 October 2010, it set a record of daily ridership of 7.548 million.
The city appears to be very International and cosmopolitan. The road system coming in to the city is amazing. There is a network of elevated roads that quickly carry you to near to you specific destination, then you drive down to street level to take the local roads. We travelled for an hour from the airport to our city centre hotel, and except for the last 5 minutes this was all at 60mph on the 3 or 4 lane elevated roads. It does mean though that there are an awful lot of spaghetti junction style intersections. The first expressway built in Shanghai was funded by the U.S. And UK.
We arrived at about 9pm at the hotel after another hot and tiring day. Tomorrow we have a look around the city,
Today we decided to take things easy. We had a late breakfast and then went out into the hot and humid day at about 11am. The nearest metro station is only a few minutes walk from our hotel, so,we set off to go into the Huangpu River area which runs through the heart of the city.
Shanghai Metro
We wanted to get a pre paid metro card but could not work out how to do this and as any individual journey only costs about 40p we were not too concerned and got individual tickets for each separate journey. It is really easy to navigate the underground system here (although a lot more difficult to work out where you are when you get back up to street level!). Each of the many lines is colour coded and numbered, so for instance line 8 is blue. Signs are multi lingual and use both identifiers. When you get to the right colour platform at any given station, you just choose the north or South, East or west direction etc. Once on the metro which is fast and clean, there is a very "Bladerunner" like touch where moving advertising images are projected on the tunnel walls outside the window, presumably from a camera on the outside of the train.
The station we started at was quite small, but we were getting off at People's Square station and this is absolutely huge. I reckon it is bigger than most if not all main line stAtions in the UK. From here we walked one of the main shopping streets in Shanghai - Nanjing Road, which is pedestrianised. This was heaving. It has one of the biggest Department Stores in the world. There are security people and police walking around, and the army was also present outside one of the jewellery stores, but it did not feel that there was any risk of being robbed. There were very few Westerners walking around, and we got the usual routine of long hard stares, followed by people trying to take a surreptitious photo or selfie with us.
Shanghai skyline
At the end of this long street is a promenade are which runs along the river bank called The Bund, and here you can get great photos of the skyline of the financial and business district over on the other side of the river. We decided to try out the intriguingly named 'sightseeing tunnel' which runs under the river over to the other side. This was rather bizarre. You got into little unmanned pods on rails which then ran through a tunnel hewn out of the rock, whilst a psychadelic light show is projected on the rock walls, and a strange running commentary is piped into the pod with random words being spoken like "molten lava" and "sedimentary rock". Towards the end a picture of a shark flashed up, then we had arrived after just a couple of minutes journey.
Over on the Business District side there were still lots of people walking around, and at a large nearby roundabout, to avoid the problem of thousands of pedestrians trying to cross the road, they have constructed a network of raised walkways including one that goes right round the large roundabout.
We then did another metro journey to try and find a "street of influential people" but could not work out which way to walk once we got off the train, so we gave up and made our way back to the hotel to chill out for the rest of the afternoon.
Tomorrow we have yet another flight, this time from Shanghai 1,500 km to a city called Guillin which is famous for its scenery of "karst topography"!
Early start today to catch an 8.30 am flight from Shanghai International Airport 1500km South East to Guilin. The 2 hour flight with China Eastern Airlines was delayed about an hour, but when we landed we were quickly on a coach to drive to our hotel.
Guilin
Guilin is situated on the west bank of the Li River, and has a population of about 5 million. Its name means, "Forest of Sweet Osmanthus", owing to the large number of fragrant Sweet Osmanthus or Acacia trees located in the city. The city has long been renowned for its scenery of limestone karst topography - this is basically huge rounded hills seemingly sprouting out of the flat land.
This area of Southern China is sub tropical and monsoon country, and when we exited the airport it was, hot, humid and very very wet with the rain absolutely hammering down. The area gets about 6 feet of rain a year (no mucking about with millimetres), most of which falls in the summer period. In the winter farmers sometimes don't have enough water. The River Li runs through the area, and our hotel is near a tributary of this - the Peach Blossom River. Any rain that falls quickly makes its way in to the rivers as it runs straight down the limestone hills, so the river levels can go up very quickly after rain falls.
This area is also a so called autonomous region like Tibet as it has a large number of minority groups. These areas have some leeway to make their own rules and regulations but also clearly has to conform to the major legislation driven by the national government.
We arrived at the hotel at about midday. Soon after the rain stopped, and we had some good views from our 8th floor room of one of the 4 man made inner city lakes. We could also see some of the limestones hills in the distance.
Wander around the city
At about 2.30pm I decided to go out and have a bit of a wander round the city centre which is very small in Chinese standards. I started off walking around the lake which is outside the hotel. The sound of the cicadas was almost deafening in the trees around the lake. There are small ornate bridges around the lake, and various covered areas where locals were playing cards or sitting and talking. I the left the lake and headed down the back streets towards the city square. The main downtown area is centred around the city square and one of the main road routes through the town. There are lots of western style shops here. The locals like there motorbikes here and there are lots of places to park your bike where an attendant will look after it for a few Yuan while you go off to shop or eat etc.
What with the lakes and the rivers there are a lot of bridges, and the most striking one is known locally as the Golden Gate Bridge, but it's colour is where the similarity to its US namesake ends. Bizarrely, a young couple appeared to be doing some kind of photo shoot on the bridge amongst the traffic when I was there. There is a boat that does a night cruise of the lakes and river when everything is lit up but we did not partake. Instead when the sun set, four of us went over the road to try a local restaurant, where we had 4 massive dishes and beer all for a fiver each.
We then retired to our hotel rooms to prepare for tomorrow when we will be driving out of the city to pick up a boat to cruise the local river and see the local karst topography....and apparently cook some Chinese food....
Set off on the bus at 8.30am from the hotel. Cooler day today as it rained last night and cleared the humidity a bit. We saw a lot of lightning from our hotel in the night. It was dry to start with today, but soon started raining again. It would appear that here the rains come in the morning but the afternoon is dry.
The unusual shaped karst topography in this region covers a huge area and wherever you are in the city, in at least one direction you can see the unusually shaped hills in the distance. As we left the city, the hills became more prevalent, and as you looked further in to the distance you could see layer after layer of the strange shaped peaks.
Dramatic scenery on river cruise
After 30 minutes drive we reached the wharf where we are to pick up the boat. This is a really popular tourist destination for Chinese and Japanese and the place was packed. There were dozens of boats waiting to take all the sightseers. All the vessels were basically the same design - three decks, 2 of seating and one open deck at the top. We quickly got aboard and then all the boats starting manoeuvring to get away. We were cruising down stream for about 50 km between Zhujiang Wharf and Yangshou. The river was flowing extremely fast as we are now in the wet season which started in June. Many small villages on the drive to the boat had some flooded streets so I am not sure what the place would be like in the middle of the wet season.
After getting a complimentary tea we were under way for what turned out to be a fascinating journey. The scenery really is a candidate for a natural wonder of the world. The river cuts right through the staggeringly shaped hills of all shapes and sizes. Some meet the water with a sheer cliff, whilst others slope down and are covered with jungle vegetation. Every so often there are very small fishing villages, given away but the lines of boats tied up at the rivers edge. Lots of these villages do not have roads running to them and rely on the river for food and transport. There were lots of waterfalls cascading down the steep sided hills, and we spotted several caves.
The rain kept stopping, then starting again, but the scenery was all the more dramatic for being shrouded in cloud and mist. Just as fascinating as the scenery, were the antics of the dozens of boats, weaving in and out of each other and taking unusual routes down the river to avoid unseen obstacles. There was clearly areas of land that were under water as there were trees sticking up mid channel in some places. Small fishing boats would start following the bigger boats and pulling up to pass fish to the crew who would prepare it at the back of the boat for serving later. And all this going on with an extremely strong and fast current due to the rain fall.
Cooking our own lunch, and some snake wine
It was an amazing 3 hours cruising down the river, but we eventually pulled in at our destination - Yangshou, as the rain finally stopped. As we got off the boat there was a fisherman there with two large Cormorants which they use and train to catch fish. I got a photograph of me holding a pole with one bird at either end. They were really heavy! Next we walked into the village which is unbelievably picturesque nestled into the hills. We stopped to eat at a local restaurant with a difference. The cloud 9 restaurant is part cooking school, so we were going to learn a bit of Chinese cooking, and then eat our preparations later!
