Celtic Connections

Sometimes journeys trigger unexpected feelings and reactions. And then you wonder if the unexplored feeling gave rise to the journey in the first place? Whatever the causality, we were heading to Scotland and Ireland to travel around the Celtic fringe. Not a big trip, but three or four weeks to catch up with friends and a bit of family; to somehow reconnect with the country of my birth, and the culture dear to our hearts – after eight months back in angry brexit Britain.

And of course the blog was meant to be finished; done. But this trip ended up as something I felt like sharing – photos and impressions of special places. Not the hours of smiles and laughter with dear friends – that’s for ourselves alone. But there is beauty, joy and adventure in this short journey that might be worthy of interest. If I’m honest I don’t know, we had fun, see what you think.

Scotland

Starting off in Edinburgh, we followed the Leith walkway with sun and rain flowing past. The tenements of Dean village, the National Gallery of Modern Art and Antony Gormley’s cast iron statues were great company along the way.

From there to Glasgow and the train journey to Loch Awe – the sky was blue as we hiked around the area. The Tower of Glenstrae was fab as always – and we were able to walk up to the Cruachan Reservoir, explore Glenfinnan and Glencoe with the sun (mostly) on our backs. Happy travels.

The Glenfinnan monument, Loch Shiel and the Jacobite Rebellion echo through these hills

and there’s always a few Highland Coos along the way …

Celtic Fringe

Ireland

After a quick flight to Dublin from Glasgow, we sorted a hire car and were soon in our B&B in Rathgar. We met up with my cousin and other family members that evening and were rapidly engrossed with family stories and history, not least identifying the house in Limerick where I was born – somewhere I haven’t been back to since those irregular visits ‘home’ as a child in the 60’s an early 70’s.

Our plan was to head south to Kerry, but we headed West the next day to call in on London friends Enda and Maria who had moved back to Ireland and were building their own straw bale roundwood home Radharc Eile in Tullamore. While it was certainly great to catch up with old friends what was truly impressive was the labour of love that’s gone into building this fascinating structure. They have developed knowledge and skills to a huge extent over these last two years – their blog is well worth a look.

Beautiful Douglas Fir and tightly packed straw bale walls. Plus an intricate and fascinating roof

Back on the road we stopped for a few days at an AirBnB in Adare where we walked the countryside in lovely weather.

 

Although there are similarities with the flora and fauna of the English countryside, Ireland’s history and culture are everywhere. The abandoned Famine Houses of Knockfierna are a standing testament to an Gorta Mór that devastated the country over 150 years ago. The thought of starving souls breaking rocks all day on a bleak hillside in mid-winter for less than a penny of ‘outdoor relief’ from the British is a stark indictment of the vicious colonial rule that created this holocaust and saw over a million dead from starvation and disease. We came across mass rocks (Carraig an Aifrinn), deep in the forest established after the Catholic religion was outlawed in Cromwell’s Penal Laws. And ancient megalithic tombs, circular forts and ruined castles – Ireland is alive with history.

the megalithic tomb at Labbacallee – aligned with the setting sun equinoxes

We’d called in to Limerick City on our way south, but couldn’t track down the family home. We did see the Shannon waters rushing through the arches of Thomond bridge, King John’s castle and the treaty stone on its plinth.

The Treaty Stone from 1691. Kids in my parents era sold stones off the streets to gullible tourists as a ‘chip off the Treaty Stone’

Kerry

It was mostly chance that we’d booked a place in Cahersiveen. We decided we needed a base to explore Kerry, and this small town was a great location for that. Plus it had restaurants, bars and music – all in easy walking distance. As with so many small towns in Ireland there were remnants of ancient churches, shops selling religious icons and statues of saints in housing estates.

 

It must have been 40 years since we were last in Kerry. It really is a beautiful county, the weather was kind overall and we had a great week exploring and walking.

 

The Skelligs (Na Scealaga) are often visible from the shore

Valentia Island (Dairbhre – ‘the Oak Wood’) looking west

The Ballaghsheen Pass

 

Ballinskelligs Castle on a glorious day

 

Ballycarberry Castle

Anne walking towards the clouds – they cleared

 

The Caragh Lake Trail

The joy of getting lost. We did double the planned distance walking around Derrynane

The Skelligs (Na Scealaga)

Sceilig means ‘splinter of stone’ in Irish, and these harsh Islands are on the western edges of Europe. Remote, swept by wind and waves, you would be hard pressed to think of a more inhospitable place to build a community. Yet, in the 5th Century, Christian monks decided to make this most remote and unforgiving landscape their home. It took hundreds of years to eek out a habitable environment in this bleak place, and the ‘beehive’ monastery they built was thought to accommodate no more than a dozen monks at a time.

The monastery (a UNESCO World Heritage site) is accessed by climbing over 600 dry stone masonry steps, built by the monks. The ‘beehive’ structure of the monastery is also built this way and has lasted over 1,500 years – a testimony to the skills, resilience and endurance of the people who built it.

 

 

Suddenly a rainstorm moved in from the sea and the reality of this inhospitable rock descended

The Skelligs (Na Scealaga) are also a haven for wild life, with Puffins, Shearwaters and Gannets nesting there in the breeding season.

The colourful beaks and white chest plumage are on display only in the breeding season

 

Puffins nest in burrows and the parents fish to feed their chicks. Once they are able to fly they do not return to land for 2 to 3 years

One puffin landed at speed straight into a burrow at Anne’s feet

Puffins coming in to land have a comical, slightly clumsy look – see enlargement below

Little Skellig is home to a huge colony of nesting Gannets – they prefer the bare rock and every inch is taken up with these birds. They migrate to Southern Africa at the end of the breeding season.

 

We left Kerry and headed north to friends in Connemara for the final part of our journey through Ireland. On the way we  stopped once more in Limerick city and found the house where I and my sister were born and where my grandparents raised 7 children. It must have been very cramped. Although Rosbrien is now a gentrified area with large Victorian houses, some of the small terraced houses remain. The area is described in Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt.

As a child I left open this gate on market day. We soon had sheep running through the house

Galway

The beauty of Connemara hits you every time. The Twelve Bens (Na Beanna Beola), the inlets, the peat bogs all combine in a peaceful beauty.

We had happy times walking the area, breathing in the fresh air and catching up with friends, and once again the weather was pretty kind.

 

 

The home of Patrick Pearse now has an educational centre Ionad Cultúrtha an Phiarsaigh where much of the local history is explained.

 

So, we headed back to London, with our spirits refreshed. The beauty of these landscapes bring a smile to the most jaded hearts.

In truth though, the part missing from this blog was the best – the smiles laughter and chat between old friends.

Slán go fóill Cuisle!

 

 

 

Farewell Brazil …

Saying goodbye to Brazil was going to take a little time. Choosing an island paradise as our final destination in South America really was a no-brainer, but getting from Barreirinhas in the Amazon to the remote, beautiful island of Fernando de Noronha required careful planning and complex transport arrangements. Sometimes the journey and the destination seem to merge. It certainly felt like that for part of our final three weeks in Brazil.

São Loís

A taxi, a five hour bus ride and another taxi took us to the old quarter of São Loís, 250km in the opposite direction to where we were heading; travelling northern Brazil is like that. With a journey of well over 2,000km to go we intended to stop off, explore and rest up along the way.

