Round the World Journey

Taiwan towards home

mikeccarson — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 23:01:00 GMT

I arrived at bit worse for wear at 1 30am so took a pricey £25 taxi to the centralish hotel. At leather Reception was open.

I awoke to noise outside around 8pm and staggered down for breakfast. I packed in a full day's sightseeing and enjoyed seeing the impressive National Museum which showcases a fraction of some amazing Chinese treasures. I took in a couple of temples that looked rebuilt and the monumental memorial to its founder. The scale of the national theatres gives a feel almost of Tinanemen Square. I also enjoyed wandering down Diluah Market that had the airport and look of a Japanese street.

The midnight flight was a bit of a pain but feeling under the weather already I had forked out £30 for an early evening nap in a hotel. Glad I did. Our flight was delayed by 30 mins so the 5 am transfer at massive Kuala Lumpur was a bit fraught and chaptic with slow moving queues and general confusion. But I made it on the planew ok for the 1.5hr hope to Phnom Pehn. The city is sprawling and chaotic, hot, and tiring with umpteen tuk tuk offers. I saw the Royal Palace which reminded me of the Thai palace and which is exquisite. The National Museum was a bit chaotic but interesting in parts. I also saw the largest of the wats which had some heritage.

Day 2 took me to one of the 300 plus killing field sites, just outside the capital, and now a celebrated memorial. A haunting place with fragments of those murdered still coming to the surface after rain. The market didn't hold much interest for me after that.

Going to Battambang seemed like a good idea but was a mistake. It was a 6 hr journey by bus in the heat. I was a bit under the weather so having wandered along the river really didn't feel like any more excursions.

Another day and another 4 hr bus trip to Siem Reap. This place really is the real McCoy. I dived straight in to the outer temples, and enjoyed the differences, including the water and jungle settings, and varying architectural styles. The size of the complex is incredible. I was glad in 35 degree heat that I took a tuk tuk.

Siem Reap day 2 saw the same tuk tuk driver, similar heat even at 7 am and a trip to see the main event, Angkor Watt, which started out Hindu but was buddified in the 16th century. It remains an impressive sight even if I found the spirituality rather dark. My $10 investment in a guide was certainly worth it. From there a couple more temPleshey including the impressive Bayon within the huge moated Angkor Thom. Seeing the tomb raiders temple partly enveloped by jungle was a bonus. Shame the bus journey home was so protracted and a somewhat painful ride. I was pleased to find my hotel and prep for another 5 am alarm call.

Indonesia and Asia

mikeccarson — Tue, 6 Mar 2018 00:25:00 GMT

The storms had abaited but the crew had troubles disarming one of the doors so after a long day waiting in high humidity we had another wait. The flight made up time so we got there as scheduled at midnight. A quick taxi ride to the maze of a street where my hotel was and a good night's sleep.

My mobile wasn't working but despite the poor signage I somehow managed to find my Homestay. The streets of Bali are narrow and choked with scooters and other traffic. Not for the feignt hearted! I stopped off at a couple of picturesque weathered temples and enjoyed seeing the rice fields surrounding the historic sight of Gunung Kawi.

I took off for a full day's sightseeing up to the north. The roads were just as crowded and signs non existent but I somehow made my way up to scenic lake batur overlooked by Bali's volcano and mountain, and from there a winding and narrow road getting lost once to waterfall Gitgi. The island is much bigger than I envisaged, sprawls and has too much rubbish dumped to be pretty. It is rather ruined although nice spots, particularly ricefields are not uncommon. I took in more temples including a large complex to the gods of fire, water and wind at Besakiah, and the impressive royall palace remains at Semapura with exquisite drawings albeit idolatrous.

My final full day was a lazy one. Glad I visited the remains at Goa Gajah which include a bathing pool and elephant shaped and decorated cave. Miraculously I somehow found my honey stay driving blind through Denpensar. Sure the HS guided me!

The flight to Kuala Lumpur was almost 3 hours but ok. The connecting flight to Medan was a bit delayed and I watched a torrential downpour at the airport. Bizarrely however the actual run way was dry. A very localised downpour? The hotel in Medan was non descript rather like the whole sprawling town. I was pleased however to see quite a few churches alongside mosques. I found a mini van that took me to Bukit Lawang in just under 3 hours. Glad I prayed for 2 seats although I suspect the driver was trying it on in terms of the price. As we approached I saw the sterile palm plantar that seem to provide some little life. What a contrast to the richness of the remaining rainforest that borders a pretty river and village. One villager used the river as his shower room, others for laundry and swimming. In the afternoon the downpours were torrential.

The next couple of days were fine and the sight of a baby orangutan in the rich jungle made up for everything. I only took a 3 hour trek but soon saw 3 females as well. Some of the trees were hundreds of feet high and provided huge shade on the steep cliff that overlooked the scenic river.

The journey to Lake Toba was a killer not helped by a stroppy and erratic driver and dropping my phone in the car to MEdinburgh, 3 hrs in, and still 6 to the lake. The second driver was also eratic and typically stopped at the worst looking restaurant going. Still the sight of so many churches and tranquil Toba again made up for the ride. The boat took about 30 mins and dropped us off at a pier belonging to the hostel. I negotiated a non squat toilet for night 2 and eventually got to sleep after the owners kid finally shut up.

I enjoyed cycling around and seeing the tribal stone seats of judgement and the Kings tomb. He converted to Christianity and is still revered. All too soon my time was up but this really is one of the best, moSt beautiful places I have been to.

The journey back was tough and hot and via the airport so it was good to finally reached the hotel and relax. A short trip out to the nearby shopping centre and time to leave Indonesia.

The flight to Brunei was only 2 hours. Having found the decent enough hotel I walked across the bridge in burning heat and visit the Sultans mosque which is pretty recent but surrounded by pleasant gardens. I slipped and nearly fell into the great river but just about made it into the boat to tour the water village housing 30000 people and the largest in the world.

The next day I forked out almost 100 dollars to visit Ulu Temburong National Park, 45 hair raising minutes by fast speed taxi. From there, we took a narrow boat up to a high trellis overlooking the rain forest. There was a stop to visit a natural pool and lunch. We even saw a small Croc. The boat back was slower and felt safer.

My offer was accepted so I enjoyed business travel to Manila with Royal Brunei.Luxury indeed. With so little time to lose, I again forked out for a tour and enjoyed the best bread breakfast for months. A 2 hour trip was interspersed with a visit to a 200 year old bamboo organ and the original jeepney factory. The royal star though was the Taal Volcano and lake that we saw from a viewpoint, the sight of Marcus' ruined Palace site. I set off early on day 2 and headed by cheap taxis to the old walled town Intramuros. Fort Santiago seemed to be largely closed or knocked down although the walls, moat and hate was impressive. The colonial city must have been badly damaged during WW2 battle for Manila but the star of the show was beautiful San Augustin complete with 3d roof painting and extensive museum. Having taken in the less impressive cathedral and a few other churches, I admitted defeat and headed for an air conditioned mall to wile away a few hours before my slightly delayed 11pm flight to Taipei.

Back to Oz

mikeccarson — Wed, 21 Feb 2018 09:54:00 GMT

I got out of Christchurch just in time with a state of emergency called because of cyclone Gita which had flattened Tonga a week earlier approaching. The flight had a few bumps but wasn't too bad. I picked up a worryingly new rental car, prayed over it, and set off up the Gold Coast stopping to enjoy sunset over Surfer's Paradise which has massive tracts of golden sand stretching for miles.

My Brisbane hotel was built in the 1800s and may not have been decorated since. A wooden building with nice terrace on the outskirts of the city. Reception was just closing at 8 as I arrived so I was just in time.

Brisbane itself is a pleasing city with river running through, and some modern skyscrapers. I enjoyed my day sight seeing taking in the splendid town hall and museum, botanic park, river bank and excellent art gallery with extensive collection of early Australian art. What a contrast to its cruel beginnings built on the backs of convict labour and aboriginal exploitation. I particularly enjoyed seeing so many long beaked ibis in the park. Quite a sight!

Having checked out of my room, I headed up by car to Mt Coot to look down over Brisbane, and then down to an even better botanical garden with an excellent Japanese garden, rain forest and other native fauna. Many shrubs and tree were flowering colourfully and thankfully temperatures were down a bit although still humid.

I drove over to the granite outcrops of the Grass House mountains so named by Captain Cook. They are an odd but impressive sight surrounded by beautiful woods. With the help of a local tourist office I set off inland and thoroughly enjoyed a scenic drive although by late afternoon the rain (from Cyclone Gita?) was again torrential so forcing me from the tent to the car. Another highlight was seeing 4 red headed parrots (King Parrots?) sheltering on a line of 4 or 5 on a telephone pole, a kookaburra and several other exotic birds.

Sleeping in the car was rather uncomfortable but at least I awoke to more parrots and a nice coffee at the cafe nearby where colourful lorrakeets were feeding on nectar. A host of cattle egrets were in the field and more parrots and cokatoos along the road. Incredible. Given the further rain I ventured as far as Edmundi and then along the Sunshine Coast before it bucketed down. The campsite was so nice and only $13 so I went back for another night.

Back to Brisbane which was another nice drive. The hotel however had the guests from hell who shouted and screamed for 2 hours before the police took care of them. The night was noisy too so I didn't get much sleep before my 5 am uber. The cheap booked one didn't turn up so I had to get another for a bit more. However the flight managed to miss the storms and was peaceful enough.

I took the hire car up to Daintree Village close to Cape Tribulation seeing lots of black and then white cockatoos on the way. I stopped off at various beautiful bays including Cape Palm which does have palms but also crocs. Another massive downpour with extensive lightening caused me to pull over before stopping of at an aboriginal wet tropical rainforest forest but it was still incredibly humid.

I got up early and took the incredibly beautiful train ride up to Kuranda. The line cost over 30 lives in the 19th century and crosses a decent mountain through the tropical rainforest. We stopped to look at the Barran waterfall swollen by recent rains. I went for a rainforest walk in Kuranda and really enjoyed the tropical bird park where the multi coloured inhabitants enjoyed taking food from the hand and in a couple of cases perching and trying to eat my cap. The town has a frontier feel. I took the cable car down over the rainforest with spectacular views opening up to the coastline. It wouldn't surprise me if this is the longest cable car in the world. As seems common, a lightening storm little up the evening sky.

Day 3 took me across to Fitzroy Island where due to threatened afternoon storm in was offered the chance to go snorkelling as well as enjoying a glass boat. Glad I did. You saw little from the boat bit so much beautiful shaped ando coloured coral with the snorkel. The multi coloured fish were also incredible. In the afternoon I visited the turtle rehab centre which has taken off after cyclone damage in 2009 to the undewater grass feeding beds. Most now come in starving having eaten plastic which impedes their breathing and ability to feed. So they float to the surface and suffer algae and barnacle attacks. The recovery process can take years but the restoration rate is hood.

Fortunately the storms pushed back just enough for me to get to Darwin smoothly by air. In hot humid weather i took a look at the botanical gardens and art museum. The waterfront was underwhelming but at least afforded some shade. It was too hot to contemplate camping so I sent my gear home and booked an extra 3 nights in the comfortable leprachaun motel. I drove over to Northern Territory Wildlife Park which put on an incredible bird show with owls, lorakeets, hawks and many others coming onto the grass stage on queue. Superb. I drove onto the Litchfield National Park with its waterfalls. It was quicker to drive home and office again the next day to Kakadu National Park which was even furather, some 300 KM. The drive was worth it to see the ancient aboriginal art on the red outcrop. A stunning sight. Much of the park was already looking wet with some road cover. The other main aboriginal sight at Ubirr was closed off but I saw enough and was pleased to retreat to the air con of the car. On the way back in took a look at the Wetlands bird park and dam. That was just before dark grey clouds gathered and the heavens opened. No doubt there will be some more flooding tonight.

New Zealand

mikeccarson — Fri, 19 Jan 2018 17:38:00 GMT

The Virgin flight left late due to the non arrival of the Captain who was delayed on another incoming flight but once we left we made good speed to Auckland. The forecast of showers underplayed the torrential downpour. With a 2 hours time difference kicking in it was past 11 before my tent past its bio security check and my super shuttle got me to Remeura Lodge which turned out to be just a shared house with more beds than there should have been for a place with 1 bathroom. Still accommodation in Auckland is expensive...

I got a taxi to the car rental firm back up the airport having arrived after hours - another $40 but I enjoyed a walk through central Auckland which looked like a fairly modestination English town albeit with a pleasant waterfront. The brand new cathedral just consecrated has beautiful contemporary strain glass in additionew to a go thick style nave.

Mt Eden is a volcano so it was a bit odd walking up to the grassed summit. Alas I took a path to soon and ended up doing a long loop and back up the mountain to retrace my stips and find the car. The car was making funny noises so I fear I will have to get it checked out. I also enjoyed a drive to Mission Bay which overlooked a volcanic island, one of several in the Bay, and oddly there are several volcanic hills dotting dispersed Auckland. The city is very diverse with many Asians in addition to Maoris. Alas an ex HTB friend Catherine Henshall had gonever to a different Mission Bay Cafe to me so sadly we missed each other

I took the car back to the rental firm and was pleased to exchange it for an older model without squeaks. The road south was rapid so I decided to visit the shore bird sanctuary at Miranda. It was only 21 degrees at 10 am but burning. The 30 min walk was worth it as the coastal view of bird feeding was stunning. The road got better and better, despite long sections having been damaged by recent storms and tides, as it twisted towards the Coromandel Peninsula. So many beautiful bays - my campsite at Aurora Bay. I set up camp and drove as far as the tarmac would take me enjoying priceless vistas.

It rained in the morning but I managed to get the worst of the wet off my tent. I must have taken a wrong turning somewhere since the journey to Rotaura took 4-5 hours rather than 3. I did stop from time to time to take photos of the beautiful green countryside and odd rock outcrop which makes up middle Kingdom. Rotaura has a beautiful Edwardian house and gardens complete with bowling greens. So quiet and English. St Faiths is a curious hybrid Maori Christian church at the edge of a settlement but was sadly just closed. Kuiara park had geysers and boiling mud pools scattered around. The rain continues on and off and more is forecast.

The rain wasn't so bad in the end - started around 5 or so in the morning. Once it had stopped I popped over to the redwood forest planted early 20th century and had a nice stroll. The redwoods are huge but mingle with shorter black ferns.

I turned off my smartphonemail but the journey to Lake Taupo was straight forward enough, passing the occasion geyser cloud but I decided not to fork outhe $40 or more to visit a thermal site or Maori village. Instead I enjoyed Taupo museum with its huge Maori canoe and other items and a spa in my campsite. I confidently pitched my tent with better weather forecast so was shocked by a torrential downpour around 8pm. Will he surprised if my tent is dry inside..

Amazingly the tent was dry and I set off early to Waitomo glowworm cave which washould worth the $50 entry for the boat ride in the dark to see the thousands of glowworms that brought light in the darkness. There were other caves but I didn't fancy paying anymore and set off instead to the Hobbit film location, one of several, that showcased startlingly jagged karst mountaint cliffs. There was also another pretty impressive waterfall reached via a rainforest walk.

I had driven over 150km to reach Waitomo and more to the limestone mountains. I had to take the same route back and another 100km to Napier through ever sparser and remote scenery passing just the odd town. Napier was destroyed by an earthquake in 1931 but has retained and restored some impressive art deco buildings. It is a pleasant enough place evenue if the beach closest to the port is stony. Huge timber trucks stockpiled huge loads for China no doubt .

Another decent campsite for a tenner or so and I was on my way for 200m to Wellington. The best of my stops was to see an albino kiwi in a bird sanctuary en route alongside other unfamiliar bits like koka, tui and parrots. Wasn't that taken by built up Wellington but maybe that was because I was tired after such a long drive.

I spent two nights at the campsite 30 km outside town. The sights were ok, particularly the botanical gardens and the Temple Papa museum with an interesting display on the impact of settlement on the flora and fauna, but I enjoyed unexpectedly a free 50.50 Wellington versus Northern District cricket match.

Early start tomorrow check in for the ferry at 7 and a 3.5hr crossing which was smooth with lovely views of the inlet and bays. The drive to Kaikura was only 100M but took longer than expected due to roadworks repairs after the 2016 earthquake. Particularly enjoyed seeing seal colonies just outside Kaikura. Another good campsite for a tenner and all facilities by the beach.