We cooked three dishes, a Chinese salad, some dumplings, and a stir fry. They were actually quite tasty, but it was hot with all the cookers and woks going. Here they also sell various wines or firewaters, with dubious things in them. I had a 50% proof concoction with a snake in it!
Next we headed back to the bus to drive the two hours back to the city. The drive was interesting - they are rebuilding the road as it has become a busy tourist route, only they have started and left it half done, so lots of holes in the road to navigate and some hairy driving. We also passed through some quite poor looking farming areas, where rice and water chestnuts were being grown.
Pearl show
Back in the city, we stopped at a Government run pearl factory - Guilin is 'only' 400 km from the South China Sea coast so this is a recognised centre for pearls. We also had a rather surreal pearl modelling show, where some young ladies paraded in front of us with various pearl accoutrements. Needless to say none of us bought any.
Then it was back to the hotel for a relaxing evening.
Tomorrow we have our fifth and final internal flight, this time from Guilin over to the South East China Coast to a place called Guangzhou, where we will ultimately catch a ferry to Hong Kong.
Another early to start to catch an 8am flight East to a city on the South China Sea called Guangzhou.
Guangzhou
Guangzhou also known as Canton, and less commonly as Kwangchow is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in South China. Located on the Pearl River, about 120 km (75 mi) north-northwest of Hong Kong and 145 km (90 mi) north of Macau, Guangzhou is the third largest Chinese city and the largest city in South Central China. In 2014 the city's administrative area was estimated to have a population of 14 million.
The flight was just one hour, so we were exiting the airport by 9.30am. The heat he is stifling. The temperature today is 33C but the humidity was over 90% and you sweat even in an air conditioned environment. Once in the bus, it was a 45 minute drive to the city centre. This is a big city, and like Shanghai, has a well developed series of expressways and flyovers to get you into the vicinity of where you want to go, before going down on the local roads. It rained briefly as we were driving in, but the rest of the day was dry and there was even a brief period of sun, but you would not want to go out in it.
This is the home of Cantonese, which is the second most widely spoken Chinese language behind Mandarin which is taught in all schools. An amazing 105 million people live in this province alone, and this SE corner of China was the first area of the country to be opened up to the outside world in 1978, as an experiment to see if the new government policies would work. It is now one of the most educated and well off areas of the country, and the people from here are some of the most travelled. There re more than 30 Universities and colleges in this city.
Our first stop was an old house that used to belong to the Chen clan, and is now owned by the government and houses the Guangzhou Folk Arts Museum. It has a lot of museum pieces and is also a nice tranquil place in the middle of the city.
Shamian Island
Next we drove a few more minutes to get to Shamian Island. This is a real oddity. It is a piece of land not more than 400m wide at its widest point, which is bordered by the Pearl River on one side and a man made moat on the other. From the 1850s to 1970s it belonged to the British, and all the building were built by the British and French in a European style. The buildings all now belong to the Government and are either public buildings or apartments that have really cheap rents. Traffic is restricted and there are only a couple of shops. The streets are really esplanades for strolling and admiring the architecture, which as it was Sunday, a lot of the locals were doing. There were also lots of people dressed for weddings and having photos taken - it is quite photogenic. It is also a place where the locals come to do Tai Chi, and play mahjong etc.
Orphans
We saw quite a lot of Westerners here with Chinese babies. Not sure why we have seen them here particularly, however there is a big trade in Westerners adopting Chinese babies, which started when a lot of baby girls were orphaned as a result of the one child policy and parents wanting male offspring. Nowadays, it also includes Hildesheim orphaned due to disabilities, again partly linked to the one child policy.
Then it was a short drive to our hotel, for an early finish. The hotel is 27 floors high and has some good views, however there is currently a building under construction in the city, which when finished will be 0.6 km high !!
Tomorrow, we take a ferry from Guangzhou to Hong Kong.
Bade farewell to our guide today as we leave mainland China from Guangzhou via ferry to travel down the Pearl River to Hong Kong.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ("Fragrant Harbour") is officially known as Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, and is a city located on the southern coast of China at the junction of the Pearl River Estuary and the South China Sea. Hong Kong is well known for its expansive skyline, deep natural harbour and extreme population density (some seven million inhabitants over a land mass of 1,104 km2 (426 sq mi)).
The current population of Hong Kong comprises 93.6% ethnic Chinese. A major part of Hong Kong's Cantonese-speaking majority originated from the neighbouring Guangdong province, from where many fled during the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Chinese Civil War, and the communist rule in China.
After China's defeat in the First Opium War (1839–42) against the British Empire, Hong Kong became a British colony. After it was occupied by Japan during the Second World War (1941–45), the British resumed control until 30 June 1997.
Final look at Mainland China
We left the hotel on the bus and battled through the Monday Morning Guangzhou rush hour traffic to get to the harbour for our 11am ferry. We had check in our luggage and show our passports, and dig out our immigration papers, as we were leaving mainland China.
The country has thrown up a few surprises for me even though I have known people who have been here, including my late father. The country is unbelievably vast, and has a huge population, but this is being managed. They say everything is bigger in America, but China has certainly got its fair share of biggest, longest, tallest etc. The people are really friendly, but also still very inquisitive about Westerners. The mobile phone rules here - it seems just about everyone has one, and most of the time they are on it. It is easy to get around here using the local transport systems. Most of all, this is a country that has changed beyond recognition in the last 30 plus years, and does not look likely to stop changing any time soon, with construction going on across the whole country in the shape of housing, roads, transportation infrastructure, dams and so on. And yet, travelling through some of the rural areas, it is also clear that some people's lives have not changed a great deal in generations.
Ferry down the Pearl River
Once out of the city we travelled through miles and miles of flat land with small farms dominated by the huge network of roads, railways and rivers/canals criss crossing the area. You can also travel to Hong Kong by road, rail or air from here. There is a huge new railway station here where you can catch the hi speed train. The journey time north to Beijing has been cut from 36 hours to 8. We eventually arrived at Shunde Harbour where we checked in for the ferry which can carry up to 300 people, but today was quite empty. We had to wait for the departure in an airport style departure lounge. We also had to show our passports, check in our luggage, and on arrival had to go through immigration procedures.
The ferry had two internal decks, with allocated aircraft style seating and took 2 hours to cruise through the Pearl River delta. The ferry was a high speed vessel and absolutely rocketed along. You could not go outside so had to look through the grimy windows, however it fascinating watching all the barges and container ships going backwards and forwards. Because this area is a huge river delta, it is very flat, so you can see for miles. We went under numerous bridges and passed loads of quarries and docks. It was a hot humid and dry day so visibility was good despite the river being so wide.
Arrival in Hong Kong
Eventually we arrived at the ferry terminal and after getting through immigration, were met by a local guide and a bus to do a whistle stop tour of Hong Kong. Hong Kong is a crazy place. A population of about 8 million, over an area made up of over 20 different islands, a lot of the area built up the side of some impossibly steep mountain sides. The area also has over 9000 buildings that are over 30 storeys high.
Apparently there has been a typhoon in nearby Macau and some of the Hong Kong weather comes from that direction, but the weather when we arrived was the usual 30C+ and humid with cloud cover. We drove for 20 minutes into the centre of Hong Kong Island, the biggest Island along with Kowloon, to go up the extremely steep Funicular Railway to Victoria Peak which is over 400 meters high and has magnificent views over the city. Despite it being a bit hazy, the views were tremendous. We were last here in 2008, and when we get home we will have to see if we can tell which buildings are new - they are still building new skyscrapers here.
After having something to eat in one of the cafes in the massive shopping area at the top, we rejoined the bus to go down the steep mountain roads back to sea level to stop at an area called Aberdeen, which used to be a simple fishing village with about 2000 fishermen. Nowadays, there are only about 200 fishermen based here and the area is surrounded by skyscrapers. For 6 U.S. Dollars we took a lovely 20 minute cruise in a Sampan around Aberdeen harbour to see all the fishing boats, moored next to the mega expensive yachts.
