Brian and Davina's journeys

Photos: Ecuador

brikem21 — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:12:00 GMT

Photos: Mexico, Cuba

brikem21 — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:28:00 GMT

Mexico city, cuba

brikem21 — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:14:00 GMT

We went off to Cuba via Mexico city- I night stay but packed a lot into it- visiting the wonderful cathedral in the city centre that is gradually sinking . Had dinner in an amazing restaurant in the old town – walls covered in tiles. Recommended by friendly passenger in passport queue- who also stressed how dangerous the place was- so we are totally neurotic about being mugged. Anyway, we escaped Mexico without calamity and have landed in Havana- a city of music, sensational buildings and 1950s American cars. Stayed at Hotel Florida-excellent hotel in what was a villa-lovely courtyard-sky high ceilings. Booked through Cubaism- they seem to get better deals than anyone else. It’sgreat to feel safe- there is some petty theft in Cuba but you do not feel threatened.

Having had various mojitos and daquiris- we discovered old Cuban rum- excellent to go with the cigars. Went on an interesting 45 min trip around the Partagas cigar factory- recommended. Getting slightly fed up seeing so much Ernest Hemingway- his favorite bar, his favorite restaurant etc.. Following recommendations we found 2 excellent restaurants- Templete for lunch (at the harbour) and La Paila for dinner- this is family run, a 20 min taxi drive from Old havana-but well worth it.

Have hired car to drive down to Trinidad. Having seen that a) there are no road signs in this country, b) there are giant pot holes even in motor ways, c) people stop on the fast lanr to buy food from vendors who stand in the central reservation, d) cows and goats cross over the roads- I bottled out and recruited Ernesto who drove for us- recommended by car hire company. He ignored anything that Davina said to him, and his English was not as good as he made out, and many detours were made to see his mates, but he got us there in 1 piece. We did a home stay at Milagrossa- no 1 in tripadvisor- highly recommended- 25 pesos a day (c £20.00) for the room, plus excellent dinner every night.

Loved old Trinidad and finally had good weather- so off to the beach everyday. First day am went to ghastly all inclusive- built like a camp, but then found a beach which had a great restauarant and only c 6-8 people there, plus good snorkeling. I day the fishermen netted a hammerhead shark! Went to a music club 1 evening where BK performed the salsa steps that Bury (at Milagrossa) had painstakingly and patiently taught him.

Back to Havana and off to the ballet for a gala performance for world woman’s day. Before the performance started we were shown a propaganda movie and then a long speech with many references to the revolution and comrades. All the revolutionaries here are older than me so Cuba is in a bit of a time warp- but pictures of young Che Guevara are everywhere- reminded me of my university days.

Finally our last night- we are going off to see a concert with 2 members of the original Buena Vista social club performing, and then we set off home tomorrow evening and am looking forward to seeing all our friends and family.Were on our way home-over and out!

Ecuador, Galapagos

brikem21 — Mon, 1 Mar 2010 23:54:00 GMT

Visited the Jesuit church in Quito- extraordinarily extravagant-never seen so much gold ornamentation.

Galapagos- truly an extraordinary experience. We went on the Mary Anne booked through Galapex tours (PaulMcFarling is an English biologist living in Galapagos, recommended to us by Jonathan Hall)

We did 7 day cruise- you don’t want to do less. Our boat the most beautiful- only 14 passengers- avoid the big cruise ships. Excellent food. But too many early mornings- 5.ams ( we were meant to be on holiday!), but to get the most out of the trip, you have to do this. Most extraordinary thing about the Galapagos is the complete lack of fear of the animals towards humans. Seals, Blue footed Boobies, iguanas of many different colours, giant turtles, penguins,would just ignore you. A constant feast for the eyes and finally a justification for lugging my telephoto lense around the world.

Highlights were the snorkeling- swimming with turtles, the occasional shark, eagle and sting rays,a large purple octopus (who camouflaged himself into rock colours), sea lions, and Davina managed to swim with the penguins- they frolicked side by side,eyeballing each other. Glimpse of dolphins in the oceans, and a sperm whale who we saw surface and then dive. I told Davina that I was going upstairs from our cabin to whale watch and could not believe my eyes as I saw one out of the window as I made a cup of tea. Charged below deck to get her to share the experience! Turned out that this was not random. The captain had spotted the whale and had changed course. Still I like my version of the story!