The next morning I did part of the famed coastal path route buy whilst the scenery was great did not see more than a couple of distant fins. The drive further south to Akaroa was however blessed and I soon saw dozens of dolphins, some doing somersaults and others greato leaps, from the shore. Akraoa was 70km further on from Christchurch with quite a few roadworks caused by the 2016 earthquake. But it was worth it. The peninsula is among the most beautiful areas I have seen. Akraoa has a mixed French and English heritage with lovely views of the harbour. My campsite a village along was also spectacular facing another cove.

The longest drive of all 450 km to Dunedin but pleasant if hot views as temperatures in some parts reached 40 degrees. I enjoyed Aomora in particular meeting a cultivated craftsman who had travelled in China and who was interested in Japan. I gave him my book on Lost Japan by Alex Kerr. He told me about Sr Andrews a beautiful arts and crafts church just up the road is popped into. The town itself is also beautiful with several grand churches and restored victorian buildings.

Dunedin has Scottish connections with several fine churches and an excellent art gallery which has a great collection including Japanese works. I didn't linger too long and headed to Otago Peninsula where I saw albatrosses and seals, and could have seen more penguins if I had coughed up. T athe views were fine but in the night the cyclone rain started leaving some mess due to the high tide. By then I was en route back to the boulders on the beach at Moeaki. Another long drive through incessant and heavy rain to Cromwell and a muddy patch of a campsite. With tent still wet a night in the car beckons. Great views enot route, lakes , granite outcrops and former gold mining towns. Alas each small village seems to have a lodge and few residents remaining.

I left at 7 and enjoyed the drive to Queenstown on the lake past snow clad peaks and vineyards. I treated myself to sleep a boat cruise after breakfast and enjoyed a relaxing hour or so. Alas the Remarkable were covered in cloud (up to 7500m) but the visible scenery was good enough. After lunch, another 50km along the lake to beautiful Glenorchy and the rough to Paradise. Stunning campsite too overlooked by more snowcapped mountains. I discovered on the evening news that I had just missed flooding in Dunedin and felled trees on the road to Cromwell! Blessed!

It was another 150km to Lake Manapouri and my campsite which was a colourful, characterful place with nice wood cabins and a collection of morris minors. I chose here to get to Milford Sound, another 120km on. I booked the cheapest boat trip at 9am which was still $45. The drive as the sun began to rise was enjoyable and I picked up a swiss/ French couple. The Sound, actually a fiord was beautiful with brooding, high cliffs, dense tropical cover and snow capped peaks. The highlight was the pod of dolphins speeding it's way out to see. But there were also seals and in the way there a close encounter with a rare mountain parrot or kea who hopped to each stopped car and from there onto the car roof. Perhaps too inquisitive and friendly for the species own good.

Another night at the campsite before driving to Wanaka via Queenstown. I stopped at charming Arrowtown where I chatted with 2 longterm the kiwi Japanese ladies running a fast food van. They seemed to be enjoying the freedom and beauty of the place. In Wanaka I met up with Charlotte Yates and stayed for 3 night in her sister's comfortable bungalow just on the outskirts. Highlights included a mega comfy bed, a walk along 5the river clutha and a stunning walk up Rob Roy Peak to see a glacier with several ice water waterfalls in sight. Stunning.

2 70km on to Fox Glacier along stunning route 6. Signs of the recent cyclone bit stunning views all the long from cliffs and coasts, to wetlands and tropI called forests. Sadly Fox Glacier park was closed due to tree damage but the walk around Lake Matheson was as good as promised. Mt Cook with its snow peaks was covered by mist so I came back the following morning and was rewarded for my 7 am start with mist rising over the water and beautiful reflections up to Mt Cook.

It was a good 300 KM drive day but several good stops and numerous lakes. The stops included turquoise blue Hokitika Gorge and the pancake layered rocks and blow holes at at Punakaiki. Hothe again but rain during the night that woke me up in the tent at the caravan park at Westport. By 7 am the rain was truly torrential with no sign of abating but it did later thankfully after a lively and uplifting church service. Another days driving up to Picton and a stop by the Bay close to the car ferry over to Wellington. I hadn't persuaded Charlotte to come to the cricket and I narrowly missed $50 000 by dropping a catch miles up in the stand as New Zealand beat England.

A couple of nights at the same campsite 30 km outside of town close to wine land or one of them, and I set off again for the monster driver to the Bay of Islands. 850km and a full day but I made it to camp by a beautiful coastline in striKing distance of Pahia and Russell. Russell is one of the older settlementsand very pretty. I enjoyed close up sight of dolphins in a cruise and an island walk spotting a few reintroduced birds. But it was also good to see Waitangi, the spiritual heart of New Zealand and site of the much revoked Treatype between the Maori and British. A sad history but a vibrant Maori cultural show complete with war dance, haha and singing with Christian prayer. An odd juxtaposition.

I broke the journey back to Auckland by camping a coutlets of hours down the coast. The Saturday drive back into Auckland was thankfully quiet and I even had time to purchase a new specsavers pair of frames before meeting up with Charlotte and killing a few hours on the coast before taking back my trusty hired car which had completed 7800 miles with me, and heading off to the airport for the hour flight down to Christchurch. Christchurch is pleasant enough even if the central part still seems surprisingly flattened 6 years on from the terrible earthquake that took 185 lives. The transitional cathedral is more than that, a colourful Toblerone like structure hosting an afternoon concert when I arrived. The botanical gardens are beautiful and extensive and I enjoyed the band playing numbered in the sunshine. The 27 degrees heat again felt more like 37 due to the high uv so I was pleased to take sanctuary in the art gallery and very impressive city museum. I also took a bus ride to Lyllttleton which had also suffered. A busy port overlooked by high green hills and full of coffee shops. The campsite however was too close to the airport and road so was noisy. With cyclone rains looming I decided to book a hotel on the other side of town and took an uber with a Sri Lankan who had moved from Barking. The hotel was non descript and the Chinese guy next door managed to disturb my sleep with loud phonecalls and obnoxious noises, but it was close to a convenient bus to the airport.

Down Under

mikeccarson — Wed, 3 Jan 2018 13:02:00 GMT

My fliget arrived in Melbourne in the morning. The car hire company sent me an Uber to take me to the suburban business Park pick up. There is discovered that this booking had been cancelled. It was only later that I remembered that I had made a new booking with Hertz....The peril of working between yahoo and Gmail without a functioning pc. I had no cjoined but to takeep another uber the 20 or 30 km to my hotelin northern Melbourne but to my surprise it only cost $32. Mostlocal shops were closed but the tram was running all day and for free so I went downtown. First impressions weRe good as I transversed a colourful and characterful city past parks, officI also buildings and shops. Starbucks and other places were stocked up so I wasn't going to starve over Christmas. I enjoyed a Christmas Eve service at Hillsong with a good preach by Brian Houston by vc.

Christmas was quiet - in any case I was a bit jetlagged and tired so all I recall is enjoying the warm sunshine in the beautiful botanical gardens which delighted with their subject tropical trresearch, flora and fauna.

Boxing Day took me to the MCG for the test and I swelted as England toiled. Alistair Cook started a fightback on day 2 and completed it on Day 3 with a brilliant 244*. That was enough cricket for me so I hired a car the next day and drove over 700km along the Great Ocean Road which was magnificent. I particularly enjoyed seeing koalas, kangaroos and emus in the wild visiting a couple of parks and a River walk where parrots took food from your hand. The 12 Apostles rock formation was OK but I just enjoyed the whole coastline.

I could have stayed longer but had only booked the car out for a day. A German and Dutch girl stopped me for a lift. They had the right idea - camping for a few nights

I washould sad to leave Melbourne but took in the National Gallery and botanical gardens again before I did. People were friendly and the city was far more cosmopolitan than I had imagined.

A NYE fliget got me to Sydney by 530 and this time there was a car on hand. I checked into the hotel, a pub, and headed down to the station to take a train to see the fireworks. By the time I arrived most prime spots were already full but I found a place close to the bridge. The kids fireworks kicked off around 8 and I had a good view. I met some English girls and had a good chat with an Australian lady who had lived in the UK. It was breezy but not cold so it was not much of a hardship to wait til midnight. Alas most of the view was obscured but I had seen enough and headed home.

On New Year itself is enjowed driving over to the Blue Mountains for wonderfully scenic views of canyons, for rests, waterfalls and fields. Spectacular if 35 degrees hot. Ino the evening I met up with Eleanor Dearin for drinks overlooking the harbour at the Opera House. Wonderful. It was good to catch up and find out how she was really adjusting.

The following day I took a bus over to Featherstone wildlife sanctuary which was really little more than a zoo but I enjoyed seeing more koala, kangaroos, wallabies, wombats and even a Tasmanian devil.

Another day at the cricket, well 2 actually, and a day exploring Sydneys historic heart and Bondi beach before a farewell dinner with Elle and I was on my way to Hobart. It was goodto see the Sydney Sixers at the airport and wish Jason Roy and Sam Billings well. Hobarts old quarter reminded me of an English seaside town or even Surrey. It is a beautiful city and I enjoyed seeing Tassies unique fora in the botanical gardens and driving to the top of Mt Wellington to enjoy picturesque views. 8 also enjoyed the Big Bash even though Sam Billings narrowly avoided pulling of an amazing win. The only downside was being told that the single occupancy room i had booked was in fact shared. So I had to find an alternativein this busy town.

A drivrange up the coast took me to scenic Eagle Neck View and Port Arthur with its 1830s convict prison buildings casting a sad shadow over this beautiful bay made infamous by a mass shooting in 1996. I found a pleasant farm campsite and pitched my new tent for a good night's sleep despite a shower. At least I know it's water tight.

A longreat drive up the beautiful Great Eastern Road took me past stunning coastlines, hills and vineyards to Coles Bay where I found a slightly more cramped freally national park campsite.

I gave a little to an Austrian guy hitch hiking on the road the next day to the Bay of Fires on the E coast. We stopped at a couple of places en route but I probably saw less than I would do normally. Binalong Bay was top drawer but the Bay of Fires most unspoIlt. Plenty of campsites but not even a cafe. I left my friend at the Bay and paid for a site with shower, tv and kitchen.

I half expected to see my friend next morning but no sight. It was 100 miles to Launceston but I stopped to enjoy Cascades waterfall, a dairy and various viewpoints including a tropical rainforest. The ferns were massive, very green and many orchids. I stopped for coffee half way where I met my Austrian friend. I gave him a lift to Launceston Tasmanias second town. My day was largely ruined however by a $70 finefor parking in the wrong direction which is apparently a state rule. The threatened rain arrived so I decided to camp in the car.

I had a reasonable nights sleepin the car and the rain held off. First stop Platypus House where for $25 I could get close to these intriguing animals that are mammals but with reptile and bird features. They are smaller than I thought but very endearing.

The drive to Stanley was around 200 km but enjoyable thanks to the coastal and inland scenery. Another day another campsite. This one overlooking a beautiful beach at Staney, the very tip of Tasmania.

From Stanley south to the east coast and an overnight stay in a reserve on the coast close to Strahan. Due to rain however I slept in the car. The road to Cradle Mountain was beautiful and before stopping I tool in the northern walks where I spotted wombats who weren't fazed at all. The southern side the day after offered great viewsof the lake, a symbol of Tassie. I camped half way across on another $5 campsite at Hamilton but was put off by noise and slight cold so again slept in the car. I enjoyed meeting at Christian guy with a heart for India and Nepal and picked up a book abouthat Empart.org that captured me. One more night after viewing the Darkest Hour in Hobart at a campsite by the airport and it was time for a morning flight to Sydney and on to Auckland just in time to miss 30+ temperatures. Adieu Australia for the time being.

Vietnam and down

mikeccarson — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 02:19:00 GMT

Good morning Vietnam! Good evening actually. I should have stayed in town but thought it would be better to be close to the airport, 35km fromantic town. The next morning I took am shared taxi into town and dived into the main sights. I wasn't disappointed. The Temple of Literature was the highly with a peculiarly Vietnamese style of design distinct from the Chinese influence elsewhere. The Mausoleum was closed but didn't interest me that much beyond the beautifully kept gardens and pomp. The streets were busy, lively if not mad and it was hard to walk the pavements with do many motorbikes. Street vendors many with heavily laid bamboo poles hustled for a living. It would have been good to stay a couple of nights but I felt well immersed.

All too soon I was on a plane and landing in DaNang a taxi ride away to Hoi An. It was dark but first impressions were good. Narrow streets with restored shops and atraction so, many eateries and colourful lanterns lighting the streets. A Japanese bridget added character and the markets around the riverside thronged with tourists.

I took a 3 hours bus to Hue to see the royal citadel and ancient Palace. The bus had sleeping conpartments 3 to a row and 2 high that were a bit too small. As ever, the bus stopped unecessarIly at a tatty, random place. No doubt the driver got a free meal. I enjoyed the mad dash to the citadel and 3 pagodas either side. The buildings have been restored with Unesco help and more is ongoing but there was just enough authenticity to be impressed. I liked the separate 7 story pagoda that overlooked the swollen rIver.

The poor dogs tied to a far too short lead kept me awake both ends of the nIghtfield. House on a slab with no bedding I felt very cross. I vented my anger on the workers not least because I was told they would be brought in at night. I spent 600 doing the next day on baskets and bedding but doubt they will keep it long.

The flight to HO Chi Minh was another short one and ok despite the breezy weather. A taxi got .enough to my booked hotel where no English was spoken and check in was interminably slow. It transpired they wanted or were obliged to take my passport to the police station. Not seen that before. The red mIst descended and I sought accommodation elsewhere fearful of criminal design. Will be pleased to get out of Vietnam now.

It was a short flight to Singapore but I arrived too late to do much more than visit a local Japanese meal close to the good enough Perak Hotel. I tried to cram in as much as I could in the one dayou remaining. I started with the colonial buildings including St Marys. Sadly, Raffles is closed for rent furbishment buy i enjoyed the botanical gardens with its stunning orchid garden and the sculptured Gardens of the Bay with its choreographed domes beatifully.

A 4 am alarm call got me to the airport for a 720 flight to Kuala Lumpur. It was hot and humid but I managed to leave my bags at the airport and dash into town. Another colonial square and cathedral. A mosque and some stunning high rise buildings. But with an overnight flight to Melbournein knew I needed some rest so found a hotel for a few hours. Too rushed and hot to visit the gardens and bird park although I did pop into Holy Trinity KL and the Asia hub.

Myanmar and Laos

mikeccarson — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 01:43:00 GMT

China Eastern delayed us for 30 mins and worried me with their announcements about turbulence buthe I got to Mandalay safely and quickly. Given I only had a day i booked a driver for the day. The £30 was worather it if a bit rushed. Mandalay is overlooked by a few hills, had stretches of water and is scenic in places but is too busy, dirty and pour to be that scenic. There are ox taxis, woven houses, teak bridges and many, many stupas and temples. The temples aren't that old but house a huge number of religious. Maybe the word is am looking for is characterful. I can see that this once must have been very beautiful indeed.

It was a short hop by plane to Heho and from there by taxi to Lake Inle although the plane was a bit delayed. The village servicing Inle is a bit scruffy but has some surprisingly good places to eat including the Asiatic pub. My hotel was good bar dodgy Internet connection. The next day I shared a boat trip to Inle proper with a Latvian also called Michael. It took 20 mins to reach the lake proper. There are many connecting waterways. It was interesting to see floating tomato allotments, woven houses on stilts, crafts including weaving by the long necked tribe who wear suffocating gold neck pieces, and old temple. I was a bit less enamoured by the omnipresent markets. I bought an overpriced scarf made it hope by the long necks.

The flight to Yangon was delayed by 2 hours but an afternoon turned out to be enough in this big, busy, surprisingly developed city. I duly visited tourist attraction number 1 the great stupa which had lots of gold but underwhelmed me. I enjoyed seeing several churches including holy trinity Yangon, the Christmas decorations and had the best bowl of ramen I can remember.

The next days flight to Chang Mai entailed a quicK stopover in Bangkok where they were playing Christmas carols and songs. A 35 dollar visa got me into communist Laos and I found a hotel for the nIghtfield for 10 dollars. I wanted to take a spwedding boat up the Mekong but so many reports cited the danger so I took a minivan instead. It claimed to take 7 hours but in the end took 11 despite just 2 short stops. The winding roads were incredible, rough at times and forever snaking up and down mountains. Exhausting.