We’d booked two nights in São Louís, staying in Casa Frankie where a Danish guy Frank had spent time and care restoring the colonial Portuguese house that had once been a brothel.

Although São Louís is (another) big Brazilian city, the old quarter of hilly cobbled streets is relatively compact.

Many of the World Heritage listed buildings show signs of their former regal splendour. In the early nineteenth century, due to slavery and sugar plantations São Louís was one of the wealthiest cities in Brazil, but the majority of these charming structures are now crumbling slowly beneath the weight of neglect and tropical decay.

We were reminded of how Galle in Sri Lanka (see our blog from January 2017) used to look before it’s its restoration and tourist development.

Our visit to São Louís coincided with Brazil’s Independence Day (7th September) so many places were closed. We did get to visit the Centro de Cultura Popular Domingos Vieira Filho  and see the fascinating masks costumes and drums that reflect the Afro-Brazilian and indigenous culture of the region.

Exploring São Louís further was curtailed when Anne was struck down with food poisoning. She had barely recovered (a grim 36 hours) before the next stage of our journey – a flight to Fortaleza and a two hour cab ride to Canoa Quebrada.

Canoa Quebrada

We’d chosen a good spot for some much needed rest and relaxation. Canoa Quebrada is a seaside town, popular with locals and has a relaxed feel with a central pedestrianised street complete with small bars restaurants and shops. We’d also picked a great Pousada with a comfortable spacious room overlooking the sea, a pool and fantastic breakfasts. The owner of Pousada California comes from Liverpool and was super helpful and friendly. Time on the beach, reading in hammocks and by the pool, it was just what we needed. Plus we got to go on a beach buggy trip across the sands.

Collecting seaweed with a horse and cart

Water sleeps through the crumbling sand cliffs

I also had a go at paragliding, while Anne watched from solid ground. I ended up doing three trips as the winds kept varying, it was a sublime experience.

Hold tight

My hairy knee and Anne below

Shadows

Feeling relaxed and revitalised we headed back to the airport at Fontaleza for a flight to Recife and from there to our final destination, the island of Fernando de Noronho.

Fernando de Noronho

Set around 500km off the Northeastern coast of mainland Brazil, Fernando de Noronho holds an almost mythical spot in the minds of many Brazilians. It is a tropical island paradise where pristine beaches meet crystal clear waters, where the natural environment is unspoilt and cooling breezes create a year round summer climate.

It really is this beautiful …

For a country so famous for its idyllic beaches, three of the top ten are on this tiny island. The water is warm and visibility is 30m plus. A large part of the island and it’s surrounds has been a national and marine park since the 1980s (astonishingly it was once a penal colony and a military base) and rules regulate and restrict development.

But paradise in Fernando de Noronho has a cost, and the majority of Brazilians will never be able to afford to visit. Flights, accommodation, food and drink are at least double that found anywhere else in Brazil and there is an environmental tax when you enter and a park fee to pay (around £240 for us, but cheaper for locals). For those lucky enough to get to Fernando de Noronho, it really is nourishment for the soul.

View of the harbour from the old fort – we wandered around the local town, trails and beach on our first day

We booked some diving on the second day, but found the process a bit disappointing. The dive outfits are efficient and well organised, with good equipment but it tends to be a ‘one size fits all’ operation. A group of twenty people with varying levels of experience on a dive that lasts for forty minutes just didn’t seem worth the cost. Instead we went snorkeling and over the week saw stingrays, turtles, sharks, in fact more marine life than we’d found on our dives.

We booked a boat trip and an island tour during our week on the island and these really gave us a chance to explore the place.

The boat trip started on an overcast morning

But the clouds lifted and we were visited by a large pod of spinner dolphins

Nurse sharks gather in shallow bays. The wildlife seem largely unconcerned by the presence of humans

And then there are the views, and the beaches

snorkelling in paradise

And so our big adventure is coming to an end. After nearly two years on the road, by the beginning of November we will be back in our home in London town. Right now our minds are racing, excited at the prospect of seeing our wonderful daughter, family and friends. Now does not seem the time to reflect on all we have explored and enjoyed together. Nor does it seem the moment to consider what next.

One thing does remain as true now as when we started.

Rust never sleeps.

Salvador and Olinda

Salvador – the beating heart of Brazil

The journey from beautiful Itacaré to Salvador worked well – despite the five hour bus ride, the ferry and the taxi, we travelled to Bahia’s capital Salvador without any major hassle.

The ferry from Bom Despacho in the south is the best way to cross the Todos os Santos Bay to Salvador

We’d chosen to stay in the old quarter of Pelourinho, which proved to be a wise move. Salvador is large city with glinting shopping malls, wealthy high-rises, poor favelas and a population of around four million people. Travelling around this sprawling city is hard work. Our lodging was in an attic room with a tiny little roof terrace and views over the streets and church towers of Pelourinho.

 

Pelourinho

The Elvador Lacerda links Pelourinho with the rest of Salvador

Salvador. Brazil’s original capital under the Portuguese, the first slave port in the Americas with its historical centre, Pelourinho. Named after the pillory or whipping post where slaves were punished, the streets in the old quarter are alive with history. And, as the centre of Afro-Brazilian culture in Bahia music, art, religion and dance are everywhere.

 

Capoeira display

 

At any time of the day or night the streets echo to the rhythm of drums

 

As with other large cities in Brazil, alongside the joy and celebration of culture, there exists poverty and crime. The World Heritage streets of Pelourinho are guarded by armed police, tourist police and military police. Locals warned us not to walk down quiet streets, and conscious of our experience in Rio, we took their advice.

 

The campaign to release Lula seemed popular

A huge part of Bahian life centres around religion, not only the colonial Catholicism brought by the Portuguese, but the beliefs and traditions that came with the huge numbers of African slaves. The medieval religious orders, Franciscans, Carmelites and Dominicans all built churches, monasteries and convents, but alongside these grew ‘brotherhoods’ organised around class and race as support organisations for this widely diverse society. There appears to be a church on every street.

 

Most of these grand colonial structures were built with slave labour and their baroque interiors are dripping with wealth and spectacle.

 

Portuguese Azulego tiles are everywhere, often glorifying the colonial conquest.

 

The Church of Sao Francisco is drenched with gold.

 

A slave Brotherhood built the aptly named Church of Our Lady of the Rosary of Black Men. They were banned from entering other Catholic churches (that they themselves had built) and could only work on this building in their ‘spare time’. It took around 100 years to complete.

The Church of Our Lady of the Rosary of Black Men has very different iconography and hosts services accompanied by spectacular drumming

The highlight of our stay in Pelourinho was a visit to see the Folklore Ballet of Bahia with its exhilarating dance and music bringing together the cultures of Africa, Europe and the Indigenous peoples. The displays of Capoeira were astonishing in their grace and athleticism, the music was intoxicating and the packed audience responded with a roar of approval at the end.

image from the web

We left the beating heart of Brazil with fond memories and headed north to Recife and Olinda.