We constantly looked forward to our trips to the different islands. It was truly magical to be standing amongst the iguana and sea lions on these rugged volcanic rocks, or sandy beaches. The bird life was so impressive- never thought we were bird watchers, but the blue boobies had simply wonderfully coloured eau de nile to pale sky blue coloured feet. Pink flamingos were magnificent, and there was one bird where the male puffed up his chest into a gorgeous explosion of red to attract the females. The Galapagos dove has amazing blue eyes.

We had a good group of people- including a geologist, a forensic scientist and a biologist, specialising in DNA . We also had a condom salesman ( I thought he meant condo salesman!) . Anyhow, I recovered quickly from my gaff and fortunately had a myriad of stories to regale him with- told him his job was even more of a conversation stopper at a dinner party than being a piano maker. There was also a couple who lived in Marlborough!

Having gone for our last trip in the mangroves (where we spotted a baby Eagle ray) we headed back to Quito, and really mourned the end of this part of our journey,

The next day another early start to visit the cloud forest at Mindo. Arrived at Bellavista lodge and saw hundreds of humming birds. I thought that we were going to have a day of seeing a myriad of beautiful birds in the forest. Sadly not- serious trudging up and down steep slopes, but few birds (who flew off if you were noisy, and stayed high up in the trees-v anti-social), and the elusive pecan remained elusive! Davina is going to buy me a Guinness back in UK as compensation. But did see a red breasted woodpecker. But having been totally spoilt in the Galapagos, this was a bit of an anti climax and I almost had a Davina rebellion on my hands after a 3 hour walk through the drizzle (it’s not called cloud forest for nothing!). But it was interesting at least to see all the humming birds. But-if you plan to do this- spend the night there, and go walking first thing in the morning as this is the optimimum time to see the birds.

The next day went to The Chapel of Man and the Guyasamin foundation. Guyasamin is the most famous modern Ecuadorian artist, and was a friend of Castro and Mitterand. His paintings and murals are influenced by Picasso ( Guernica) but he developed his own style. Most of his paintings are angry-against modern war and its dreadful destruction of humanity- Vietnam-Africa- Guatamala. The Chapel of Man is an amazing modern building built to commemorate all those harmed by war. Unmissable-what a space1- and what a contrast to what we had been doing.

Saturday-off to Otavalo market- arrived too late for the animal market, but the craft and food market in full swing. Fun seeing all the local costumes- ladies wearing beautiful gold coloured glass necklasses, Indian men with hair in braids. Bought our panama hats-paid $50 for one, but turned down one for $360-good but not that good.

Now, after a pisco sour ( great Peruvian drink) at the airport , we are on our final leg- Off to Cuba with less than 2 weeks to go!!

PS- in Peru for altititude sickness everyone chews on Coca leaves (and the hotels provide them for breakfast)- cocaine is extracted from these but you need to be a chemist to do so- so you are not allowed to take them out the country. But they also make great tea and toffees with them , and as far as we can find out ,these are legal ( they are on sale aat the airport) Great for high altitiude, and originally used for Coca Cola.

Photos: Galapagos

brikem21 — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 09:25:00 GMT

South America

brikem21 — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 10:09:00 GMT

Arrive at hotel in Santiago (Holiday inn at airport) to find that our travel agent despite my emailed request) had failed to reinstate our reservation ; and guess what – no room at the inn. BK however remains sanguine and then they manage to find a room for us. The staff here were unbelievable- nothing like many European Holiday Inns- great rooms and super staff. In fact everyone in Chile was very friendly, but all warned us against thieves in Santiago, and said that much more unsafe in Peru. It was not helped by our night in Lima in a lovely old villa that was surrounded by high voltage cables on the top of its walls. We set up a cordon sanitaire and don’t allow anyone near us and are getting totally paranoid. It is a great shame. However, have so far managed to get out of both Chile and Peru without mishap- so fingers crossed for the rest of the trip.