Next it was back on the bus and a drive over some more hilly roads to Stanley Market which is a small market on the coast of the South China Sea, with a small beach front. We stopped in a bar for a quick drink, then it was back to the bus to a local hotel where we had arranged to catch a hotel shuttle bus for our evening flight back to the UK.
It has been a great trip, but tiring, as we have managed to fit so much in. I would highly recommend China as a destination for the slightly adventurous.
Arrival
Arrived in Amsterdam at about 8am local time after the short 50 minute flight from Bristol on KLM airlines. Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands. With more than one million inhabitants in its urban area, it is the country's largest city and its financial, cultural, and creative centre. The total population of the Netherlands is 9 million.Amsterdam derives its name from the city’s origin as “Dam” of river “Amstel”. In the past, the name was "Amstelredamme" which later changed to “Amsterdam”. Amsterdam is one of the most popular destinations in Europe, attracting over 7 million international travellers annually.Amsterdam is colloquially known as Venice of the North because of its lovely canals that criss-cross the city, its impressive architecture and more than 1,500 bridges. As we flew in it looked like there were nearly as many canals or waterways as there were roads.The official name of the country is the Netherlands. In the rest of the world, the name Holland is commonly used for the entire country. However, when used correctly, the name Holland only refers to the area covered by the provinces of North and South Holland. Outside of this area it is like calling a Scotsman English!
Finding our way
Once through passport control we headed to the airport train station to get a train into Central Amsterdam. The ticket machines are quite easy to use and a ticket for the 20 minute journey was about £3.50, during the journey we passed mainly through road rail and canal intersections it seemed.....not very glamorous. On the way there was a brief snowstorm, but it was sunny by the time we left the station. We decided to head to our hotel despite the early hour to see if we could check in early or at least dump our bags. The walk was only about 10 minutes along cobbled streets, across tramlines and canals, until we reached Herengracht, the street where 5 old canal side townhouses have been converted into a hotel, and where we are staying for a couple of days.
A walk round the old centre
We were able to check in (at 9am!) and had a coffee in the room, then headed out to explore. As we stepped out it started snowing again but luckily soon stopped to be replaced by sun again. The old centre of Amsterdam consists of loads of cobbled streets criss crossing the many canals and lots of traditional architecture. In the side streets you will find coffee shops, cafes and boutique clothing shops galore, with several speciality shops sprinkled about i.e. Cheese shops, cannabis shops, liquor stores many of which sell various strains of Absinthe....the strongest we saw was 92% proof !The sale, possession, and consumption of small quantities of cannabis while technically still illegal, is officially tolerated here, but coffeeshops are subject to increasing restrictions.
Canal Ring
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Canal Ring in the city centre was dug in the 17th century to attract wealthy home owners. It is still a posh neighbourhood with many Dutch celebrities owning property here. We intend to do a boat tour whilst we are here. All the boats we saw on the move were covered barges taking tourists around, however most of the moored boats are house boats that are permanent residences for locals. All along the railings there are literally hundreds of bikes chained up - cycling is massive here. There are also quite a few points in the city to charge your electric car, and the tourist boats are eco friendly as well.After wandering the streets for a couple of hours, we retired to the hotel for a rest, before heading out to Anne Frank's house just round the corner.
Anne Frank
Annelies Marie Frank was a German-born diarist and writer. She is one of the most discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Her diary, The Diary of a Young Girl, which documents her life in hiding during the German occupation of the Netherlands in World War II, is one of the world's most widely known books and has been the basis for several plays and films. Before we came over, we watched the 2001 film with Ben Kingsley so that we could appreciate the visit more. Born in the city of Frankfurt, Germany, she lived most of her life in or near Amsterdam. Born a German national, Frank lost her citizenship in 1941 and thus became stateless. The Frank family moved from Germany to Amsterdam in the early 1930s when the Nazis gained control over Germany. By May 1940, they were trapped in Amsterdam by the German occupation of the Netherlands. As persecutions of the Jewish population increased in July 1942, the family went into hiding in some concealed rooms behind a bookcase in the building where Anne's father worked. In August 1944, the group was betrayed and transported to concentration camps. Anne and her sister, Margot, were eventually transferred to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp via Auschwitz, where they died (probably of typhus) in February or March 1945, just weeks before the camp was liberated in April.Otto Frank her father, the only survivor of the family, returned to Amsterdam after the war to find that Anne's diary had been saved by one of the people who helped conceal them, Miep Gies, and the diary was eventually published in 1947, becoming the most read book in the world after the bible.Anne was both a normal teenage girl of 13 when she went into hiding but also a very strong character who at times helped to keep her family from giving up. She had a spirit, strength and intelligence that belied her age. It is very moving to think that one of her ambitions was to have a book published and she subsequently became one of the most successful authors of modern times after her life was so cruelly taken from her. It is also tragic to think that hers is just one of the millions of young lives that were snuffed out so senselessly. Walking around the house and secret annex where she spent the last couple of years of her short life was very moving, especially as (like Auschwitz that I have also visited) the museum is done so sensitively leaving as much as possible of the buildings just as they were. It is hard to describe the feeling when you see such artefacts in real life as the yellow cloth star that all Jews were required to where in occupied Europe.
A relaxing end to the day
After leaving the Anne Frank house, we went and found a local supermarket to stock up on some supplies for the evening and then retired to the hotel for an early night (this did include the consumption of Absinthe).Tomorrow we intend to do a boat based tour of the canals and explore the city some more.
Some Dutch culture
After a bit of a lay in, we headed back out to the streets of Amsterdam at about 10am......to find it was snowing again. Seems to happen every time we step outside. However by the time we had done the 20 minute walk south to our first destination, it had stopped. We are starting the day with a walk around the Rijksmuseum which houses all sorts of Dutch art. The museum sits on a square with several other museums and in the summer I am sure is a nice place to stroll around.
The museum is housed in a huge palace like building with 3 floors all of which have several wings. There are paintings by the likes of Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Vermeer, as well as sculpture, clothing and other artefacts from Dutch history. There is also some modern art from current artists, including a particularly interesting physical piece which resembles nothing more or less than a recreation of a body after it had been turned inside out by John Carpenter's "The Thing". Very visceral.
A canal round trip
After leaving the museum and noting it immediately started snowing again, we decided to pick up a canal boat at the canal opposite the museum and do the 1.5 hour water based sight seeing trip. The boats are similar dimensions to a UK canal boat, but have Windows the length of the craft, and glass roofs. The tour sticks to 4 or 5 different canals that ring the centre, but takes you past a lot of the main tourist sites and also visits the big basin outside the central station. Locations included Anne Frank's house, the Opera House, a posh hotel where Madonna, Bill Clinton, and the Rolling Stones have stayed, a museum shaped like a boat, and a set of houses that were squatted in the 80s which led to altercations with the police and finally eviction for the squatters.....followed by renovation of the building and letting of the rooms back to the self same squatters.
Prostitutes at one o'clock
Following the boat trip, and after grabbing some food, we walked back into the centre to have a wander round the so called red light district. Prostitution is decriminalized in the Netherlands but only for those prostitutes registered at a permitted brothel. It is illegal for sex workers to solicit for customers on the street. Prostitutes therefore advertise their wares in shop front style windows. The red light district is basically a few canal side streets and alleys, where the brothels are interspersed with sex museums and sex shops, and several bars. It is the only place we have seen local police on foot. Taking photos of the ladies is very much taboo.
A lazy evening
After all this excitement, we walked back to our hotel to chill out. Later we may head back out to have a look at the city by night.
Update- we took a stroll out into the Amsterdam night at about 7.30pm. The bridges are all lit up as well as several of the trees. We somehow ended up back in the red light district which as you can imagine is a whole lot different at night. Loads more girls and everything lit on garish red. Lots of live sex shows as well. All feels a bit sad, but is certainly a spectacle.
Tomorrow we get on a train and head south to the city of Tilburg.
South to Tilburg
It sounded easy- walk to Amsterdam Central station, catch a train to Tilburg an hour and a half away, just one change......
We had already purchased our tickets, but we had to work out the final destination of the train we needed. On arrival at the station, looking at the timetables we worked out we needed the train to Maastricht at the extreme south of the country, but soon after we got on the very comfortable double decker Inter City, we realised from the on train notices that the train was only going as far as the next big town - Utrecht.