Olinda

We loved our time in Olinda. It’s hilly cobbled streets have charm, and it has a common passion with Salvador – carnival. Although dwarfed by it’s neighbour Recife, artistic Olinda with its restaurants bars and music is a perfect place to explore both.

The quaint streets of Olinda, with Recife in the distance

Our accommodation in Olinda was an excellent choice. Not only did we have a beautiful room in the heart of Olinda, but our hosts at Cama e Café Olinda were wonderfully kind and helpful – they are fluent in four European languages and provide the best breakfast we’ve had in Brazil.

Great shops restaurants and bars as you wander around the colourful streets

 

 

There are some fantastic, often impromptu, music venues, with all sorts of bands practising for carnival. As the only European tourists around we felt welcome everywhere. These events usually spill on to the streets where beer vendors and foodstalls fuel the revellers. Any night of the week seems to be party night.

 

Olinda also lays claim to some rather beautiful colonial churches.

 

Carnival, and preparing for carnival is always on the agenda.

 

This collection of carnival figures was a bit spooky. We came across them unexpectedly while visiting the loo in a restaurant late one night

The giant carnival dolls had their origin in Olinda with the Man of Midnight in 1931. Kim Jong-un, Superman and ET are modern additions.

 

Recife

We headed in to Recife late one Sunday morning (a cheap cab ride is easiest). The roads around Marco Zero (the spot where the Portuguese first landed in 1537) are closed off on Sunday, foot-volley nets are strung up, market stalls and skateboarders appear, and carnival blocos gather on every street to practice their performances. It’s also the area for street art, galleries and museums, and for wandering around in the sunshine with everyone else.

 

 

Frevo

Frevo music and dance emerged from Afro-Brazilian culture, which is particularly strong in this region due to the historic importance of sugar cane as a crop and the slavery that went with it. Religious and military music bands at the end of the nineteenth century gave Frevo its distinctive character with plenty of brass instruments, and Frevo dance came from the fights that ensued as these bands clashed on the narrow streets and battled for space.

At the front of each band marched capoeirstas and fights, usually involving knives ended up with many  dead and wounded. When the police began arresting the capoeirstas they started carrying umbrellas instead of knives and disguising the capoeira movements as dance movements. The frevo dance was born.

Frevo dancer from the 1970s. The small umbrellas are used in rapid intricate moves

 

 

A standard spectacular Sunday on the streets of Recife

From Recife we travelled north and west, heading towards the Amazon. Although we are now in the last month of our big adventure, there’s still plenty to see.

Fly me Down to Rio

A flight to Rio made sense. With stormy weather down south, and our plans to travel north up the coast through Bahia to Recife and beyond, it was clear that this country is just too big to get around by road.

I’ll start the Rio story with our visit to Sugarloaf mountain and then to the iconic, art deco statue of Christ the Redeemer – it proved to be an interesting and adventurous day.

That Saturday dawned with low cloud hanging over the city, but the forecast looked good and we headed down first to our local beach. We were staying in Injoy Hostel, Botafogo a friendly place in a great location for restaurants and public transport. We walked along the shore and then up by cable car to Sugarloaf, as the clouds began to clear.

The mountain and ‘Redeemer’ appear and disappear among the clouds behind the city

Christ the Redeemer

Visiting such an instantly recognisable, totemic statue whose image has represented Rio, Brazil, South America, the Catholic church and so much more, we were prepared to be disappointed. The mountain was much higher than I imagined, the statue itself was smaller than I anticipated but it’s Art Deco design was striking. And the clouds lifted for a beautiful afternoon.

Not a miracle, just some lens flare!

Give us this Day, our Daily Selfie ….

Of course the view over the city, Sugarloaf peak and the harbour below were spectacular – set in a sparkling azure sea and sky.

With a good few hours left of sunlight, and with a cooling, balmy breeze, we decided to call an Uber and head down to Copacabana Beach to finish off a perfect day…

And then

On our way down from Christ the Redeemer, in an Uber, heading to Copacabana. Suddenly the cab screeched to a halt as two men stepped out on to the cobbled road in front of us. There was a moment of silence, as we tried to work out what was going on. Clearly the driver was spooked as he’d stood on the brakes to stop on the steep hill.

We peered out at the scene ahead and then saw one of the men raise an Uzi machine gun, crouch into a firing position, and aim right at us. The driver tried to reverse back up the street, but the clutch kept slipping on the steep hill, and the car wasn’t moving. The driver shouted ‘get out of the car, get out of the car’ so Anne and I slipped out of the doors, and using the car as a shield, headed back up the street. There was a lot of shouting going on.

The car managed to lurch up the hill, with the clutch screaming – the gunmen hadn’t moved – and we jumped in the car and sped away. I asked the driver ‘Foi um assalto’ via Google translate and he thought a gang were conducting a big drug deal in the area and had sealed off the streets.

Around a quarter of Rio’s population live in the favelas or comunidades

All ended well, but it’s the first time I’ve been threatened by a machine gun (600 rounds per minute – I looked it up).

The driver dropped us off in Copacabana and said ‘Rio is very beautiful, but sometimes dangerous’. And of course that’s true. What happened to us could have happened to an organised tour bus, and obviously happens to local people living in the city. With the military deployed on the streets, and shoot outs between them and well armed drug gangs, violence is a real problem in Rio.

But it’s a big city of over six million people and hundreds of thousands of tourists, most of whom are unaffected by this conflict. There are now regular organised tours into some favelas, with the avowed aim of showing the positive community organisation in these poor areas, although this ‘slum tourism’, as in South Africa and India, remains controversial.

Jorge Selaron, with his take on favela living

As if to emphasise the normal life of Rio, within minutes of our scary moment we were walking along the beach in Copacabana, as people swam, played ‘ foot-volley’ and relaxed with cold beers on a sunny Saturday.

We’d started off our time in Rio with a three hour free walking tour on the Thursday morning. It was very well done, with information about the unique and surprising colonial history and architecture of Rio. There were also some friendly and interesting people on the tour, so we signed up for an entertaining pub crawl in Lapa that evening. We missed breakfast the next day.

The walking tour ended at the Escadaria Selarón, 125 steps covered in different tiles and ceramics over decades by Chilean-born local artist Jorge Selaron. He spent his artistic life working on the steps, at first using reclaimed tiles and then adding contributions from around the world. It is an eclectic and vivid tribute to the people of his adopted city, Rio.

Santa Teresa

One other area we visited in Rio was Santa Theresa, a mixed neighborhood with some old colonial buildings, either dilapidated or restored as well as poorer areas hanging on to the hill. One incentive for us to visit was the old tram that went from town, across the viaduct in Lapa and up the hill – hard for two ex tram drivers to resist. Our first visit was a wash out with rain and low cloud, but on the Sunday, after promenading on Ipanema beach and visiting the hippie market, we jumped on the tram and rattled through the streets once more.

View from the tram as it crosses the viaduct in Lapa

There is also a project representing the trams in ceramic tiles, which of course we liked.

Perhaps the final highlight of our time in Rio came via a message from a friend in London – two friends were visiting Brazil, and might just still be in Rio. Sure enough, we tracked each other down and spent a lovely evening catching up and swapping tales, a precursor for our return home in October after two years traveling.