Another flight- this time to Cusco. We had planned to visit Machu Picchu, but closed owing to torrential downpours a few weeks ago, and people still trapped there. Cusco itself is fabulous- here it was safe to walk the wonderful cobbled streets, and it was wonderful to relax an visited the wonderful cathedral. The Jesuits also had a fabulous church- it looked actually bigger than the cathedral ( which was run by Dominicans) and there was a history of conflict between them. As both were keenly involved in the Inquistion we were not taking sides. We visited a wonderful friary that was built over the remains of an Inca sun temple. The Spaniards deliberately built their religious buildings over Inca ones- I guess it achieved 2 things- 1- the spot was already considered holy so that it would have the respect of the locals, and 2- it was highly symbolic- a bit like big fish eats little fish-Christianity dominates and triumphs over the Inca mother earth religion. Somewhat ironically we visited a village where grass was growing out of the steeple of the church. We thought this strange as everywhere in Peru the streets are spotless despite the poverty. Our guide told us that the locals were more interested in the earth mother than the mother church!

W visited an Inca museum and learnt that the Inca aristocracy bandaged the skulls of their babies in order to deform their skulls. They had different shape skulls depending on their social status. They also shaved their heads- so when the Incas arrived in an area ( and in the early 16^th century their empire expanded massively )- they really did look as if they might have come from outer space or were gods. One shape looks just like the skull in Alien!

The negative about Cusco is the altitude. Despite taking altitude pills, drinking Coca tea, it is a horrible feeling- can’t breathe properly, every step is an effort, headaches; very dry..it takes days to acclimatize.

We then visited the Sacred Valley- saw wonderful Inca remains-all the terraces were introduced by the Incas and their ability to build with huge blocks of hand carved stones up tops of hills is awesome. The scenery is spectacular- mountains and hills covered in lush green vegetation. Sadly drove past some villages that had had homes swept away when the river burst its banks, but our travel agent assured us it was better for tourists to come than stay away as the whole economy was very dependent on tourism.

Next day a 10 hour coach ride to Lake Titicaca. Even higher up than Cusco. Celebrated the next night by having oxygen at the hotel- thoroughly recommend it. BK slept through most of the journey- thus missing spectacular scenerary, But we did visit a wonderful church- called the Sistine chapel of Peru. Every wall covered with beautiful, rather naïve murals.

Next day- boat ride on the lake to visit a floating island. Incredible- these guys pay no tax. They gather large floating sections of reeds, bind them together with rope, and built homes on them. They have to attach them to nearby land to stop them floating away. There is a leader on each island, but if somebody has a disagreement they either move their reed house away from the others, or, in extreme cases, they will saw though part of the island and take their bit away ( reminded me of a very old story about my brother and a friend of his, John?, who had a shared hut in our garden!)

The highlight of our trip here though was that we were very lucky to come during a festival. Our guide took us to a village where there were literally no other tourists to see a fabulous dance competition inside a stadium. We were , somewhat embarrassingly, given VIP treatment, and ushered through a gate in the fence, to sit on the trainer/manager bench.

Now off to Ecuador. Have spent the day in town, and tomorrow we are off on our 7 day trip to thr Galapagos- maybe the highlight of the whole trip. Will be out of contact I guess.

I have published a separate gallery of cloud photos by Davina. Originally I must confess to considering her photos out of plane windows to be of dubious merit, but have been convinced (no- she is not twisting my arm!)In her words: Every time we leave one culture, type of architecture, people, landscape, we go up into the clouds, go tuc tuc tuc tuc, a little further on our quest to go around the globe, and then down again, to meet the next new lot of experiences. The flight, and the accompanying clouds help punctuate it!. (not to mention their beauty) My favorite is one she took showing an amazing sunset.

PS- thanks to Angus for explaining about time zones etc and spherical earth-BUT did u know that the earth is not spherical- it has an equatorial bulge ( a bit like BK?) and the highest point on the planet furthest from the centre of the earth is Mt Chimborazo in Ecuador- beat that!

PPS- forgot to comment on the Incas and their mummies. The head of the family (of the aristocracy) was made into a mummy when he died. When the family visited other families the mummy was brought with- as he had visited when alive so no reason to stop. Whilst the family socialized with the living, the mummy was left to socialize with the mummies of the house being visited!

