tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33754625269524257232024-03-08T09:46:13.850+00:00The amazing adventures of travelling KatPrincess and the Peahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01504953599906445036noreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375462526952425723.post-2035154708502009562015-11-23T07:20:00.000+00:002015-11-23T07:30:54.814+00:00A big Buddha and a numb bumOn our last day in Hanoi I decided to map out a walking tour of the city visiting all of the sights we'd missed during our time there. I started our tour at Hoan Kiem Lake by visiting the Ngoc Son Temple, which enjoys views back out across the cityscape. After that we walked North towards the centre of the Old Quarter, through all of the shops and stalls. Each street has its own product, so you'll have fruit street, shoe street, scarf street, bag street and so on.<div><br>
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We made regular stops at cafes packed with locals for iced Vietnamese coffees (which I'm now totally hooked on) to keep out of the scorching heat of the day. We finished our tour back near the lake and had a lunch of raspberry granita for starters followed by two scoops of salted caramel for mains (I can do what I want, I'm on my jollies!) at my favourite ice cream shop, 'Fanny'. <div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaz-oIWhP54Hap5yF9alq-AIxTyEcLnkorbSOY6L_1XHQk-FDEL_h6__Q-CHnh_A4IC1pCdIyGjW55y7jEAaUyH3tKqK48WyR8UvpZVSp0t5VmdPg4X-g99bG7Ur9z86G5yaJOUhsGgMs/s640/blogger-image-156420358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaz-oIWhP54Hap5yF9alq-AIxTyEcLnkorbSOY6L_1XHQk-FDEL_h6__Q-CHnh_A4IC1pCdIyGjW55y7jEAaUyH3tKqK48WyR8UvpZVSp0t5VmdPg4X-g99bG7Ur9z86G5yaJOUhsGgMs/s640/blogger-image-156420358.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>After lunch, and as if four hours of walking wasn't enough, I decided to take us for a full circle of the lake. By this time it was about 4pm and we were into Golden Hour. People had finished work now and were sitting with friends around the lake, eating and drinking, some doing crafts, some chatting and laughing together. It was a lovely relaxing stroll after a day in the hustle and bustle of the city.<br>
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The next morning we were collected from our hotel and taken to Bai Dinh, a massive Buddhist complex rising up from the hillside. As we were fighting the traffic out of Hanoi I commented that despite the number of vehicles on the roads, you never see any accidents. I hadn't even finished my sentence before we heard a crack and our minibus had hit a cyclist. Later we saw a truck cut down the middle by the central reservation with its cargo of watermelons spilled across the road. I'll learn to keep my mouth shut.</div><div><br></div><div> Bai Dinh is not an ancient site like some of the pagodas we've seen, but was built between 2003 and 2010. To get to the big Buddha at the hilltop, you have to climb 600 steps passing 592 enlightened Buddhas, every one in a different pose, on the way. And I have to say, I was feeling pretty enlightened myself by the time I reached the top. Or do I mean light headed?<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); font-family: noteworthy;"> </span><br>
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After Buddha mountain we continued on to Trang An Grottoes where we boarded a small wooden row boat for a 2 hour paddle up the Sao Khe River through a series of limestone caves. The water levels change throughout the seasons so sometimes it's impossible to get a boat through the low caves. We were just able to get through, but we had our heads between our knees most of the time. Outside the caves and back on the river we enjoyed stunning views of the surrounding mountains and a rare quiet with only the sound of the boat's oars slapping rhythmically away at the water.</div><div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"><br></div><div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0tqOX2JHw_BXgw7m0mTvzKR_g3Ia05EGRQcq0LlPenX0_WDYcWOX544Pvxrvr-ff39K-lUGL5p6ZbW8MoppJPxi0UELyJtGHbZmzUxSsR9FQGXuzPL8TiJL8nKyl3KGqhC4IPguSMErw/s640/blogger-image--1868532052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0tqOX2JHw_BXgw7m0mTvzKR_g3Ia05EGRQcq0LlPenX0_WDYcWOX544Pvxrvr-ff39K-lUGL5p6ZbW8MoppJPxi0UELyJtGHbZmzUxSsR9FQGXuzPL8TiJL8nKyl3KGqhC4IPguSMErw/s640/blogger-image--1868532052.jpg"></a></div><br></div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">After two hours on a wooden bench my legs had pretty much forgotten they were attached to my body and I fell out of the boat and stumbled away like I was 89. I was quite relieved to sit on a cushioned seat when our driver picked us up for the 2 hour drive back to the hotel.</div><div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"><br></div><div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">
Back in Hanoi we had time for a very quick dinner before rushing to the train station for our overnight sleeper train to Hue.</div>
</div></div>Princess and the Peahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01504953599906445036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375462526952425723.post-21257244466097883552015-11-18T10:42:00.001+00:002015-11-18T10:51:33.720+00:00Good morning Vietnam!<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Noteworthy; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 24px;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">I've missed south east Asia this year so I thought I'd book myself a little trip before Christmas as a respite from the dreariness of British winter. So I find myself in Vietnam, land of the dragon and many, many motorcycles (4 million of them to a population of 7 million in the capital alone).<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiU0jfJFYNc0XhZ2idgXS5gCV_uON9A9TLAoDlmzbiP3WRPMMezS9ttKqdObHtSCKpHcAlJGTttZtLYAoKjeCwfWQ5DT7M4AOxIPO0SY6LEW_B8MTcIEz-jrdRvAN0mlPAKDvNc0jxnNQ/s640/blogger-image--174823536.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiU0jfJFYNc0XhZ2idgXS5gCV_uON9A9TLAoDlmzbiP3WRPMMezS9ttKqdObHtSCKpHcAlJGTttZtLYAoKjeCwfWQ5DT7M4AOxIPO0SY6LEW_B8MTcIEz-jrdRvAN0mlPAKDvNc0jxnNQ/s640/blogger-image--174823536.jpg" /></a><br />First stop, Hanoi, the nation's capital, the city that gets so hot in summer you can fry an egg on the pavement.<br />Day 1 was a city tour taking in some of the most popular sights including the Vietnamese museum of ethnology and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Complex (a traffic free (yay!) area of botanical gardens, pagodas, monuments and memorials. This is also the place of Vietnam's first university (established in 1076) and a popular destination for recent graduates in cap and gown queuing up to have their photo taken in various spots around the Temple of Literature.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijCbrbYdoY2Q5T47VNjID7rxC6Et6mMAP8faLewTEn0NJuLaYo6_cGWh0C-CHoeUL3neiuppYBJBk35-dAnCRAhSbA5wmZy8qal3TQ084eSCvv8_MNp_0enfTp9zjRQyTvmQ4Hhr8O8Cg/s640/blogger-image-636388769.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijCbrbYdoY2Q5T47VNjID7rxC6Et6mMAP8faLewTEn0NJuLaYo6_cGWh0C-CHoeUL3neiuppYBJBk35-dAnCRAhSbA5wmZy8qal3TQ084eSCvv8_MNp_0enfTp9zjRQyTvmQ4Hhr8O8Cg/s640/blogger-image-636388769.jpg" /></a><br />On the second day we had an early start with a long drive to Halong Bay where we boarded a traditional Vietnamese junk ship for an overnight cruise of the bay, navigating our way through the 1969 islets that punctuate the landscape.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIEBWV5h3Xps1pdOGNk2PUrz64ZOw57GVdPznT9EiVjIpCp8Fa1spFz5GbjjUxKxUBuZMTIch7zMLBkoLE8Lja0AwPQUPT7Pa4PvQuetVdhQbr-BvmG04KqJNhJ-oTFWHoQjP0XwKq1zE/s640/blogger-image-812460012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIEBWV5h3Xps1pdOGNk2PUrz64ZOw57GVdPznT9EiVjIpCp8Fa1spFz5GbjjUxKxUBuZMTIch7zMLBkoLE8Lja0AwPQUPT7Pa4PvQuetVdhQbr-BvmG04KqJNhJ-oTFWHoQjP0XwKq1zE/s640/blogger-image-812460012.jpg" /></a><br />After a hefty lunch of fish, fish, fish, followed by some more fish and then fish for dessert, we hopped onto a smaller boat for a tour of the fishing village where our lunch had just come from. The people of the village live on the water, some in small stilted huts held afloat by empty barrels, others live simply on small row boats with nothing but a raggy tarpaulin to protect them from the elements. Even children and pets live aboard these tiny homes where cooking, eating, sleeping, washing and working all takes place in a space no bigger than 2 metre squared, about the size of my bathroom at home.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyrRRzz6w8ULCYzi4TKhTf_fQ4uvxgfAJcD8H-HHryIWwKJ25AH2eOVeBgtk6IvhyphenhyphenIJn1-MVFowR6Lx5lrq6JJVtYccyl41cs1qMwaYwJrzdw-tsUruEQ4aAEQdadvz6zF4_FD9Lots_s/s640/blogger-image-332457492.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyrRRzz6w8ULCYzi4TKhTf_fQ4uvxgfAJcD8H-HHryIWwKJ25AH2eOVeBgtk6IvhyphenhyphenIJn1-MVFowR6Lx5lrq6JJVtYccyl41cs1qMwaYwJrzdw-tsUruEQ4aAEQdadvz6zF4_FD9Lots_s/s640/blogger-image-332457492.jpg" /></a><br />Until recently, people from the fishing villages had no education so the older generations can't read or write. Their children, though, do receive some schooling, but only to infant/junior level - if they want to continue to secondary, they must go to a school on the mainland, which their parents would have to pay for. When the time comes to marry, they will almost always marry from within their community and continue life in the fishing village.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUpjfypHCPTc4h3tnVYaWx7aWfW1I9ysoWlnhnFu-Vz1ZiKdpf3d2vKAqdDTE_RJpNvSkOIIBkqiBt-q7JPkZDcYmTdfF36-kULVwOkrJ6RsswXWX1Ir7HhB0fpjg4CQWw0Kx5mY9qFPI/s640/blogger-image--1965866297.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUpjfypHCPTc4h3tnVYaWx7aWfW1I9ysoWlnhnFu-Vz1ZiKdpf3d2vKAqdDTE_RJpNvSkOIIBkqiBt-q7JPkZDcYmTdfF36-kULVwOkrJ6RsswXWX1Ir7HhB0fpjg4CQWw0Kx5mY9qFPI/s640/blogger-image--1965866297.jpg" /></a><br />The evening meal was fish, fish and erm... fish. It was as if they'd phoned my mother and asked her what foods I don't like and then served them all together - fish, lemongrass, watermelon, banana and coconut. The food was beautifully prepared, and everyone else loved it, it just wasn't ideal for a non fish eater. I did make myself try everything though, and even faced my fear of shrimp - served with their coats on and their legs on show, I bravely undressed one, shut my eyes and popped it in my mouth, forcing myself to chew and swallow. Then I puked over the side. (I didn't, but it was a close call).<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwpZxovdlwmVmeFyOqrHchr75nknssKob9TFde62q-32AIn2iXE5BrYrkIJ7twVa2vf60RVmt9EgLHLHQnIDMtTPHLgsh8ti0mVUijd8QexUm_owennYCL9Md2T26fyKm4S_KksxIasTg/s640/blogger-image-1586773364.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwpZxovdlwmVmeFyOqrHchr75nknssKob9TFde62q-32AIn2iXE5BrYrkIJ7twVa2vf60RVmt9EgLHLHQnIDMtTPHLgsh8ti0mVUijd8QexUm_owennYCL9Md2T26fyKm4S_KksxIasTg/s640/blogger-image-1586773364.jpg" /></a><br />After dinner I went squid fishing off the back of the boat with a bamboo rod, a spot light and some wishful thinking. I was good! I caught a shower cap!<br />Next morning we jumped aboard the small boat again for a trip out to Hang Sung Sot (Surprise Cave) which is a massive cave system set high above the rocks with thousands of stalagmites and stalactites, including my favourite, known to them as the pointing finger; I call it the cock rock.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTYMtdtLk60yLPfvohgBiPHPgkaXP9PnQ8iKl7zBrWslXn-yJKlR8992EmnVZKuak3csN8f5hpbJSPoGXJ5FbanZNz5aSDVyh6H7_xwEJLgw9SKsxwJ9aIB374_WxKJSqsD3iV_SA2NUc/s640/blogger-image-1364547147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTYMtdtLk60yLPfvohgBiPHPgkaXP9PnQ8iKl7zBrWslXn-yJKlR8992EmnVZKuak3csN8f5hpbJSPoGXJ5FbanZNz5aSDVyh6H7_xwEJLgw9SKsxwJ9aIB374_WxKJSqsD3iV_SA2NUc/s640/blogger-image-1364547147.jpg" /></a></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">After the caves, another big fishy lunch (including squid from last night's fishing expedition. They didn't serve my shower cap though!) before heading back to the bay for a four hour drive back to Hanoi. </span></span></h4>