Arraial d’Ajuda

Heading North from Rio to Arraial d’Ajuda looked a logistical nightmare. Two flights (with a two hour delay), a taxi from Porto Seguro airport to the harbour, a ferry and then a van/bus to our hostel. Yet it all worked smoothly, despite the language barrier, and we were dropped right outside our hostel, Hostel Arraial d’Ajuda. And what a lovely place, beautiful, artistic shared areas, comfortable rooms and staff that did everything they could to make you welcome.

Aerial d’Ajuda Hostel

Arraial d’Ajuda is relaxed, with cobbled streets, markets, bars and restaurants. You get to the beaches down a steep cobbled street and then follow the coast along to your chosen spot. Minibuses ferry you back to the town square at the end of the day for a small fare. Lovely spot; and in the evening there is the music of Bahia on the streets and in the bars and restaurants.

Caraíva

On the advice from our hostel we took a minibus tour to Caraíva – two hours over bumpy cobble and dirt roads would have been twice as long on a local bus. Access to the village, river mouth and beach is across the river, boats constantly ferry people and goods back and forth. There are no roads, and the whole place has a relaxed slightly ‘alternative’ vibe.

The ever present foot-volley

Itacaré

It’s around 450km from Arraial d’Ajuda to Itacaré, and of course the journey starts with the bus/ferry/taxi to Porto Seguro. The bus to Itacaré is then another seven or eight hours, (comfortable but ice cold a/c) so we arrived about 8.00pm. Luckily our hostel, Che Lagarto, was a short walk from the bus depot and we were soon checked in and wandering down the pedestrianised street, looking for somewhere to eat. The hostel is in a great location and the people are friendly and helpful with advice and recommendations. It’s known as a surfing destination (we were amazed to see all the young people in the hostel up so early for breakfast!), but there are plenty of beautiful little bays with golden sands.

The highlight of our time in Itacaré was a day  out on a boat for some whale watching. It was recommended by the hostel and Amanda, one of the workers there, volunteered to come with us to help with translation. The project is heavily involved in research of humpback whale migration, behavior and distribution along the coast of Brazil and our guide explained how local and global conservation efforts have seen a massive increase in whales migrating down the coast from Antarctica between July and October.

For the first hour, the boat rocked back and forth, but no whales, and unfortunately Amanda was seasick 😯.

And then we started sighting humpbacks.

Before long there were groups of them all around the boat. In all we saw maybe fifty whales. One, bigger than the boat, passed underneath us. It was a wonderful sight.

And then, just as we were about to finish for the day, three humpback whales breached the water and came crashing down nearby. Jaw dropping. I only managed to capture one picture, as it slammed down on to the sea -everyone was mesmerised by this force of nature.

Our guides told us it was the best day of the year. It was a special experience.

From Itacaré, our next stop was Salvador, the old capital of Brazil and the capital of Bahia, with its unique history and culture. But that story will be in our next blog, coming soon.

A Slice of Argentina

South America

Back in South America after thirty five years, it’s immediately clear that there is so much to see on this vast and varied continent that we would have to be traveling for another year at least if we wanted to experience it properly.

So for our few remaining months we’ve set ourselves the task of exploring a few regions of Argentina and Brazil, with the ambition to return – but maybe with a shorter interval between visits next time.

Buenos Aries

Landing in Buenos Aries after a long flight from New Zealand gave us the chance to adjust to a new continent. All the basic things work – water, money, transport, eating, pavements, accommodation. Indeed it’s considered the most European of Latin America’s big cities, and though of course Spanish is universal there were plenty of locals who took pity on us and helped out with English.

We’d booked a room in Milhouse Hostel, a good choice in the heart of the city with lots of organised activities, including a walking tour of the barrio of La Boca. A traditional working class area, with a history of European immigration and radical politics, it is famous for its colorful tin covered buildings and walkways. These are said to have been inspired by one of its most famous sons, artist Benito Quinquela Martín who used his fame and wealth to provide medical care and facilities in the area.

Tango dancers still perform on the streets

A large mural reflects continued anger and continued protest for The Disappeared, victims of Argentina’s Dirty War in the 1970s

And of course La Bombonera football stadium is in the heart of La Boca, where large sections remain standing areas, ensuring a ‘waterfall’ of fans when Boca Juniors score.

La Boca, despite the tourist visits remains a vibrant community.

We spent the rest of our time in BA, visiting museums, watching a Tango performance and walking through the eerie streets of mausoleums in La Recoleta cemetery, where Eva Peron is buried.

Tango is taken very seriously in Buenos Aries

Salta

Salta, in the mountainous north west of Argentina, with its Spanish colonial buildings and Andean culture, was a real contrast to cosmopolitan Buenos Aries. It is also a popular destination for Argentineans, and we had trouble getting accommodation in the local holiday season. Luckily we found an Airbnb place in the centre of town (Posta del Àngel) and our plan was explore the city for a few days and then hire a car and drive into the mountains. The town square, elaborate churches, yummy empanadas, cold Salta beer and local restaurants all gave off a very relaxed vibe, and the Andean culture reminded us of Bolivia, all those years ago.

We also visited the museum of High Altitude Archaeology, where the three mummified bodies of the Children of Llullaillaco are kept. They were discovered in 1999, at 6,800 metres on the border between Argentina and Bolivia. The mummies are Inca child sacrifices from the sixteenth century who were sacrificed to appease the gods and it was usually the children of the elite who were chosen. They were taken to Cusco and then sent high up in the mountains across the Empire where they were drugged, froze to death and then entombed. Seeing these mummified children was a sad, poignant moment, and to me a reminder of the insanity of religion.

Our planned journey in to the mountain regions around Salta quickly fell apart when we turned up at the local Hertz car hire, only to be told they had no cars, despite having booked the car a week in advance and visiting the office twice beforehand. There were no other cars available in town. Luckily, even though we had checked out of Posta del Àngel, Marta was kind enough to let us back, and we then spent hours booking day tours of the area, which it must be said turned out to be well organised and informative.

North to Humahuaca

The tour ran along the Humahuaca gorge and the Rio Grande, once part of the Inca trails across the altiplano, connecting the vast empire.

The startling colours of the sedimentary layers, twisted and thrown up in dramatic patterns were a striking feature of this journey. The village of Purmamarca set at the base of the seven colour hill also had a busy artisan market.

Much simpler than the ornate churches of Salta

Humahuaca

The village of Humahuaca is dominated by a large statue, commemorating the native chasqui in the fight for independence.

 

Tilcara

The Pukara fortress in Tilcara is impressive, because of its size and because it is the most extensive example of the pre Inca society that existed before the mid 16th century. It’s a harsh landscape, with giant cacti growing down the valley.

The famous ‘Painter’s Palette’ rock formation

Salińas Grandes

The next day we were to head high in to the altiplano, following the original route of the ‘Tren de Los Nubes’, the train of the clouds, with some track, viaducts and switchbacks still in place. This region is important for its mining, as you get higher, very little grows in this immense dry climate.

Lower down we spotted some ostriches that had come off the mountains in search of water, a Vicuna and a heard of llamas, brightly tagged and running across the path of our van.

From a high point of 4,170m (around the height of the Matterhorn), where the air is thin, we dropped down to the Salińas Grandes at 3,400m (Ben Nevis in Scotland comes in at 1,350m).