Photos: Up touring the globe

brikem21 — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 09:05:00 GMT

Photos: Peru

brikem21 — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 09:04:00 GMT

Photos: Tahiti and Easter Island

brikem21 — Mon, 8 Feb 2010 15:49:00 GMT

Tahiti and Easter Island

brikem21 — Mon, 8 Feb 2010 15:36:00 GMT

Off to Tahiti- arrive in pouring rain and it hasn’t really stopped. Only staying one night in Papeete as not very beautiful, and plane arrived late at night. But do NOT stay in Tiare Tahiti- a total dump- neon lights, dirty yellow doors, filthy coffee. After positive NZ staff – the contrast with these could not give a damn of these guys is huge.

Ferry in morning to Moorea ( not soon enough) Here the hotel is delightful- Les Tapiniers- friendly staff, nice spacious bungalow, good restaurant. Morea is beautiful- mountains covered in palm trees and greenery, green cragged tops- waterfalls from mountain tops- straight out of the Lost Valley ( expecting dinosaurs to appear at any moment)

Went on boat ride to see the giant rays- did not realize we could get in the sea and stroke them- they have been taught to have no fear of humans. A truly magical experience, amplified by being circled by rather large sharks ( we were assured they did not eat humans.) Despite tempestuous downpours this was unmissable.

Early rise to go on to Manihi- an atoll- basically a lagoon surrounded by a narrow circle of land and reefs. Rain still persues us- downpours normally timed to when we are moving our bags and are totally exposed. In a water bungalow over the sea ( Manihi Pearl Resort-recommend.) The room has a glass table that you can see the sea below through. Also glass panels in bathroom and bedside tables. You can take the top of the table to feed the fish- Picadilly Circus. BK went down below to stroke the fish whilst Davina dropped food from above. Another amazing experience more than compensating for the weather . (We left finally sunny Moorea and Tahiti to stormy Manihi!)

Note-use Tahiti Nui travel- very professional.

2 days of tempests. Apparently they get cyclones every 12 years- last one was 14 years ago! Cyclone Olly got us!! Unbelievable gusts of wind and truly incredible downpours. Reminded me of old movie about tropical hurricanes. Palm trees at 50 degrees- everything soaking BUT what an experience! Food delicious.

Today it is calm and beautiful and went fishing. Great fun- who said fishing was an art- you just drop your line in and immediately catch something! Fabulous colours. Davina a dap hand with the reel. We will eat some of the catch tonight.

Looking over the balcony saw a reef shark. Called out to National Geographic endorsed cameraman- Davina. Camera at the ready , so focused on the shark, she crashed over the deck chair-hence blurry photo! But she lives for another day.

Nightmare happens- we are told that we are trapped on the island as all flights cancelled.Looked as if we would have to give up Easter Island as only 2 flights a week. Then, the next day, we find out that Lan has rescheduled a flight for tomorrow ( as their International flight was also cancelled)-and that if we could bet off this stormy,sodden tropical paradise we could make the connection. told a plane was coming at 12.30- finally arrived at 5.30 ( told if not here by 6.00 it could not land) Delighted to escape- we had fun with the other 8 people in the hotel ( 2 Canadian Scots and 5 French)- ended up all eating together and bonding- it was an experience that one enjoys more in retrospect!)

Now in Easter Island- absolutely fabulous- totally recommend. Everybody is so friendly and the giant statues (Moys?) are magnifiecnt. There are more wild horses than people.

we happened to arrive during ttheir annual festival- what a treat. and we saw a race inside the volcano- it involved canooing by loin clothed males across the lake inside the volcano- followed by running the perimeter of the lake carrying 2 large bunches of bananas (not comical- maybe 40 kg), followed by anothee r circuit, followed by a kind of surf board rowed with hands across the lake. Amazing. There was a ladies race at the end , and i waited to see the beautiful girls in their loin cloths- but sadly they were covered up!!
Tahiti is beautiful but the people there are so lazy and unhelpful- Easter island was a delight.
Chile is only 3 hours behind UK ( i dont understand these time zones- it looks further west than New York which i thiunk is 5 hours behind- can someone explain.)
Stayed at Mana Nui Inn- lovely people. and had excellent dinner at "Au but du monde". Saw massed singing and dancing from the restaurant balcony-part of the festival. Over 100 people on the stage. It was great as not done for the tourists.