The night market in Luang Prabang was lively with more westerners in town than I have seen all holiday. Thanks to the French there were also fine cakes and pastries on offer. I took a bus to the picturesque waterfall just out of town which was also the home to rescued bears. I have seen plenty of waterfalls but this one with pools at varying levels could have been out of a film set. I also enjoyed the temples in town if not the Ashes in the Aussie Bar. All to do on it was on a plane to Hanoi. Farewell Laos I must return and take that slow boat along the Mekong.

Beijng onwards

mikeccarson — Sat, 18 Nov 2017 02:04:00 GMT

Up early and on the bus to Tiananenman Square where security as expected is tight. I find it puzzling the Chairman Mao still has such a high profile. His face adorns a huge poster near the entry to the spectacular Forbidden City, built in the Ming dynasty. It is a huge complex and i wanted to get there early to avoid the crowds. But even on a freezing cold day in November I failed to do that. I followed guide book advice not to ignore the side temple/ hall exhibitions eg of clocks, many built in 18th century England, and the beautiful calligraphy, but by the time I made it to the main halls the tour groups were there in the masses. Still you could not fail to enjoy the beautiful architecture and finery on such a colossal scale.

A walk up to the Drum and Bell towers took me though some old hutongs but I wasn't that impressed with the squat, grey brick buildings that looked quite modern. No more than a century old. Then back to the amazing and free National Museum on the side of T Square so more tight security checks, soldiers and police in large numbers, and screening by double rows of civilian guards inside. After a long day with a lot of walking, i could only take in the basement Ancient China display but that was spectacular with the quality of bronze work from 15th c BC onwards, and teracotta work particularly noteworthy. But the highlight for me was the jade burial suit for Emperor Liu Ziu - quite staggering. Dinner in the opulent Oakwood residence on the other side of town with Kathryn Irwin working for Unicef. Good to catch up and get her news. She is undecided whether to stay longer.

Kathryn's driver arrived bang on 730 am to take us over to Mutianyu and the Great Wall of China. Much to my surprise this is a Ming and more recent reconstruction - and not of Han heritage. i need to dig deeper to discovere if there are Han foundations. Still the wall was mighty impressive and a good climb with around 2500 steps in all to the highest section we reached. It too half an hour or so to reach the Wall having ignored the option of the cable car. There were further steep stretches as we passed more than 10 watch towers. The final section was particularly steep and difficult to transverse as it was occupied by hundreds of students who appeared to be on some kind of graduation trip and who occupied one section for a phote en masse.

Back in Beijing, we visited Lama and Confuscious Temples. The former seemed recently re-constructed although of ancient heritage and was busy with worshippers. The Confusician Temple was pleasant enough, and again probably re-decorated quite recently but did contain an excellent pavillion used by the Emperor for speeches in connection with the Imperial Academy and civil service examinations. The museum claimed schools went back to BC times.

The driver, a nice chatty guy who had worked at Unicef recommended a restaurant in one of the back alley hutons that turned out to be excellent if expensive. Based aorund a courytard we paid 150 yuan for 7 courerses that were truly delicious - from tofu, salad, an omelette type dish, chicken, beef/ pepper dish, baked mushrooms and other things in bamboo leaf, and broccoli. I finished off the day backtracking along the main huton road that i had explored a few days earlier but this time stuck to the main throughfare which was lively and full of nice shops and cafes - better in my opinion than the back alleys.

Sunday - another early start and visit this time to the Temple of Heaven just a few minutes walk in the cold from my hotel, the Happy Dragon RJ Brown. The park is huge and it took a good 15 mins to walk from the East side over towards the centre where the temple os located. Interesting shape and architecture, if again recently renonvated I suspect. I managed to miss the West Gate so ended up walking a mile or so extra to find the nearest metro. With the key transfer station out of action, unbeknow to me before I went past it in both directions, i was late for Beijing International Christian church. Great service with about a thousand foreigners (no Chinese allowed) present.

Going to Tiananamen Square entailed lengthy security queues but it was worth it to visit the little known Emperor's Temple in the People's Cultural Hall which on Sundays is evidently a favoured backdrop for wedding photos. Still it was a lovely sight. I revisisted the National Museum and took in several exhibitions including more Han treasures - but the highlight was the one to commemorate the recent 19th CCP congress. Huge paintings, many featuring armed forces, space and technology innovations, and folksy peasants in the countryside...

A farewell drink with Kahtryn Irwin and late trop home.

I just about got up as planned to leave the hotel at 745 but didn't arrive at the Summer Palace until gone 9.30. It is up north on the opposite side of town - and by that time, an hour after opening time, the tour groups had alrady massed which put a bit of a dampner on the first few courtyards. Still the crowds soon thinned as I transversed the 1km Long Corridor and climbed up the Hill of Longevity to visit an ascetic temple. Embarassingly, the British and French torched this amazing palace twice - during the Opium Wars and as revenge for the Boxer Rebellion. They did a good job with the re-build but it must have been even more stunning to have seen the orignal Ming construct. The walk along the Western Path across 12 old bridges over the massive Kunming Lake was the highlight. The views to the Park of Fragant Hills and a nearer 8 storied Pagoda across the frozen lake were stunning, fringed with pampass grass and decaying lotus leaves.

After a whole morning at thsi massive sight, I took a bus over to the Fragant Hills and particularly enjoyed the Temple of Azure Clouds which houses the remains of China's modern founder Dr Yun Sat who overthrew the Imperial Family. Quite a juztaposition after the morning visit. Locals flock to this park in Autumn to see the leaves. There was some colour, mainly yellow. but i was apparently a week or so late to see the crimson red leaves. A visit to the Nijuie Mosque was less satisfying since i had seen even better Musilm Tang fusion in Xi'an but the day was topped off by a bowl of ramen. Nice to have some different food even if the soup was rather thin.

A 9am bullet train got me to Shanghai in 4 and a half hours at 225mph. Pretty imrpessive apart from the lack of carriage doors to prevent the draft and end of carriage noise disturbing me in row 1. After booking into my functional hotel, i went straight to the beautiful Yuyuan Ming era garden which was better than i imagined despite further UK and French reprisal bombings in the 19th C. The garden was typically Chinese, built around courtyards and pavillions and teaming with both carp and jagged rocks, wistful pines and artfiul walls and bridges. Quite different from Japanese gardens but an art form, imbued with meaning and style. I wandered around the reconstructed old town and down to the riverside. It has been raining and was a bit drissly so the skyscrapers were clouded over but still spectacularly lighting up the gloom. I walked for half an hour along the river towards the Bund before heading back into the fairly busy streets, full of stores and eateries. I was stopped by 3 or 4 women, most wanting to sell things, one guiding me, and one of dubious intention...

I should have stayed in bed but am used to getting up at 7 or earlier so maintained the habit. The hotel breakfast costing me £2 was awful with no western comforts whatsoever, not even milk for the coffee, so I headed to McDonalds. It was kind of exercise day because despite the rain the shopworkers were assembled on E Nanjing Street before work to showcase talents including pushing large tables and trays of drinks, badminton and dance. I had to wait for the Shanghai Museum to open but it was worth the wait - a fantastic seletion of Tang sculptures, ancient and more modern ceramics, calligraphy and bronzes. Sadly my photos were largely lost so after a visit to a quick visit to the French Concession, I went back to the Yuyuan Park area to track down the nice lady who had sold me a dodgy memory card. A quick argument ensued but a nearby shop sold me an authentic card and as suspected my card was a fake - the wrong colour and without id number on the back, so I headed back and to be fair asked for just a third of my money back which i got. Irritating enough and even more irritating to be stopped repeatedly and asked if I wanted watches, bags or a massage! Some of the offers were worse.

The rain had stopped so the views of the Bund, which means muddy strip by the river, were spectacular as the lights lit up and shone across the river. Shanghai really is a spectacular city with a range of fine art deco and victorian buildings including the splendid British delegation, former YMCA and a building used by Christies. Cash is king and mamon rules but at least I stumbled across 2 churches, both sadly closed.

Up early to get the 830 train to Suzhou - a nice, modern, smart, fast one that only took half an hour. Having quickly dropped the bags at the hotel, check in took a bit longer as ever but i got going to see as much of this historic city as i could given that the train agent have booked me on a similar train time tomorrow onto Hangzhou. I could do with longer here really - the town is full of historic gardens, rather like a mini Kyoto. Fortunately, the 2 temples were free to get in to today - an 8 story pagoda North Temple, and an impressive hall in the Western Garden Temple. I also visited the Twin Pagodas, all that remainn of a more ancient temple. The two big draws are the Garden of the Master of the Nets, the Garden to Linger In and the Humble Administrators. There isnt that much which is humble about the latter. It is huge with a lot of expensive looking halls and pavillions. The Net's by comparison was much smaller but still exqusiite, making use of courtyards to disguide the relative lack of space. I saw a couple of other inspired gardens as well - the Couple's Garden and the Garden of Harmony. The Garden to Linger in was extenive and framed with masses of chrystanthenums that provided colour alongside the autumn leaves. It was noticably warmer today - around 20 degrees which was nice after the recent cold spell and cloud in Shanghai. The leaves were noticeably more colourful than in Beijing - so I have just about arrived in time! So much more that I could see if I had more time. This really is a beautiful town with a couple of scenic area alongside the narrow canals and bridges.

Another train ride got to Hangzhou with a bit more time to explore than usual. On first impression, the guide book seems to have gone a bit OTT since although pleasant this is a huge town with the commercial centre bordering the celebrated lake. The lake is massive, about 40km in circumference, and pleasant enough with a couple of lakes and overlooked by hills with the odd pagoda visible in the distance. The Autumn coloured leaves added charm. Walking away from town, the vistas improve particularly once you reached the causeways. However, the obvious antiquity of this sight is only really evident in a few scattered places. As ever, many of the temples and buildings are relatively recent reconstructions - done well enough and pleasant to look at but not that authentic in feel. The exceptions included the Song Dynasty stone carvings that have survived next to an old temple. Different in feel and ascetic to those such as Longmen.

My day was partly ruined by the guide book telling me porkies about where to book a coach ticket. That is after an incredibly frustrating hour at the train station where i was passed from queue to queue and still failed to change my evening train to a morning one. In the end i requested a refund and decided to get a book. I had to go from the central booking office all the way out of town to the western bus station but at least I know where the bus station is now, and how to get there.

My day improved with the arrival of a colourful Chinese guy who insisted and taking me back to town in a taxi. Barely a word of Englosh, he used translator and was refreshingly frank in his assesment of life in China. My mood improved, I walked the other side of the lake- to the west, and onto a boat to the pleasant island in the middle of the lake. I could hvae stayed here longer but think that 2 days is enough to avoid spending even more on entry tickets. I also found 2 reasonable ramen shops that provided a culinary respite from the usual more oily diet.

Fed up with China Train i cancelled my train ticket because it would have arrived at gone 10pm and took a bus instead. That was fortunate since the bus took me the whole way to the Huangshan mountain area which is some 50km on from Huangshan City. Work that one out. The journey was fine apart from the poor lady in front retching from time to time and spitting horribly into a bucket... The hotel is a good one although the reception and corridors are scruddy. Doesn't look as if the corridors have been vacuumed for months... Still the rooms are clean and tidy and they kindly took me to the bus station where i caught a bus up to the cable car. Foreigners are getting free entry to the mountain this Winter - yippee - which saved me 100 yuan. The ride was a bit scary given how high we went up the mountain. This is the most stunning place i have seen yet. Granite rock outrcips, covered in scenic pines. The Chinese identify all sorts of animials and occurences from the shapes of the rocks and treets eg couples tree, the lion rock etc but i just enjoyed the amazing panoramic views with clouds covering the tops of the mountains in the distance. The poor coolies are paid 1.80 per kilo and apparently can carry up to 100kg. They get a bit less coming down. The paths are steep and i counted the steps. I did about 5150 at the summit going up and down peaks and viewpoints and somehow missing the entry point to the Western Steps which are apparently murderous going up. It was probably just as well since tired from that ascent, i counted a further 5150 going down the Eastern steps which was keen and ankle jarring and unexpectedly long and tough. I shall sleep well tonight but will remember this place fondly - i can quite see why it had its own school of ink brush painters.

The hotel guy kindly droped me off at the bus station again and I got a direct train to the village of Hongcun - which is a Unseco sight and which dates back to medieval times and earlier. It is apparently set out in feng shui style but I just appreciated the beautiful lake, mountain backdropped dripping in mist from the persistent morning rain, richly and ornately decorated houses with black tile roofs which are extravagantly piled one upone another forming several layers. There was some fine stonework and skilled wood cargings. Many of the houses were of similar style - limited in size due to population pressures - so often 2 stories and 3 rooms with an open space in the middle to catch water. Must have been freezing in Winter. People were still using the narrow waterways to do washing and even to wash vegetables - not sure about that. Still this is a beautiful place indeed, spoilt only by the tour guides with their microphones making a racket. Luckily it is a bit out of season but foreigners (I was the only one I saw all day) benefited from a 50% discount on the oddly configured 104 yuan fee. Another quick dash allowed me to take some photos overlooking picturesque Tachuan just up the road although by now the clouds were a bit too thick to bring out the best of the mountain backdrops. Another bus took me to another Unesco Village XIdi which dates back to 1047 and which housed the fleeing Tang Emperor. The entry archway signifies the village's grand history but sadly its lkae was being drained for some kind of work. The village is large and extensive which over 100 well preserved buildings and unusally many fine courtyard gardens. Again, size was restricted so grandeur is expressed through the quality of crafsmanship. Xidi had less tour groups and was all the better for it. Stunning!

The 28th was dark, damp and misty -ideal for travelling and as it happened in spent the day in the train before reaching Guilin. The hotel was out of town but easy enough after one trip by bus. I fed the lovely local dog who was hanging around outside.

A 630 start got me to me Yangshuo before any rush. That was largely put to bed by the season although I enjoyed the Autumn leaves. It was unexpectedly mild despite the cloud and soon the limestone karts came into view all around the city as the sun rose around 7. It really is a surreal sight - the most surreal since she American salt plains. The are sharp, sometimes squat or tall hills of varying shapes. I enjoyed cycling past moon Hill - couldn't see the point of paying to climb and onto Longton village which has ming heritage but is unrestored and preserves some cultural revolution scribbling on walls although most has been rubbed out. The village had a sad air. Goodness knows what horrors took place here.

Yangshuo grew on me but I got tired of the touts. Felt sorry for many trying to sell trinkets, postcardo or boat trips. Most don't seem to do any business at all. I'm not sure how they make a living. But I don't think people are starving now. I also lost my temper with a cruel guy who dragged his poor dog around in the air by its lead. Ironically he was one of the few who understoodles English. Sightseeing was a bit tough and I failed to make it to Dragon Bridge by boat refusing to pay 190 yuan by boat and having a merry dance on the wrong buses.. I was glad to get back after wandering around town rather lost.

Longji rice fields were about 2 hours away by bus. Going at 730 I was the only passenger. ..Dazai is well situated close to a couple of the premier view point but there is so much building going on that I fear it is losing some of its charm. It was 530 steps up to the hotel and doublessing that up to 9 dragons and 5 tigers the next day. Sadly unlike my first day when I enjoyed good views the Saturday morning views were clouded over. It is also past harvest so the fields were bare. I somehow managed to leave my passport behind leading to an hours panic until my hotel phonedeals the Dazai one and located it. But it still meant a 430 alarm clock wake up and 630 bus to make it there and back in time to get my scheduled 330 train to Kunmin. That was a long 7 hour trek but on a comfortable high speed train. No time to lay in either with a 930 train to Dali. That was a 6 hour trip on an older more cramped train but arriving to the minute.

Once you get to old Dali - it's an hour on the bus from the station - it is delightful. I particularly enjoyed seeing the 1920s Catholic Church built in local pagoda like style. The old town has been revamped for sure but is chocca with character and nice cafes. It is overlooked by hills and runs down to a huge lake. A real resort town.

A 1530 train got me to Lijiang by 530 although bizarrely it was a sleeper train. I just made it to the old town in time for sunset. It is a very evocative old town with many canals and kerb drains.