We tried some fun pictures with two great people from Barcelona, but I’d say I need to work on my technique🤣

On our third day out of Salta we headed South to Cafayate. Again we encountered dramatic rock formations and vast empty landscapes, particularly as we headed through Quebrada de Las Conchas, the gorge of the shells, with 60 million year old sedimentary rock.

We saw a condor soaring above our heads at Tres Cruces, visited a winery in the quaint town of Cafayete and headed for home before an early morning flight down to Puerto Iguazú and the falls.

Iguazú

The Iguazú National Park covers an area of subtropical rainforest on the border with Brazil. Within the park on the Iguazú River, the Iguazú Falls encompasses over 200 separate cascades, including the iconic Garganta del Diablo or ‘Devil’s Throat’.

It is, first and foremost, an experience of the power and wonder of a natural phenomenon and, as such descriptions and photos cannot do it justice. The Argentinean park is brilliantly designed to bring you close to the falls on accessible tracks through the rainforest. If you can, go!

On our second day we explored the lower area and took the boat through the rapids and into the falls. It was a great way to get close and appreciate the waterfalls intensity. You also get very wet!

Brazil – Foz de Iguaçu

It’s just a short bus ride to Brazil, though our driver abandoned us at the visa checkpoint, and we had to catch the next one to Foz de Iguaçu. As a town it lacks the charm of its Argentinean neighbour, but we were there to see the falls from the Brazilian side, before heading to the east coast – Rio and beyond. They say that Argentina has the falls, but Brazil has the views. While it certainly is an impressive perspective, we preferred the varied experience from Argentina.

Ariel view from a helicopter

We also caught some wildlife in a sanctuary near the park.

So our plan is to head to Rio, then up the coast to Bahia, Salvador and beyond. After nearly two years on the road it feels strange to have an end date – a flight out of Recife at the end of September.

Lots left to see and do before then. 🌏

Fiji

It would be hard for a traveller to not enjoy Fiji. Over 300 islands, clear tropical water bursting with life, remote palm fringed beaches, and a vibrant culture that is positive, friendly and welcoming. This belies it’s previous decades long history of ethnic conflict, military coups and expulsion from international bodies. Indeed, now, according to some international surveys Fiji is rated as the country where its population is happiest.

Beach Rugby

We landed in Nadi, on the main Island of Viti Levu and took a two hour bus ride to accommodation we had booked in Pacific Harbour, arriving at night. In Fiji we found that backpacker dorms tend to be located within holiday resorts, meaning private rooms proved relatively expensive, especially as we had arrived in the Australia/New Zealand school holidays.

With blue skies the next morning we explored our surrounds and spent quality time in hammocks, planning our journey in Fiji.

Locally, we booked some diving with Aqua-Trek Beqa Dive Centre (old, badly maintained gear), and on my birthday had two dives with beautiful soft coral and clear water teeming with life. We came across around a dozen tawny nurse sharks asleep on the sand, reef sharks and a big bull shark, moving fast, clearly on the hunt.

The area is renowned for shark feeding displays, and even though we had avoided this, it was clear that the practice impacted on how sharks and other underwater life behaved. A remora (a fish that hangs around sharks hoping to grab some food) took a painful bite out of Anne’s little finger, something we have never encountered before.

Heading back to Nadi, we checked in to Bamboo Travellers on Wailoaloa Beach, an old-school backpacking haunt, where you can relax in the bar on the beach, swim, eat good food, drink cold beer, watch sunsets and talk into the night with fellow travellers. My kind of place.

 

Bamboo Travellers also had an efficient travel desk that meant we were able to sort out all our Fijian travel and accommodation arrangements with minimum fuss, something that we had found near impossible till then. Our next stop was the southern Island of Kadavu.

Kadavu

Our fifty minute flight south to Kadavu was on an eighteen seater De Havilland Twin Otter, with passengers distributed according to their weight.

 

 

The Great Astrolobe Reef Kadavu.

With only one landing per day (weather depending) it’s not the busiest airport.

We were met at the airfield and taken through Vunisea, with its government buildings, post office and local school.

 

Most students stay at the school during the week. With no roads and a population of under 10,000 a daily journey is impossible

There is still evidence of the damage caused by Cyclone Keni in April this year

The boat trip to Matava resort took around ninety minutes in some heavy swell (despite the protection of the Astrolobe Reef), and poor weather characterised our time in Kadavu. Strong Trade Winds from the south-east can develop at any time between May and October in Fiji, and this clearly affected activities such as snorkeling and kayaking. We were able to enjoy some good diving on the reef however, with colourful soft coral, unique macro life and massive cabbage and brain coral sitting on brilliant white sand. On our first dive Anne spotted a leopard shark asleep on the sand, who then woke and circled us a few times.

The company of other guests was enjoyable, the staff lovely and the view from our bure was transformed by different light on the bay. But those trade winds kept on blowing.

 

 

Among the staff at Matava were two O’Connors … very distant relatives

The Yasawas

On the day before our departure from Kadavu the plane tried to land twice, but the strong winds meant it had to return to Nadi, so we were unsure whether we would be able to leave the island. All turned out well on the day however and we were soon back in Nadi, rushing around withdrawing cash from ATMs before our trip north to the Yasawas.

The Yasawas are an archipelago of around twenty volcanic islands, scattered along the north east of Fiji. At one time they were remote and visited by only the most determined backpackers but these days island hopping is popular with travellers, budget-backpackers and those seeking luxury resorts.

We’d selected two islands and travelled first up to one of the northernmost islands, Nacula, aboard the Tavewa Seabus.

One feature of touring the Yasawas is that you frequently bump in to people you’ve met on the boats on other islands and because you share meals, activities and travelling tales, a shifting community soon develops. Add to this the friendly and enthusiastic engagement of local Fijians and you get a relaxed and entertaining journey. While we enjoyed snorkelling, visiting caves and chilling in hammocks, for me the best part of our time in Nabua Lodge was the visit to a local village where we got a real sense of how the community live, work and play in an isolated environment.

Village life

Origami continues to make friends

 

Kava session on Saturday morning following a wedding in the village the previous day

Our second stop in the Yasawas was at Korovou Eco-Tour resort in Naviti. Lovely beaches, blue skies and sunsets – classic Fiji.

 

Special mention should go to Abu in Korovou, who involved everyone with demonstrations on coconuts and herbal medicine, quizzes, games, singing and dancing.

 

Great to see young people taking travelling seriously! This London couple had been on the road for a year and had a real sense of adventure

 

Back to Nadi on the Yasawa Flyer

It felt appropriate for us to spend our final night in Fiji at the Bamboo Travellers, bumping in to people at the bar who we’d met along the way.

Then, with that abrupt transition that modern travel brings, we’re suddenly back in Auckland, staying once more with good friends who we’d said our ‘final’ goodbyes to last April.

We’ve now made our final plans and booked our flights. We’re off to Argentina on Sunday and then plan to travel overland to Brazil and along the North East Coast. We have a flight booked out of Brazil and will be home in London by the beginning of October. There is still plenty of travelling to do and there are adventures yet to come, but we are slowly heading back. Inevitably, over the next few months I suspect we’ll both be posing the question, ‘What next?’