Singapore, Aus and NZ

brikem21 — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 15:26:00 GMT

After quick visit to Kunzers (great to see some friends) now off to OZ-sadly without Kemble bear-but he is being very well looked after and spent the night cuddled up to Holly.

Sorry for delay in posting but this is first time in many days that we have time and access. Stayed at Blue Hotel in Sydney- very contemporary converted warehouse on the shore front. It is worth joining Leaders club (Leading Hotels of the world) as you get free upgrade, and free bottle of wine. Great room – but don’t eat here- food is extortionate- £15 for bowl of soup! We had a delicious pie from stall just outside hotel ( famous pie shop)

Went off to the Opera House to see a Brazilian dance troupe- magical and inspiring. Emotions high after amazing dinner at Aria ( facing the Opera-book in advance) and delicious Cloudy Bay.

Now off to New Zealand. Land at Queenstown and totally fallen in love with it. Wonderful landscape- blue lake,crystal clear water and mountains. Superb dinner- slow cooked (c 9 hours) shoulder of lamb at Botswana Butchery ( recommended by Francis who saw it recommended by Chris Patton)Went to the movies. Stayed at St Moritz- OK but no aircon and room quite stuffy-make sure you ask for a fan or try to get an aircon room.

Visited Milford Sound- lucky with weather as rains there 180 days a year. 9 hour drive ( 5 hours going , 4 hours retuen)- but well worth it as the views are spectacular. Milford Sound is a fjord- carved away by Glaciers. Stopped off on way to view water falls in the bush- fabulous ferns everywhere.

Next day a trip to Glenorchy- real Lord of the Rings land. Also many commercials filmed here- the purple Milcha cow using this as a backdrop for Switzerland. Did Wilderness safari up the Dart river. Involved walk through the forest ( used for Lord of the Rings) followed by Jet boat ride. Jet boats developed in NZ to go on shallow water and through rapids. Great fun, and the views again truly amazing. Everyday we see more spectacular landscape.

Off to Christchurch to visit Heather and Dave .Lunch a banquet with an amazing ( delicious and huge trout) caught personally by Dave.

Then off to Akaroa- originally a French settlement. A great drive ( by BK in rented car.) This is a harbour formed after 3 volcanoes exploded many years ago. More spectacular scenary. Stayed in great B and B – Oinako lodge ( Greg and Teresa Miller.) Now in Trip Advisor top 10 B and Bs in Pacific- beautiful old French house ( reminds you of Charleston.)

Off to go whale watching in Kaikora- wisely took sea sickness pill beforehand (unlike many others!). (Sperm) Whale found just before the end of the cruise- wonderful to see it in its natural habitat. Tail goes into the air as it gracefully dives back into9 the depths.Book in advance with Whale watch-very professional- fast catarmaran good commentary.

Stayed at Bush and Sea- another trip advisor recommendation. Nice modern self contained room, with decking overlooking sea. Fantastic dinner at White Morph restaurant on the Esplanade.

Now rushing off to get 6.00pm ferry at Picton to visit Francis and Glen. On way stopped off at Cloudy Bay winery- tasted their Fizz- not excited by it, but their sauvignon Blanc unbeatable.

Take small water bus and Francis and Glen waiting for us on jetty. Their place (Chaucer Bay, Bay of many Coves) only reachable by boat. After struggling up a path cut in the cliff face, we finally arrived. Heaven!!, surrounded by native bush with incredible view of the bay from our bedroom, and 360 degree panorama. Everything solar powered ( so BK should not fall asleep with the lights on!) Lovely wood fire going.So good to see them in NZ- we are really in love with this country. Ate outside on their deck. Cabin- does not describe this place- it is fabulous and very comfortable.

Went on boat ride to Cook’s Cove ( Cook came here several times), seal lying on its side resting , and then some kayaking- saw a huge ray-what a creature! Tomorrow we will gather mussels for lunch. This is the life!- but possum has eaten Glen’s basil and parsley- so definitely public enemy. Woken by Weka (loud cry)- just strolls around the garden- very inquisitive- you have to close the door otherwise it might just wander in.