A bus got me the next morning to Leaping Tiger Gorge the start of which is pock marked with work on a high speed link to Shangri la. I walked the opening stretch with an English guy Runpert who has been working for Forsters in Hong Kong. The 28 bends steeply up hill was tough but not as long as some other mountains in China and the descent was remarkablyour quick to commence. Getting to middle Gorge along a high winding narrow ledge looking down hundreds of meters to the river was breathtaking and I enjoyed the Autumn colours. For most of the time the only company was docile looking moutain goats. The descent to lower Gorge was tougher and rocky. I decided to go right down to the riverside which involved very steepee steps and ladders. Lonely Planet said that a path downstream took you to my guesthouse, Walnut Tree. It didn't say you had to climb sharply upwards. I was exhausted. To cap it, it then transpired that the Walnut was 3 km uphill the mountain. I could see a light high up the mountain side. Surely not? Yep that was the Walnut. I just about made it and slept soundly despite the strong winds during the night.

I met the poor dog next morning and took him for a walk, got a longer rope and encouraged the nice young guy to be kind to him. I also gave him a name - Sootie. The problem is the uncle who owns the place apatently. But often I see poor dogs, cats and birds over confined.

This time we were allowed to use the compartments back to Kunming. So the 7 hour journey passed quickly. I sent a few more things back home and got ready to fly to Mandalay with a good night's sleep. Farewell China.

China

mikeccarson — Wed, 1 Nov 2017 00:28:00 GMT

I was pleased to board the Air China flight to Chengdu which took off in rain and landed in rain and fog. It felt like come home to London with friendly passengers not all of whom could speak English next to me on the plane. Chengdu is a massive airport which looks new - far too large for the relatively small number of flights that appeared to have been scheduled. Border procedures were unexpectedly quick and smooth - through within a minute or two even if the number of security guards and policemen were a bit intimidating. The metro into town was even more impressive - again with scanners and security guards on the platforms and trains. It looked brand new and was simple and clear to use. Getting to the hotel proved more problematic with 2 or 3 people who eventually responded to my chinese print out sending me the wrong way. In the end a kindly elderly couple walked me all the way there which must have been well ouf of thier way. The route to the metro was actually simple but clearly difficult to follow and taxi drivers weren't interested in the short ride. Chengdu was dark but i could make out the impressively talk tower which i must visit for a beer as well as several other high rise residences.

The hostel was quite noisy and i woke up a few times during the night. I set off at 7am for the Panda Breeding Centre and got there for feeding time which was a treat. Pandas are fixated on food and make a mess of the bamboo shoots, sitting on a pile of them and grabbing as many as they can get. Several baby pandas on show as well as the genuinely giant ones, some asleep high up trees, and smaller red pandas. I managed to get my camera cleaned free of charge once I finally tracked down the newly relocated Canon. Excellent service. Chengdu is pleasant enough with a river running through and early morning mist alongside temperatures just below 20 degrees so rather Autumnal. Still I enjoyed the pleasant atmosphere and architecture of Wenshu Temple which sits next to a large and very popular tea house next to the lake. It's interesting to see Chinese culture - from old men playing go in the park, to couples dancing in the People's Park which contains communist statues and the evident love of chysanthenums which were on special display in the park. Chairman Mao still overlooks Tianfu Square along with armed soldiers, and I got my bags searched.

My Chinese class was hard work but Grace the teacher, an artist by trade, did her best to teach me the tones. I fear it will take a lot more effort on my part to master them but I have at least found a couple of good websites that may help.

After a good night's sleep i just about got to my Chinese class for a 9am start having had to wait 3 trains to board the crowded metro. Not that dissimilar to London rush hour although people are less polite and dont wait for people to get off before charging on. The lesson was better and some of the words started to stick.

I enjoyed visiting Wuhan Temple although nearly missed it for a more modern but pleasant construct next door which also had a nice cafe where I rested for a while in the Autumn sun. I then discovered the charming side streets packed with cafes and restaurants next to the temple where i lunched just about working out what kind of noodles to order from the bemused Chinese waitress. I almost missed Wuhan Temple since the sign only pointed to 'historical relics' but I paid my 60 yuan and discovered a large complex dating back to the 3 century and the 3 kingdom period. The temple buildings were large and the gardenrs larger still including paviliions, lakes and bonsai gardens. Delightful! There were also a range of reliefs and tablets dating back many centuries which surivived the cultural revolution and which are apparently highly prized by the CP.

A mad rush then entailed sincce my laptop and lifeline decided not to charge and a helpful guy thought he could find me an authentic lead at the rather extortionate cost of 300 yuan tomorrow since it was closing time which surprised me given it wass only 6pm. My wallet already taking a battering from Chinese classes, entry fees and relief at decent food may have been saved since on returning to my room the pc decided to charge up again! Thank God for that.

My final lesson and i think i can remember about 3 words in addition to numbers 1-10. Slow progress but interesting nevetheless. I wanted to revisit Wenshu Monastery but instead ended up at Wuhan which I had visited yesterday. No damage done and i got to Wengshu later in the evening after sorting out some dry cleaning and doing other chores. I am glad I went back to Wenshu since it transpired that i had missed the best part first time round and enjoyed the old building full of character and colour. I stopped for a cofee in the beautiful traditional attached tea house. I also visited Green Ram Qingyang Temple with its 8 faced pagoda looking out towards building works on the new metro line. So many juxtapositions of new and old. The CCP also taking on so many slogans relating to civilisaiton.

Saturday was free of lessons and I booked onto a 270 yuan bus tour of Qincheng Mountain and the Dujiangayn Irrigation site which turned out to have a range of beautiful old temples as well as a lovely old shopping area. Qincheng was the site of the formation of Taoism and fittingly as well as an optiontal short boat ride I bypassed, and a less optional cable car, there were more than 1500 steps to the top pagoda - quite a climb but interespersed with temple buildings and cafes to provide respite. The views had improved from the start of the day when fog threatened to obscure everything. Miraculously as the bus parked up it seemed to lift although strangely it returned around lunchtime providing sumie like views.

I wasnt anticipating much from Dujiangyan so was pleasntly surprised that there was far more to see than the earliest know irrigation system. 3 huge statues had been pulled out from the river, offerings to the river God, dating back to the 2nd century and the river is still controlled without dam and used for irrigation today. But the real highlights were the moutainside temples, rope bridge crossing (much longer and swaying than Bhutan) and the views. The old town was also delightful and made for a relaxing stroll where i was greeted by chiildren practising their English. An old man had taken a liking to me on the bus tour - and i surprised him with my few words of Chinese which caused some delight. I have found most Chinese people to be so friendly and welcoming. Perhaps its because I am in the South?

My first train trip was fine although I hadn't realised that these huge concrete stations are more or less often just waiting rooms without cafe and other facilities. Security is tight so once you are inside it's not worth going out again. Entry to the platforms is strictly controlled and occasionally close to departure times. The trains have been smart, modern and fast.

I ignored guide book advice and visited the 1200 year old Giant Buddha at Leshan on a Sunday. Its situated next to a river in a valley with many old Buddhist statues and monuments.After a steep climb up the cliff i had a 1.5 hour wait to climb down for a micro view of the 65 mm Buddha. It was apparently once covered in jade and gold, is weathered but still am impressive sight. I also visited Wuyou Temple which dates back to 7th C Tang times and which was richly decorated withought chrysanthemums. Another train got me to Emeishan.

Emeishan is a large sacred mountain with many temples scattered around. Bus is the only feasible transport so I signed up for the 90 wan tour which dropped me off close to Golden Summit Temple. It irked having to pay 185 wan entry to the park plus another 120 for the cable car up to Golden Summit particularly as I set off up the steps in deep fog. As the cable car climbed we went through the blanket of fog around 300m and much to my surprise arrived in blue skieswhich afforded superb views of snow clad peaks far off over the fog blanket -stunning. My mood lifted in enjoyed looking at the recently refurbished constructed Golden Temple. So much building of temples with China's new found wealth.

The bus dropped me off 2 km and overlooking 1000 (I counted) steps to Wannian Temple buIlt around 1020 and the oldest on the mountain. The further hike to Quinyin Temple, this time down, was enjoyable and Quinyin was the most beautiful of all, sighted next to 2 rivers which join and are transversed by scenic bridges with pavilions and fine views up to the mountain backdrop. Baguao Temple was celebrating some festival and hopefully the thousands of caged birds were to be released. The final stretch of the hike took me along a long, flatter path along the river Valley with quintessential Chinese views. A good day and worth the 500 wan.

With the train for Langzhong leaving at a leisurely 1223pm I visited nearby Fuhu (Crouching Tiger) monastery which barely gets a guide book mention but which was stunning. A large complex with delicately fashioned are architecture and fine views.

The train journey to Langzhong was unnecessarily fraught since I thought I'd dash from Chengdu with my hour fifteen transfer time back to my hotel to see if I could locate the missing part of my plug adaptor. With tube and taxi I got there within half an hour but failed to find it hopped in a taxi with the clock ticking. It dropped me outside with 20 mins to spare but at the wrong entrance for the metro to retrieve my bags from storage. Minor panic ensued as I ran around the huge complex and eventually found the right place. I just about cleared security and ticket checks buto went to the wrong platform. I just made it.

Langzhong was beautiful in the early sunset as I arrived. The old town, one of 4 fully preserved in China, is huge. Set next to a wide rIver and overlooked by mountains with pagodas. My hotel was OK despite the squat toilet although I was a bit irritated to be disturbed at 10 for my passport. There was a minor panic since they had to report me as a foreigner to the local police...

I enjoyed most of a day wandering the ancient steets and alleyways and even managed to be interviewed and filmed by student TV producers. They took me into 120 want Imperial exam Hall which was a bonus since I was preserving funds.

After the mobiles and chatting women eventually stopped I got some sleep on the overnight train to Xian. The budget carriages were 3 high and without individual compartmentsbut they were clean. The train arrived on time.

After a taxi ride and faff at the hotel is set of to see the large and impressive Bell and Drum towers. I then set off to see the Emperor

Jingdi and his wife. I just missed the bus so had to take a taxi which due to traffic jams turned into an expensive 60 wan ride. Irritated I was a bireal disappointed with the pits which were vritually in the dark so hard to see. There were some imprestive sights- the remains of chariots, and countless smaller than I anticipated mannequins and animals. I was particularly surprised by the flocks of pigs and sheep. I enjoyed seeing the mounds and remains of the gate tower but irritatingly I missed the museum with key finds. Signage was poor and English non existent. Communication eg with the hotel has been tricky and it got worse with the bus drivers.

A 2 wan bus missed the metro but got me back to see the little and then large goose pagodas from the 8th C Tang period. The little one was free but I relented and paid 50 want to see the spectacular large pagoda. I think it was right to do but expenses are mounting.

A mad dash got me to the colourful and vibrant Muslim district and I enjoyed the Great Mosque built in Chinese style. Quite a fusion.

I got up at 6 to beat the crowds at the Terracotta Army sight and was glad I did. The bus like do many others was ridiculously good value for a few wan. 3 pits are on show including massive pit 1 which was just as I remembered from TV. But there are apparently 190 other burial sights nearby plus many other impressive tombs. The sight was superb.

I took the afternoon easy but was glad I visited the local town museum which was free. I was most impressed by the quality of 9th c BC bronze work and Tang 9th C pottery. Neither had I realised that even the Mings buried funeral goods although the statues, still beautiful, we're much smaller. I declined paying more to climb the mighty citype walast since although authentic they look rebuilt and in any case I saw plenty from a pleasntly stroll beside them and along the river bank.

The bullet train got me to Luoyang at almost 200mph. I wisely avoided a taxi where the driver would have me pay 20 wan and the other passenger 10. You do feel foreigners are routinely exploited.Impressive and definitely not need for 1st class. The grottoes were surprisingly beautiful and serene, carved in caves and niches all along the west and to a lesser extent the east side of the powar full Li river. The sculptures date from the 6th to the 10th century. Many have been defaced by iconoclasts or stolen but some imprestive carvings remain. Leshan was larger and mighty but the quality of some work done here much better. The town itself shows little sign of its rich history. One lovely but rebuilt gate and a new pagoda but many many high rise blocks and rundown shops. The town has a domewhat depressing feel.hostel was clean and smart buy the room lacked the TV I had booked so I negotiated a modest discount. Unfortunately however I failed to spot the construction of a metro right outside which apparently goes on until 10 PM and then again from 6 am. So much building work going on in China...

Two trains got me from Lyoyang to Pingyao as the sun was setting. I ignored the usual gaunlett from taxi drivers who seem not to feel obliged to tell the truth. I am frequently told, for example, that there are no buses. Brazen lies. Pingyao is a charming walled town full of traditional wood and slate roofed building with colourful red lanterns lit at night. It has a pleathora of cafes - as ever over pricing coffee for £4 or £5 - up to 40 wan. I tend to stick to tea which is about 10 wan or £1. My accomodation is charming - in one of the old houses and soldily built and warm. Just as well since today was the first cold day i have had and i even made use of the jacket i have been lugging around for 2 months. The owners are the friendliest and most lovely couple I have met. They don't speak English so we communicate with a translaiton app.

Day 2 in Pingyao, I started early to explore the steets of this town before the tour hoards arrived. Just in time since by 10 the numbers were increasing. So I took a bus to see the Zhenguo Temple which dates back to the 10th century and has collurful and well preserved statues. I got another bus to the Wang Household which was further away - 45 kms for just 17 wan on the bus. The household is a curious place more of a castle with many, many courtyards. It looks as it has been heavily re-knewed but still showed something of antiquity and well worth the visit.

I got up early again and cycle the 4 miles on a bike which was far too small, lent by the lovely hotel owners, to Shangulin Temple which had an array of statues dating back to the 1oth century. There were also some impressively, coloured sculptures from the Ming era. I was the first to arrive - clearly all the mountain and step climbing in China has been doing my fitness some good, so had to wait to get in at 830 but it was worth the visit. I made my way back and pottered around drinking coffee and purchasing 4 old looking but possibly fake wall hangings. The old owner wanted 500 wan to begin with and i was tempted but worried about the practicality of the purchase, walked out for him to unilaterally bring down the price in states to 100 wan. Quite a bargain even if fake. I wonder if he was desperate or thinking of closing down, or perhaps being kind. I had trouble getting the post office to send them home. First, it was closed at lunch until 2 so i had to wait for an hour, and then after 30 mins faffing around I was told they could only send international parcels in small size, which changed to they didnt have a box, too the supervisor will sort it out. They then said that only air shipments were possible but changed that after I lost my temper. I eventually got out after 45 mins and just about made the train to Datong. This was an older style train and second class was not that comfortable or pleasant an experience. Smoking in the corridors, spitting into paper tissues, phone noise and rubbish strewn everywhere. 6 hours worth. I took temporary refuge in the catering car but was bullied out by the chef or steward who i think was making the point that it was for first class passengers. I took exception to his body language and gestures so told him in no uncertain terms to get lost. Fortunatley, the conductors took my side, perhaps fearing a contretemp with a foreigner and I in any case reverted after a few minutes to my cramped seat.

An early start after the rare occurence in China of a hotel breakfast. If you like Chinese food it was actually a feast but Western comforts were limited to bread and fruit. Unfortunately, the toaster only worked on one side so I burnt hte toast...A taxi and bus got me to the Hanging Monastery an hour or so out of town. It was however nothing like as high as Crouching Tiger one in Bhutan so despite the stilts and cliff backdrop was a bit of a disappointment by comparison. It was interesating though - steep steps and very narrow passages, overlooking a lake which had frozen in the chill. No wonder rumours are it will be closed to tourists. I couldnt see how more than a few thousand could cram in each day. Today, there seemed to be a group of policemne on an outing, complete with red flagged guide.

Datong has apparently spent over £5bn to rebuild its ancient walls and temples. The building is still going on, and is might impressive. The finishing touches seem to be being put on a palace to supplement the stunning Ming Dynasty 9 dragon wall that apparently wards off even spirits. There were a couple of reputedly old monasteries but as pleasant as they looked from the outside, i couldn't help think that they too had been rebuilt. The Boxer rebellion had done for the Catholic church so it was rebuilt in 1900 - and looks remarkably like a Victorian church bar the odd kanji sign. Incongruous really.

My lasty day in Datong took me to the famous grottoes. Again there has been, and is,still on going construction of temples, walkways and other facilities but the statues, some exqusitely coloured, stood in their own right. The site dates back to the 5th century with silk road influences but the Ming era had also seen some re working. Sadly, you could not take photos in the most intricate and coloured caves- fair enough though to protect the statues.