And finally for this post, a few pictures from Muriwai, just an hour from Auckland. We saw this colony of gannets on a beautiful winters day. They are themselves great travellers, making the 4,000km journey back and forth to Australia.

The Gannets of Muriwai

 

With a two metre wingspan they plunge into the sea for fish, hitting speeds of 150 kph

 

 

Felt like we were intruding a bit here

So, South America on Sunday – we arrive four hours before we leave, thanks to the international date line.

Click ‘follow’ to see how we get on…

 

 

Land of the Long White Cloud … cntd.

Back in the City of Sails…

I found myself ordering a long flat white ☕ 😕 with Anne and discussing where next to visit in our remaining time here.

Auckland

Due to time constraints and changing weather, we determined not to spend time in the South Island, as we had yet to explore the south of the North Island. But then we thought we might venture across the Cook Straight anyway, and see just a little of the South Island – the north bit … As always, it’s the journey that’s the thing.

While pondering our plans, Auckland got hit

by a raging storm with heavy rain, 140km winds, falling trees and fences, flying bins and power cuts. A friend told us that kids at a local school were pleased to find three extra trampolines had landed in their playground overnight😂. Time to get moving ourselves.

We decided to take the train, the Northern Explorer, down to Wellington and left Auckland early on a clear sunny day. The late summer had returned.

We’ve always loved traveling by train, and with its panoramic windows, detailed commentary and observation carriage, the Northern Explorer is a great way to go. And of course you travel through the farmlands of Waikato, up to the volcanic peaks of the Central Plateau, through Tongariro National Park and then down to Wellington on the Kapiti coast, a stunning journey.

Great views from the observation car

We stayed overnight in the Wellington YHA, (very comfortable) and then got the early Interislander Ferry to Picton, traveling across the Cook Straight and through the Malborough Sounds. We were lucky enough to get perfect sailing conditions, both there and back, slowly navigating the breathtaking scenery.

Passing ships

Picton

Although the scenic Marlborough Sounds was reason enough for the trip, we made the most of our time in Picton, staying in the Tombstone Hostel and hiring a car to drive along the peninsula of Totaranui – the Queen Charlotte Sounds. We stopped at viewpoints as we drove and walked through beautiful forests, rivers, bays and shorelines.

A bit more rugged up than we’ve been used to over these last eighteen months!

Great views from the trail, including of the Ferry negotiating it’s way through the sound

Wellington

Back on the North Island, we spent time in hilly, Windy Welli (though a lovely town, it lived up to its name), exploring the city and meeting up with friends of many years.

The coast south of Wellington, down by Owhiro Bay, was typically blustery and dramatic as we walked down to Red Rock point with Shona and Alistair

We also had a lovely afternoon walking through Zealandia, where we saw a range of native birds including Tui, Takahē and Kaka.

From Wellington, we drove with our friends Shona and Alistair to stay up in Ohakune by the Tongariro National Park. Friends kindly lent us their holiday home and we used it as a base to walk and explore the area. Having travelled through by train already, ‘tramping’ through the forests and hills gave us a different perspective, and we really appreciated how difficult it must have been for early settlers to survive in such a tough environment – including constructing a railroad right through it.

Dramatic changes of light, and snow covered volcanoes appearing and disappearing in the clouds

Walking through the valleys we came across farmland, native forests and the industrial architecture of the railway.

Heading back toward Auckland, we spent the afternoon at Orakei Korako Geo-Thermal Park. Run by Māori, it is a typical, surreal landscape of hot springs, mud-pools and geysers.

And, somewhat suddenly it seemed, our time in Aotearoa/New Zealand was over.

Fond goodbyes, followed by a flight back to Melbourne for more catch ups/farewells and soon we’ll be off to Western Australia (a flight that’s further from Melbourne than Auckland), a part of this massive country we have yet to visit.

We will be taking time out, and planning ‘where next’ in the final quarter of our big adventure.

Click ‘follow’ below to see where we end up …

Tasmanian Devils and other Tales

A trip to Tasmania was overdue. Despite visiting Australia half a dozen times – including two years living in Melbourne – we’d never made it across the Bass Straight to Van Diemen’s Land. We soon discovered it’s reputation as an outstanding natural environment with unique wildlife and dramatic history was well deserved. It was a fascinating place.

In Hobart, we found a comfortable apartment on Airbnb, and so we used this as a base to explore Mount Field National Park, Bruny Island and the Tasman Peninsula, as well as the city itself.

Mt Field NP, the first of many spectacular parks in Tassie

Gum trees after a Bush fire

 Bruny Island

The weather cleared on our trip to Bruny island after a grey, foreboding early start.

Two Tree Bay …

Hobart

Hobart is a small hilly town, with a pleasant bay and plenty of historical buildings.

The sandstone blocs carry the unique mark of a convict’s chisel

Curried Scallop Pies – a Tasmanian specialty

A walking tour of Hobart brought home how the combination of abundant natural resources and almost unlimited free convict labour was the basis for building the settlement, which thrived first on the massive whaling industry of the 1820s, providing whale oil for the Empire, and then on the tin mining boom off the 1870s.

Of course the settlement’s development ‘required’ the forced removal of the indigenous population in a violent, decades long, progrom as traditional kangaroo hunting land was seized and women were abducted by the predominately male settlers and convicts.

A Proclamation Board, placed around the island depicting that settlers and Palawa would be treated equally. No settler was ever prosecuted for killing an aborigine

At one stage in the ‘Black War’ a bounty was placed on the heads of Palawa Aborigines – £5 for an adult, £2 for a child (equivalent to between £1,400 and £400 today).

The Tasmanian Tiger was also hunted to extinction, with a £1 bounty on their skin

Mount Wellington

The view from the summit is spectacular on a clear day, with clouds scurrying by, and the city beneath you.

Tasmania has the reprehensible reputation as the ‘Roadkill Capital of Australia’ and it’s easy to see why. On many occasions driving around the island we came across roadkill every 50 – 100 metres. Pademelons, wombats, possums, Tasmanian Devils wallabies, kangaroos and other marsupials, all dead on the road. In many areas, particularly near National Parks, there are signs to enforce a 40 -65kmph speed limit at dawn and dusk, but the carnage continues.

Bullet-holed Tassie Devil roadsign – part of the demonisation of this endangered species

From Hobart we also headed down to Port Arthur on the Tasman peninsula. Famous for its penal colony (and more recently the 1996 massacre that resulted in changed Australia gun laws), we also took the opportunity to take a boat tour around its spectacular coast.

and of course home to both Australian and New Zealand fur seals

Port Arthur

The penal colony at Port Arthur saw itself as a progressive institution, inspired by social reformer and philosopher Jeremy Bentham, that aimed to ready convicts for release through a system of rewards and brutal flogging.

In time they saw the ineffectiveness of flogging and moved instead to a horrific programme of punishment through sensory deprivation that rivals  modern institutions such as Guantanamo Bay.

In this unit for the most rebellious convicts a regime of total silence prevailed, with the guards walking in stockinged feet on mats. There was a further punishment of incarceration in a cell, behind four doors of absolute silence and darkness.