Luckily, we managed to get free on train wifi, and worked out we needed to get a train to Breda. Once we arrived at Utrecht, we identified the platform and rushed on to the train standing on it......to find it was the train to Den Haag ie west not south. Before we knew the doors had closed and we were on our way. More feverish online timetable scouring revealed that the next stop was Gouda (home of the cheese) but there was nothing going south from there, so we had to get a train further west to Rotterdam, and then finally get a train that both went south and stopped at our destination Tilburg!
Luckily, the Netherlands is not a big country and the trains run very frequently between the major towns, so we only added about an hour to our journey......and saw more of the country!
Water water everywhere
I think it is well known that the country is very flat, but it is hard to emphasise just how much water there is here. Every few yards there is a canal or drainage channel. Most of the canals in the country side do not appear to be linked and have no vessels on them. There are however some very wide ship canals which clearly have a lot of commercial boat traffic. There does not appear to be any culture of boating for pleasure on the canals. Just on some of the lakes. Boats appear to be either house boats that do not move or commercial vessels.
The trains are very comfortable and frequent. Tickets are not too expensive and you do not need to book a seat as there is plenty of room for all travellers. Our tickets were not checked and we did not have to pay any extra for our additional travel.
We arrived in Tilburg at about 12.30 and walked round to our city centre hotel 10 minutes away from the station. Tilburg is the sixth largest city in the country. It started to grow during the Industrial Revolution, when wool factories were set up, thus making it the wool city of the Netherlands. As of April 2011, Tilburg had 206.186 inhabitants, making it about half the size of Bristol. The hotel is just off a nice square with cafes and bars around it, and it looked quite nice with the afternoon sun on it.
Punk Music festival
We have come to Tilburg so that Paul can attend a music festival here which takes place over Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Paul is only attending the Friday though which starts at 4pm. The hotel is only a few hundred metres from the venue. As soon as we arrived in Tilburg Paul saw someone he knew!
Once in the hotel we relaxed for a while, then we went out for a look around the town, which to be fair, is a typical 1970s built town centre. There is a nice square outside our hotel though and lots of bars and cafes. We then walked round to the venue to get a wristband to allow for passing in and out, before the event kicks off at 4pm. We bumped into some more people that Paul knew and had a bit of a chat, then it was back to the hotel to relax before the gig.
Tomorrow we head back to Amsterdam, and hopefully the train trip runs a bit more smoothly.
Back to Amsterdam
Left the hotel at Tilburg and walked round to the station. Still cold but a lovely sunny cloudless day. Got the 9.40am train to Hertogenbosch, and then changed there for a direct train to Amsterdam. Journey went smoothly and we were alighting at Amsterdam Central by 11.30. Met a young guy on the train who was Polish, but had moved to Germany, then to the UK, and now lives in Netherlands. Naturally he spoke great English. It makes you realise how far from being truly European we are in the UK.
A walk round the docks.
Like a lot of English cities, Amsterdam has a dock area that now no longer sees any commercial business. This is right next to Central Station, so we decided to have a look around before checking in to our hotel. Here there is no housing built on the site of the old docks like other places, but they have built a nice area to stroll around and look back to the city skyline. There are also a lot of tall ships moored here and the inevitable houseboats. There are also some museums and offices. One museum is shaped like a great ship, and you can walk across the roof to get some nice views back across the city.
A lazy afternoon and cultural evening
We then walked over to our hotel where were greeted like old friends as we had stayed here Wednesday and Thursday. We dumped our bags and then walked a couple of canals south to a small cafe where we had some food looking out over the street/canal and people watched. After picking up some food for later from a local supermarket, we went back to the hotel to relax.
Last night at the music festival, Paul found out that 3 of the bands that played were also playing a secret gig in Amsterdam tonight in a 250 capacity club, so at 6pm he headed off to that whilst Tracey attempted to find Six Nations rugby on Dutch TV.
Tomorrow we catch an early flight back home. We have really enjoyed our short stay in Amsterdam and travel around the Netherlands. We would definitely consider returning as it is such a short flight from Bristol.
Arrival in Thailand
Well , here we are again, setting off for an Asian adventure. We have been lucky enough to have already spent time in China, India, Nepal, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia and Vietnam, but when you learn that your daughter is going to spend time in Thailand teaching, it seems the perfect excuse to make a visit to one of Asia's most popular destinations.
We will meet up with Ali in our second week, but first it is the small matter of an 11 hour long haul flight.......
King of Siam
Our Thai Airways flight left Heathrow at 11.50am and at the end of the 6000 mile flight, we touched down in Bangkok just before 7am the following day (Thailand being 7 hours ahead of the U.K).
Officially, the Kingdom of Thailand, and formerly known as Siam, the country is now under new management following the death in October 2016 of the former king who had ruled for 70 years. His son Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavaraangkun !!(64) ascended the thrown in December.
Thailand, a predominantly Buddhist country, has a population very similar to the Uk, but covers an area of double the size. It Borders Myanamar (Burma) in the East and North, Laos in the North and West, Cambodia to the South, and has a Southern coast line with the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. The country has never been colonised by a foreign power, and was the only country in SE Asia not conquered by the Japanese in WW2.
Bangkok
Bangkok, or as the Thais call it Krungthep (city of angels), is the capital and largest city in Thailand with over 11 million inhabitants, it sits in the centre of the country, on the Gulf of Thailand, and is just 900 miles north of the equator.
We landed at Suvarnabhumi International Airport 19 miles east of Bangkok which is a hub for this part of the world and the busiest airport in SE Asia. We picked up a car and driver outside the airport and made our way to the east of the city where we are staying. The traffic was horrendous but it was rush hour. After dropping off our bags in the hotel, we set off to explore the immediate area.
An initial wander
The area we are staying in has a few of the foreign embassies, but otherwise is a bit uninspiring. We walked about a mile in the 34C heat to Lumpini Park where we hoped to find some calm away from the endless traffic and potholed pavements. The park is quite large and has a couple of lakes, as well as various small buildings which host exercise or provide badly needed shade for people to sit or play chess/cards.
Lizard problem
We also saw several large monitor lizards basking in the sun. An adult can grow to about 10 feet long, but there were also a few young ones. They do not pose a threat to humans but do eat cats and chickens. Large numbers appeared in the park around September last year and the city park authorities were told to remove at least 40 as they were scaring visitors. They were placed in a nearby National Park.
There were also a few turtles bobbing about in the water. After a stroll round the park, we returned to the hotel to wait until midday when we could get into our room. We had been awake for about 30 hours by this point to chilled in the air conditioned room for most of the afternoon.
Later we walked down the road to find something to eat.
Tomorrow......
We intend to explore the downtown area of the city, hopefully by boat!
Around Bangkok
After a nice big all you can eat breakfast in the hotel, we set off early to travel into central Bangkok which is a few KM from our position in the Eastern part of the city. We walked to the bottom of our street where the Phloen Chit Skytrain station is. The Skytrain is an elevated railway which runs through the north and East of the city. After working out how to use the ticket machine, we bought our 50p tickets to Siam Station which is the nearest to the centre this line goes before turning North.
Elevated Railways and Tuk Tuks
The trains are like London tubes but run high above the busy streets and are a quick way to get around. They are very clean and safe. Once out of the station, we quickly caught the eye of a Tuk Tuk driver to take us the last couple of KM into the area where the Central Palace is. As with any city in Asia, a ride in these "motorised Rickshaws" is always a great exhilarating experience. They are certainly quicker than taxis as they can weave in and out of the cars, but not so flexible as the mopeds that run a service here where you can ride pinion for a few pence.
Central Palace
We alighted just near the Central Palace which is heavily patrolled by police and security. This is a massive temple complex which used to be the home to Thai Kings although now is the main tourist attraction in the city. We managed to pass through security to get on to the road that runs around the palace walls but did not go in as it is not currently open - the old King is currently lying in state there, but the 100 days official period of morning finishes tomorrow and the palace will re-open to tourists next week.. We strolled around the outside, trying to avoid getting swept up in the Japanese, Chinese and Thai tourist parties, and dodging the teams of road cleaners who were out washing down the roads.
After a walk down a few side streets where there were dozens of shops selling golden statues of Buddha, we got another Tuk Tuk back to the nearest Elevated Railway station and walked back to the hotel for an air conditioned breather.