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Princess and the Peahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01504953599906445036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375462526952425723.post-26335979854839240622015-08-24T20:01:00.000+01:002015-08-24T20:06:16.667+01:00Is that a baby hippo?Anyone who knows me will know that no trip of mine is complete without a bit of wildlife spotting. So I could hardly travel all the way to Africa and not go on safari could I?! Obviously not.<br />
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As Zambia is but a hop skip and a jump (ok, about 8 hours) from Nkhata Bay I decided to book onto a trip (with <a href="http://www.tubbytours.co.za/">Tubby Tours</a>) into <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Luangwa_National_Park">South Luangwa National Park</a>, said to be one of Africa's best kept safari secrets. This place is home to 4 of the big 5 and lots of others as well, but most importantly, I was guaranteed hippo spottings, perhaps even hippo camp site encounters. Take my money, TAKE IT ALL!!</div>
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The drive was long. And dusty. And uncomfortable. But I had great company and chatted most of the way, slept some of the way and wriggled about trying to stop my ass going numb 95% of the way. When we finally arrived it was already going dark and we had missed our night safari, but pulling into <a href="http://www.crocvalley.com/">Croc Valley</a>, we were surrounded by monkeys, elephants and, by the river.... HIPPOS! So we had a little wander around camp before sitting down to a three course meal, followed by beers in front of a log fire over looking the river. A long day of travel and load shedding equalled an early night tucked up in our tent, listening to the hippos <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVdm2xBL6GY">Ho-Ho-Hoing</a> in the not-so-distance and talking till one of us fell asleep.</div>
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The next morning was a 5am start. Our group of 8 piled onto the safari truck, binoculars and zoom lenses at the ready, and set out into the National Park to find us some wildlife. </div>
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Before even reaching the park gates we'd come across a small herd of hungry elephants munching at the side of the road so I knew it was going to be a successful day.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxZZzOzoTJ8da2ZbE6ub89MtIqRLUzfoqo_dPu-ahEmk50VcS0vxuBdStlOOKTHKmHkMhcE211O915hjg6S3KdtAt16rTQ2RrcvoWqZBGPsoLRsucKvJR5oI8CM6mz6wUl5x-I3HJGcbc/s1600/IMG_8969.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxZZzOzoTJ8da2ZbE6ub89MtIqRLUzfoqo_dPu-ahEmk50VcS0vxuBdStlOOKTHKmHkMhcE211O915hjg6S3KdtAt16rTQ2RrcvoWqZBGPsoLRsucKvJR5oI8CM6mz6wUl5x-I3HJGcbc/s320/IMG_8969.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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Inside the park within minutes were more elephants, giraffes, zebras, impala. Next we saw a lonely hyena stalking a deer.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAdeUglrGi0c52L5q1px1Nsw7Hopx8h9WRc8HA3qsgMnVIrkmykN_bprwL9DnJNr1PHn0b5nkFxf_xg1tKsAMBLh8U47OtMp4LgqhUto65kPK0Pv-XXuW3IHBnsHeAk-qqeRDhIcqhrLA/s1600/IMG_9006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAdeUglrGi0c52L5q1px1Nsw7Hopx8h9WRc8HA3qsgMnVIrkmykN_bprwL9DnJNr1PHn0b5nkFxf_xg1tKsAMBLh8U47OtMp4LgqhUto65kPK0Pv-XXuW3IHBnsHeAk-qqeRDhIcqhrLA/s320/IMG_9006.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I proved myself to be absolutely terrible at wildlife spotting. </div>
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Me: Is that a baby hippo?</div>
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JR: No, Kat, that's a warthog.</div>
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Me: Is that a crocodile?</div>
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JR: No, it's a log.</div>
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Fortunately others around me were much better and within 20 minutes of arriving in the park we were hot on the trail of a leopard casually following a deer. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGcpj7ONPpE7gqb9GCBwSibwAGhyphenhyphenyp3IplOQ-wQFEt3-xBlg7yCcro4Ck_Pf1ZL6zr4fiUhYdwJSgL64C91uxd2CH0POoBtMUglUQrrrc0d3EZ-ewopjCGAPFUd8NpdVN60OH7xHgcMGc/s1600/IMG_9057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGcpj7ONPpE7gqb9GCBwSibwAGhyphenhyphenyp3IplOQ-wQFEt3-xBlg7yCcro4Ck_Pf1ZL6zr4fiUhYdwJSgL64C91uxd2CH0POoBtMUglUQrrrc0d3EZ-ewopjCGAPFUd8NpdVN60OH7xHgcMGc/s320/IMG_9057.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We drove slowly behind her for quite some distance; she was not a bit bothered. We watched, breath held, as she slunk along in a ditch, pausing now and then to sniff the air, sticking her head above the parapet to check on the position of her prey. </div>
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We were urging her to pounce, but she was in for the long game and seemed quite content just to watch, as, in the end, were we.</div>
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Our next spot was a pack of juvenile lions, sunning themselves around a bush. There were seven of them, all fast asleep. We pulled up barely metres away from them, so close we could almost hear them breathing. </div>
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You can easily see why they're known as the kings of the jungle, they are truly majestic. They move with a haughty sense of importance that no other animal seems to have. </div>
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After the lions, we headed back to camp for a big brunch and to relax for a few hours before our night drive. Our morning drive had been so successful I had high hopes for the evening, although we were warned that we probably wouldn't see much. It was true, we didn't see <i>as</i> much, but there was still plenty to keep me happy. Hippos, for starters. Hundreds of them wallowing in the river, with the constant backdrop of their comedic deep belly-laughing. After pointing my zoom for 10 minutes I managed to get the shot I had wanted - a yawning hippo. I was happy now if I didn't see anything else. I'd got what I came here for.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGBOYtIz6qDjLurHY9hYxxYJcIAqDikWHSqESnuS6t6311C3evYle-y9yt19497grrdf3YbK8MbSn3e8HkJWU0_WmWYwprwyFXBkRSHJdqnxo9RsnWtueanqIM5lrJX2uJY6JBELUMqaU/s1600/IMG_9210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGBOYtIz6qDjLurHY9hYxxYJcIAqDikWHSqESnuS6t6311C3evYle-y9yt19497grrdf3YbK8MbSn3e8HkJWU0_WmWYwprwyFXBkRSHJdqnxo9RsnWtueanqIM5lrJX2uJY6JBELUMqaU/s320/IMG_9210.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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As the sun went down, everything was bathed in a rich salmon pink glow and our final sight as the sky burnt red was this family of giraffes standing watch over the plains.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNF-enyGrKOUU1GOLYfrirw8fWL9UWU0AUfwUMj_Z3Y8bOARnWYgIRByfD3sgqIPvFBl3GWUxGhu8eP1pjrxB8SHdJlJ0-deaHJzeb7GovSPYiT2jh3ezMVmpjoaRMl2na7S2KDIzcwRo/s1600/IMG_9192.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNF-enyGrKOUU1GOLYfrirw8fWL9UWU0AUfwUMj_Z3Y8bOARnWYgIRByfD3sgqIPvFBl3GWUxGhu8eP1pjrxB8SHdJlJ0-deaHJzeb7GovSPYiT2jh3ezMVmpjoaRMl2na7S2KDIzcwRo/s320/IMG_9192.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D3375462526952425723%23editor&media=https%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-trvQf4YE4Gs%2FVdtmHfCBSfI%2FAAAAAAAABNI%2FGwJ0WQKu0tw%2Fs320%2FIMG_9192.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=xZzdSMq2Mze0&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 193px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 3302px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D3375462526952425723%23editor&media=https%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-trvQf4YE4Gs%2FVdtmHfCBSfI%2FAAAAAAAABNI%2FGwJ0WQKu0tw%2Fs320%2FIMG_9192.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=xZzdSMq2Mze0&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 193px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 3302px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Princess and the Peahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01504953599906445036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375462526952425723.post-88996643664597328902015-08-20T06:13:00.000+01:002015-08-20T06:13:04.487+01:00Early monkey wake up call<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Now travelling with the boys from <a href="https://ewb.shef.ac.uk/">Engineerswithout Borders</a>, our trip to Nkhata Bay was much longer than expected, but then
this is Africa, so I suppose that was to be expected. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The bus was supposed to leave at 11.30 am
and after being told that we had a seat, then that we didn’t, then that there
was no bus today, then that there was a bus but it was full and finally there
was a bus and it was full but if we could squeeze on we could get on it, we eventually
started boarding at around 1pm. Tight squeeze does not even come close. I
quickly became an intimate acquaintance with the next guy’s armpit and had a
small boy ask me if I’d marry him (of course, I said yes - he had a bag of sweets). When we spilled off the bus in Mzuzu at
around 8.30 we had another hour in a taxi to the Bay. By the time we arrived we
could barely stand; we ate and went straight to bed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The next morning I was woken early by what
sounded like a herd of angry pigs charging my cottage. When I went to
investigate, I was greeted by hundreds of monkeys chasing each other around and
play-wrestling right on my doorstep. It was amazing to watch. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The little ones
were bouncing up and down together and running circles around a big rock in
front of the lake. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd5ocUcCgXgp-RL_rHB2tHBAoHRT922wBeqWG1WY3WctgpHucQffhbHZ7NRU-sJWN4Fk_fYZR_W10AQRfz2aIwib4wO8fuC-B65Gbq1NDc1ZDhYiLqfWbqxQnJbS8pv8JLJyKX8DY_DkI/s1600/IMG_8947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd5ocUcCgXgp-RL_rHB2tHBAoHRT922wBeqWG1WY3WctgpHucQffhbHZ7NRU-sJWN4Fk_fYZR_W10AQRfz2aIwib4wO8fuC-B65Gbq1NDc1ZDhYiLqfWbqxQnJbS8pv8JLJyKX8DY_DkI/s320/IMG_8947.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I must have watched them for about an hour before, one by
one, they disappeared back into the trees and I was left alone in silence with
the most beautiful sunrise I’ve ever seen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1NeXNjhDTTKWmxi5cvJxCuArmTXX0ppf2ksbt2DGxr4xzuRHf3GsVv2dhfJn0Hqwjjb2MYQg7zlj25FzgWK6R4KD7pZif3KcKtach7W-bKEPR6uN6DFBfW8CrTrL9HgRxyI2sRK-pJV0/s1600/IMG_8873.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1NeXNjhDTTKWmxi5cvJxCuArmTXX0ppf2ksbt2DGxr4xzuRHf3GsVv2dhfJn0Hqwjjb2MYQg7zlj25FzgWK6R4KD7pZif3KcKtach7W-bKEPR6uN6DFBfW8CrTrL9HgRxyI2sRK-pJV0/s320/IMG_8873.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">That morning we travelled back into Mzuzu
to give a talk at the University about the <a href="https://sheffieldlakemalawi.wordpress.com/">bicycle powered water pump</a> that EWB
have been developing. The pump is very simple and low cost, and uses a very
simple system to pump water from Lake Malawi into farmers’ fields.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr8J4ZqYMxznXF3upTwhV2B5cFOl-hxF4ufUFYh8NDPGkQg2BtEu5NEvXmySveZkhmlXqokj6oLiOklEdJCZ9XbPd8GJRDFSwW9oV-jEHkpsapay8pTsQHbeqmjnmkhVy8-xsWLp8w6pg/s1600/IMG_8906.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr8J4ZqYMxznXF3upTwhV2B5cFOl-hxF4ufUFYh8NDPGkQg2BtEu5NEvXmySveZkhmlXqokj6oLiOklEdJCZ9XbPd8GJRDFSwW9oV-jEHkpsapay8pTsQHbeqmjnmkhVy8-xsWLp8w6pg/s320/IMG_8906.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Later, back in the Bay, we spent the late
afternoon enjoying the quiet tranquility of the lake. I’m not one to sit and
relax very often, but you just can’t help it at this place. Everyone is super
friendly; we were staying at <a href="http://www.butterflyspacemalawi.com/">Butterfly Space</a> (a unique, non-profit, volunteer community project which brings international volunteers and the community together - </span>more on that another time) and
pretty much everyone was there working or on some kind of volunteering
programme, so it was really nice to get to know people and hear their stories.