About to play a game of bridge- great to be able to chill out from our hectic travels.

Bridge playing rather eratic and better forgotton.

Today we go harvesting mussels and scallops- Glen dove down and got them off the sea bed. BK incited by Frances jumped off the end of the pier (picture heavily censored!) Crystal clear water , but COLD. Then had to repeat the jump several times as Davina’s camera kept missing him.

Another evening of delicious food- mssels, BBQ, and dreadful bridge- must remember to get the trumps out! (Scallops and pea risotto by DK as an amuse bouche)

Sad to be leaving this paradise but wine tasting in Blenheim beckons! Fabulous Sauvignon at villa Maria _ single vineyard and not for export. Also tried Cloudy Bay Pinot Gris- delicious and also not for export as too small a production. Cloudy Bay now belongs to Moet . Lovely family run independent vineyard- Isabella- worth a visit. Stayed at Stonehaven Vinery homestay- fabulous views over the vineyard. Lovely modern home decorated with superb taste- super art- recommended. Delicious breakfast. Off to dinner at Herzog- NZ’s first 5 star restaurant. Beautiful white wooden building with a first class vineyard.

Frances and Glen kindly took us to the airport- no security, you can arrive 30 minutes before the flight, you can take liquids on the planes- what a great place NZ is! Stopped off at Wellington airport and had 5 minute chat on phone with Caspian Ievers who lives down the road.

Off to Rotorua in the North Island- home of geysers and bubbling mud and sulphurous smells.DK thinks I have excelled myself by taking her to the smelliest place in the world, but had to be done- this is the image I have had of NZ since prep school. Bubbling mud reminds us of Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewts from Harry Potter. Amazing green pea soup colour lake- totally natural.

Staying at Koura Lodge- nice position on lake outside of town, (town itself a bit Hicksville)- OK but not very exciting and expensive for what it is.

Photos: Singapore,Aus,NZ

brikem21 — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:16:00 GMT

Angkor Wat

brikem21 — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 12:27:00 GMT

After a days site seeing in Bac Hao (amazing market-buffalo, pigs, dogs all for sale (dont like thinking about the fate of the poor dogs), we set off on overnight train back to hanoi. Arrived 4.30 am then on to airport for flight to Bankok and onto Siem Riep.

Angkor Watt truly stunning. Huge area of temples, Day 1 we concentrated on Ta Prohm- this is my imagination of what it would be like. Used in Lara Croft film- giant stone faces in the jungle gradually being taken over by the jungle again. Huge roots, like octopus tentacles, gradually sprawling over the man made temples. An ode to the power of nature.

If you visit ask to go to NORTH entrance. This is away from main tourist path which has been cleared up. You go down a path through dense jungle and imagine you are an intrepid explorer.

Staying in Pavillon d,Orient- no 1 trip advisor hotel- highly recommend.

Read on plane about young designer from Madagascar who is doing amazing things with Cambodian silk- tracked him down- had boutique at FCC (foreign correspondents' club hotel)- where we went to have cocktails and to pretend to be reporters. Were invited to his workshop- amazing stuff- Davina thought she had died and gone to heaven!

then went on river cruise to see floating village. Family risked drowning by following us in small motorised canoe to sell us a beer- bit of child exploitation that we were not very happy about.

Went to Angkor Wat main complex for sunset- incredibly long galleries with wonderful bas reliefs.Incrediblr long legged Russian tourist- totally inappropriately dressed ( davina's photos, not mine!)Sadly sunset photo threatened as a large amount scaffolding. However, we heard that the best shot was on nearby hill- so off we went, and up we climbed- (near vertical steps at the top) and took some great photos ( including some of Buddhist monks having a cigarette break!)

Now off to Singpore - and guess what- Victoria has met us at the airport- whooppee!!

Kemble bear decides to stay here as wants to stay with their eldest daughter,Holly, and also likes Minty and Cosmo, and we cannot stand in the way of true romance.