The train to Beijing was slow, packed and uncomfortable. It was also, unusually, almost an hour late but the locals were friendly enough even if a few of the manners were a bit lacking as usual.

Nepal

mikeccarson — Thu, 19 Oct 2017 02:54:00 GMT

I wasn't sure if i would be well enough to tralve but dozed up i got out of bed after an extremely restless night at 4am. The flight left slightly early just before 7am and the propellor plane climbed rapidly to climb over the close set mountains that made the flight so extraordinary. We were fortunate - the skies were clear and we were treated to magnificent views of the Himalayas although i am not sure if we saw Everest or not. Either way, the mountains were spectacular.

I transited immigraion, purchasing a 15 day visa through a smooth computer based operation very quickly. Dropping off bags at our respective hotels, I felt well enough to brave the bustle of Kathmandu and we headed straight to Dundar Square and the old royal palace which has a western feel. The square was packed with traders, motor cyclists. The dozens of temples showed the effects of the 2015 earthquake with many under repairs. Still, there was enough to see with some beautiful carvings.

We took another taxi to Swayambhu to climb the steep stairs up the giant stupa. The views of the city were commanding but in truth the temple left me cold with a heavy presence. It was a joy however to see a Christian artist selling works with bible verses and come across a church group from America interceeding.

It is Diwahli and as night fell, I stumbled across a lion mask clad guy undertaking some kind of ritual dance or game. Later, we saw clouds of pilgrims and surrounded by noisy bamds heading in a long procession to a temple.

My evening slumbers were disturbed by a powercut that put out the light and most importantly the fan which left a somewhat uncomfortbale night punctuated by Diwhali firecrackers, dogs barking, pigeons just outside the room cooing, and late night arrivals in the rooms next door.

I still made it up early, no electricty restored, and took a taxi over to the old artistic city of Patan. It had its own royal palace and Dundar Square which was almost as crowded but not quite, as Kathmandu's version. Patan did have a nice feel and the sidestreets were a bit quieter. I managed to find Gold Temple which was of course richly decorated although spiritually dark. I enjoyed wandering the streets and found a cafe to watch proceedings. Many of the temples are under restoration - again victims of the recent earthquate. The museum was hosued in a lovely building and had some exquisite works although again spiritually i was left somewhat cold.

Another taxi ride to the bathing Bagmati river ghats but only after the taxi driver had gone the wrong way. It took me a time to find the temples and I am not entirely sure I saw all of those listed in the guide book but after a bit of trial and error i did find a lovely pagoda like building adjoined to a crumbling building and a couple of other temples - no bathing in sight.

I guess that being in Nepal or India during Diwali is a bit like being in Europe on Christmas Eve. Groups of children go from shop to shop with a begging bowl and sing songs. Groups of youngsters performed dances - some choreographed, others spontaneous. Shopkeepers and lit candles and drew colourful figures outside or inside their shops. Coloured lights decorate houses along with orange marigolds. Shrines are busy. Poeple scurry around shopping for last minute feasts. Still there is a sadness for me that so many are worshipping false idols and strange deities they fear.

Notwithstanding Diwalhi, things tend to go quiet at 10.30 or so apart from the dogs barking - in fits and starts. Still, I got a good night's sleep and only stirred around 6.30 or so. After coffee, I took a taxi to Bhouda and dropped of my bags at the Eco Lodge. Another taxi for a couple of hundred rupees got me to the sacred bathing and cremation spot on the riverside at Pashupatinath just a few kms away. The most sacred temples are closed to non Hundus but from the riverside vantage point I could see a golden pagoda built in the 17th century. The 1000 rupees was worth the money despite my grumbles at yet another tourist tax which seems omniprescent, since it was interesting to see the sadhus and cremation plints not to mention dozes of smaller stupa like shrines and a few large temples. The river was also surprisingly clear of litter and silhouetter by the mountains. A great place to sip a drink and observe the rituals of life and death. I gog there just in time since soon after a large, noisy pilgriamge group arrived to complement the dozens of foreign tourists and smaller numbers of locals.

Back to Boudha, another coffee, and a visit to the large stupa which is surrounded by a full crescent like row of shops - almost in the fashion of a Georgian town although rather scruffier. Still the setting was a pleasant one, and as usual lots of Tibetan monks were in attendance, along with Western tourists and local pilgrimes. Prayer flags decorated the large stupa in the middle and we were allowed to walk around clockwise outside on the roof which was being repainted white. I found a good pizza place and relaxed for a while before heading home along the scruffy, durty and churned up pavements/ roads of this town which suffered greatly in comparison with smarter central Kathmandu although not its suburbs.

Eco Lodge was a tidy and nicely presented hotel. I had to call Reception a couple of times to sort the water in the bathroom but in the end they got there. There was no fan or TV but it is an ecolodge. My charitable thoughts dissapated however at 1.30 in the morning after 2 fruitless hours trying to get to sleep due to the racket from a concert next door. The receptionist was filling in and thought i should stay put. I thought otherwise and secured another room which was slightly better. I agreed a 300 rupee reduction the next morning and set off by taxi to Bhaktapaur about an hour away. It is another artistic, religious town with some beautiful pagodas that put me in mind of Japan. The town had suffered badly from the earthquake and many people live in tents apparently. I ejoyed the luxury of 2 days to wander the towns in a more leisurly manner than usual and bought a lovely paintaing by a local artist D Ram Palpali who seems to have some provenance for £30.

The walls on the Golden Gate Tower Lodge were thin and despite an upgrade, the snorning of my neighbour kept me awake again. This time i had benefited however from an afternoon snooze. Oh the luxury or bad habit of travel...

The next morning i caught a packed local bus to Changu Naryan, perhced up on a ridge 30 mins or so away. It was a lovely ride through the countryside and I enjoyed snatching a few shots of the local harvesting the rice crops by traditional hand manner.

On return, a schoolgirl insisted on walking and talking with me and lo and behold she wanted me to spend 2000 rupees on an English dictionary. I gave her some money since this would have burst the budget in a country costing more than i was expecting but on reflection I rather wish i had been more generous. God forgive me. I think her family are living in a tent post eartquake. Hard to tell - so many stories - but later i sought to find an open book shop but failed. I rather think the one we visited had inflated the price.

Another afternoon enjoying the sights - this time with rather less tourists who had packed the square on Sunday which was the final day of Dwalhi. This was one of the most beautiful and enjoytable places i have seen in Napal.

My stomoach was playing up again after a dodgy cheese and tomtato half grilled sandwich which i regreted buying the minute i saw it. So it was another half night's sleep with a 5am start to get the bus at 6am. The bus was late and that was just the start of it. Two lengthy stops plus an hour lunch break notwiststanding a puncture just beforehand. The bus was meant to be a tourist special but still rather cramped and uncomfortable. We eventually arrived over 10 hours later in Pokhara. I was exhausted so left the camera behind and went straight down to the lake which was soothing and stunning just as sun set. I wished i had taken the camera but immediately took a liking to this popular, laid back place.

Pokhara is a pleasant town based around a lake and full of welcome facilties, cafes and restaurants so I decided to stay for a couple of days to relax. The days went quickly in an excellent value hotel. With the weather hot, I did little more than explore excursion options and rest. I had wanted to climb Poon Hill but it transpired that it would cost £100 to get there and back following another uncomfortable journey. So I opted for an overnight stay at Sarangkot with a more expensive hotel close to the summit of the hill that provided stunning sunrise views of the Annapura range. Stunning that is when it is not misty or clouded. I hadnt seen the Annapuras at all in Pookhara but on my last, rather rushed morning in Sarangkot and travelling on to Bandipur via Pookhara bus terminal, i caught a glimpse of what i had been missing through the clouds. Still, i had enjoyed a wonderful view from the airplane so I didn't feel too bad.

Bandipur is delightful. Were it not for the ugly telephone wires that look like spaghetti, this would truly be considered a beautiful town. It has been bypassed by the main road and is all the better for it - exquisite architecture from the 19th and earlier centuries and narrow side streets with kids playing football, tailors at work, chickens roosting. Delightful.

I should stayed in Bandiput for another night but thought i should go and check out Gorkha a couple of hours away by local bus. I was irritated by the touts who promised but failed to deliver a tourist bus directly there and made it instead by tatty local buses without too much trouble and much cheaper. I lugged my bags the short distance up the steep hill to the Gurkha Inn waving my hotels.com booking only to be told that they knew nothing about hotels.com and had had the same problem with other travellers. The place was empy but i ended up paying too much, the $20 online price, and having failed to find any cash machines that would accept my card had to pay in dollars to stay in the rather tatty and tired room. I was even more disappointed to find that the palace museum was closed since it was Thursday -not that my guide book mentioned that. I climbed up well over 1250 steep steps to the top of the hill and followed the signs to the royal palace. The palace seemed much more of a temple than palace but the whole place was re-located in the 18th century after the new Gurkha (or Gorkha) dynasty took over Kathmandu. Still the views were pleasant enough despite the thick smog which is more than can be said for the atmosphere of the temple which reeked of chicken and other sacrifice.

The bus to Chitwan National Park left at 6.30am and was even more tatty and dirty than usual. The road was generally attrocious so it was a largely uncomfortbale ride and I had to change in a couple of places - pushed by helpful guides into a rickshaw to get me to the right bus station, onto a local bus to Sauraha market, and then after the usual squabble into another rickshaw to the hotel. My day was largely spent trying to fathom out reasonable tour options and in the end I decided i should just rock up at 6.30, pray and hope for the best.

My strategy worked - i got a bargain 1000 rupee jeep ride to the 20,000 lake area which was stunning in the early morning sunlight even though the wildlife that we saw consisted mainly of monkeys, deer and storks. I had better luck in the afternoon jeep ride that took us into Chitwan National Park proper. In the high grassland we saw glimpses of one horrned rhino and then a better view later of one bathing in the river. Boars jumped right out in front of the car and the view of a stork flying was impressive. Alas no tigers - I think you have to hike to see them but the landscape of the park was worth the ride fee alone, and i had also enjoyed bathing and getting close up to the domesticated elephants that provide tourist rides. Poor things are chained up in the yard when not exercising but seem content enough and well cared for. I certainly hope so.

The bus back to Kathmandu was meant to leave at 7 but predictably left 20 minutes later. There after it got more and more delayed due to road works on the narrow one lane highway that connects the capital with the south. There was no traffic control of course just a general free for all whch gets irritating when smaller vans insist on trying to circumvent the queues inevitable blocking traffic the other way... We saw the debri of the bus that had gone into the water 2 days earlier with the loss of many lives, and another truck that had tipped over. Hardly surprising that accidents happen on these roads which from Chitwant to the main highway (some 1hour 40 mins worth of riding) was truly attrocious and bone shaking. The main highway stretch is not as bad but suddenly deteriorates at the outskirts of Kathmandu. With all the touting, exaggeration of prices and over commercialisation of tourist life, and the dust, i shall be glad to be leaving Nepal tomorrow. I should have made time for a hike and avoided Gorkha but 2 weeks is enough.

Bhutan

mikeccarson — Fri, 13 Oct 2017 12:25:00 GMT

The flight into Bhutan's one and only airport Paro was every bit as exhilarating as promised. The place cruised at around 10000m just over the mountains and then veered rapidly right, then left, before descending rapidly down the valley and screeching to a halt. I had almost been put of the scent by Calcutta's flight tracker which insisted my 930 flight wsas actualy at 1100 but i decided to go to the aiport as planned at 7 and it left early.

Bhutan is beautiful. I arrived 4 hours before Nigel so had time to visit old Paro with its beautiful old wooden houses and craft shops all overlooked by a fort that we will visit before leaving. The valleys are spectacular with terraced rice fileds approaching harvest and scores of wild flowers. Red chillies are left to dry outside windowns or on roofs. The houses often have roofs weighted stones with eves open to the air. Our guide Songse and driver were dressed in traditional Bhutanese wear, and to my surprise so were many of local residents.

Bhutan has a government and prime minister but the King still weilds considerable authority. His palace compelte with several temples is spectacular. Huge white walls and teracotta roof, framed by an attractive wild looking rose garden. A huge Buddha is enshrined in the main temple along with thousands of smaller ones. Pilgrims walk clockwise around the temples to lose mis deeds.

Close to the hotel was a popular Stupa with locals walking around and around late into the evening.

The town itself has a population of about 200 000 but there is quite a bit of new building going on - perhaps more hotels. The main town centre had some charactful small shops, cares and bars and no mega stores that I have seen so far.

We left the hotel after a good breakfast, the fooed is so much better in Bhutan (!), and visited the stupa built by the former queen in line with her husband the former King's wishes. It was sad to see the superstition - we were told that old parents with nothing to do are left at the temple to push the prayer wheels with a packed lunch for the day. Too much works and not enough grace.

It was a full day with a range of visits including to a 12th century temple, an old nunnery, a new national textime museum with dazzling silk robes and works, a modern art gallery belying the lack of secular painting tradition, the giant buddha where the chief abbot has been recitiung budhist scriptures for the last 2 and a half months, a folk museum and various craft shops. I have probably forgotten one or two of the stops but had enough so opted out of the final visit of the day to a paper manufacturing factory.

The next morning we drove the 30km or so up to the 3100m Drochuka Pass. Unfortunately it was cloudy so we could not see the 7000m Himalayan range and table mountains. So we walked up a steep and muddy mountain pass to a small monastery that also enjoyed splendid views. It was a steep 500m climb that left me a bit tired but en route I saw silver monkeys and many rhodendrums and orchid plants. Coming down was so much easier. From the pass we drove down to the guide's own home village which entailed another sharp climb. This really was a remote village with just a few farming families - cattle, dogs and rice fields. The home was quite poor but we were offered tea and invited to make a small donation whcih is apparently a Bhutanese custom. Nigel sensed that the 87 year old grandmother was not long for this world and made a generous 1000 Bhu donation. The village in April and May must be stunning since here there were even more orchids.

Our hotel was ok but lacked wifi so I was pleased enough to set off again - this time visiting a nunnery with commanding views of the valley. Like so many it is a recent royal establishment albeit with some impressive decoration. We then drove past Bhutanse practising traditional archery and a form of darts before walking up through rice fields to Khamsun Yuley Chorten monastery - built in the 1990s at royal instituion. The views were enjoyable and a muddy walk along the river bank was enjoyable in the heat. We then visited probably the most impressive of the dzong at Punajha - built in the 15th century. The scale and ordering of the architecture was impresive with delicate word work and paintings. The palace is split between secular govenrment officails and the temple reflecing teh dualiity of power in Bhutan. The ecolodge had not TV or wifi and was situated high up a bumpy, uncmfortable road but enjoying views of another river valley and fortress that unfortunatley had burnt down. The rooms were beautifully appointed and quiet and the food gathered from the lodge's own garden.

Another day another drive and another Dzongh fortress which invariably comes complete with temple. Thie one back in Paro but not before we had got up early and caught a glimpse of the Himalayan table mountains from the Drochula Pass.

We started with another ruined dzong which at least afforded another view of a snow clad peak. Then to the main event - Paro Dzong which was similar if slightly less impressive than yesterday's in Punakha. The national museum was in a watch tower looking over the fortress - mildly interesting mainly for a view of Bhutan's climatic regions, flore and fauna. I was less interested in budhist sculptures and masks.

Our tour guides continued the pace of the trip and the sights started to blur a bit. The main highlight was of course the long 2 hour trek up to Tiger's Monastary. We passed the option of a horse ride half way up, and set off at a good pace up the steep climb. It took about an hour or a bit less to the half way cafe point where i stopped to admire the views and enjoy a well earned cuppa. Nigel who was coughing up blood and gunk continued slowly and we re-joined some 40 minutes later to share the last leg from the cliff edge viewing points and steep but well protected steps. The views up and across were amazing but the Temple had a heavy presence that did not sit well for me. Coming down was of course much easier!

I finised the trip with a rest and a stone bath in a rustic farmhouse setting. Unfortunately, something i ate disagreed with me and on return to the hotel, I started shivering and feeling feverish. Visiaons of mosquito bites and malaria crossed my mind but after throwing up during the night I recovered from this bout of sickness.