It’s somewhere I could quite happily disappear to, never to be seen again.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs56h3S1jaasDXQtzhYsM8nhJsvCYrpPnD0qTBxxZsUzHJ4cOXul-8KfohS2hQ9fCAEX7aPGXDYiIrDTkfRs4bbZnLJ2qZtBTDuMKZGO6-uUUYwSK_4Brr5JkQcy-GMqu2fvuDfbeyIDI/s1600/IMG_1771.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs56h3S1jaasDXQtzhYsM8nhJsvCYrpPnD0qTBxxZsUzHJ4cOXul-8KfohS2hQ9fCAEX7aPGXDYiIrDTkfRs4bbZnLJ2qZtBTDuMKZGO6-uUUYwSK_4Brr5JkQcy-GMqu2fvuDfbeyIDI/s320/IMG_1771.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">With new friends in tow, we decided to have
an explore around the town part of the bay and had a wander through the market,
had some lunch (which, again, took a lot longer than expected!) and eventually
strolled back up to Butterfly for dinner and drinks overlooking the water.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE8RKo_UhupOaTYdZEBgeXvfbsJErmDor86nH5i6Zry_zJMB0NU0lNIETCv32a1T_p1Vjo-cfty5QrWpUPF18YAvL5MuHHXBByoGCVs_d7K3Zzwbg8WQDN0U6l7aVwIdqgYV29nzjD5dY/s1600/IMG_1766.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE8RKo_UhupOaTYdZEBgeXvfbsJErmDor86nH5i6Zry_zJMB0NU0lNIETCv32a1T_p1Vjo-cfty5QrWpUPF18YAvL5MuHHXBByoGCVs_d7K3Zzwbg8WQDN0U6l7aVwIdqgYV29nzjD5dY/s320/IMG_1766.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The nights at Butterfly consisted of
drinking and talking, playing pool (badly) and stumbling back to my room in the
pitch dark in the early hours. The days were spent meeting important folk, such
as the Minister of Agriculture,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>door-stepping people and making important contacts to help the EWB boys
make their project a success.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Five short days passed in a blur. If ever
there was a place I could go back to, this is it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Next stop – SAFARI!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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Princess and the Peahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01504953599906445036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375462526952425723.post-68074061120972586072015-08-09T19:26:00.000+01:002015-08-09T19:26:08.800+01:00Is it a croc or a gator?It seems that Malawi is a bit of a mecca for Sheffield alumni and I have been bumping into them in one way or another all week.<br />
<br />
Today I paid a visit to the <a href="http://www.lilongwewildlife.org/">Lilongwe Wildlife Centre</a> in search of their famous one eyed lion Bella, who was rescued from Romania. The centre is actually run by two alumni from the University of Sheffield, and as I'm here on university business I will be going back out to meet them towards the end of my trip. Today was a pleasure trip.<br />
<br />
I was surprised by how many people were at the centre. Your entry fee includes a guided tour of the sanctuary and there's a tour leaving on the hour every hour so I expected there to be, maybe, five or six other people joining me. I was one of about 40 people, most of whom were Malawian families. It's obviously popular.<br />
<br />
We headed straight for the reptiles and found two alligators sunning themselves by a stream. Our guide, Henry, told us that they had been sterilised because if they were allowed to breed, they could have up to 60 baby 'gators creeping about each year and they'd soon become overrun. You can tell these are alligators and not crocs by the shape of their jaw - crocs have a pointy jaw where alligators have a shorter, more square one. I didn't get close enough to check, so I took Henry's word for it.<br />
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Next were the monkeys, always a favourite of mine because watching them is a bit like people watching. I love how they always look deep in thought like they've got something really important on their mind and how they behave towards their babies, just like a human mum would (except for picking and eating fleas - I've never observed a human mum doing that).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH7izU-5tovm4_GqVkSGzXCAvvnawsvqvxjQhLXmmXMyNJ5n36moTFzvxaqsWa-MubCaciLg9D-lN_YDjOXZHkZkNWBtgz63S7hKFIh_RqZv7g5eXU448Uzl2mcuBOfk1p32q9GdT82pE/s1600/IMG_8806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH7izU-5tovm4_GqVkSGzXCAvvnawsvqvxjQhLXmmXMyNJ5n36moTFzvxaqsWa-MubCaciLg9D-lN_YDjOXZHkZkNWBtgz63S7hKFIh_RqZv7g5eXU448Uzl2mcuBOfk1p32q9GdT82pE/s320/IMG_8806.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The serval was hiding behind a tree so we didn't get to see her, which was a shame, but Bella the lion was sprawled out by the railings of the park, gazing out beyond. Bella had glaucoma in her left eye and it had to be removed so unfortunately she'll never be released back into the wild. For most of the animals at the centre, though, the plan is rehabilitation and release.<br />
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<br />
Apparently 4pm on a Sunday afternoon is not the best time to visit the centre as a lot of the animals were asleep or hiding, as was the rock python who we could just about see coiled up inside an old tyre. Better there than coiled around your ankles, I guess.<br />
<br />
Last stop were the baboons.<br />
<br />
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<br />
The lazy sleepy baboons.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbmw4SemqPKQQK344hF1YochzWaYImFmBzHujaRXzRnqrGkpMfzTqgzlpiP4C7T0OQpQfHV6tSbglgfDTSeUwGVIIw8JW9nSOJ-cxmrBQUeP4jtu_5YOLMOXPZ_rD1tmZrMpyXV19WlaI/s1600/IMG_8825.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbmw4SemqPKQQK344hF1YochzWaYImFmBzHujaRXzRnqrGkpMfzTqgzlpiP4C7T0OQpQfHV6tSbglgfDTSeUwGVIIw8JW9nSOJ-cxmrBQUeP4jtu_5YOLMOXPZ_rD1tmZrMpyXV19WlaI/s320/IMG_8825.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you could just say Aaaaaa sir...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />Princess and the Peahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01504953599906445036noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375462526952425723.post-24954506777802646282015-08-07T18:20:00.002+01:002015-08-07T18:20:53.957+01:00Azungu, Azungu!<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I have just arrived in Malawi to work on
water and sanitation projects with students from the University of Sheffield. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The first thing I noticed as I stepped out
of the airport in Lilongwe was the light. No matter what time of day it is,
everything is bathed in a warm rosy gold light. There seems to be an overall
feeling of happiness here, at least for me. As I sat in the taxi from the
airport and chatted with the driver, I couldn’t help but let the smile creep
across my face. I knew instantly that I’d love it here.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">After settling into the lodge, I caught up
with the students to learn more about the projects.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The first of two projects that I’ll be
working on is called Tapping Potential, run by Enactus Sheffield, which takes a
3 pronged approach to supporting a better life for people in communities just
outside the capital, Lilongwe. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">As water borne diseases such as cholera and
diarrhoea are such big killers here, educating about cleanliness is very
important. The first step; clean water. The team will be teaching local school
leavers to maintain the boreholes in their villages to provide their people
with clean water. We will also be teaching them how to explain to people why
using clean water, rather than water from the river and streams is so vital. Step
two is soap. We’ll be supporting the group to set up a business where they will
make luxury soap, which they can then sell on to the villages and hotels in the
area. The proceeds from the soap business will not only give our school leavers
a living wage, but also brings us to step three: medicine. Without medicines,
countless people die each year from water borne diseases. Profit from the soap
business will go into buying medicines for the local clinics. So, it’s a very
simple structure, but one that could change the lives of many in the community.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">On our first day we drove an hour to the
village where we’ll be carrying out the training to meet the school leavers
that we’ll be working with. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">We spent some time doing icebreaker exercises and
then moved onto teaching about sanitation and business skills such as sales and
marketing. We explained to the group that we will be helping them to set up
their business, but that it is THEIR business and it is for them to run as they
believe is right. We will give them the skills to make it a success, but then
it’s over to them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgElQ1cBox-EnXNF8k63dBegXKiBzFcTQGuDl7Thqkv1z-ihryl0T_5qLMAwYZkwqU-hdHX_RH9Dj8Ci_4sNy1SbGILqRNEbzQFqukRbOzopnknz8B-eloUErFdBM0eMqQmFIgrbifRqrs/s1600/IMG_8711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgElQ1cBox-EnXNF8k63dBegXKiBzFcTQGuDl7Thqkv1z-ihryl0T_5qLMAwYZkwqU-hdHX_RH9Dj8Ci_4sNy1SbGILqRNEbzQFqukRbOzopnknz8B-eloUErFdBM0eMqQmFIgrbifRqrs/s320/IMG_8711.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">At lunch we ate a traditional meal of nsima
(pronounced seema) – a porridgey dish made from maize flour and water, which is
served in a big lump that you have to break off and roll in your hands before
dipping in a watery tomato based sauce and eating with cabbage and a boiled
egg. It’s an incredibly filling dish which isn’t entirely offensive, but no
matter how much of the nsima you eat, the mound never seems to go down!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTypo4nTHNV5izWlMqiAUbfLLKzJo_0r-8aYp8laSNtDJKx0qugFi1Z-TjJ4bejnM6xApiSJXPPmvAbGLCYoDTZwsYQO6wbynUWt5ub2Hp_IDfIKbUMrsCSkwVNFvQtnwSR8L00FyGH6Q/s1600/IMG_8668.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTypo4nTHNV5izWlMqiAUbfLLKzJo_0r-8aYp8laSNtDJKx0qugFi1Z-TjJ4bejnM6xApiSJXPPmvAbGLCYoDTZwsYQO6wbynUWt5ub2Hp_IDfIKbUMrsCSkwVNFvQtnwSR8L00FyGH6Q/s320/IMG_8668.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span>In the afternoon we did more team building
and training before heading out on a rescue mission to a remote village an hour
away where one of our vehicles had broken down. As we drove through villages
the setting sun turned the sand and bricks a warm baked orange as the streets came
to life with children playing and people selling fruits, fly-covered meat and
used clothes by the roadside.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">When we pulled up alongside our broken down
4-wheel drive, kids flocked out to see what we were doing and began showing off
for my camera. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgknV4PQMH71V7mrTWIXB808e1YB2t_d8l5gLQM7b1G_MOFIQrsJfqxnHrJWFkufaGxi5MU_zIsoQbqElgvVpbPNQts_b_hqKSV0eRUFyfawYOxgGoFVtnU5dTjfQrlcsCedmy7RsxMfFQ/s1600/IMG_8740.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgknV4PQMH71V7mrTWIXB808e1YB2t_d8l5gLQM7b1G_MOFIQrsJfqxnHrJWFkufaGxi5MU_zIsoQbqElgvVpbPNQts_b_hqKSV0eRUFyfawYOxgGoFVtnU5dTjfQrlcsCedmy7RsxMfFQ/s320/IMG_8740.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">They all enjoyed posing and then looking at their pictures on my
LCD screen. One of the really little ones was terrified of us because he’d
never seen a white person before and stood wailing behind his older brother’s
legs, peeking out now and then to see if we’d gone. When we asked the kids