Boating Thai style
At 1.30pm we had arranged to be picked up outside the hotel and taken back down into the centre of town for a boat trip along the Chao Phraya River, and one of the main canals (or Klongs) that run through the city. Rather confusingly, the driver dropped us in a shopping centre car park, however it transpired that this was River City Mall, and is situated along the river where there are piers to catch various styles of boat.
The river here I is quite wide and absolutely filled with crafts of all shapes and sizes bombing along at speeds fast enough to cause quite a wake. Along with about 10 others we boarded a Long Tail boat and headed off into the waves. These boats are about 50 foot long by 6 foot wide and huge great engines mounted externally on the back, steered by a rudder/propeller that extends out the back by about 10 foot on a long iron pole. It was lovely whizzing along between all the different type of craft, looking at all the buildings and temples of the city along the banks, and the breeze providing a nice cool antidote to the 34C heat.
And yes, there are canals
The sea is about 15 km away from the point we were at, and off the river here are numerous canals of differing sizes. There are no river locks though so the waters are all at the same level. We turned on to one canal and went a little way up. This canal was still quite wide with all sorts of buildings built right up to the edge of the high canal walls. We then turned at the junction with another canal where a huge shoal of catfish were looking for food. Then we stopped and transferred on to a shorter and wider boat which was an old rice barge now used to ferry people up and down the waterways. We were served some fruit and Mai-Tais on board to make the return journey that more pleasant.
After docking back at the shopping mall, we headed back to the hotel for another air conditioned break before going out in the early evening to find some food.
Tomorrow we are hoping to visit the bridge over the River Kwai.
Disappointing start
The day started badly when we got up early to walk round to a neighbouring hotel to await pick up by a bus to go to the Bridge over the River Kwai 80 miles away, only to discover that we had missed a message to confirm that the pick up time was an hour earlier! As we only have one day left in Bangkok, we could not re book, so decided to head back into the city centre and see if we could spend more time exploring the area on and around the river Chao Phraya.
Boats and trains again
We caught the elevated train again but this time bought a one day "rabbit card" which for £3 allows you to make as many journeys as you like in the same day. We caught the train to Siam and changed line to travel south to Saphan Taksin station which is right by the Central Pier on the river.
After various conversations with local boat owners, we settled on buying a boat equivalent of the rabbit card allowing us to go up and down the river, through the city, hopping on and off at any one of the 13 piers.
Traditional dress and plastic ducks
First stop was Wat Arun, a small but beautiful temple complex where we ran across a small group of Thais looking resplendent in local traditional costume. After a look around the temple we re-joined the boat went along a couple of piers to Chinatown and had a mooch around the stalls and crowded narrow streets. Items for sale included every type of food, local crafts, and bags of yellow plastic ducks !
Back on the boat again we twisted and turned between all the other boats coming and going and got off at Yodpiman Mall where we found ourselves a cheap place to get a snack and a beer on the waterfront. There is a huge warehouse next to the mall which hosts a market selling flowers and vegetables which we had a quick look around. Then it was back on the boat to sail downstream to Central Pier again and catch the Elevated Railway back to the hotel for an afternoon breather.
Saturday night in Bangkok
In the evening, we returned to the river to make full use of our train and boat day tickets. The Skytrain was just as packed as has been on every other occasion, and there were loads of people waiting to catch various boats when we got down to Central Pier.
In the evening there is a shuttle boat that runs between this pier and Asiatique which is a recently built area which I imagine is a bit like Coney Island in New York. It has a giant wheel, and a few other fair ground type things, loads of eating places, and being Asia ..... Loads of market stalls. As we pulled away from Central Pier the sun was just setting and the boat was rammed with locals and tourist going for a Saturday night out.....
We had a meal and a bit of a wander, then returned to the shuttle boat for the 15 minute ride back to Central Pier. All the remaining boats were lit up in the darkness, and it was quite a magical sight. One back at the pier we walked to the Skytrain and went back to the hotel for our final night in Bangkok.
Tomorrow we fly north to the town of Chiang Mai.....
Heading north
Today we are heading north from Bangkok to Chiang Mai - the second largest city in Thailand with a population of about 200,000. We had arranged for a cab to take us to the airport and this arrived at 10.15am in plenty of time for our flight at 1.15pm. Chiang Mai (meaning New City) is 435 miles north of Bangkok and the flight time was only 1hr 10 min.
On landing at Thailand's 4th largest airport, we got a cab the 3 miles or so to our hotel just near the city centre. The town of Chiang Mai sits along the River Ping, and is surrounded by mountains, which can be classed as foothills of the Himalayas. The city centre of Chiang Mai is surrounded by a walled moat almost perfectly square, and is known as the Old City - it is just a single square mile. The greater city area has over 300 Buddhist temples located within it.
The province of Chiang Mai is home to the country's highest mountain Doi Inthanon which is 8,400 feet high and is about 2 hours drive west of the city. 70% of the province is covered by mountains and vegetation. Wat Prah That Doi Suthep is Chiang Mai’s most famous temple, which sits high on a hill and can be seen from all over Chiang Mai.
Did someone say free beer
On arrival at the hotel, we had a pleasant surprise. Reception informed us that we had a 'suite' and we would be checked in on the 7th floor. On arrival at this higher area, we found we had been given a 4 room suite, but more importantly had access to the exclusive lounge, which has a happy hour between 5.30pm and 7.30pm (a happy 2 hour me thinks), and during this time food and alcohol will be served free of charge ! I personally did not believe the alcohol would be free, so we had a little mini wager, and would test it later.
An initial excursion into Chiang Mai
In the meantime, we thought we would have a little wander around the immediate area. First stop we walked round to one of the bridges over the River Ping which is a fairly wide, quietly meandering river with barges anchored up and fisherman on the banks. Then we turned down one of the main streets that leads into the walled square mile. This was buzzing with tuk tuks, red pick up trucks that act as taxis here, and loads of mopeds. There are lots of shops offering trekking, elephant themed trips, climbing etc. Also lots of eating places and alternative clothing shops. As you walk around you realise that there are a lot of Europeans here who usually fall into two categories - back packers or aged hippies.
After a while we decided to return to the hotel to conclude the wager - free alcohol or not. Well, sure enough, free food and alcohol it was. The red wine, white wine, beer and gin flowed freely, whilst food wise, fish and sausage provided the hot side, whilst cheeses, crisps, and tomatoes/basil dishes provided the cold. We will be partaking in this facility again !
Night markets
Once our heads cleared a bit, we headed out again to the nearby night market which takes place daily from sunset to midnight. This happens all along the Main Street round the corner from our hotel, but also in various covered areas off to the side of the Main Street. You could spend hours browsing the various stalls selling just about anything you could think of....but for now we headed back to our hotel clutching a midnight snack purchased from the local 7-11 !
Tomorrow we intend to explore the city more including an excursion through the city walls.
Exploring Chiang Mai
Today we took it easy and got up late before eventually going off by foot to explore the city centre in the walled square mile. There is not much of the wall left but remnants remain by each of the "gates" where there is vehicular access. The original moat is now broken up into lots of rectangular sections, a lot of which have fountains in the centre.
Temples and shakes with ex cons
The roads are teeming with cyclists, mopeds, taxis (which are red pick up trucks with covers and seats fixed on the back), and Tuk Tuks. Pedestrians also stray onto the roads as the pavements are either in poor repair or have stalls and seats on them. It feels like there are Buddhist temples or Wats every few yards, and we wandered around a couple which looked amazing as the sun glinted off the red, white and gold surfaces. There were also quite a few monks wandering the streets. We then found a "Women's Correctional Centre" where we had a couple of ice cold shakes. It sounds strange but as they sold prison gifts, we guessed that the centre was run perhaps by ex prisoners who sold products made by current inmates.
Gone to lunch, be back in 3 months
We then walked across the centre to the northern wall and on to the local bus station to find out about the bus that we will need to take in a few days time to get to the northern border of Thailand. Once we had all the information we needed, we hailed a Tuk Tuk and went back across the city to an address where we expected to find a record shop, however on arrival, there was a sign stating it was closed between November 2016 and February 2017!
Next we walked a few minutes back into the square mile and found a cafe to sit and have a cool drink.then it was back to the hotel to spend some time by the outdoor pool. In the evening we took advantage of the happy two hours again, then went for another stroll round the night markets.