Maria Island

Moving on from Hobart we headed down to Maria Island (another convict settlement and prison to Young Irelander William Smith O’Brien). It was also the focus of a number of failed settlements over the years and is now a national park and home to many native Tasmanian species.

Walking around the island was blissful and we encountered Cape Barren Geese, pademelons and to our immense excitement wombats!

a shy pademelon

We soon realised that, without predators on the Island, wombats are everywhere and simply ignore humans!

Conditions were bleak for those who tried to settle here, scratching a subsistence living with no electricity and stream water. The last family to live there, the Howells, came in 1910 and lasted till the 1970s. The three daughters were named Faith, Hope and Charity, though Charity was known to everyone as Bob. Their cottage, lined by kerosene boxes, with newspaper for wallpaper remains, it is a bleak reminder of how hard it would be to survive in this environment.

Maria Island is also famous for the ‘painted cliffs’, visible at low tide, where the sandstone has been penetrated by mineral rich groundwater and then eroded to make fascinating patterns.

Freycinet

From the Maria island ferry we headed down to a hostel in Coles Bay and the next day went hiking through Freycinet NP, with views of Wineglass Bay and a beautiful, secluded walk around the headland with empty beaches and eucalyptus forests.

Wineglass Bay lookout, and the long walk down to the beach below!

local beach bum

Spectacular sunset in Coles Bay to finish the day

Natureworld Wildlife Park Bicheno

Tasmanian Emu

This beautiful Wedge-Tailed eagle was injured on a power line and is unable to fly

Our journey around Tasmania continued with a walk around Cape Torville lighthouse and Friendly beaches, more spectacular scenery; and then on to Natureworld – a wildlife park that is part of the national programme to save the endangered Tasmanian Devil from extinction.

We had learned about the history and current situation of the Tasmanian Devil in a museum exhibition in Hobart. Early European settlers dubbed this carnivorous marsupial a ‘Devil’, due to its red ears, bared teeth and noisy eating displays at night. 90% of the species was wiped out through hunting, following the extinction of the Tasmanian Tiger. In this genetically weakened state the species has now developed the transmissible ‘Devil Facial Tumour Disease’ which is devastating the remaining population. While Natureworld cares for devils injured on the road, it is also part of the breeding programme that is trying to introduce tumour resistant animals back in to the wild.

Feeding Time

Young Devil

Devil or Angel? Of the 20 devils reintroduced into the wild on this programme, four were victims of roadkill within a fortnight

Launceston

We enjoyed our stay here in the Dragonfly Inn, a beautiful heritage building in the process of restoration –  great value and a relaxing place to stay.

While there were some lovely historical buildings in Launceston, my favourite spot was an authentic Milk Bar. So many of these places have been turned into coffee shops – I had a meat pie there to celebrate a fantastic Aussie institution!

 

Cradle Mountain

One of the most beautiful, and popular National Parks in Tasmania, we ended up staying overnight in a cabin on the edge of the park and saw the changing weather and light flowing over this wonderful place. As always walking just a short distance took you away from the crowds, its a spectacular, wild place to walk, and the park is brilliantly maintained.

This Tasmanian Black Currawong landed on our verandah in the evening. I was also bitten on the foot by a home invasion possum, but that’s another story …

The sky cleared the next morning, but the wind sent waves across the lake

Montezuma Falls

After a long drive on our way to Queensland, we hadn’t expected a three hour walk to view the falls, but we were glad we did it. Like many trails through the wilderness in Tasmania, this was based on an old mining tram track that carted minerals down through the rainforest. It must have been backbreaking work to carve cuttings and lay tracks through this wilderness.

Anne, giving a sense of perspective.

Strahan

Now near the end of our roadtrip through Tasmania, we stopped overnight in Strahan, and mostly by chance, ended up walking to Regatta Point and taking a trip on the West Coast Wilderness railway. After all our walking over the previous few weeks, it was great to observe the rainforest, rivers and wilderness through the carriage windows. And a steamtrain is always fun!

Turning the loco at Dubil Barril

Our final day on the West Coast of Tasmania started beautifully with a bright clear day as we walked down the King River estuary beach at Macquarie Heads and on to Ocean Beach. From there we drove along the Lyle highway via Queenstown and the Franklin Gordon National Park via various walks and lookouts until reaching Hamilton. From majestic beach, rivers trickling through rainforests, mountain top views and wilderness walks the day encapsulated everything special about Tasmania. We finished the day in Hamilton, staying in a weatherboard house at sundown.

Early morning, Macquarie Heads, lighthouses, clear water and solitude

Queenstown felt a bit quirky. The surrounding hillsides have been denuded by sulphur from the mining process

Franklin Gordon River NP with Frenchman’s Cap mountain on the horizon

There are many tales from Tasmania not told in this blog. The astonishing state election, where the result was bought by the gambling lobby in an election that was corrupt by any democratic standards. The intriguing story of the MONA museum and its owner. Random encounters with wildlife. The Greg Duncan Huon Pine carving. And, of course, conversations in hostels and bars along the way.

As with the two most recent blog posts, we are certainly travelling in a different way, through a different landscape than our previous year in SE Asia. We have sent our long suffering dive bag home and our next adventure in New Zealand awaits – travelling light and enjoying the journey.

More ‘Stralia Stories

Our trip to the Blue Mountains – Katoomba, Mudgee, Armidale and beyond – gave us a glimpse of the stunning wilderness that is the Great Dividing Range. Flowing down the east coast of Australia, it separates the populated coastal areas from the interior and stretches from the tropics of Queensland down through New South Wales and then west to the Grampians in Victoria. It is vast, often remote, and astonishingly beautiful.

And of course, as with the rest of Australia,the European ‘rules’ for flora and fauna, wildlife and climate do not apply. Once again we have witnessed the unique and glorious way that nature works in Australia – it still amazes.

The people at the top of the waterfall give some sense of scale

In our brief time here, we’ve come across rosellas, gallahs, kookaburas, sulphur crested, black, and salmon cockatoo and some majestic wedge-tailed eagles. We’ve seen water dragons, blue tounged lizards, huntsman spiders and an emu. Koalas, brush-tailed rock wallabies, eastern grey kangaroos, dolphins, cormorants and pelicans. Goanna, lyrebirds, red-beak oystercatchers and fruitbats.

We’ve also seen wombats and possums – but only as roadkill 😕. It’s a very different world…

We found these brush-tailed rock wallabies on the road to the Jenolan caves

A Goanna, hiding in the rainforest canopy

A fledgling muttonbird emerging from its nest on Muttonbird island

Dolphins in the bay at Evans Head

Koalas preserve energy by sleeping for extended periods, and stay cool by hugging gum trees

Urban Fright. This Huntsman on a box of beer in Melbourne …

A water dragon after our lunch, and a blue-tounged lizard after some cat food

Kangaroos in the upper pasture. Eastern Greys, early one morning, Evans Head

Pelicans with diving cormorant beneath

Eucalyptus

Then there are the gumtrees. Massive, varied, superbly adaptable – from the high Snowy Mountains of NSW, to the dry, hot red centre. They define the environment, and drive the process of renewal that distinguishes this continent from any other.