their ages we were surprised to find that they were twice as old as we thought;
they are so tiny, no doubt due to malnutrition. Despite the hard lives these
kids must lead and uncertain futures ahead, they all seemed perfectly happy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span>After a quick jump-start and a bit of
tweaking, both cars were back on the road. As we drove away, we were followed
by the call of ‘Azungu, Azungu!’ – ‘White person! White person!’</div>
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Princess and the Peahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01504953599906445036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375462526952425723.post-10164548443072913392015-05-10T19:59:00.000+01:002015-05-10T19:59:12.313+01:00Central America the Movie<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-qO9JjTCSq8" width="480"></iframe>Princess and the Peahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01504953599906445036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375462526952425723.post-32918017723289070102015-04-20T18:04:00.001+01:002015-04-20T18:04:14.322+01:00The money shotAfter Monte Verdi we continued on to La Fortuna. This seems to be the adrenaline capital of the country. From white water rafting, stand up paddle boarding to diving off and abseiling down waterfalls, La Fortuna has it all. I had planned on abseiling down the waterfall but after seeing a video about it in the tour shop and seeing that you have to dive into it cold canyons, I decided I'd had enough adrenaline for one holiday and chickened out.<div><br></div><div>Instead I spent the day exploring the grounds of the compound we were staying on. Instead of hotels we each had a log cabin with its own deck and garden, set in grounds of bougainvillea, fruit trees and palms. It turns out that the grounds were a haven for wildlife and after spending over a hundred dollars on various wildlife walks, I finally got to see some creatures! There was a whole family of agoutis just running about eating apples off the floor. They were obviously used to people because I was ale to get quite close for a good photo!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ4PzFok3opIbLU7nyyvPvAjmgyufewTE7arw4Pll-B1t1la4m98DPenKyiC0OJBskpd1qhwosmVIENq5q49LW95VTvJO_C2Oz4x6wIoojDTCjiLLHXsnDgEveyEwsWvJFkufrXM-x2Js/s640/blogger-image--2109404427.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ4PzFok3opIbLU7nyyvPvAjmgyufewTE7arw4Pll-B1t1la4m98DPenKyiC0OJBskpd1qhwosmVIENq5q49LW95VTvJO_C2Oz4x6wIoojDTCjiLLHXsnDgEveyEwsWvJFkufrXM-x2Js/s640/blogger-image--2109404427.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">There was one thing I desperately wanted to see while I was in Costa Rica, even more than a sloth. They are very elusive and on my second to last day I really thought I had missed my chance, but while sitting on a bench on the deck, one of the girls said 'ooh what's that?' I turned, and there it was, the one thing I'd been dying to see for years: the tiniest of tiny, a humming bird! I was too stunned to move but eventually ran for my camera. By the time I got back she had gone but I decided to spend the next day steaking it out and after a couple of hours of waiting and stalking, she appeared from nowhere, <span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); ">just after a heavy rainfall</span>. Flitting from flower to flower hovering a few seconds to sip nectar, it was almost as though she knew I wanted to see her. She flew close to me and stayed an extra few seconds, just long enough for me to capture then one photo that would make my trip. I can't even describe how happy that short few seconds made me, I felt so privileged and lucky that such a beautiful creature had allowed me to take her photo. I can go home now, I've got what I came for.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikGP2rNKfxWfCaXwDg0Q8GJR854V9UwkeqjVKsjE_WfbJT8I50tZOXMX2YVoYyF0Soaeu7y5qcA_pDZvrHqGPDMxtiP5_cRKLEM9wBkTiuWhL2O-jrqN9tSdI49Dk_hRsnYejWKX8Q0ss/s640/blogger-image-758784823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikGP2rNKfxWfCaXwDg0Q8GJR854V9UwkeqjVKsjE_WfbJT8I50tZOXMX2YVoYyF0Soaeu7y5qcA_pDZvrHqGPDMxtiP5_cRKLEM9wBkTiuWhL2O-jrqN9tSdI49Dk_hRsnYejWKX8Q0ss/s640/blogger-image-758784823.jpg"></a></div><br></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><br></div>Princess and the Peahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01504953599906445036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375462526952425723.post-12191681968350451362015-04-18T05:41:00.001+01:002015-04-18T05:41:57.486+01:00Last stop: Costa Rica!Travelling into Costa Rica was an experience in itself. <div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVdQu1JSvDkRlSMs6_vKywgckP0P571xOOfpTjrzQfiezY3nwp_g_gvtA2xyBni76fMJgSMA_82VlnxZO2UYMLY0GvARVLMYMVKd7fUmiYMkqsrBco1toarM_GP_6E75QBvxCjzs3hrfs/s640/blogger-image-1861016021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVdQu1JSvDkRlSMs6_vKywgckP0P571xOOfpTjrzQfiezY3nwp_g_gvtA2xyBni76fMJgSMA_82VlnxZO2UYMLY0GvARVLMYMVKd7fUmiYMkqsrBco1toarM_GP_6E75QBvxCjzs3hrfs/s640/blogger-image-1861016021.jpg"></a></div><div><br></div>After an hour on the ferry (much smoother crossing this time, no puke bags required!) from Ometepe we were driven a few hours to the Nicaragua/Costa Rica border where we had to cross on foot, about a 20 minute walk. I've never had to do that before, I felt like a refugee with my big backpack on the back and my little one on the front. (Yes, it looks like that guy is having a rummage through my pack, and yes, I still have my passport.)<div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC6GszET_Vh-uiWM01T0M5riu4ugRWcq-oIeWGMV6x8vM4zUr4JBs5we6ICusuJW2rN1bZFRhBSJmFvNgTcGR2O2vM6kaomBd8UjMmGoPHxndP4uHEJFllQ3hgJujVwHCf6oCB1YAeuTg/s640/blogger-image-2130868311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC6GszET_Vh-uiWM01T0M5riu4ugRWcq-oIeWGMV6x8vM4zUr4JBs5we6ICusuJW2rN1bZFRhBSJmFvNgTcGR2O2vM6kaomBd8UjMmGoPHxndP4uHEJFllQ3hgJujVwHCf6oCB1YAeuTg/s640/blogger-image-2130868311.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>After another few hours driving over bumpy winding roads with precarious drops and views of misted hills all the way we finally reached Monte Verdi at dinner time, just in time to go straight back out on a night walk to do some wildlife spotting.</div></div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigUHvxFpiTPqWbFlsXuGRzUuwlKBW808k8tOXDWmNLOYIXT2ss7Q94ZjuYnIqWQkt7S08jdaMacOW9oIAdnIMEfo4r91p9B-1OrJniXqmgtKgyvNyfzcwwLQmL8YxeDT2KYJkuRZMwB4U/s640/blogger-image--1193248551.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigUHvxFpiTPqWbFlsXuGRzUuwlKBW808k8tOXDWmNLOYIXT2ss7Q94ZjuYnIqWQkt7S08jdaMacOW9oIAdnIMEfo4r91p9B-1OrJniXqmgtKgyvNyfzcwwLQmL8YxeDT2KYJkuRZMwB4U/s640/blogger-image--1193248551.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Unfortunately the coir doormat looking sloths that were promised on the front cover of my Lonely Planet guide were in hiding (I wonder if I should sue for false advertising?) but we did see some other cool stuff. First up, a big hairy tarantula (the size of the guide's fist) hiding in its nest. Not my favourite of creatures but as long as it wasn't running up my trouser leg I wasn't too bothered.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfzv2ZpBElChhGVAXahMPEA88ExcuEIE0Z_5asnDPXtPKkflEyjUMhojcO5BrLTrkzbQ6F7Z2n8Yh6sJyfwe7Cl5vEsTKBcnE1GsjVs-sPGkOgs6mBmMDpVcrD29qwhhCXtSOGcK7ddk/s640/blogger-image-1226579186.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfzv2ZpBElChhGVAXahMPEA88ExcuEIE0Z_5asnDPXtPKkflEyjUMhojcO5BrLTrkzbQ6F7Z2n8Yh6sJyfwe7Cl5vEsTKBcnE1GsjVs-sPGkOgs6mBmMDpVcrD29qwhhCXtSOGcK7ddk/s640/blogger-image-1226579186.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>We also saw a huge line of leaf cutter ants carrying bits of leaves, queuing to get back into their nest. When I say huge line, I mean it went on for miles, seriously. We saw a couple of beetles and a caterpillar but that was about it for wildlife. There was lots of interesting plant life but nothing could make up for the sloth we didn't see.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLdZjk-ZYLcHQ7GXB6_MFciN4zvn_TUfXK_kAaiD2846pVXb8jPKv54sveBkumY-nZftkD0pBetL5NYINIoe8xg_ziV7OfULn2LLCcqrPym5YkftavgM23L0OarWY6utRiMd-0tv2PmBk/s640/blogger-image-1351240464.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLdZjk-ZYLcHQ7GXB6_MFciN4zvn_TUfXK_kAaiD2846pVXb8jPKv54sveBkumY-nZftkD0pBetL5NYINIoe8xg_ziV7OfULn2LLCcqrPym5YkftavgM23L0OarWY6utRiMd-0tv2PmBk/s640/blogger-image-1351240464.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Back at the lodge the guide turned off the lights and told us to look inside a glass tank in the corner. The tank was full of scorpions. And, who knew, they glow in the dark!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHEWxrG72SGFlkwNpGRTZTvb33yT93anlmlsDc8B85wpFVp2sNMOkkIosAwU-jf7mL6YbTw2NrxrpWBqzjygyK9OpKsqTJadiua9SMMYw4hbTYHOYB93n98bEr_Hkd2nDdTfdIO29xsFo/s640/blogger-image--1523363584.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHEWxrG72SGFlkwNpGRTZTvb33yT93anlmlsDc8B85wpFVp2sNMOkkIosAwU-jf7mL6YbTw2NrxrpWBqzjygyK9OpKsqTJadiua9SMMYw4hbTYHOYB93n98bEr_Hkd2nDdTfdIO29xsFo/s640/blogger-image--1523363584.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div>The following day the whole group went zip lining over the rain forest. This was one of the things I was most looking forward to but it quickly became clear that doing the breaking myself was going to dislocate my shoulder. I did three by myself but it was agony so I ended up attached to a guide. Being attached to someone is even scarier than going it alone because you have no control, you just have to trust that they've got you. Most of the zips you are facing upwards towards the sky, but the longest one, which is nearly 1600 metres long and 200 feet above the ground you do facing down, in Superman pose. I did this one by myself. And for an eternal 30 seconds I was zipping high above the forest canopy, through cloud, high above the trees, completely unable to breathe. It was amazing, exhilarating, breath taking, truly terrifying.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY-Dx_PwLjM_1nDZj43q0smRNbgjb7WyjIwa0SHL9Cx97Rg1l7E1PWLtE_G-frgY_DAhqLSfglVy27tiNEZ5u3U9uw6n5zJQvrj3GAIv7C14X5ARWxgw6lGarHJm4Ckn5gCh0Zcz5FB-g/s640/blogger-image-1499356617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY-Dx_PwLjM_1nDZj43q0smRNbgjb7WyjIwa0SHL9Cx97Rg1l7E1PWLtE_G-frgY_DAhqLSfglVy27tiNEZ5u3U9uw6n5zJQvrj3GAIv7C14X5ARWxgw6lGarHJm4Ckn5gCh0Zcz5FB-g/s640/blogger-image-1499356617.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">In the afternoon Christine and I went on another nature walk on the hanging bridges. I had been really looking forward to this because I thought it was the cloud walk which is suspended bridges above the canopy and in the clouds. It was not that trip. I was most disappointed. There were also no sloths. Fail. We did see a quetzal though. The quetzal is the national bird of Costa Rica.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_YWT7e0yKGHpOo5NDKgo1NMww3BIL8b0rpHwKeqCqrM8-CwxSz6noQr7Fvd87XxZp0OTSII3tFigt2e4kMglX2Vtprqiee4viq4TjSPqevyL2gJQDdYZyDgP_ubMvbV-p9aqcykfOT4Q/s640/blogger-image--1781801638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; "><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_YWT7e0yKGHpOo5NDKgo1NMww3BIL8b0rpHwKeqCqrM8-CwxSz6noQr7Fvd87XxZp0OTSII3tFigt2e4kMglX2Vtprqiee4viq4TjSPqevyL2gJQDdYZyDgP_ubMvbV-p9aqcykfOT4Q/s640/blogger-image--1781801638.