Photos: Angkor Wat

brikem21 — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 11:55:00 GMT

Photos: Vietnam

brikem21 — Fri, 8 Jan 2010 14:11:00 GMT

Bangkok, Vietnam

brikem21 — Tue, 5 Jan 2010 23:38:00 GMT

Stayed in amazing hotel in Bangkok and had delicious dinner with Nye, Noy and family. Now in Hanoi and loving the food and shopping. Off to halong Bay tomorrow.

Sadly Davina had her camera magically pickpocketed-taken out her camera bag whilst it was done up and on he shoulder within 2 minutes of leaving a wonderful embroidery shop. also some suffering of clam food poisoning in Goa so life is not a complete paradise!!

but still having fun!!!!

Halong Bay amazing- it is like a submerged mountain range with peaks sticking out of the water. Literally thousands of limestone rocks sticking out of the sea. Amazing food on Red Dragon Junk and comfortable berth. Drove through pouring rain (4 hours)but then it stopped- but still no blue sky.

Overnight train to Sapa-v narrow berths and very bumpy ride. Now watching Mad Men DVD- can recommend. Sapa meant to be absloutely beautiful- terraced paddy fields, luscious green rice plants, but cannot confirm this as shrouded in a mist! Bought North Face coat to keep warm ( only £30 here).

Sapa full of local Hill tribes girls selling their wares- very picturesque- one tribe has black headgear, 1 tribe has red head gear. But they are very pushy, and even if you say no they still follow you around for a while. Davina was mobbed by a large crowd-see photo.

Woke up to blue skies and views of distant mountains that we had no idea were there. Went on mini treck through 2 local villages with a guide from the hotel whose family lived in one of the villages. Loads of exciting costumes and amazing faces. Met her grandmother and went into their home- wood fire for cooking and heating,corn hanging up to dry, clothes being made (hemp being spu weaved), and dyed in indigo blue plus TV in back room.

Amazing views of terraced rice paddy fields- works of art. Big fat pot bellied pigs, chickens and buffaloes wondering around. Much less hassle, annd everyone very friendly. most of the women speak some english- the men don't bother.

Photos: Kerala, Goa

brikem21 — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 01:08:00 GMT

Mumbai,Kerala,Goa

brikem21 — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 00:58:00 GMT

Finally reached Mumbai and our wonderful Gordon House Hotel. Dinner at our favourite restaurant Indigo (sensational food) and plenty of wine and good cheer.

Bought Slum Dog millionaire and looking forward to some relaxation time.

Down to Kerala- heat and palm trees. Visited Synagogue in Jew town- floor of Delf tiles-built in 15^th century.

Finally now 2 days of total relaxation on a boat on Kerala backwaters. Bought lobster and it is being cooked for us. We have our private boat and 3 members of staff to look after us- unashamed luxury. We departed in an armada of houseboats, but now on our own. Vast expanse of waterways Great sunsets, wonderful bird life and now relaxing with Vanilla flavoured vodka- another triumph from Davina- does not need to be cold to enjoy. Kemble bear allowed to steer the boat, but then got overheated and had to take all his clothes off! Cormorants on poles with wings outstretched to dry looking like ranks of Batmen .Second parcel now despatched to UK- with latest Indian fashion garments. Kemble bear took over steering the boat for a while.

Competition for best photo has now been resolved….we will take joint credit and waste no more energy-but we all know, don’t we! Signing off to the sound of birds, and wilting in humidity. Watching out for impending mosquito assaults. Smell of garlic wafts across the backwaters as we wait for our lobster---yum!

PS anyone booking internal flights in India use yatra.com- we got some flights for 1 rupee + tax!!

Now in Goa- Home as good as ever. Italian restaurant great and my white trousers tell the story of our many delicious meals here!! Off to see outdoor movie, but am in wifi free Nepalese restaurant

Sadly our favorite place at Agonda beach-Turtle lounge- in a bit of chaos. Staff have cheated him and set up a rival establishment which is a total copy. They even stole his door knobs to copy! A local government minister owns the copy....the unsalubrious underworld of India!

Weather is great-sunny but not too hot or humid. Davina getting chill time and loving it-in her mother's words- "like a livingstone daisy to the sun..." (albeit wearing a hat.) Kemble bear bears all and relaxes in a hammock- but sadly no Miss Bears lurking- just the odd pig, 1 monkey and too big a humped back cow to consider.