Sikkim and Darjeeling

mikeccarson — Mon, 9 Oct 2017 00:50:00 GMT

It was a pleasure to fly over to Bagdogra - gateway to Sikkim after so many long jouneys on the road and rail. It was a short taxi ride to our overnight digs in the scruffy town of Siliguri. For the second or third time our long booked hotel was however playing games having cancelled my booking on the day of the journey. I suspected that they wanted more money and as usual for 100 ruppees more we were told we could stay. Not that the room was a good one. I was glad to leave the next day and take a bus up to Gangtok. This necessitated stopping at the border to Sikkim and getting a permit which proved to be straighforward.

Gangtok was a delightful surprise with a British inspired high street and smart, up market appearance. The population seems mixed with many Tibetans, Neapalese and Bhutanese supplementing locals. Sikkim is indeed a beautiful state with a rich variety of flowers recognisable from home including camellias, orchids, roses etc. Close to Gangtok is a Tibetan monastery at Rumtek that I visited. Some kind of convention seemed to be happeniung which made for a colourful sight. I also visited the viewpoints above Gangtok including one spectacular monastery bizarrely aintained by the Indian army.

Shared jeeps being the main mode of transport. At best the journeys are cheap but I have learned the hard way to pay for an extra seat and to try and sit in the front or middle row since they generally insist upon 4 in a row which over gravel and scarred moutanins roads in the heat makes for an uncomfortbale journey. On the plus side the scenery has been stunning - following river valleys and winding up steep moutanin sides.

We overnighted in Kalimpong another hill town and enjoyed a 500 ruppee room in a home stay type arrangment. Spacious rooms in a 4 story house with the lower basement, still with views high up on the moutanside, all ot ourselves.

Sunday morning - we haggled and argued as ever for a taxi and eventually got one for 20 and not 200 ruppees to the Scottish Church named after its missionary founder MacFarlane. The worship was lively and good but i am afraid the Hindu sermon and long prayers did for me so I left after an hour and a quarter. I expected to pick up a shared jeep quickly but for some reason there was quite a queue and not a car in sight. Declining to pay 2000 R to take a taxi we were eventaully rescued by a group of students who had hired a car and cip-opted us for the mcuh more reasonable 250 R.

The drive to Darjeeling was a highlight with spectacular views. The scenery is remiscent of home with vistas vying with woodland and hillside flowers, some tended, some natural. We really shiould have stopped and found a quiet hotel en route up the 20km or so moutanin road since when we reached Darkjeeling itself the urban sprawl and mess was a disappointment. There is the odd colonial building but none of the charm of Shimla and so much more filth and mess. Even the steam train is out of service due to problems on the track.

Darjeeling grows on you and on day 2 I wandered down a lovely quiet road to the zoo to see red pandas, bengal tigers, cloud leopards and other rare species in one of India's best zoos which provided a decent amout of space to the animals. A quiet cafe provided respite from the hustle and bustle of the lower town and I enjoyed taking in some of the older British architecture.

In heavy rain we visited Happy Valley Tea Estate a few minutes walk from Darjeeling. Ladies with umbrellas were still in the fields picking the tips andin a tour of the factory I learnt the differnece between first flush (Spring), second flush (Summer), third flush (Autumn) and fourth flush (monsoon) teas as well as how processing varies for green (least processed), white and black tea, and how the tips are graded. Fascinating and truly delicious tea that needed no milk or sugar and was so clear and fresh.

We took a shared jeep down a different route back to Siliguri enjoying fresh spectactular views as we zig zagged down the mountainside from 7000ft. Siliguri had not improved and we endured a Fawlty Towers like experience as I said goodbye to Andy, heading back to the UK, and got ready for a 4am start to Calcultta or Kolkata as it is now known.

I was in executive class so enjoyed Indian hospitality but the train was almost an hour late and arrived at the crowed Howlah station at 2.20 leaving just a few hours to cram in key sights. The Victoria Memorial built in the early 20th century was truly momentous and elegant - rather like the domed Sheldonian or St Pauls. Beautiful white stone and interesting exhibits which I skimmed before visiting St Paul's Cathedral which reminded me a little of Ely cathedral with its beautiful Bourne Jones window. The interior was even better than the exterior and i felt the presence of God. As the traffic got worse a kind passer by put me onto a 7 ruppee bus to Dalhousie Square with Writers Memorial - an E Indian Compnay/ Goverment centre of the British but it did not thrill as the Vicoria Memorial did with its lovely grounds, and is now in use with the Indian Post Office.

My final point of call was Mother Theresa's Convent which now contains of course the tomb of this amazing saint. Mother House is off a bustling, run of the mill trading street and the slums are close at hand. I was moved to visit this place including Mother's plain and box like room and to read the story of her upbringing and ministry. What a reach and work of God!

The journey to the hotel near the airport took well over an hour as the grid locked roads showcased the difficult conditions that Mother worked in. So many slums. So much rubbish. So many people living in shacks or on the streets. Such love to live in this place.

Shimla and the North

mikeccarson — Wed, 27 Sep 2017 01:16:00 GMT

From Udaipur we caught an overnight train back to Delhi sharing a comfortable 4 seater birth with a professional Delhi couple who were good fun. He has been working on top brands in western firms whilst she works for an Indian events company. I slept surprisingly well but was still unporepared for the madness of Delhi which was busier than ever thanks to a joint Hindu/ Muslim festival that clogged up all the traffic in the evening. The day hotel was also pretty horrible with dirty sheets despite insisting that they were changed twice. Even the shower was cold. Rickshaw drivers were up to their usual tricks taking me to the wrong bazaar - no doubt on commission; and another insisting that I should visit Tourist Information which was another commission job no doubt. I also visited the largely overgrown Nicholson Cemetry - a Christian cemetry notorious as the burial ground for an army officer John Nicholsoon who had overseen a massachre of Indians.

We only needed the hotel for a few hours before catching a 9.40 pm train to Kalka and on to Shimla. Unfortunately, the train left an exhausing 4 hours late leading to a hot and humid night on the platform enlivened by the odd visit to the air conditioned McDonalds. Once inside the compartment however we slept well and arrived in Kalka where of course are connecting train was either long since gone or cancelled. So we had to take our chance with unreserved ticekts whcih were in third class. They were only 60p but we had to endure 6 hours in an overcroded carriage. A savinng grace was that as we climbed up the 2000m moutains the temperature got cooler and the views more and more spectiacular. We passed over umpteen bridges and through 92 tunnels - an incredible feat of engineering.

Shimla itself offers a tast of old England with a hotpotch of Victorian and Edwardian buildings as well as Christchurch Church. Walking down the main street - the Mall - is rather like walking down an English High Street. Christchurch looks over the town, and along the Mall is the Gaiety Theatre and a large town hall which is being restored. A 2.5km walk takes you past several other British buildings including a large complex now used by the Indian Army to the Vice Regal's Lodge which is a quintissentially British Mansion Housee complet with lawns and gardens that would not look out of place in Surrey. It is soimewhow moving to see the mark that our ancestors made even if the legacy is not all good by any means.

Below the Ridge and the Mall, the town is packed denseley and colourfully onto the steep hillside. The shops take on more of the character of an Indian rather than an Indian town but everywhere the views across the moutains are stunning. It was good to see so many wealthy Indians clealry enjoying this favoured spot blessed by its coolness.

I also walked up a steep hill to visit the Jakhu Temple which seems to be home to more monkeys than pilgrims.

My two days in Shimla were thoroughly enjoyable but it was time to take a taxi 20km to Treebo Snow View Lodge. The views all the way were stunning even if the journey was slightly hair raising in places. We passed through a protected forest but the Indian economic boom seems to be reflected in a construction boom in new hotels. We even passed a fun park and safari park. Treebo Lodge is a work in progress. Garden walls being constructed and Reception unable to handle foreign bank cards or requests for a bill.

We faced a 10 or 11 hour journey on the bus to Malani. The ride was exhausting, hot at times but exhilirating as we navigated narrow mountain passes down from Shimla and then up to Manali. We were delayed en route by groups of pilgrims banging loud drums as they walked from villages hundreds of miles with a shrine to a festival in Kullu. Even worse delays were to follow as uncontrolled roadworks snarled the traffic and tempers as drivers sought to take advantage and drive in the wrong lane. It would have been nice to have stopped at Kullu but time as ever was pressing so we got a rickshaw from Manali bus station after supper to our hotel. Manali was much larger and more crowed than we expected with a cosmopolitan air from its mixed residents including quite a few Tibetan monks, and backpackers from around the world. It is still early in the season but the main tourists taking advantage of adventure sports from para gliding, rafting to trekking are young Indians. We were in for a rude surprise at the hotel as management insisted that they had just taken the hotel over and would not honour the booking at such a low (200 rupee per person per might) rate. Arguments were futile so we resinged ourselves to booking another place which turned out to be closer to the backpacker scene in the old town which provided pleasant respite thanks to its many riverside cafes.

We booked a tour bus of the Rohanti Pass for the next morning and set off packed like sardines in a tourer. I got the front seat to begin with and enjoyed taking dozens of photos of the incredible views as we climbed and climbed the pass up to 4000m. We saw shephers herding sheep and goats down the steep climbs and enjoyed the early Autumn foliage including many deciduous trees. The road was single track and treacherous in places particularly as barriers gave up half way up the moutain. We passed a Tibetan looking temple with its colourful flags strung out across the roadside and paragliders enjoying the steep inclines. I was just glad to get up and back safely. What a journey! It would have been fabulous if tiring to complete the full ring to Spiti but i will save that God willing for another holiday.

After another tiiring 10 or 11 hour bus journey through stunning mountain roads backtracking via Manali we reached Darmasala perched high up. I was struck by the sight of wild flowers like petunia or surfina growing wild alongside camellias, dahlias and other favuourites. Darmasala is well known and given by a visit the town was packed. It had a nice laid back feel and our hotel was hosting painting classes next to workshops on yoga, meditation, jewellery and other crafts. Half the foreign residents seemed to be from Israel and many cafes were owned or run by ex pats no doubt keen to escape Israeli discipline.

We didn't stay long but did visit 19th century St Johns overlooking the moutains which had teh feel of an English country church, complete with memorials including one to an army officer who died the night before his wedding, another to a climber who had fallen and another to one unfortunate who had met his end encountering a bear. The cemetry stones were hard to deciper but told an interesting story of the British occupation of India.

The 5am start to Armiritzar was made worse by incessant noise from my near neighbours. Despite promising to be quiet twice, the noise continued until gone 3 and I doubt that i got more than 30 mins sleep. Despite the heat of the plains, the fresh sight of the Golden Temple kept me wide awake. It is a stunning site, reminscent in part of Kyoto's Golden Pavilioon but more evidently a vibrant place of worship still today where thousands of pilgrams still share a communal meal each day. I also visigted the memorial to the 400 plus local inhabitants who were shot by the British in 1919 and Silver Temple a Hindu establishment built in teh 16th century with silver tools. Both temples were surrounded by large pools offering ritual bathing to pilgrims.

Apart from the shrines Armritzar is a hot, dusty and poor looking town which is fairly exahusting. But for the princely sun of 100 rupees we visited the famed border crossing nearby to watch an apparenlty choreographed closing cemetry with the Indian and Pakistani guards marching, preening and performing near acrobatics. The India crowd was much larger - think Bollywood with women running the Indian flag up and down, an MC to whip up the crowd and troops of schoolgirls dancing and singing. The Pakistani side was quieter and relied on an Imam to lead prayers. Crowds on both sides displayed the flag - small hend help or with the help of make up or clothes. There was a strong display of nationalism but more than anything this felt like theatre whcih was practiced and agreed by both sides. I certainly hope so.

The train journey back to Delhi meant another early start in time for a 6.15 departure but given the lack of sleep the night before I slept through the alarm to be woken up at 5.55 by our faithful rickshaw driver who kept his promise, unuslaly in our experience to date, to pick us up. We somehow raised ourselves to get into the rickshaw and arrived with 5 minutes to spare. A porter told is however that the train was delayed by 5 hours - which given previous experience was less of a surprise than it might have been. It was a blessing in disguise - time for a further hour in bed and shower before breakfast.

The journey itself wsas ok but delayed further by 2 hours do we did not arrive back in Delhi until almost 10pm. Fortunlatey our hotel had rescinded its threat to cancel our booking, and we re-vsiited a decent enough restaurant, so rested well before the flight the following morning.

Jaipur and the Golden Triangle

mikeccarson — Mon, 18 Sep 2017 22:52:00 GMT

The rickshaw driver did not turn up at 4am as promised but fortunately I soon found another one to take me to the station. The journey was in chair class which was not as good as First class and without refreshmenets unless you bought them. I saw another peacock in the sugar cane fields which was pleasing.

Jaipiur is a large and busy city but with a higher standard of living than Delho and Agra. There is still poverty but many more well stocked shops and a host of colourful bazaars. We set off after a short rest in the heat of the day whcih was forecast to get to 30 degrees. We walked through bazars before reaching the Hawal Mahal palace with more than 365 windows and viewing galleries for the court ladies to watch the mughal parades. The City Palace howecer was even more imoressive despite modest surroundings and walls. Top of the list was the Diwan i Khas audience hall and even more stunning the Chandar Mahal with 4 ornate gates representing the seasons. By now it was 3pm and so hot we decided to retire to the hotel for the afternoon and save some energy for the Amber Fort tomorrow.

We made an early start and took a tuk tuk to Amber fort passing lumbering elephants walking on the road towards our destination where they formed convoys taking touriss up the hill to the entrance. We prefered to walk having heard stories that the elephants are not looked after as well as they should be. I didn't get far inside before a guard as usual took me in hand and then his more senior boss insisted on showing me around. This has its pros and cons - the pros being that this guard spoke good Englsih and genuinely knew a lot about the incredible palace comple and its history. it included a Summer and Winter palace, ventilation and heated toilet. It also include the usual hareem and apartments for courtiers. The con was that I had to pay a tip, the size of which apparently disgusted my guide but then again tipping is not allowed so why should I be exploited.

A passageway took us 1.5km higher up to Jaigarh Fort which had far less of the palace features but was clearly a defensive stronghold and apparently never successfully taken. The views however were stunning looking down to Amber and across 21km of impressive walls that protected the old town.

Our rickshaw stopped on the way back to see the Jal Mahal Water Palace on a lake just outside Jaipur.Back in town we stumbled into a 300 year old temple and a primary school. I also saw the impressive exerior of a building apparently designed for couriers and the royal astrology complex. Unfortunately the Govinder Deviji temple was closed so instead I made it to the Albert or City Museum which housed an impressive collection in a beautiful British/ Indo desighed building. the collection included a princely collection of porcelain from around the world, artifacts from the Raj, an armoury and collection of colourful books.

We set off the next morning to catch the train to Pushkar via Ajmer enjoying the air conditioned chair class waiting room. There seem to be about 5 different classes of waiting room which mirror India's caste system. We negotiated a taxi ride to take us the 11 or so km from Ajmer to Pushkar enjoying the views of Agmer's lake. The scenery in India is generally flat but here we found reasonable sized hills if not moutains. Pushkar is a pilgram town with its own lake which Hindus are encouraged to bathe in once in their lifetime at least. Ghandi's ashes were scattered here. Holy men following ascetic practices mingle with tourists (many Israelis for some reason). cows and dogs. Its not a restful place but it was nice to find a cafe overlooking the lake and watch the pilbgrims. We were awsre of the local scam - you are given petals and then invited to say a prayer and release the flowers on the water in return for a less than voiluntary donation. I refused to say the prayer and upset my hosts no doubt by refusing to male a large offering. I said a prayer instead to the Lord.

A rickshaw took us 8km to visit a Shiva temple complex up in the hillls. This was an old site and iintersting as much for its location taking us out of the town and through the countryside, as for its ancient architecture. at one time the complex was probably bigger but not all that remains is a simple building or two and a shrine. The hourney was terribly bumpy but interesting. We also saw a couple of temples in Pushkar itself - some ancient with beautiful sculptures. At neither sites were we allowed inside the complex.Non Hindus pollute the site apparently.

After breakfast we set off early back to Ajmer and visited the Muslim Sufi Mosque and Medrassa which thronged with brightly clad pilgrims. It was a large and cokourful site with petal offeriings to the Sufi saint - no photos allowed. From there we made our way through the busy narrow market places to an older templex complex that had beautfiul sculptures dating back to the 12th century. It is now a place of rest and relaxation with familites asking me for selfies. Must be the power of my white cricket hat! We a;sp vosoted a more recent Jain temple with huge model of the planet according to Jains.