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I loved Monte Verdi. The climate was much cooler and more comfortable for a start, but the scenery was the thing that made it for me. The rolling hills, steeped in low cloud behind a brilliant blue sky, high in the mountains, now that's my idea of beauty.</div><br></div><br></div>Princess and the Peahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01504953599906445036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375462526952425723.post-67341361597490730922015-04-15T23:15:00.001+01:002015-04-15T23:15:45.391+01:00Surrogate mum and a mouse in the houseI'm a bit behind on writing I'm afraid because we spent a few nights on an island not only with no Internet, but also no running water and intermittent electricity, in a house with a non English speaking family.<div><br></div><div>This was the homestay part of my trip, the part I've been most nervous about. We were all paired off and allocated a family in a village called Los Angeles (yes, really) on the island of Ometepe. Ometepe is a volcanic island composed of two volcanoes (Concepcion and Maderas) in the middle of Lake Nicaragua.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdn8AYiEhiKgoIs8uILislQ3o_G2ncU0fTgjvgP_J9RC4J4pug7UtaH28A7AW2Yp1MzKrFXpgHq1OqBQtQZXjjP4eNGTvqgq7M27LRVhMg5fb_XSINPM_ICEV3Hk8QjzjHFqEAZGxmIMA/s640/blogger-image--1036349152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdn8AYiEhiKgoIs8uILislQ3o_G2ncU0fTgjvgP_J9RC4J4pug7UtaH28A7AW2Yp1MzKrFXpgHq1OqBQtQZXjjP4eNGTvqgq7M27LRVhMg5fb_XSINPM_ICEV3Hk8QjzjHFqEAZGxmIMA/s640/blogger-image--1036349152.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>The ferry ride to get to the island was awful. It was quite windy so it was really rough and the ferry we were on felt like a slave ship. We were below deck and each time we hit a wave water came flooding through the cracks in the sides. There were quite a few sick bags being passed around and my stomach jumped out and slapped me in the face a couple of times!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRF4l83DQFdFVn_kc2JqUaZkfeueYTugJNR5bS_2YSMDgwPXJySy5n5mZQBBVIM_xcOlzOVmjt33i-dZjJAWr0gei3Z2fobiB0JcDMEvxfRCrL-pJTPwUm5H6IIFIdDmkObjnav3tga24/s640/blogger-image--1326024541.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRF4l83DQFdFVn_kc2JqUaZkfeueYTugJNR5bS_2YSMDgwPXJySy5n5mZQBBVIM_xcOlzOVmjt33i-dZjJAWr0gei3Z2fobiB0JcDMEvxfRCrL-pJTPwUm5H6IIFIdDmkObjnav3tga24/s640/blogger-image--1326024541.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Mine and Christine's 'mum' for the stay was called Doña Carla (Doña is a term of respect, a bit like we might say Miss or Madam. Men are called Don. To attract the attention of someone you don't know you can call 'Don!' or 'Doña!'). </div><div><br></div><div>Carla is 42 with 3 children and (I think) 3 or 4 grandchildren. She was 15 when she had her first child. We didn't meet her husband, we're not even sure if she had one but we met her Dad as were leaving. The whole family live on a little plot of land, each with their own house and share chickens, pigs and a couple of dogs. They also seem to share children as we could never work out who was whose Mum.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzWuK34N4vQ6qf__R8G0UTtZ205G34gytrysv2afYhr0ksKWUFs7FHTkuC7aTyPPVh48J6g3VVvH6vtbDR6zvybtcVJlcEn7Ui19ZRY9kEbheSOH7QkGkZSd9LNEuF-F1KKvi09g2Jh1M/s640/blogger-image-1601559807.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzWuK34N4vQ6qf__R8G0UTtZ205G34gytrysv2afYhr0ksKWUFs7FHTkuC7aTyPPVh48J6g3VVvH6vtbDR6zvybtcVJlcEn7Ui19ZRY9kEbheSOH7QkGkZSd9LNEuF-F1KKvi09g2Jh1M/s640/blogger-image-1601559807.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>In the photo is me, Carla, Christine, Carla's Dad and some other guy. I've no idea if he was Carla's son, someone's husband or a neighbour but he gave us a lift to the ferry on our last day.</div><div><br></div><div>The house was a simple brick structure with a tin roof and concrete floor, one bedroom which we slept in, another living area which we never saw and an open outdoor kitchen. Carla was very hospitable, despite the huge language barrier, between us we did a lot of miming and she was very patient as we tried to explain in very broken Spanish what our plans for the day/evening were. She spoke very slowly to us and you could see she was trying to work out the very simplest way to say things to us.</div><div><br></div><div>On the first evening we had a street party where each family brought some food and drink and some of the local girls demonstrated the typical dancing. Or guide then attempted to teach me some Salsa and the local dance the bachata (I was terrible at both). Our family went home early and when me and Christine tried to sneak through the kitchen at 11.30 Carla and her Dad were sat up in the dark in complete silence and scared the living b'jesus out of us. We felt like naughty teenagers trying to sneak in holding our flip flops.</div><div><br></div><div>The following day we had a tour of some of the island and visited Charco Verdi (literal translation 'green puddle'). It gets its green colour from the algae living inside it. To get there we had a short trek through herb gardens and plantain groves where we got to see a little vine snake and some howler monkeys lazing around in the trees.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNhGwiJVHwTaV72NnHeI7SIwg8BlLXUj32M87qI-faFp3P2UNhUwF0nslv_F_8q-Bkl2j_wkYfKqevzA4jLs0Wl4UG4tZey2Ygd6Mr5kSAyecORnCUgcaeRLpRemTI6eXiEWwDHygNp4w/s640/blogger-image--1303853715.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNhGwiJVHwTaV72NnHeI7SIwg8BlLXUj32M87qI-faFp3P2UNhUwF0nslv_F_8q-Bkl2j_wkYfKqevzA4jLs0Wl4UG4tZey2Ygd6Mr5kSAyecORnCUgcaeRLpRemTI6eXiEWwDHygNp4w/s640/blogger-image--1303853715.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We had dinner with Carla and tried very hard to make conversation but again the language barrier was a problem. Dinner was a very simple but tasty dish of grilled chicken, rice and beans. As we were talking/sitting in awkward silence I spotted a tiny mouse running to and from the kitchen area. He was quite cute! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">In the evening one of the host families invited us to a house party where there was a lot of rum and loud music. Some of their dancing was amazing, they didn't stop all night and were sweating so hard they looked like they'd just got out of the shower. Watching was exhausting enough for me!</div><br></div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Princess and the Peahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01504953599906445036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375462526952425723.post-59120686608139047592015-04-10T14:59:00.001+01:002015-04-10T14:59:58.828+01:00Up the creek without a paddleAfter another day of travelling, overland and by air this time, we our now in Nicaragua. Our first stop for one night was Leon. Our driver made a stop in the way, just as the sun went down, to let us take some pictures of two of the area's dozen or more volcanic peaks. We arrived in Leon after dark and went straight out for some traditional Nicaraguan food. <div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBkddBVl9iYHaiHNtk9XDMLPNmmdDTqhj_cye8ZgzWNaA6kbc4XqRTcyFnbQcGbdQ0RRPyJtCCVF2NSamSZaH2e9ivzOVvva_FyYdtsWExOYK_24i7sjvDa9v6rIusTY5O3MYJ-OAMQMI/s640/blogger-image-1279848686.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBkddBVl9iYHaiHNtk9XDMLPNmmdDTqhj_cye8ZgzWNaA6kbc4XqRTcyFnbQcGbdQ0RRPyJtCCVF2NSamSZaH2e9ivzOVvva_FyYdtsWExOYK_24i7sjvDa9v6rIusTY5O3MYJ-OAMQMI/s640/blogger-image-1279848686.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>We had a free morning the following day to do some activities. We could choose between kayaking the mangroves to look for wildlife or volcano boarding. Having heard tales of people losing half their face boarding, I chose the safer option with my room mate, Christine. </div><div><br></div><div>I say 'safer'. It would have been had we not been caught on an exceptionally strong current as we paddled up an estuary and ended up being washed back out towards the sea. As fast as we were paddling, the current was pulling us twice as fast, backwards towards the ocean. In the end, we had no option but to jump out of our kayaks and swim through the current back to shore. However, the water was a lot deeper than we realised and we were pulled under (fully clothed and with my bag and camera around my neck) and I lost my paddle in the process. This did not stop us. We fought the current which was like wading through fast setting cement and eventually made it back into a calmer part of the estuary, although it was still very hard going. We continued for a couple of hours up stream with the promise of seeing howler monkeys, alligators and various bird life. We didn't see much other than a lot of white herons, a couple of blue ones and one kingfisher. I'd have loved to get some pictures, but, well, my camera was wet.</div><div><br></div><div>Coming back down stream you would think would be easier, no? It wasn't! This time we had a freakishly low tide to deal with and ended up somewhat stranded with our kayaks in what was basically sinking sand. By this point we were not very happy troopers, there may have been a bit of swearing, I can neither confirm nor deny. Eventually some nice fishermen saw us struggling and came to our rescue, dragging our kayaks all the way back up the beach to where we started. We were hot, we were wet and we were more sun burned than a pair of baked crabs. It was not a good day!</div><div><br></div><div>Luckily our drive to Granada was much shorter than our others and we arrived by 5pm and were back out for an orientation walk by 6. I really like the town here. It's street after street of brightly painted shops and houses, each a different colour, all leading towards a central square and crumbling cathedral where the sound of impassioned singers spilled from the doors. We had dinner in a lovely restaurant called Garden Cafe, which had a central garden and water feature and lots of local art on the walls.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-kmkRNh0YoPa6WJMtOxazqisS9_EU7aVBPqlnhjvVYlb3pjxibXfeNkT-goK28vfc1c5RtUAaPUSm0oW2oggi3-HD4bx1VbpN8ipIX6uIUlzLRdie2TZEPdF1VW1Juythh5N2m3zCwS8/s640/blogger-image-1586237419.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-kmkRNh0YoPa6WJMtOxazqisS9_EU7aVBPqlnhjvVYlb3pjxibXfeNkT-goK28vfc1c5RtUAaPUSm0oW2oggi3-HD4bx1VbpN8ipIX6uIUlzLRdie2TZEPdF1VW1Juythh5N2m3zCwS8/s640/blogger-image-1586237419.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Today has been a highlight of the trip for me. We had a boat ride around Las Isletas which is a miniature archipelago of around 300 tiny tropical islands. Many of them had houses on, others were home to howler monkeys. Las Isletas are in Lake Nicaragua, which is the largest lake in Central America and is home to many fresh water sharks, although they're pretty shy so you'd only see them much further out than what we went. It was originally thought that these sharks were trapped in the lake but in the 1960s they discovered that they were able to jump along the rapids in the San Juan river, which connects the lake to the Caribbean Sea. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6OdX3omFcL_xlBiQi3abkl4I_6HhAGHZIoAByMLbsCF_lJm9ZkD0jgUXAB886R21rIHBZ5bMGDULgbYwKoEj9FWMEcejeSoF9fBbqLq3m6jMCJpuF8J-qwjxzA7pTR0SmD-fzdofGcHg/s640/blogger-image--1045308085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6OdX3omFcL_xlBiQi3abkl4I_6HhAGHZIoAByMLbsCF_lJm9ZkD0jgUXAB886R21rIHBZ5bMGDULgbYwKoEj9FWMEcejeSoF9fBbqLq3m6jMCJpuF8J-qwjxzA7pTR0SmD-fzdofGcHg/s640/blogger-image--1045308085.