The life of sand encrusted bedroom floors, cold showers and mosquito coils far outweighed by the dead of night star and moonlit skies with the occasional burst of extraordinary fireworks. With your toes in the sand it is still a magical place that acts as a free magnet to bliss ( Davina). and at £20 a night I am really enjoying it- cheap date or what?!!

Many days doing nothing and now batteries are totally recharged ready for next stage. 2 more days only of the beach but temples beckon. Onwards...

New Year's Eve on the beach- fantastic fireworks and partial lunar eclipse PLUS a blue moon- see the photos!!

Now in Mumbai and have to get up at 2.00am for flight to bangkok

Photos: Jaipur, Jodphur,Jaisalmir, Darjeeling, Sikkim

brikem21 — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 12:35:00 GMT

Jaipur, Jodphur,Jaisalmir, darjeeling,Sikkim

brikem21 — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 12:31:00 GMT

Off to Jaipur via Fatephar Sukri, an amazing deserted city built out of red sandstone. Jaipur above all famous for The Gem Palace- the ultimate jewellery store. Also famous for The Amber Palace-with its amazing mirrored hall. The emperor here, to keep his many wives happy, gave then different suites, each one connecting to his by a secret passage, so no wife could get jealous- inspired or what?!

On to Jodhpur- sadly what 6 years ago was a very interesting ride, was not -it was just driving down better but less interesting roads- the consequences of progress. Jodphur has the superb Merrangarth fort- an extraordinary formidable structure but with beautiful balconies and delicate screens. View onto the Blue city below (blue was the cheapest colour to use)

Hectic shopping in bazaar, and grandma added a tuk tuk (3 wheeled scooter taxi)to her list of travel experiences. She avoided the elephant ride.

Said goodbye to Grandma, and headed off to Jaisalmir. This was the journey that Jaipur to Jodphur used to be. Full of life- camel carts, ox carts, ladies carrying huge amount of sticks on their heads, sand dunes…Reached Jaisalmir before sunset- truly extraordinary- a fairy tale 1001 night sandstone castle in the middle of the desert. It used to be on one of the key caravan routes- opium from Afghanistan, spices etc.Amazing complex of Jain temples. bit like an Arabian Carcassonne-people live in the old walled town, cows everywhere. Many of the houses both old and new have beautiful carving and balconies. Our hotel- Garth jaisal was built in the castle wall. Davina achieved her life’s ambition of spending a night in a castle turret- and it was her birthday.

Went off the next day to Sam Dunes- don’t do it. We are after a romantic camel ride into the sunset. We got the camel but there were hundreds of others doing the same thing, and tented encampments blocking our view of the sun setting over the dunes. Daqvina managed by careful camera work to create the impression that we were on our own.

Back to Jodhpur then on to Delhi and then on to Darjeeling ( and we have only been away for less than 2 weeks!)

Darjeeling is great fun- but really cold. We have a wood stove in our room, but even with this blazing, it is still cold. The road to Darjeeling is windy, and aweful , and a serious risk of plunging down ravines. The road had even fallen away in some places. You can get the feeling of the old Raj here ( though even the best hotel in town has a corrugated iron roof.) Now it is a cosmopolitan mishmash of Indian, Nepalese, and Tibetan people- very colourful and wonderful faces. Superg English bookshop- everything here half price to UK. Everything very good value. Lady porter carried our 2 suitcases up to the hotel on her head- very strong. Everything gets carried with strap on head here because of the steep roads.

Off to Sikkam- we were expecting a smaller place than Darjeeling, but arrive at modern metropolis- a bit like a Chinese town. The scenery on the way here was superb- tea plantations gave way to paddy fields. Drove through a teak forest and a forest of massive pine trees- straight out of House of flying Daggers. Competition with davina for the best photo. Budhist prayer flags flying in the wind. Cricket being played in paddy field.

Wedding at our hotel_- cacophony of sound from giant horns. Dancing boy/girl with scarf twirling around her face to hide his/her beard ( they are invited to weddings as they bring good luck.)