Of course, we now see them everywhere, Africa, Europe, the Americas, the SE Asian rainforest, devastated by Agent Orange, and garden centres in North London.

Yet until the 1770’s they were unique to this place, with over 700 varieties perfectly adapted to tropical rainstorm, drought, flood, bushfires and extremes of temperature. They are the tallest flowering tree (only the coniferous American redwoods are taller), and some, still standing, predate the European invasion by a hundred years or more.

The Journey

Our trip from Sydney to just over the Queensland border took a couple of weeks. Driving a hired car, staying in motels, country pubs, Airbnb and Youth Hostels – it’s a different sort of traveling than we’re used to in SE Asia. Though accommodation is expensive, cooking our own food in hostels helps the daily budget.

The cooler climate also means we’ve been able to a lot more walking, and the National Parks are fantastic places to explore Australia’s natural world.

After a few days in the fabulous art-deco Blue Mountains YHA  in Katoomba we went via the Jenolan caves to Mudgee where we stopped for a night in a grotty, but cheap bar and then on to Armidale. High in the Northern Tabelands at an altitude of 1000m we felt cold for the first time in a long while.

The Jenolan caves must have been an unbelievable discovery for the early explorers. We spent two hours in just one cave system

From there we had a spectacular journey with forest walks and waterfalls, down towards the coast and Coffs Harbour.

The journey to the coast is dotted with country pubs and small town Victorian wrought iron/weatherboard frontages.

Bellingen

The Coast – Coffs Harbour, Evans Head and Byron Bay

The Southern Pacific. Coffs Harbour – Park Beach

We walked along the coast from Park Beach to Muttonbird Island

We really enjoyed our stay at Evans Head. Catching up with Roseanne and Bill, exploring the local area (this is where we saw the Koalas, Pelicans, Dolphins and Kangaroos above) and relaxing into the way of life.

We also came across some old photo albums from our dear friend Grum, who we first met him in a losmen on Java in 1983. Our paths crossed regularly as we did our first backpacking journey through SE Asia, and he became a great friend. Happy memories, and sadly missed.

With Anne, Grum and others in Borobodour. I’m reading from ‘SE Asia on a Shoestring (2nd edition)’.

The river in Bangkok City – on our way to the Post Restante, for news from home

Idyllic Koh Samui. Things have changed in 35 years.

The Southern Pacific

Lenox Head and the Cape Byron Lighthouse offer spectacular views of the coastline, wide sandy beaches, waves crashing onto rocks and endless surf.

Our journey up the east coast ended in Mudgeerabar, Southern Queensland. Our diving buddy Lindsay, who we’d met in Komodo last August, was working there, and it was also the childhood home of Rachael, a good Aussie friend from London. We had great fun catching up with Lindsay and swapping yet more travel tales, and it was fantastic to meet Rachael’s folks and make the connection.

Heading back towards Sydney we stopped for a few days at Port MacQuarie (Ozzie Pozzie YHA) and explored the area. The Tacking Point lighthouse again gave spectacular views of the coastline.

We also walked through the rainforest canopy boardwalk at Sea Acres National Park. Made more wonder full, because we had the place to ourselves.

Strangling Fig

We then visited Roto House, a beautiful example of an old colonial house, built from Australian redwood, with wide, bull nosed verandas and cool interiors.

It’s also the site of a Koala hospital (rescued from bushfires etc) , which gives me the opportunity to finish by posting a couple more pictures of sleepy Koalas.

Displaying the unique ‘two thumbs on the front paw’

So, after a brief stop with old friends in Sydney, a quick flight to Melbourne, our next port of call is Tasmania. Despite living in Melbourne for two years, it’s a place we’ve yet to explore…

 

 

 

West Papuan Paradise

Unsurprisingly, given our plans and dreams in London 2016, it seemed fitting that we would spend the end of 2017 diving what is probably the richest coral reef ecosystem in the world.

In truth, it was simply good fortune and a last minute cancellation with Papua Explorers, that meant we ended up in the heart of Raja Ampat as 2017 moved in to a new year. It took some substantial reorganisation and planning for us to get to this remote location in West Papua, just after Christmas. But as a consequence of this rethink, we were able to spend a fantastic five weeks in Cambodia a country that had not been in our plans before – that’s the joy of traveling without a fixed agenda.

That change also meant we spent Christmas day in a hotel in Sulawesi that ran out of food, beer and cocktails on the day itself, but such is life on the road – and at least we were able to swim in the pool, relax and talk with family and friends around the world.

Christmas Day proved to be a struggle in Sulawesi …

Raja Ampat

The beauty and wonder of this dive destination was well worth the effort of getting there though, and we had some spectacular dives in seas that were bursting with life. Even the journey from Sorong to our destination on the island of Gam, West Papua promised something special – a pod of over a 100 dolphins turned up to play in the speedboat’s wake.

Can anyone identify these dolphins? Thought they were Spinners, but didn’t see them spinning!

The exceptional diversity of marine life in Raja Ampat is down to both it’s remoteness from large scale human habitation and its position between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, where strong currents ensure coral and fish larvae are shared between the two oceans. Even by the standards of the Coral Triangle, this is an abundant habitat and we saw fish, sharks and coral that we had never encountered before. Wobbegong sharks, Oceanic Mantas (one ‘dive bombed’ me!) and Walking Sharks stand out, but there was life everywhere, alongside the most beautiful coral I have seen.

We also stayed in a truly idyllic environment, with a spacious pondok (cabin) on stilts over the sea, where we fell asleep every night to the sound of schools of fish moving in the shallows below.

Our Pondok, where we were woken every day with a tropical dawn chorus

Local carvings were everywhere

sunrise

We had peace, calm, beautiful sunrises and sunsets, with exotic birdsong from the jungle behind us. Plus we had some great company from divers who had travelled from around the world to greet 2018 in this special place.

Diving locally almost every day ensured we could be conservative in managing our surface interval time and avoid any recurrence of Anne’s DCS. And staying in the centre of the marine park meant we were able to observe how the local villagers interact with tourism and benefit directly in preserving this marine eco-system, probably the most important guarantee for its continuing survival.

Full credit to Papua Explorers for their efforts to educate and learn from the locals as well as explaining to tourists both the complexity and necessity of action to ensure this paradise survives.

And what a paradise…

An ocean-going yacht on the horizon at sunset

Farewell to Asia

Leaving West Papua marked a new year and a farewell to South East and East Asia, through which we’ve been travelling for over a year.

We are now in Melbourne Australia, reuniting with friends from what seems a lifetime ago when we were tram drivers here in the

Waiting for the Cool Change

early 1980s. And of course, summer in Melbourne is currently in a hot spell – lowest temperature last night, 28°C; it’s now a hot 42°C, as I write this.

Like all Melbournians we’re hanging on for the ‘cool change’, that will see a 20° drop in temperature in half an hour – it’s due about 8.00pm tonight.

As with other times in this adventure when we’ve caught up with family and friends, there are likely to be fewer blog updates and photos as we concentrate on friendship and shared moments. We do intend to travel this vast and beautiful country over the next few months though, and will share the wonder as we go.

Classic early morning, Swanston Street …

Click ‘follow’ to see where our adventure takes us …