Tomorrow, we may go to a nearby National Park.....
A trip into the mountains
Today we decided to take a trip up into the nearby mountain (Doi Thutep) to visit a hill top temple Wat Phra That and a view point. After breakfast we walked out to the nearest street and hailed a Tuk Tuk to take us to the north gate of the city to pick up a Songthaew - these are red pick up trucks converted to taxis with bench seats in the back. The 15km trip to the temple cost us about a £1 each - the hotel had quoted us £30!
Multi nationality pick-up truck ride
The Songthaew drivers will not go without a full vehicle (how they keep their prices down), so we had to wait until another 8 people arrived. We ended up with a group of English, French, Chinese, Czech and Korean! The area we were going to was to the NW of the town - 2km flat and 13km up hill. The temple is at a height of 5,500 feet (1,000 feet higher than BenNevis!) and the road is continual hairpins which the driver took at about double the 30 speed limit, overtaking everything in sight.
Temple in the clouds
At the far point of the road is the inevitable market, and 236 steps up to the temple. The views are great over the town and airport, although it was a bit hazy. The heat was not quite as intense as the town below, but it was still very hot. The temple complex however provided plenty of shade. It was built in 1336 however the road to it is only very recent. We wandered around for a bit marvelling at the huge bells and gongs, the gold stupa, and the amount of people that had made their way up there. Stopping for a loo break, we were presented with a third choice of loo over and above the normal Men and Women - monks! After a quick cool drink and cursory glance in the market, we negotiated a return trip back down into town in another Songthaew. This was slightly more expensive, but we had asked to be dropped near our hotel rather than the North Gate to avoid changing to a Tuk Tuk.
Happy hour is here again....
Walking back to the hotel, we stopped at a supermarket for some snacks and a beer, timing it just right being in the lunch time window of 12 noon to 2pm when you are allowed by law to purchase alcohol from a shop. There is also a period in the evening after 7pm when you can do the same. Back at the hotel, it was time to chill by the pool (Paul), and lounge in the air conditioned room (Tracey), then we walked round to a local tourist office to ensure our pre arranged pick up for tomorrow's activity was confirmed. Then it was time for happy hour and free food and booze.
Tomorrow we hope to go to an elephant rescue sanctuary......
A day spent with elephants
Wow.....what a day......definitely a day to remember for the rest of our lives.
Today we spent the day at an Elephant Sanctuary about an hour and a half from Chiang Mai.
The Elephant Jungle Sanctuary is an ethical and sustainable eco-tourism project located approximately 60km from the city. It was Founded in July 2014 and is a joint initiative between members of the Karen hill-tribes of Northern Thailand and Chiang Mai locals who were concerned about the welfare of elephants in Thailand.
The Elephant Jungle Sanctuary is home to over forty formerly mistreated elephants, who are now free to enjoy their lives. The area we are visiting has seven of these, ranging in ages from 4 to 55. One of the eldest is a female who is pregnant, and one of the youngest is a young male called Naughty Peter, not I suspect the name on his birth certificate!
The project aims to raise awareness and educate people from Thailand and around the world about elephant care and the plight of the Asian elephant, and to create a future where elephants are not ridden, poached, overworked, or abused, and are instead treated with care, love, and respect.The Elephant Jungle Sanctuary project also provides many Karen people with employment, education, and financial support.
Into the jungle
At 8am we were picked up in the now familiar converted pick up truck. By the time we left the city we had been joined by some Americans, Canadians and Germans. We headed south on the highway, then after about 40 minutes turned on to a minor road to start heading up hill into the mountains and jungle which surround Thailand's highest peak Doi Inathon. After 1.5 hours we came to a halt on a dirt truck. It then got exciting...... We had to change vehicles and climb into the back of another pick up, this time open topped and standing. We. Then proceeded to head down the dirt track which went down at angles approaching 45 degrees, and let's not forget the hairpins.....
Eventually we got as far as vehicles go, and continued on foot downhill. At one point the guide pointed out a snake on the path, he warned us to step around it and move quickly but we were unable to clarify if it was poisonous! Then it was across a couple of wooden bridges and we reached our destination - a small clearing by a river, with a covered area containing a low table/seating.
Feeding elephants
Here we were given a top to wear in the traditional style of the Karen Hill tribe from whom our guide was from, and then told the etiquette of feeding elephants. Essentially, they are happy to take food via their trunk or straight into their mouth. What we were not prepared for is when we were let loose ,with the food they all come charging over pushing and shoving. There is a distinct skill in avoiding getting trampled.....one key element is to give the one banana at a time, and keep the rest of the bunch behind your back, unless of course there is also an elephant behind you.
Medicine balls
Once the bananas had run out, some of the men, me included, were sent up to a hut on the hillside to bring down some sugar cane for the next course. As we wandered around, you had to keep your wits about you to ensure you were not to about to be barged aside by a large male elephant weighing several tons.
After feeding, we retired to the covered area to have some pre-prepared Thai food, and lazing time in the sun or shade according to preference. Then we had some work to do... The elephants need a balanced diet, and to this end, every day they are given so called medicine balls, helpfully made by visitors just like us....
Females in the party were given the task of mixing rice and banana into a paste, the males were sent over to a separate area to chop bark and then crush it into a powder with brown rice using a medieval wooden instrument. These two constituents were then mixed together and made into balls for us to feed the elephants.
Mud bath
Then it was time for the mud bath !! Basically, this involved humans stripping down to bathing costumes, and elephants wallowing. The idea was to smother the elephants in mud, but a lot of fellow tourists got the same treatment. Then it was down to the river to wash all that mud off....needless to say a human/elephant water fight ensued.
Back in the covered area we had tea and coffee. and attempted to dry out before the trip back to the city. Back at the hotel just in time for happy hour......end to a great day.
Tomorrow.....who knows, but it won't be as good as today!
Last day in Chiang Mai
Had a lazy day today after the excitement of yesterday's elephant trip. After breakfast went for a stroll to the south west corner of the city wall where there is a small park. This is the only park within the city and is a nice relaxing area, with plenty of shade, a large lake, some exercise machines etc.
Caught on video
Whilst sitting minding his own business, Paul was surrounded by some local students who wanted to make a video of a conversation in English to show to their English teacher. We talked about the usual stuff, do you like Thailand, why did you come here, where are you from etc. Then when it came to swapping of names and ages, when Paul stated he was 52, the student said " oh you are well made, I thought you were about 30"!
We left the park and walked round to another Temple, then caught a Tuk Tuk round to the bus station to see if we could book a ticket for our journey further north tomorrow, but this did not appear to be possible, so we took a Tuk Tuk back to the hotel.
A right "walk over"
Later, Tracey persuaded me to go round to one of the nearby streets to have a Thai massage. We decided we would have a half hour neck and head massage. All the customers were receiving their treatment outside, but we were taken into a back room. Tracey's massage started straight away with Tracey in a sitting position and the masseuse applying treatment to should and neck. I had to wait a while for a masseuse to become free, and then when she arrived she insisted that I lay on my front, and she proceeded to walk up and down my body, occasionally stopping in one place, then moving on. This was meant to be the same massage ! Well at least it was only £2.50!
Back at the hotel, I decided to relax in my own way.....sitting by the pool and partaking in happy hour and the free food and alcohol! Later we went out to look around the night market
Tomorrow, we are taking a local bus right up to the far north of the country and the border with Myanamar (Burma). This is quite a mountainous route and will take about 4 hours, but it only costs about £2.20 each.
Today we left Chiang Mai and headed due north to a town called Thaton near the Burmese border. This is only a couple of miles from where Ali is working in a local school, and we will meet with her over the next few days.
Catching the bus
After checking out of our hotel, we caught a Tuk Tuk over to the bus station in the north of the city where we got a bright orange bus to Thaton which is at the end of the line. For some reason, the woman in the ticket office would not sell us a ticket until after 8.15am - we had got there early to ensure we would be able to get on the 9am bus. Once we eventually had a ticket (Which for the 4 hour trip was less than the 10 minute Tuk Tuk drive to the station from the hotel!) we were straight on the bus and did not risk getting off again even with half an hour to departure as all the buses seemed to be bursting at the seams and we did not want to lose our seats. Indeed when we pulled out of the bus station, there were at least 15 people who were having to stand, for what could be up to 4 hours. The bus was fairly comfortable, but there was no air conditioning so we had to rely on the air coming through the windows and the open doors to alleviate the 30C heat.