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>After that we drove up to Masaya volcano (the most heavily venting volcano in Nicaragua) but the path up to the top was closed because of volcanic activity. From where we were all you could see in the valley was sulphuric vapours creeping up to the peak. It was quite eerie looking. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0bEoelK7BuGkFmZqHTsJVzyEpJ4NNeA_BBpburaoxuop83RCQ_KnvUWLvrnQIBio1kmi13KpvnXNOeJ0-MU_vyHxctDINmCLMnTwVQOB_c6fLay3Kj0EivUB7dxIaeWS8bWGRT4WOExA/s640/blogger-image-33701576.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0bEoelK7BuGkFmZqHTsJVzyEpJ4NNeA_BBpburaoxuop83RCQ_KnvUWLvrnQIBio1kmi13KpvnXNOeJ0-MU_vyHxctDINmCLMnTwVQOB_c6fLay3Kj0EivUB7dxIaeWS8bWGRT4WOExA/s640/blogger-image-33701576.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>We also went to the volcano museum and read about various types of eruptions and learnt a bit about our next stop, Laguna de apoyo. This is a volcanic lake which is the result of an eruption where the volcano collapsed in on itself, causing a giant crater which then fills with water creating a lake. The shore was all volcanic sand and molten lava rocks. After lunch we decided to strip off and go for a swim in the lagoon. I don't normally swim and I can't remember the last time I did it, but I couldn't resist the opportunity to swim in a volcano!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrOa89u1SF4xWNxhBeKunXI3jnWuFiQGEi9IIwV9dwRO3HzUQyALiaQy0k5Tpw-44m2PCt9x67KgAo24CppmMaNuqY3xUaqoS-y4uDBRS16wNe9XV42I1NeLMfQTC6JDMuomTzDaAU61M/s640/blogger-image-1416069338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrOa89u1SF4xWNxhBeKunXI3jnWuFiQGEi9IIwV9dwRO3HzUQyALiaQy0k5Tpw-44m2PCt9x67KgAo24CppmMaNuqY3xUaqoS-y4uDBRS16wNe9XV42I1NeLMfQTC6JDMuomTzDaAU61M/s640/blogger-image-1416069338.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>In the evening we climbed the winding spiral staircase of the cathedral to the roof to watch the sun set over Granada. It was a great last sight of the city before moving on again in the morning.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_nd2lcii2aHbFg3PehGLyzHOVIHZ4IHuRcMWS0a0GzoN2-tZwTBrWinp53mKy6Rss1mtGjqm5qJYKypktwEkXy0FglC9rPpKiYg6PVJLONquxKbrkf4jchoGdgRdEP9Z51PN-8yB8vto/s640/blogger-image-1634837756.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_nd2lcii2aHbFg3PehGLyzHOVIHZ4IHuRcMWS0a0GzoN2-tZwTBrWinp53mKy6Rss1mtGjqm5qJYKypktwEkXy0FglC9rPpKiYg6PVJLONquxKbrkf4jchoGdgRdEP9Z51PN-8yB8vto/s640/blogger-image-1634837756.jpg"></a></div><br></div><br></div>Princess and the Peahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01504953599906445036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375462526952425723.post-73663445094131260922015-04-07T16:42:00.001+01:002015-04-07T16:42:46.678+01:00Island lifeOn Saturday we had two options to get to our next destination: public bus or private van. Given that the temperature is around 35 degrees Celsius, there are 11 of us, public buses get very very packed and we'd be travelling for 12 hours, we were leaning towards the idea of a private van with air con. When the guy from our last hotel casually mentioned that drug cartels like to take advantage of the extra traffic on easter weekend to traffic more drugs across the country, which would mean more police stops, it was pretty much a no brainer. <div><br></div><div>The ride through beautiful countryside, lush landscapes and small villages was mostly enjoyable aside from the fact that my room mate Christine and I were sat in the very back and were being thrown around like a bucking bronco, each time we hit a bump our spines were being compacted like an accordion. By the time we made our first comfort stop I practically fell out of the van and was violently sick! After that I slept most of the way to the middle section of our day's travel, the ferry across to Roatan.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ue4ig_QS7N7uVTRBDtdGDu6jimLcyRzgwCPdrc2kY93bcR6M1Cu5EyGNiH7smpmT2LuQg-gEJnxG7N3tjUBURn0zAL5PqRmJk3fhdqPDHSe7-LqRsyNhgqZvKnjGc-UyhZX6pwOXX8Y/s640/blogger-image--1577123542.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ue4ig_QS7N7uVTRBDtdGDu6jimLcyRzgwCPdrc2kY93bcR6M1Cu5EyGNiH7smpmT2LuQg-gEJnxG7N3tjUBURn0zAL5PqRmJk3fhdqPDHSe7-LqRsyNhgqZvKnjGc-UyhZX6pwOXX8Y/s640/blogger-image--1577123542.jpg"></a></div></div><br></div><div>You know it's going to be a rough crossing when they hand out sea sickness tablets and sick bags with the tickets so we were all prepared to stand in a line over the side, holding each others' hair back. However, the weather was good so the sea was relatively calm and we were all able to enjoy the ride. Deep, deep joy.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGpQdsCyt4vPa9NDI7Pe8ACaHXYtH2oD5ZEv2SGVr6AIjU4uf6frLhYA0kSxKHsoyqIUq5Zpd5v2wVad67W8d3pAgFh8-fPMKgMQcG37IAyzJ_CPYS1f8f3MKgLziiCnovnGiSHt54huo/s640/blogger-image-992754731.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGpQdsCyt4vPa9NDI7Pe8ACaHXYtH2oD5ZEv2SGVr6AIjU4uf6frLhYA0kSxKHsoyqIUq5Zpd5v2wVad67W8d3pAgFh8-fPMKgMQcG37IAyzJ_CPYS1f8f3MKgLziiCnovnGiSHt54huo/s640/blogger-image-992754731.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>It was finally dark when we arrived in Roatan so we weren't able to see anything of the island. So after another 30 minute drive to our hotel we went straight out for dinner to a restaurant recommended by our guide. Now, we have been warned about 'island time' and that things may take longer than usual to arrive, but this place was taking the piss. One guy's food came out about 40 minutes before everyone else's, with no drink and no cutlery. Later everyone else's food came out, except for one girl who was left waiting. In between the drinks also arrived. When the final meal came out it was the wrong one and had to go back. Up to this point none of us had any cutlery and eventually the waiter came back with 3 forks and said 'does anyone want a fork?'... Erm well, yes, as there are 11 of us eating food, yes, yes a fork would be good...</div><div><br></div><div>On our first day on the island Christine and I took a walk to find a place that does paddle boarding but couldn't find anywhere so we finished up in a beach side bar for the rest of the afternoon. We made friends with a dog who became very protective over us and barked at anyone who came near us.</div><div><br></div><div>In the evening we made a BBQ at the hotel, had an Easter egg hunt (with booze instead of chocolate), stayed up late playing drinking games in Spanish and trying to converse with the security guard who had one of our phrase books and would, every now and then, look up from it and very confidently say. 'Hello!'.</div><div><br></div><div>Yesterday we all got a taxi out to West Bay which is, apparently, the best beach on the island. The sea there was a patchwork of blues and greens and the water was quite shallow for some way out, as you paddled there were fish weaving in and out of your legs. It was really something to look at. I didn't swim but I did put my feet in, which is quite the accomplishment for me!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOiAnZGS0CeR4J8LDx3y1SscV5M8PlRwaDZowBIzmkKv44lCC6pdvexBQoQGufHDWdPYS6LLvx2sjwyOdj-971Rsm1bwaAy2n3Ia_coFtWzvrEtqB2J16yHOjQg97kRfwK2hBN6MvM-Fw/s640/blogger-image--720388938.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOiAnZGS0CeR4J8LDx3y1SscV5M8PlRwaDZowBIzmkKv44lCC6pdvexBQoQGufHDWdPYS6LLvx2sjwyOdj-971Rsm1bwaAy2n3Ia_coFtWzvrEtqB2J16yHOjQg97kRfwK2hBN6MvM-Fw/s640/blogger-image--720388938.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>We got a water taxi back to the hotel just as the sun started setting so it felt like we were sailing through the closing credits of some nameless romantic film. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgia773GnHg7kWxg7pehVjEHypGa5bOylDSXqH9xpyCpt6NTXPeryuHxlscdNGVBGXWWJYtKz0yO3AY-YfJOYjiYsn_UEZ8SvGGgWjR8jqImahX6JP0hsi0av8t0t-Je5bq4-Xtl5IoB0c/s640/blogger-image-1322112862.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgia773GnHg7kWxg7pehVjEHypGa5bOylDSXqH9xpyCpt6NTXPeryuHxlscdNGVBGXWWJYtKz0yO3AY-YfJOYjiYsn_UEZ8SvGGgWjR8jqImahX6JP0hsi0av8t0t-Je5bq4-Xtl5IoB0c/s640/blogger-image-1322112862.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>For our last night in the island a few of us headed to mine and Christine's beach bar for some drinks. For some reason the whole island was closed and that was pretty much the only thing open anyway. They had loungers set out on the beach with lots of fairy logs and tiki torches to keep the bugs away. It was lovely. We even saw a crab laying its eggs (I think that's what it was doing!).</div><div><br></div><div>Today we roll out again for a flight to Nicaragua, via El Salvador. It's a much shorter trip today and we should arrive by dinner time. Hopefully without any sick stops.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1mTy4YRMlUhh7d4cTO0r2FWdnWRELLxcEGWFpuxZytio9MDyqB5tQwtMbcT-rPe6YGT5xX7wANOijwFiJ6sUSc5bxu9FIbyY8Zj-sqkF-slJ_X2n8n_9btW1mHZVzBNXP5KiG10Vue6M/s640/blogger-image-422522685.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1mTy4YRMlUhh7d4cTO0r2FWdnWRELLxcEGWFpuxZytio9MDyqB5tQwtMbcT-rPe6YGT5xX7wANOijwFiJ6sUSc5bxu9FIbyY8Zj-sqkF-slJ_X2n8n_9btW1mHZVzBNXP5KiG10Vue6M/s640/blogger-image-422522685.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Princess and the Peahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01504953599906445036noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375462526952425723.post-30587580500317079182015-04-03T22:49:00.001+01:002015-04-03T22:49:36.442+01:00The Epic AdventureIt took me a while to decide on the destination for my next epic adventure but I definitely think I chose well. My options included Peru and the inca trail, following the monarch butterfly migration through Mexico, travelling through Bolivia, Argentina, chile into Patagonia to see the Perito Moreno Glacier or travelling through Central America.<div><br></div><div>I eventually decided on Central America, mainly because there was such a variety of activities - wildlife, kayaking, abseilling, zip lining, rainforest, beach, villages, cities, Mayan ruins... There's no end of stuff to do here. </div><div><br></div><div>My trip started with a SCARY night in Atlanta, Georgia where my hotel seemed to be the favourite hangout of all the local gangsters. I ended up barricading my door and sleeping in my clothes. It was a fun night after massive delays, cancelled flights, lost luggage and no food.</div><div><br></div><div>The next morning I boarded a flight to Guatemala for the start of my adventure. I landed in Guatemala City at 12pm and from there had to take a bus to Antigua (Guatemalan city, not the Caribbean island - a mistake one of my trip mate's travel agent made when booking his flights!) about 45 minutes away. However, it's Easter week and that 45 minute drive took over four hours!! I made friends with some American doctors though so at least I was entertained!</div><div><br></div><div>I was so relieved to finally arrived and even more so when I saw how beautiful Antigua is. It's quite small and made up of a grid like system of streets around a central square where Guatemala's oldest church and biggest water fountain can be found.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-sH2LhcdEnVM_6BjcOuTRd6vhK6ZBgzFcfKVY1tFdkyl3I0yTj35R08lqdxRi5kgVGlGOtRs6amEdPzvZ2RtK4ZLf9U6cX7pgz_7GYj3UaYdh9PVaCNicXDw-kYvaTAcUJWsnt9UIP48/s640/blogger-image-1924747354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-sH2LhcdEnVM_6BjcOuTRd6vhK6ZBgzFcfKVY1tFdkyl3I0yTj35R08lqdxRi5kgVGlGOtRs6amEdPzvZ2RtK4ZLf9U6cX7pgz_7GYj3UaYdh9PVaCNicXDw-kYvaTAcUJWsnt9UIP48/s640/blogger-image-1924747354.