We struck lucky with our first class coarch ticket which allowed us into a sleeping car with clean sheets and most importanntly air con. After 4 hours we arrived at Jodphur and negotiated not without difficulty a ricksaw ride to the Karan Heritage house which is actually a private house belonging to a former member of the royal family. It is a huge house with former temple and the kind owner kindly explained that no alcohol or tobacco is allowed.

After breakfast we walked up in the morning heat to Jodphur Fortress. From below it did not look to be as inviting as Jaipur but up closer we saw how magnificently bult this fortress is. The huge battlements founde on massive blocks towered high abover the city and are formidable. This defensice strength contrasted with the opuluence and delicacty of the palace quaters with its magnificent treasures including elephant howdals and palaquins, silks, carpets and metalwork.

From the fotress we could see the old Brahmin (blue) city and made our way by rikshaw there. In truth it was less inviting than it looked from afar - some lovely crumbling heritage buildings but also a lot of rubbish and fllth. Blue apparently reps insects for which at least I am grateful and also the priestly colour. Another rickshaw took us to the mausoleum of Jaswant Thada with it white marble tombs impressive but scarcely meriting the local title of the 'Taj of Jodphur'.

A quick coffee in a colonial style hotel led to the purchase of a couple of lovely hand painted Mughal style drawings which I shall treasure. From the air conditioned restaurant we braved the fierce heat again and wandered the market and stopping for lunch before heading over to a modern palace designed by a British architecct in the 1920s and still lived in today by the royal family. The Umaid Bhawan Palace fuses Indian and British styles and looked amazing from the ramparts of the fortress and impressive enough still up close.

India - Delhi and Agra

mikeccarson — Fri, 15 Sep 2017 17:36:00 GMT

The 8 hour flight to Delhi from London arrived at 11.30 so by the time we had cleared immigration which took 40 minutes or so and got a taxi to the hotel, it was 1.30am. I bullishly told Andy my travel buddy for this leg of the journey that I would be waiting for him at 7am in the lobby since we might as well bite the bullet. forget the jetlag and make the most of our short time in Delhi. I must have turned the alarm off since reception called me at 7.30 to say that Andy was waiting for me outside. When i did make it outside I was surprised to discover that he was holding a tiny puppy that was about to be abandoned at the side of the road. This is India and I didn't think it was the most sensible thing to do although I admired his compassion. Andy headed off to find an animal hospital and I set off towards the Red Fort. This is perhaps Delhi's most iconic site. It was still well before 9 and most of the buildings were shut but there was a lovely sunrise glow over the walls. It was too hot already really to want to look at the museums as fascinating as i am sure they are. The outer gate is where the declaration of Indian Independence was made.

From the fort, I succumbed to the charms of a bicycle rickshaw driver who assured me I could pay whatever I liked although in the end he demanded an extortionate 2000 ruppees. It should have cost about 200 rupees but due to lack of change I settled for 500. We stopped to look at a couple of temples, the most interesting one a millenimum old Jain temple tucked away along the market streets. It was the sort of place that you could never find on your own. Some of the art work was delightful merging Mughal with pre Mughal, Budhist and colonial influences. There were Victorian tiles for example and a frieze depicting steam trains alpongside Jani saints in Buddha like poses. Having been told that I could (read should) give an entrance donation to the temple, the monk guide who had insisted that i join his mini tour, also told me that foreign tourists sometimes tipped him...From ther the rickshaw driver took me to the roof of an old British or Mughal fort that is now occupied bu thousands of inhabitants. The corridors were dark and filthy but the view of the architecture and surrounding markets was superb. We made our way to the Jamal Mosque which was busy with worshippers and tourists. As with the Fautehaur Mosque which was miuch quieter, I had to take my shoes off on entry even to the exterbal courtyard and not just to the inner building.

Delhi has much stronger Muslim influence than i was expecting although it makes sense given the Mughal history. I was also pleased to see a central Baptist Church and the Catholic Cathedral. The police presence is pervasive everywhere - not surprising given the tourist threat, and great posters advertise the threat from Pakistan.

The drivers are as mad as I had heard. Tuk tuks whcih offer litte protection toot and hoot all the way, sometimes veering onto the wrong side of the road without warning. The best analogy i can think of is of the dodgems. The tuk tuk drivers also generally offer to show you a bazar or shop. It transpires that they get a few pounds for petriol for bringing a tourist.

En route back to the hotel, we saw the presidential palace which is a great colonial building and Delhi Gate. From there we went on to the .... Tombs which were a precursor to the Taj Mahal. The shape seemed very similar although the Delhi Tombs were constructred from sandstone and redstone.

We learnt a lesson at 5am at the railway station. An officious looking guy demanded to see our tickets and insisted that they were no good. We would have to visit a ticket counter and get them for international travel. The train had been cancelled as well. He seemed to be in authority and marched over to the ticket office to pick up a form and then dispatched us off in a taxi several miles away. Once there the puzzled look on the agent's face gave the game away. This was a scam so we quickly drove back to the station and checked out stuff in. The tickets were fine. The guy was obviously on a commission scam. How irriitating it would have been to have missed the one train from New Delhi Station.

The 2 hour journey to Agra was a pleasure. We were served coffee, refreshments and breakfast before arriving in Agra. We negotiated a price for a rickshaw for the day with Ali who took us to see the Tak Mahal from across the river. The views were spectacular as was the sister mausoleeum know as Little Taj close by. This mausoleum is not so well known but also stunning and a worthy precursor to the main attraciton which we are saving for sun rise tomorrow. We ummed and aajhed about paying 500 rupees (about £6) to visit Agra Fort. I had seen the fort in Delhi and ALi thought we would see better in Jaipur. In the end we decided to visit on the basis that we might not visit Agra again. I am glad that we did - the complex with mosques, courtyards and audience rooms was truly staggering. The views over to the Taj Mahal were also excellent. Just as well really given that the founder of the Taj was imprisoned here for 8 years. I could think of worst places to be imprisoned!

Ali inisted on taking us to a variety of craft shops - stone cutting, carpets, cloths and clothes and handicrafts. Given that it was hot and we had exhausted the best known sights, we did not put up too much of a fight. At least we were served a lovely cold drink in the carpet factory. But the views of animails and of street scenes were much better really. Cows on the railway platform, bufallo in the river, monkeys crossing a bridge, cows asleep on the roads. From the railway carriage we passed through central towns with modern buidlings to the slums and beautiful countryside which was surprisingly green. Green no doubt since the monsoon has just finised. It was a particular treat to see a wild peacock. India assails and assualts all of the scences. If you can close your eyes ot the poverty and suffering it is a beautiful place. There is also a peculiar mix of gods on display - and many adherents and men striving for holiness. This adds to the colour and in some places confusion.

Getting up at 4.30 to see sunrise over the Taj Mahal was worth it despite the frustration of bureacracy that stopped us getting inside the ground until 6am. A guide showed me (for a tip) some good places to take photos and i found the experience of wandering the extensive grounds before the crowds got too oppressive meditative and enjoyable. The views the previous day were impressive but there is nothing quite like your first glimpse of the front of the Taj in the early morning light. Truly moving and memorable. I came across a bat or flying squirrel and inadvertedly saved it from the ravens by disturbing them just as they viciously stabbed at it. Thankfully it managed to escape again into the darkness.

There is nothing dark about the Taj - built over 22 years from gleaming white marble and recently cleaned. The work is delicate and beautifully crafted. On both sides of the Taj are mosques built in red stone whcih seem to help focus your sight on the mausoleum.

It was hard to drag ourselves away from the Taj but we did so in the end after light breakfast at a newly opened cafe - an extended family enterprise covering cafe, restaurant and crafts. It was so new that we were the first to use the menus that had just been delivered.

We took the public bus at the princely sum of 40 rupees to the abandoned palace complex of Fateh Sikar - 40 kms away. The ride was bumpy and hot with the temperature rising to 38 degrees. The bus weaved its way out of town, through markets, a cacophony of noise as tuktuks, cars, buffalo, horses, lorries, donkeys and pedestrains competed for the road, and it didn't seem to matter which side of the road the cars went on. A true free for all.

But it was worth it. The palace complex built in red stone had commanding views of the countryside and contained a large mosque and madrasssam and palaces with audience rooms, stables and gardens. This included a hareem and garden viewing platform with passageway - strangely reminsicent in shape of a Chinese of Japanese temple but with strong Mughal and Islamic overlay. All that is left now is the exquisite stonework but the palacesa were no doubt full of silks, carpets and handicrafts. The gardens green and tendered. Unsurprisingly the complex was eventually abandoned due to lack of water which has probably helped preserve it.

Boston

mikeccarson — Thu, 7 Sep 2017 09:05:00 GMT

The flight from Vancouver to Toronto was fine although i was sad to be leaving Vancouver so soon. We had to change at Toronto onto a smaller plane and on boarding we were soon informed that Boston airport was closed for an hour due to storms. An hour later we taxied off and seemed to go in circles before we were informed that air traffic control at Boston had changed its mind and that we would have to wait for another hour. The plane was a small one with fixed propellors looking like something from an earlier era. A fresh injection of fuel due to the delays seemed to do the plane wonders so when we did finally take off it sounded more like a plane and less like the motor mower it had done previously. Due to all the delays, i didn't arrive at the hotel until 11pm and could only find a McDonalds for supper, not what I wanted.

Boston is another enjoyable city. Since I only had a day i decided to fork out $39 on a hop on hop off bus which I usually avoid like the plague. It was good for giving you a good overview of the city and how big it is but was somewhat wanting depsite an incesstant commentary in terms of information. Boston Bob one of our drivers was a lovely big character but hard to decipher at times. I heard a lot about red coat Brits defeated at Bunker Hill but I am not sure how good the history really was....

A highlight for me was the Boston Museum of Fine Arts which has an amazing collection of Monets and an extensive Japanese and Chinese collection which I throughly enjoyed. Apparently, when Japan was opening to the world (faced with a US barrel) 3 Bostonians had teamed up with a Japanese historian to purchase many temple and samurai treasures that might otherwise have been lost. The collection of Kunioshi surinome (iillustrated haiku and letter for patrons) was particularly impressive.

So many sights and so little time. We saw Massachusetts Institute of Technology but not Harvard which apparently shares 'geek square', plenty of friendly Irish and Italien folks and some good memories of this great port and trading city.

The Rockies

mikeccarson — Thu, 24 Aug 2017 09:39:00 GMT

I finally got to bed at 1.30 am and woke up early with a groan but when I ventured outside, the view of the mountains was stunning and I was dying to get out and explore.

After coffee with my new found German friend, and having already checked out the hire car and a tourist map, I set off along the Maligne route which took me first to a beautiful wooded canyon where i enjoyed my first fresh air free from the train for 4 days. The road get better and better and started to follow a beautiful clear river along the valley and alongside the mountains. Eventually i reached Medicine Lake which stretched far into the distance, and beyond that Lake Maligne where holiday makers were enjoying boat crusies and kayaking. I would have joined the kayakers but thought that $50 for an hour was a bit steep.

Back in town, i went back to visit Bobo - the poor black bear who had come into town early this morning and with the encouragement of park rangers to go back home, had instead headed up a tree right next to the Farmers Market. He was still there some 8 hours later, looking out warily form time to time, but mostly napping. The rangers think that he will come down during the night - and are hoping that he heads up to the forest and not downtown back towards the river and the rest of his family. Hopefully pellets will be unecessary and not do any real harm. I certainly hope that he doesn't head downtown forcing more drastic action.

The camp site which was futher out of town than i envisaged, albeit on a road with stunning vistas whichever way you looked. Perhaps the best was the sight of some wags sat with a picnic table in the middle of a lake, the water level being just ankle deep across. I lost count of the number of times I stopped to take photos. On arrival, I was a bit peturbed to be greeted by a sign 'welcome to bear country'. On enquiry, i wss told that the best preventative measure you can take against bears is to lock away all food, and to make a lot of noise. Not much good i thought if you were asleep. So I deciced to sleep in the car - which was like my experience on the train. Fortunately, I had been upgraded to a Focus from a Hyundai Accent so had a bit of legroom.

The next day i woke up at seven and made tracks to Jasper to pick up a free pass to the Edith Cavell glacier. I had some time to kill before 2pm entry so made my way to a couple of nearby lakes. The second had idyllic looking canoing and rowing in the morning sunshine so I forked out $40 for an hour. Kayaks don't suit me and feel un seaworthy so I opted after a couple of trials for a good old fashioned rowing boat. All was fine for half an hour - and I had made it a km or so to the far off other side. Out of nowhere however the wind picked up and I soon found it impossible to make much headway, particularly when the oars came lose. Fortunatley. I beached up a nearby bank and was helped by some locals to tie up the boat and hitch back to the boat house. As we did, the wind knocked over a couple of trees and at the boathouse, the wind picked up and threw a kayak for 20 yards or so....

The '4 seasons in a day' weather continued turning to cold and persistent rain as I head up the mountain road to Edith Cavell. The glacier is spectacular although not on the same scale as the ones i saw in Argentina. Although miserable and somewhat nervous of meeting a bear, I deccided to trek up the steepish path to see the wildflower meadow. It was tough going in places but I am glad I did. The flowers have only a short summer season - just 6 weeks - to bloom and seed, and the views back to the glacier and waterfall got better and better. The weather also cheered up a bit and on the way back I saw marmot looking creatures as well as chipmunks.

I took advantage of the Miette hot springs to get a shower since the campsite facilities are basic and lack them. The hot springs themselves were lovely and warm and the views good. Sadly, the Canadian Rockies are also beginning to contract pine beetle disease and clumps of trees are dying. The drive between Jasper and Lake Louise or Banff is the famous one - rightly celebrated as one of the most beautiful drives in the world - but the 50km drive from my campsite at Ponchonatas into Jasper is also truly breathtaking. I am storiung the memories which included spotting some mountain goats perched up on one of the cliffs.

By the time i had done my chores in Jasper it was approaching midday when I set off along the Icefields Road and it did not disappoint. The countryside is so unspoilt and the view through the trip up to Columbia icefields were stunning. I stopped off at a couple of the well known waterfalls as well as several of the pass and other viewpoints. I don't have the words to do justice to the beauty of this place. So many beautifully silhouetted mountains, lakes, rivers - fitting company for the elk, deer, bear, moose and carinbou that grace this extensive area which runs for a good few hundred kilometers.

The Colombia glacier is beautiful indeed although not as dramatic or well preserved as the one I saw in Argentina. The ones in the Rockies are generally receding although still impressive. I walked up to the glacier and did not feel I missed much by declining to take a bus onto the glacier itself or to pay $60 to walk on it. I decide to skip the $18 camping fee and sleep up in my car in the car park. I wish i had gone further down the mountain since by 1am it was literally freezing and I had ice on the roof. I could do no more than wrap up but got no sleep so I was up early the next day.

I didn't waste too much time in the morning and set off to enjoy a range of view points and lake stops en route to Lake Louise. The vistas were even better - Peyto Lake turqoise blue and gorgeous, Lake Waterfowl equally delightful and more secluded. That was on top of a couple of Falls including Athabasca that were also magnificent. The only blot was missing a speed reeuction sign and getting pulled in to discover i had been clocked at 104km in a 60km zone. The officer was decent and reduced the fine to a still painful $203 having written I was travelleing at 85km instead. He explained thqat he had little discretion on speeding tickets but i appreciated his decency.

The lack of sleep meant that I was tired but I couldn't sleep before sunset so made my way up to Lake Louise and then Lake Moraine. Both are rightly celebrated but more commercialised than the ones i had seen earlier. Both are stunning and I will re-visit before returning to Jasper.

I slept reasonably well with just a few wake ups, in part due to the presence of an electric fence to deter bears which are prevalent, but more because i was so tired.

I found an old school pentecostal church 60 km away in Golden. The pastor and some of the folks were away but I enjoyed the old fashioned worship songs and warm greeting even if the preach went on rather long. The message was certainly a good and challenging one but just too laboured. The Yoho Valley itself did not disappoint. A 15km road took me to Takkawaw Falls - a word in Cree which means 'stunning' which is an apt description. They are most powerful in Summer as the glacier that feeds the falls melts. In Winter the falls freeze over. The views along the Kicking Horse Pass and the Yono Valley were again stunning. Pictures will tell a better story than my words.