Up into the mountains
The town's on route get progressively smaller and about half way along the journey, we pulled into a small town bus station for a 5 minute leg stretching break. Up to this point, the route had been fairly mundane, being a main road with shops and stalls along it for 2 hours. When we set off again, the scenery started to improve a lot as we headed over the mountains. The north of Thailand is very mountainous and is part of the system of hills that extend into Laos, Burma and China linking to the Himalayas. The bus did strain a bit as it was going up the hills.
Along the way passengers asked the driver to stop wherever they wanted to be dropped, and several times the bus pulled over for a couple of minutes for the driver to buy something at a stall, or drop off a parcel! As the journey progressed, passengers got off but no one was getting on, so by the end of the journey, we were the only two people left on the bus! Obviously not a popular destination!
Arrival in Thaton
Thaton bus station turned out to be a small dusty square, with no sign of taxi or Tuk Tuk to take a weary traveller onwards. It is only a small town (population 20,000), and is not a destination for tourists as you cannot cross over into Burma here. Luckily a man happened along to unlock a door into a room which turned out to be an office connected to the "bus station", and he confirmed that the place we were staying at was only 1km further up the road. It seemed a long walk in the 1pm heat, but we eventually found it.
By the banks of the Mae Kok
We are staying in a chalet right next to the Mae Kok River which flows from Burma and crosses into Thailand here at Thaton. The grounds are beautifully laid out with trees and flowers. For the rest of the afternoon we sat outside looking over to the river a few feet away, where there were some locals out in the middle fishing, and occasionally a traditional long tail boat would zoom past.
At 4.30pm Ali arrived, having just finished work at the school and had got a lift over from another teacher. We sat and chatted, and then went for a meal in the restaurant attached to the chalets, had amazing views across the river to the mountains, and could also see some fireworks going off in the distance to celebrate Chinese New Year, which starts tomorrow, the year of the rooster.
Tomorrow we may explore the local area a bit more....
Today we went over to see the school where Ali does volunteer work teaching, and went with one of the teachers to see where some of the pupils live.
Up a steep hill to see a temple
Firstly, as it appeared that Tracey and Ali were going to have a lazy morning, Paul decided to walk into the town of Thaton and see if he could find his way up to the temple that can be seen high up in the hills for miles around.
Entering the town along the main road I passed the so called bus station, crossed the bridge over the Mae Kok River, and almost instantly found a sign to Wat Thaton pointing up a lane beside a closed cafe.Following the sign I soon came to some steps, and started to ascend. Above, there appeared to be nothing but a building site but as I reached the top I realised I had joined a road leading steeply up hill.
The first thing I came to was some statues on the steep hillside over looking the river below and some food stalls that were not yet open. There were a few monks wandering around but no other visitors. I continued up hill and started to catch glimpses of the huger white Buddha that could be seen below. Stopping at the foot of this 10 metre high statue there were some great views over the town and the river despite the early morning mist.
Finally, at the top
Then continuing up, I came across a huge gold statue with a head full of snakes, something like Medusa. This like all the other statues I came across appeared to be in positions to catch the early morning sun. Onwards and upwards I passed a few small statues at the side of the road, then finally the main temple came into sight.
It was amazing to get to the top and be the only one wandering around the temple, whilst the sounds of monks chanting accompanied my walk round admiring the awesome views across to the mountains in Burma and down to the town of Thaton. My only companions were a couple of stray dogs.
Back to school
I walked back to the hotel to find I was too late for breakfast, and anyway Ali had eaten mine. We wanted to see the school where Ali worked which is about 7 miles away, so kindly someone from the place where we are staying, drove us back down to the town where we picked up a local taxi (a yellow Songthaew pick up truck) packed with locals and set off.
The school is on the main road between a couple of very small rural villages. Like a lot of schools we have seen in Thailand, the school buildings are all built around a main square play area. The school teaches children between the ages of 5 and 19 from the local area. They group them according to ability so have different ages in the same classes. They also have a class dedicated to children with learning difficulties. Ali, and her two friends, Alice and Rachel are doing unpaid voluntary teaching at the school and are provided with basic accommodation and food on site. There is also another Thai teacher who lives on site called Yu.
The children all come from local villages and come to the school to play even when it is not official school time as it is a safe area to play and there are no open spaces or parks nearby. As we walked around looking at the school grounds and buildings, there were several children around riding their bikes.
A rare chance to glimpse rural village life
The teacher who lives in the school offered to show us around the local villages, so we all set off to walk up the hill to the village opposite the school, together with several of the school children who had latched on to the group of Falang (foreigners). As we walked through the village, children would pop out to say hello to Ali and the teacher, and then they would take us around to the next house which was where one of their friends lived! Some families invited us in to sit in the shade or have a glass of water! By this time it was a bit like the pied piper with the group of white people following a group of cheeky 10 year old Thai children!
Most of the houses were built of wood and were essentially one room, and one floor with an extended covered area outside. Dogs and chickens roamed freely. Outside on the track, villagers were drying grass ready to be made into broom heads and sold.
Visit to a second village
We eventually found our way back to the main road and went to a local shack selling food and drink and had a cold iced fruit drink. Then we headed off to a village off the other side of the main road. This one was a bit more spaced out and the houses tended to be made of stone. Again we were made to feel very welcome at every one we stopped at, with offers of shade and a glass of water. At one house, there were several generations of the same family, and they also had a severely disabled girl, who had once been a student at the school, but had had some kind of fit and was now stuck in a chair on a drip. These families are very poor and cannot afford to get the kind of care that is required.
In a field we saw a couple grinding coriander, and in the grounds of a temple that was under construction an old woman was drying some form of cabbage. The final house we visited, several generations of the family were sitting in the shade making souvenir elephants for sale in markets at Chiang Mai. We bought one for 20 Baht which is about 50p, but at the market they sell for 10 times as much.
Finally we walked back to the school where Yu kindly agreed to drive us back to where we are staying in her pick up truck.
Tomorrow, we are hiring a long tail boat to take us up river to the Burmese border.
Boat to the Burmese border
The place we are staying here in Thaton is right on the Mae Kok river, so after breakfast we decided to take a long tail boat up river to where it crosses into Thailand from Burma/Myanamar. The teacher from the school (Nooyu) drove over to meet us with Ali's fellow volunteers Rachel and Alice, then we walked down to the rickety bamboo pier to get on the boat.
Long tail boats are used like taxis around here, and you can take a trip to the nearest city Chiang Rai which takes a couple of hours. The boat itself is very low in the water and long and thin, so it is quite hard to get in and out. We set off at quite a pace up stream passing under the road bridge in Thaton and then on towards the border.
Crossing into Burma....wot no passport
The boats tend to weave back and forth across the river following the deep channels as at this time of year river levels are lower so sand banks and large trees start to appear at the surface. The Thai/Burma border is marked with a string tied above the river from bank to bank, with the country's flags attached. This is not a formal border crossing so there were no border police visible and only a small shack which may or may not have had anything to do with the border.
At this point we turned just edging cheekily into Burmese waters, then headed back downstream, passed our room, and on a bit further south, at one point passing some kind of small scale mining. Then it was a turn again, and back home. The teacher Nooyu had said she was not sure she wanted to come as she could not swim, but she seemed to enjoy it.
A walk into Thaton
We then chilled in our room for a bit, and Nooyu took Rachel and Alice back to the school. Later we decided to walk into Thaton in the 34C heat! We had a quick look at the shops but there is very little here. We decided to walk up to the big white Buddha statue to admire the view and stopped in a small cafe on the way up for a cold drink. There were a lot of young monks wandering around, clearly some live in the small huts that are dotted around on the hillside.
Back to Burma !?
We could not face the 20 minute walk along the exposed road back to where we are staying, so tried to get another long tail boat back instead. We ended up with a compromise, they would take us back but would take us up to the Burmese border first ..... For £6 for the 3 of us. So, back to Burma (!), and then home.....
Tomorrow Ali will go back to work at the school as it is Monday, and we will chill by the river.