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Unfortunately I only got one night in Guatemala and after my massive trip to get there I wasn't up to much more than a wander around the city.</div><div><br></div><div>Early next morning my group was on a private bus to our next stop, Honduras (a nine hour drive). To entertain us on the drive, our guide decided to give us a Spanish lesson, for about four and a half of the nine hours. It was actually really fun and it's really helped with getting around.</div><div><br></div><div>We arrived in Copan at around tea time and decided to go straight on to the hot springs which are about an hour away. Oh my goodness, they were just what I needed after that big drive! We began with a foot massage - there is a circular pool with pebbles on the bottom, one half is hot and one half is cold, you have to walk around it 7 times and then you can go into the springs. There were several pools of different temperatures ranging from bath time comfort to boiling a frog without him noticing. There was also a mud pool, obviously I was first in! After soaking (and drinking the local beer from a cooler) for two hours, we made our way down to the little campsite for a dinner which had been prepared by our guide. There was a tarantula in the toilet, but we don't need to talk about that!</div><div><br></div><div>Today was my first day to actually get out and about and do some activities so I've really made the most of it! In the morning we went around the Copan Ruinas (Mayan Ruins) which was really interesting. I couldn't get over the size and scale of the ruins, and the views from them. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjozDADAio3yiZUOvfQe3T_FemvKhmL-s649oa_zYQYPGiQDV_63HR85Qpa7iD5UdO3EhWpyGwc7jyEv8gpvDaUedVDnZ1bl7jud5x7A6S_7_XV6zec3_8v4LNiW2iLF4gYNbKrC27kwuI/s640/blogger-image-564678335.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjozDADAio3yiZUOvfQe3T_FemvKhmL-s649oa_zYQYPGiQDV_63HR85Qpa7iD5UdO3EhWpyGwc7jyEv8gpvDaUedVDnZ1bl7jud5x7A6S_7_XV6zec3_8v4LNiW2iLF4gYNbKrC27kwuI/s640/blogger-image-564678335.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">As we were walking around there were dozens of macaws circling around overhead and landing in the trees. They were massive, I'd never realised how big they were but seeing them fly with their wings at full stretch really gives an idea of their true size.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj16d-iLTugo-VAS9HTLO2GwDDMA4lbt2Q-ScapBaCFBDzbeKAz8CEDRfKLQokEttUO_-7JHD86q2QXDctTQtr3yzgG7mXBkMNW3TPo8SCquY98XWQAwdK_2k4aYCIuhm2_1A8U0TvkEEQ/s640/blogger-image--2160030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj16d-iLTugo-VAS9HTLO2GwDDMA4lbt2Q-ScapBaCFBDzbeKAz8CEDRfKLQokEttUO_-7JHD86q2QXDctTQtr3yzgG7mXBkMNW3TPo8SCquY98XWQAwdK_2k4aYCIuhm2_1A8U0TvkEEQ/s640/blogger-image--2160030.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">After lunch I went out for a horse ride with one of the other girls. Our horses were very competitive and kept barging each other out of the way and cantering to over take each other. It was great fun but my backside is feeling pretty bruised now! We had a ride through the river as well to try and get our horses to drink, but mine was more interested in a big bunch of bananas he found and carried with him for the rest of the ride.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjL6R6HGIVolX6Tkdpn7J-6PnLtJvDiqGs4LuN7f-Zo_2BpvkHIRf1Yg9RMMex0kpXx3T1C20tQFSuRxA8JBqiJryoOfNyvpdhc7enJg56AtKD15ZcwdyOdHixzygQKi5Sw8x8AwpgF-k/s640/blogger-image-982466505.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjL6R6HGIVolX6Tkdpn7J-6PnLtJvDiqGs4LuN7f-Zo_2BpvkHIRf1Yg9RMMex0kpXx3T1C20tQFSuRxA8JBqiJryoOfNyvpdhc7enJg56AtKD15ZcwdyOdHixzygQKi5Sw8x8AwpgF-k/s640/blogger-image-982466505.jpg"></a></div><br></div>So far I've loved today, and it's just about to get better because we're off to a tea and chocolate house! Oh YES!!!</div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Princess and the Peahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01504953599906445036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375462526952425723.post-76025262858201809062013-01-01T18:43:00.001+00:002013-01-01T18:43:36.116+00:00Hogmanay 2012/13 - Day 2Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, ONE!!!<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=13/01/01/1618.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/13/01/01/s_1618.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />Happy new year!<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=13/01/01/1620.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/13/01/01/s_1620.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />Out with the old and in with the new! Time for some changes and exciting new adventures!<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=13/01/01/1621.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/13/01/01/s_1621.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />These photographs don't even nearly do justice to the spectacle we witnessed last night. As the midnight canon was fired from the castle, the whole sky was lit by a million fireworks of every variety you could imagine!<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=13/01/01/1622.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/13/01/01/s_1622.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />The perfect end to a not so perfect year.<br /><p class='blogpress_location'>Location:<a href='http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Edinburgh,%20Scotland&z=10'>Edinburgh, Scotland</a></p>Princess and the Peahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01504953599906445036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375462526952425723.post-31043510519503960632012-12-31T10:52:00.001+00:002013-01-01T18:30:39.477+00:00Hogmanay 2012 - Day 1We decided, last minute, to take a trip up to Edinburgh to take part in their three day Hogmanay celebrations.<br />After a very early morning and a five hour drive through some of Scotland's prettiest countryside, we finally reached our apartment mid afternoon - just in time to have a wee nap before the party began.<br />Day 1 kicks it all off with a bang - a torch lit procession from Chambers Street up to Calton Hill followed by a Son et Lumiere and fireworks finale.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/12/31/315.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/12/31/s_315.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />This year's procession broke a world record with more than 40,000 people from all over the world making their way up to Edinburgh to take part. So many, in fact, that when the first people reached the top of the hill, thousands had still not even left the starting point and never made it as far as the end point.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/12/31/316.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/12/31/s_316.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />The torch bearers were led by Shetland’s Up Helly Aa’ Vikings and massed pipes and drums with police escorts through the streets and up the hill. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=13/01/01/1572.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/13/01/01/s_1572.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />The sound of the bands could be heard from miles around, like the Pied Piper calling for more to follow. Seeing the snake of flickering orange flames coming across the bridge sent you back thousands of years to a time when Vikings would march in the masses by torch light - just like this - to fight and steal treasure.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/12/31/317.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/12/31/s_317.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />Once as many people as could fit had reached the hill, the real celebrations began. First, traditional music from the bagpipes and drums, then flame dancing by Pyroceltica. Again, we could have been in any era but 2012.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/12/31/318.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/12/31/s_318.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />After the dancing, we were all turned around to face a huge bonfire where fireworks erupted from a 2012 figure atop the stack. For some reason they couldn't get the fire started and spent about half an hour messing about with kindling before the flames took hold.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/12/31/319.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/12/31/s_319.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />And to conclude the evening - one of the most impressive fireworks displays I have ever seen. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/12/31/320.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/12/31/s_320.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />I stood shoulder to shoulder with the crowd, my head tilted back and my mouth wide open, watching with awe as the sky above lit up in a glittering rainbow of fire.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/12/31/321.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/12/31/s_321.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/12/31/322.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/12/31/s_322.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />When it all finished, I shouted "again!"<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/12/31/323.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/12/31/s_323.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><p class='blogpress_location'>Location:<a href='http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Edinburgh,%20Scotland&z=10'>Edinburgh, Scotland</a></p>Princess and the Peahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01504953599906445036noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375462526952425723.post-53677168715992921522012-11-09T09:41:00.000+00:002012-11-09T09:42:48.270+00:00Heron a good timeSorry about the terrible headline, I couldn't resist!<br />
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I've just been out for an early morning walk with Maddie along the river behind our house. The trees on the crags are a patchwork of autumnal shades and the first morning rays lit the whole scene golden.<br />
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Just as I was remarking to Maddie about how pretty it all looked, we saw a Heron circling the field around us. Around and around he went, huge wings stretched out and gliding silently through the air right above our heads.<br />
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"Wow!" I said.<br />
"Yum!" Maddie said.<br />
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Then he came to settle on the ground right in front of us and watched us watching him. He was beautiful. We sat and looked at each other, not six feet between us, for about half an hour. He had no fear of me or the dog.<br />
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Eventually he disappeared back down to the river where his mate was watching too. Had this all been a flirty display to make her fall in love? I think it might have been. But it was wonderful all the same and I feel privileged to have been so close and been a part of their courting.<br />
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I never thought I'd be amazed by the nature in my own country, it's so easy to take it for granted when you see it every day, but this was truly awe inducing.<br />