Another night, another camp, one in Kicking Horse Valley and the next night down towards Banff. Banff is a commercialised town and didn't appeal not least because I am close to having used up my alloted 1200 car hire kms. The scenery towards Banff, however, was still spectactular and I enjoyed a short walk up to the Johnstone Canyon Falls- or at least the intermediate ones. The drive back towards Lake Louise was also more than pleasant with some lovely views of the forest clad moutainsides, peaks and accompanying river which flowed next to the train line.

I picked up a Polish girl hitch hiking to Jasper. She had lived in a few countries and was now working her way in Canada to do some more travelling in S Amercia. So we swapped notes. Back in Jasper after the spectacular 4 hour drive during which time I made several stops to look at some of the stunning places I had seen first time.

The train journey from Jasper to Prince Rupert takes another 2 days but benefits from an overnight stop at Prince George so there was a chance for a decent night's sleep which I enjoyed. Amazingly the train ran to schedule - and even the guard jokingly admitted that this was the first time since 2014... The train was not as crowded as I expected - less than half full - and only had 4 or 5 carriages, most of which were for the more expensive touring class who benefited from a panoramic viewing car which we in economy class only got to use for an hour or so. It didn't really matter, the views pretty much all the way were stunning. So many beautiful lakes, river valleys, mountains and forests. The scale and seclusion of Canada is hard to get your head around.

Prince Rupert is a sleepy but pleasant enough port town where in contrast to the heat of inland Canada was colder and wetter. We arrived to a downpour which is not uncommon since it rains for 220 days per year. Still I enjoyed pottering around the cafes and shops and around the harbour. The museum dedicated to the native peoples was also interesting and I could see parallels with the indigenous peoples of S Amercia.

The ferry took 16 hours to reach Port Hardy at the northern tip of Vancouver Island but the time sped by as we took in gorgeous views along the Inland Passage. The landscape is largely untouched with just a couple of human settlements along the length of this passage, meaning that grizzly and black bears rule. At one point we went past a river where bears wait for salmon but we were out of luck in viewing them today. We had more luck with the salmon seeing dozens of them leaping through the shallow waters at one point, observed by a couple of eagles.

I stayed in a typcial, slightly run down american motel on arrival at 11pm at Port Hardy. Fortunately it was close to the moorings. Sunday, I was up early to get a taxi ride into town. The driver used to work as a lumber merchant selling huge red and yellow cedars to the Japanese. I wish i had time to stop and explore the Island - since the nature tours in particular are meant to be stunning. As it was, I had to take the one bus per day down to Nanaimo and over to Vancover. It wsa a public holiday - labour day - so most of the shops were closed but in one town there was a classic car rally with dozens and dozens of gleaming exhibits. The driver told us to look out for bears and sure enough at one the busiest and most dangerous crossings we saw mama bear with a cub. The driver thought that she had 2 or 3 but we only saw the one.

The 1.5 hour ferry ride over to Horseshoe Bay, 30 mins from Vancouver was again pleasant afforded good views of the Island and Vancover itself. The views from the coach into Vancouver looking back towards the coast as sunset were even better. Vancouver is an extremely likeable city given a distinctive air by its long waterfront that extends down to Stanley Park, and the many sea planes that take off to service the Islands. The Chinese influecne is strong - with a high proportion of Asian residents. I cycled down to the Park and then back up through Chinatown where i was surprised by the size and apparent hopelessness of a large migrant population. Drugs seemed to be a problem and I noticed that canabis here is legal. THere are many dispensaries and shops selling the weed.

Quebec and the corridor

mikeccarson — Sun, 13 Aug 2017 09:40:00 GMT

The 18 hour train journey from Halifax to Quebec was wearing and I didnt get much sleep overnight. At least Canada Rail have decent wifi so the internet kept me occupied for half the time. The trains are actually pretty comfortable and the catering car decent value but without a sleeping compartment sleep is fitful at best.

I arrived in Quebec Central at around 7am, left my bags and started to expore. It is a fair walk up a steep hill to find landmark sites such as the celebrated Chateau Frontenac where Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin made plans for the liberation of Europte. The views from the ramparts of the citys fortifications offer great views over the Gulf of St Lawrence which is a massive stretch of freshwater starting in the great lakes. I am glad I took a boat ride down to a large waterfaill that is apparenty higher even than the Niagra Falls.

The real charm of Quebec though is the French cafe and restaurant cutlure. There is a marked difference between the upper city enclsoed within the walls and downtown by the river but both are charming. The day was helped by it being a festival of French culture. Quebec is reknown of course for being a proud bastion of French culture notwithstanding defeat by General Wolfe back in the 18th century. THe generally tolerant attitude of wise British governors helped to preserve Canadas integreity faced with US adventurism and offers of liberation.

My accomodation is another univeristy complex but this one is over an hour away by bus. Cheap but basic.

The accomodation in Montreal was similar but didn't even have directions or an address which was irritating when lugging a heavy bag on public transoport. I eventually found the right building on campus.

Montreal is a bigger metropolitan city but has a subway which helps getting around. It was hot and my foot has been playing up so after a day's wondering around I was quite tired. Walking was painful so having made a hash of my first attemp to explore the park which overlooks the city, it took a determined effort to climb the 400 or so steps up to the look out but the views were worth it. Most people speak French but the city has a more Anglophile feel. It was gratifying to see monuments to Nelsons victory over the French and Spanish.

The old town goes back to the 18th century but most buildings are from the Victorian or later eras. There are some notable early 20th century buildings with prototype (8 story) skyscrapers. The old town is packed with art galleries and eateries which makes for a pleasant stroll. I also made it up to the large and impressive botantical gardens although the tropical houses reminded me lock, stock and barrel of Kew. It was a nice surprise too to find a decent Japanese Garden with authentic if modern house and best of all some stunning pictures of Japanese nature.

A day and half feels like long enough in Montreal so I am leaving for Ottawa a bit earlier than planned.

My accomodation in Ottawa was another univeristy block. This one was pretty central and easy to get too. The room was fairly basic but ok and the only distraction was being awakened by some girls playing softball in the corridor right outside my room...

Ottawa itself is a pleasant enough modern city, home to the country's parliament and other civic buidlings including a number of world class museums. The Parliament building looks strikingly similar to Westminster although the main tower is centrally located rather than at the end of the building. It is situated next to the canal tha opened up canada's internal market and a river so a pleasant enough spot. My favourite museums were the stunning national gallery with a great and eclectic range of works, and the natural history museum which has a great collection of dinasaur skeletons in particular. The Natiaonal Galley also houses a reconstructed historic convenet chapel which pipes out gregorian style chant and which makes a surreal and very spiritual port of call. An inspired idea.

My foot has been playing me up - too much wearning of trainers perhaps - so I did less walking and exploring than normal. It is actually quiote nice to chill and pick up a few books rather than rushing around for a change.

Newfoundland and Nova Scotia

mikeccarson — Sun, 6 Aug 2017 03:46:00 GMT

The flight to St John's Newfoundland was a nice short one - about 5 hours. The weather forecast had promised 21 degrees but it was cloudy and cooler when we arrived. The countryside reminded me of Scotland and Ireland and ironically, I quickly discovered that the Irish have made quite an impression on this area. Tom O'Brien who spoke Canadian with an Irish accent (!) which I discovered was not unusual took me the following day to Bulls Bay for a whale watching cruise along a section of the 'Irish Loop'. Not quite a strong a mark as the English, however, who had repeatedly battled the French to land control of the narrow straights which still service a harbour servicing the richest fishing waters in the world. Cabot's Tower and a fort overlook the straights offering handsome views of the Atlantic. The Queen of course is still honoured not withstanding this being the 150th anniversary of Canadian Independence which is being marked amongst other things by free entry to national parks - great timing for me.

St John's is a pleasant enough port with brightly painted wooden houses lining the streets. It is the oldest settlement in the Amercias with India settlements dating back 2500-3000 years, the remains of Viking settlements in the 1500's and the earliest English settlement from 1497. Given all this history, it's surprisingit was called Newfoundland really! The cod fishing industry was almost wiped out in the 1990s and prices are yet to recover so nowadays tourism is more important - particularly eco tourism aroud the stiunning Witless Bay marine park which is home to thousands of visiting whales as well as half a million puffins, kittiwakes and other sea birds. The whale watching cruise was simply stunning with literally dozens and dozens of viewings of 3 of the 5 different varieties of whales that visit to feed. I had feared that they would already be departing but even the boat captain said that he had never seen so many whales - and that in just an hour of so of cruising aorund. Whaes are hard to photograph - generally you can catch a glimpse of thier bodies and fins and then just a quick glimpse of the tail as they dive down to feed. I hope and pray that the emerging oil industry that will bring huge wealth will not lead to ecological damage in such an important feeding ground. At the edge of the port is one of 4 oil rigs that may be the precursor to many more.

The whale watching was so good that i decided to fork out another $80 on Sunday. That is after a lively church service at Bethsaida where the workship band played a lot of my favourite somgs, and a visit to the police station to pick up my camera. I had lost it in my jet lagged stupor on Friday and had put in personal visits to the places I ahd visited, and repeat calls to the taxi and bus firm that had ferried me about. I prayed for a miracle taht it would be returned on Saturday - not least because it holds 4000 of my travel photos and was delighted to get a text from the B and B owners that the police had been round to pass on the good news that it had been handed in. I had left it by the side of the road where I had waited for a bus and one, Mohammed Abdelelpahey , had handed it in. Thank you Mohammed!

I didn't think that the whale watching trip could match the one on Saturday, not least since this time we left from St John's itself and were not going all the way to the Witless Bay marine park. However - we got lucky. A group of whales were diving up, mouths open to feed, and we had a stunning close up. I am sure that whales don't eat humans but given that some of them weigh 40-50 tons, i couldn't help worrying when some of them came within a few yards of the boat. These were humpback whales marked by their white tail but we also saw a fin whale which is the second largest on the planet. The whole experience was just stunning!

Monday was a day spent in a coach travelling some 6 or 7 hundred miles down to Port Basque and an overnight ferry to Nova Scotia. I chose the right day for this since it rained for much of the day - but I still saw enough of the lakes, forests and hills to see that Newfoundland is every bit as good as people say. It is amazing actually that during the 14 hour coach journey, I could have flown to the UK and back again.... One discovery i made during the journey was that as 9:11 hit, the small airport of Gander took in 9000 stranded passengers who had nowhere to land. That is more than the population of the town. A musical has been written telling the story that may well make it from Broadway to the West End. It tells a lot about the warmth adn hospitality of people in Newfoundland that they took so many people into their homes.

The ferry was another 8 hours or so but seemed to go quickly even if I didn't sleep much. Fortunately, I had booked a car in Nova Scotia and quickly apprecited its value given the lack of public transport. Down to Louisbourg where the British had twice defeated and destroued the primary French fortress, and then onto the stunning Cabot trail with mountain vistas, lakes, rivers, bays and most striking of all densley packed pine and fir forests. The views were stunning.

I was looking forward to a propoer night's sleep after 2 days of travel but was sorely disappointed when my $60 hostel room turned out to be in a barn. I could have handled that - but not the loss of a single room i had booked - that is on top of one shower for 20, the place having no doors on rooms, holes in the ceiling, no wireless etc. Fortunately, the car hire firm had upgraded me from a Hyundai Accent (small car) to a full blow 4x4 so I should be able to sleep ok in that, ahd have forked out for a campsite place so I can have access to a much needed shower! The rain, however, put paid to the hopes of a night's camping so I slept fitfully instead in the car. Fortunately, the rental company had upgraded me from a Hyundai accent to a large 4x4 so it wash't too bad.

The next day, the sun was out and it was a gorgeous day to continue my drive of the Cabot Trail, stopping every so often for another breathtaking view or coffee stop. I made it all the way round to Wyomochang whch I have no idea how to promouce, where i found a beautiful provincial camp ground overlooking a lake. The generous plot was far better than the other campgrounds i had stayed at and included my own picnic table and bench. Perhaps it was the lurking thought that a bear might appear during the night that left my sleep somewhat disturbed.

I had to drive the car all the way back to Sydney to drop it off. The assistant kindly insisted I should pay for 2 day's ratther than the booked 3, on the basis that I was only 2 hours into dahy 3 - whoch saved me a hundred bucks. Public transport is scarce in Nova Scotia so I shared a shuttle taxi some 600km or so back alongside the Cabot Trail and much further on down to Halifax. I enjoyed non stop banter from Irene, the driver who made the trip twice eawch day and who must have been exhausted after just a 10 minute lunch break, an ex Marine who was visting to say goodbye to his cancer ridden brother, and a young girl with an unfortunate dog locked up in a small bag...

Halifax is a large port with some insustry and a beautiful waterforont. The Queen Mary 2 was in town briefly and I enjoyhed a nice strill alongs the harbour front. My accomodation was in one of town's 3 university campus' and was good value compared to the hotels even if there was no air con. The breakfast was excellent. I just had time to wander into town to see the city's celebrated vitorian gardens which was pleasant indeed. The bandstand often hosts live musiic and plays. From there to the Citadel which was built by the British to defend the town from the French. The viwes were stunning and as with other similar sites there were guards in uniforms to provide a sense of history. The viwes down over the town from the ramparts were stunning. Unfortunately, there was no time to visit one of the cemetries where victims of the Titanic had been buried or to make a short trip to scenic Pegg's Bay. But I enjoyed my taste of Halifax and would like to return some day. It is certainly best in Summer - Winter is long and cold.

Naples and the Amalfi Coast

mikeccarson — Thu, 13 Jul 2017 20:01:00 GMT

What a wedding! Congratulations James and Corinna on organising such an amazing weekend for your friends to join and enjoy your celebration. The views over the Bay of Naples from the villa were incredible, and following a nice service in Naple's Anglican church, we enjoiyed partying on into the night following an amazing feast on the terrace. A higher terrace was decked out with bar and DJ with lights and glitter ball, making for the most amazing disco setting. At 1.30am or so guests were invited to let off candle lit lanterns that floated across the bay towards the shadow of Mt Vesuvious.

On Sunday, we swam in the bay and enjoyed a BBQ with other guests. It was hard to drag ourselves away form such an amazing place - bullt on land donated by the King of Naples apparently back in the 18th century. The Presidential Villa is next door. After 3 months in S America, it was fanstastic to meet up with old friends and meet some new folks.

From Naples, I took a boat to Ravello via Sorrento and Amalif where i board the small bus that winds its way up the steep mountain pass to this gem of a medieval town. Boat is a safer way to travel to Amalfi since the buses going in that direction tend to overhang the mountainous roads and switchbacks and travel at crazy speeds. It was just as I remembered it. I was particularly looking forward to re-visiting the amazing gardens overlooking the stunning blue waters towards Capri. Villa Rufolo gets top billing in Ravello - in part due to the Summer Concert season that is held in its grounds. But the lawns and statues that i remembered were not here. On checking with the guide, I discovered that the gardens I recalled were actually at Villa Cimbrone - a few hundred yards further up the hillside town. Fortinately, the gardens open late in Summer and were still open at 7 when I arrived. They were just as I recalled - rose gardens, hydrangeas, masses of geraniums, antique statues on the further terrace overlooking the sea... The gardens, un surprisingly given their arts and crafts feel, were restored and enhanced by an Englishman who had set out on the Grand Tour at the beginning of the 20th century. Truly exquisite gardens with the most incredible views.

My day in Capri was too short but given the high tempartures in the mid 30s it was hard to stir ourselves to do too much. This really is millionaire;s row - and President Trump's glamour daughter was in town - no doubt with scores of CIA men... I didn't see her but I did meet up with a friend and seek to find the terrace tavern, Le Grottelle, that I also recalled enjoyed stunning vistas of the natural stone arch that frames so many photos. After a hot and humid walk through the exquisite town and up the hillsides, we found it - again just as I remembered, but alas it was closed so we back traced to one of the big 5 star hotels in town for a terrace supper.

The one downside to the Amalfi coast is that for every charming, delightful host, somebody else seems to rip you off. Instead of paying 2.5 euro for a small coffee and coissant as in Naples, my Capri breakfast cost 8 euros. A small takeaway icecream 5 euros in Amalfi. My friends have all experienced the same tendency to overcharge English speakers. A few have abandoned taxis early in disgust.

Its a pity since the coastline is so beautiful. I spent my final morning in Amalfi visiting the exqusiite church in the central plaza. Parts go back to Roman times and the frescoes are stunning.

Farewell Amalfi - I look forward to travelling here again.