Last day in Thaton
It is Monday morning, so Ali has to go back to work at the school up the road. After breakfast, we walked up to the main road and hailed a yellow Songthaew for Ali and said our goodbyes. She has a couple more months of teaching here, then she will do a bit of travelling for 2 months, before returning to the UK at the end of May.
We had a lazy morning chilling by the river. Paul walked a short way up the main road to explore and passed one of several orchards and vineyards in the area. Then later we walked into Thaton to get some food in a local cafe by the river.
Tomorrow, we catch the bus back south to Chiang Mai to start our trip back home...
Our final day in Thailand started with a glorious sunrise over the Mae Kok River, and the discovery of a frog and a cricket in our room.
After a leisurely breakfast' we packed up and headed off to walk into Thaton to pick up the local bus service back down south to Chiang Mai. This 4 hour trip turned out to be 4.5 hours due to two police checkpoint stops in the mountains, where we were asked to show our passports, followed by a 20 minute stop in Fang, and then a stop for petrol !All this was followed by :
A Tuk Tuk ride acros Chiang Mai to our old hotel to pick up the suitcase we had left there, with a cheeky half in a local cafe
A 3 mile taxi ride out to the airport and a last meal in departures
An 8.50pm flight down to Bangkok lasting 1 hour 20 minutes
A flight to London lasting 13 hours!
Then finally a shuttle bus back to the Heathrow hotel to get the car for a two hour drive back to Bristol.
We have really enjoyed our trip to Thailand - the scenery has been great, the people friendly, the weather awesome, and it was nice to see Ali and learn about where she is working and living. Thailand has been a very pleasant experience.
Flight to Switzerland
Caught the 1.35pm Easyjet flight from Bristol to Geneva-about 1hr 20 min duration. The weather was very clear as we approached and we had good views over the coast of Lake Geneva, with the lakeside properties and boat filled marinas. No snow on the ground here. The winter sun was still shining as we left the airport with Tracey’s sister Carrie who had come to meet us. Carrie and Andy are staying in the French Alps in a rented apartment for a few months for the skiing, and have their van over here with them. After about 10 minutes we were across the border, and into France, having gone through 3 road tunnels.
Up into the Alps
Once in France and on to the E40 toll road it was an easy 1 hour drive. As the journey continues, the mountains start to close in and we rise steadily up. Just before Chamonix, we took a right turn on to the local roads heading up the valley into the mountains to the village of Saint Gervais les Bains in the Mont Blanc Natural Resort (as the area is known). The road winds up the valley eventually reaching the village at 850m (Mount Snowdon is 1085m high). The apartment Carrie & Andy are renting is on the top floor of a 3 story block, with lovely views overlooking the village surrounded by snow capped peaks. Stayed in and caught up wit each other's news.
Exploring the local area by foot
Woke up to find the weather overcast and some sleet/light snow falling. While Andy went out for a ski, Tracey, Carrie and I went for a walk round the village. We felat a bit out of place not having any skis to carry! We then found a path dropping through the forest and river gorge which we scrambled down. Halfway down we came across a small steel bridge hundreds of feet above the tumbling river below, and next to it discovered part of an extreme climbing route, which takes those with enough nerve up the valley using a metal cable and metal hand/feet grips fixed into the side of the rock. Everywhere you look in the Alps there are opportunities to take part in extreme sports and physical activity. The path we were following came out at the local Thermal Spa where there were people bathing whilst the snow fell. We walked down to the next village of Le Fayet, had a coffee, then walked back up the valley along a path that runs parallel with the Mont Blanc Tramway. This passes through three villages before terminating at Bellevue in the winter.
A visit to Chamonix
Spent the afternoon in the apartment, then in the evening we all drove down the valley and up to the nearby town of Chamonix. This is the largest town in the area and a bustling and expensive ski resort. There was much more snow around here and it was noticeably colder. The shops here are very expensive. We spent half an hour looking around, then returned to St. Gervais for the evening.
A snowy world
It snowed quite heavily overnight, which meant the views from the apartment were amazing. Despite the snowfall, the short walk down the hill first thing to get a bit of food were fine as the paths and roads had already been cleared. We heard some explosions early on from the controlled explosives used to manage avalanches in the area. Across the valley we could also see the local ski run being made ready for the day’s skiers. Andy went off to work late morning (he teaches pupils maths at an International Ski School just across the border in Italy), but before he went, he took us down to the local ski shop to hire some snow shoes for the day. These clip on to your normal boots, and have spikes on the bottom to make it easier to walk in snow and ice.
Snow walking and a close up of Mont Blanc
Late morning, the three of us caught the local free bus down to the cable car at the bottom of the village that takes you up to Mont Joux at 2000m (visible from the apartment). On the journey up, you have to change cable cars half way. Once out of the cable car, and snow shoes firmly attached, we set off to walk up the ski runs to the top where there is a café. The views were tremendous as the visibility was superb, with the sun out and only a few bits of wispy cloud. The highest mountain in Europe, Mont Blanc (4800m) was clearly visible nearby. Walking was easy, but we had to take care not to be wiped out by the hundreds of skiers and snowboarders flying down the slopes. At the top, we had a coffee in the café, which was absolutely heaving with skiers, then walked back down to the cable car for the trip back down to the village and walked back to the apartment.
Mountain train to a glacier
Another sunny day today, but plenty of snow still around. Andy dropped as at Chamonix, then he went skiing, whilst we caught the Mont Envers mountain railway to go and see the Mer de Glace Glacier. The 20 minute journey climbs the steep mountain side passing through forest and tunnels cut through the rock, and goes over scary looking viaducts. At the terminus (1900m), there is a café and a small museum about the glacier. There are amazing views down into a steep walled valley where the glacier is visible several hundred feet below, however when the train line was first built (1909), the glacier was at the same height! It has reduced and retreated hundreds of metres in the last century, in fact the head of the glacier retreats about 70m a year. To get down to the glacier, you have to descend about 500 steps-these are a metal structure attached to the cliff face.
Ice Cave
At the bottom is an ice cave which has been hewn out of the glacier itself. Inside is a walkway and some small rooms where there are seats and pictures on the walls. The ice cave has to be re dug every summer to keep up with the glacier’s retreat. After the cave, we climbed back up the steps to the café and had a coffee. We noticed some skiers coming down the glacier-they have to have a guide with them as there is a real danger of hitting boulders that are stuck in the ice and covered with a layer of snow. We then caught the mountain train back down to Chamonix and had some quiche in a local café.
Highest cable car
Sitting outside we could see a pointed mountain peak far up in the sky-this is Aiguille du Midi, and at 3842m is the site of the highest cable car in Europe (and possibly the world depending on your definition of “cable car”)-this was our next destination. The cable car leaves from Chamonix and the cabins can take about 50 people at a time. The ascent is in two parts-the first part takes you up to the intermediate point (2300m) where you can get out and look at the views or ski/walk. The second stage is a bit disconcerting as the cable is suspended between the half way point and the summit (1500m/1.3 miles away) with no supports except those at either end. As you near the top, the angle of ascent is particularly steep.
Altitude sickness and stunning views
When we got out at the top, we noticed a woman had collapsed and was being helped out by staff. We did not realise at the time that this was sue to altitude sickness!! There is a building at the top which houses a museum and shop, which you can walk round and look at the stunning views of the nearby Mont Blanc and the 360 degrees panorama across the Alps. As I went up a few steps to a viewing area, I experienced a sudden light headedness-on looking at the wall displays in the building I realised that this was Altitude Sickness. Tracey felt it a bit worse than me and had to sit down for a few minutes and avoid going up any more steps. At this height there is only 65% of the oxygen available at sea level-at Everest this reduces to 30%. As we entered the cable car to go back down, there was a young girl who was clearly quite unwell needing to get back down as soon as possible. Back in Chamonix, Andy had left the van in the local car park for us to drive back to St. Gervais.
Last day in the Alps
Mid morning we all drove up the valley from St. Gervais to the village of Les Contamines. We walked around the village where there is (inevitably) a cable car up to the ski slopes, and a Nordic Park, where you can do Nordic and cross country skiing. Spent the afternoon in the apartment chilling out, before leaving at about 5pm for the hour drive back to Geneva airport and the 9.05pm flight back to the UK. A short but memorable trip to the French Alps, with some absolutely stunning scenery and views.