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I'm sorry, I don't have a picture of the heron but here's one of Maddie instead.<br />
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<br />Princess and the Peahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01504953599906445036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375462526952425723.post-75172798982221362952012-09-05T19:13:00.001+01:002012-09-16T14:56:50.618+01:00Left our hearts in HungaryWell, I'm on the plane back to sunny old Manchester! We've only been away for a week but it feels much longer. And for once, I don't feel like I need another holiday to recover! Although we've been busy and had multiple stops, I've found Hungary strangely relaxing. It could be all of the thermal pools and saunas I've been lazing around in but I think there is something much deeper. Hungary always seems quiet, the streets are bright and peaceful, the air feels clean and fresh, the people are friendly and helpful. People seem to have a lot more time here than we do at home, their pace is slower, calmer.<br />
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We spent our last two days in the beautiful historical town of Pécs. We had pushed the boat out a bit and stayed in a spa hotel. The rooms were spacious and comfortable, the restaurant food was excellent, we had full reign of the spa and best of all, there was complete silence. Just the occasional comforting chirp of crickets singing to each other at night.<br />
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We arrived mid afternoon on Sunday so we didn't bother to venture out, instead, we took full advantage of the hotel's facilities in the last of the afternoon's golden light. We had a swim, used the hot tub and tried out the sauna, which, I'm happy to report, on this occasion, did not contain any Hungarian sausage. It was lovely having the whole place to ourselves. We tried to behave, but it was hard to resist canon balling into the pool with no one to tell us off!<br />
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Yesterday we took a pleasant stroll into the town, about 30 minutes from our hotel. It was hot, 38 degrees, and we ended up taking refuge in an air conditioned mall to avoid spontaneous combustion, vampire style. <br />
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We arrived in the centre just as the light started to dip - my favourite time for exploring a city, I call it the golden hour.<br />
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It was stunning, all of the buildings were painted in lovely warm shades of yellow and rose which reflected the light beautifully, each had its own design and personality. <br />
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We spent a couple of hours wandering the streets taking in the impressive architecture.<br />
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Just when the heat was getting too much again, we happened across a little park just within the city wall; shaded by ancient chestnut trees, their leaves just starting to turn crisp and auburn were blowing around our feet. <br />
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In the centre of the park was a fountain with refreshingly cold water - just right for soothing tired feet. We spent a good deal of time there, chatting and reading our guide book.<br />
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Fully rejuvenated, we continued our walk and found ourselves on Lovers Lane. Over the years, all along this street, people have declared their love for each other by attaching padlocks to the railings with their names, important dates or a love message inscribed on them. <br />
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There were thousands and all were different; some just your standard padlocks but others were delicately engraved, some decorated with stickers and glitter, some looked oriental, some were big and some were tiny. <br />
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We took our time, reading all of the lovers' notes and absorbing the happy aura of the place.<br />
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I decided I wanted us to have a lock of our own. We found a tiny shop (more like a large cupboard) down the road where we managed to find a lock and marker pen. <br />
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I scribbled our names and our anniversary date (the reason we're in Hungary in the first place) and locked our hearts together, forever, above a lovely quote on the wall which made me happy. <br />
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When we get home, I'll write our names on the keys so we can carry each other's as a reminder.<br />
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Location:<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?q=P%C3%A9cs,%20Hungary&z=10">Pécs, Hungary</a></div>
Princess and the Peahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01504953599906445036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375462526952425723.post-9691188729045219932012-09-01T19:31:00.001+01:002012-09-10T15:18:56.567+01:00A fright for sore eyesI have been scarred for life. I'll get to why in a minute, I just needed to get that off my chest.<br /><br />We are travelling around Lake Balaton at the moment, yesterday we stayed in Balatonfüred which reminded me quite a lot of the Italian lakes. There was a nice promenade lined with swanky bars, restaurants and ice cream stalls. our hotel had a little beach with a swimming area so we spent the afternoon sprawled out on beach towels under the shade of a big willow tree. In the evening we had ice creams at one of the stalls - I had 1 scoop of caramel and 1 of chocolate orange (it works better than you'd think!) and ended up with it all down my arms! I don't lick fast enough!<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/09/01/1623.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/09/01/s_1623.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />Today we drove an hour South to Heviz which is famous for it's huge thermal swimming lake. We decided to go for the 'wellbeing' package which included use of the spa facilities.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/09/01/1624.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/09/01/s_1624.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />Expecting the lake to be as warm as the thermal pools in Budapest, I launched myself into barely tepid water and nearly went under as it took my breath away. I was not impressed. <br /><br />The lake was broken up by barriers and underwater gates which served as locks to keep cold and hot water from mixing. It was quite a swim out to the middle of the lake and into the island building that contained the warm bits but I was damn sure I wasn't staying out there in the cold for too long! After about an hour and a half swimming about amongst the colourful water lilies (with baby ducks at one point!) we decided to make use of the spa. First stop: sauna.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/09/01/1625.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/09/01/s_1625.jpg' border='0' width='187' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />And this is where it happened. Something no 29 year old should ever have to see.<br /><br />We were sat on the wooden benches trying to avoid making eye contact with anyone else in there, I was the only woman, when out of the corner of my eye I glimpsed something. Unsure at first, I then spotted another, and another and then a fourth. I looked around in horror: swinging over the sides of the benches, lined up like soldiers in a barracks waiting to fire were four seventy year old... I can't even bring myself to say it. Four old men's winkies. There, it's out! And so was I in seconds flat! I bolted out of the door so fast I almost took it off it's hinges!<br /><br />I was too embarrassed to stay after that so we made a quick exit and went for ice creams in town. I sat, rocking on a park bench nibbling round the edges of my cone in silence.<br /><br />Now, let's never speak of this again!<br /><p class='blogpress_location'>Location:<a href='http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Lake%20Balaton,%20Heviz%20&z=10'>Lake Balaton, Heviz </a></p>Princess and the Peahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01504953599906445036noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375462526952425723.post-21371936197592425382012-08-31T14:52:00.001+01:002012-08-31T14:54:59.749+01:00The 'other side' of the bridgeYesterday we began the day with a delicious breakfast of French toast with red summer berries in syrup at <a target="_blank" href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cafe-Dumas/184282554925162">Cafe Dumas</a>, our new favourite place. This cost about £1.60! <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/31/873.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/31/s_873.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />Full, and with an icing sugar moustache, we crossed the bridge into Pest. We had intended to visit the Parliament building which is free to citizens of the EU. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/31/874.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/31/s_874.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />We arrived just in time to join the back of a queue of around 1000 people stood, unshaded, in the 34 degree heat. We decided that whatever was inside probably wasn't worth getting baked alive for and quickly left the line. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/31/875.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/31/s_875.jpg' border='0' width='187' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />The heat was unbearable and very tiring. So instead of going inside, we found a lovely shaded bench under the canopy of some trees, had a refreshing drink of water and did some people watching. <br /><br />That's what most of our day consisted of: find shade, sit in it. <br /><br />We had a pleasant meander through the back streets, protected from the sun by the shadow of ornate gothic buildings lining each side.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/31/876.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/31/s_876.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />Soon we found ourselves at the Basilica of St Stephen (the first king of Hungary). Inside, we were in awe of the stunning architecture - vaulted ceilings, intricately carved stone, beautiful murals adorned everything, finer details touched with gold leaf.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/31/877.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/31/s_877.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />At the back stood a huge golden organ so shiny it looked like it was polished hourly.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/31/878.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/31/s_878.jpg' border='0' width='187' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />In a separate room there was a fancy bejewelled glass cabinet lit from the inside. On closer inspection we saw that it contained all that was left of St Stephen himself: his fisted, 974 year old shrivelled zombie hand, fingernails still intact (although in need of a good scrub). I hope my hands still look that good at his age!<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/31/879.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/31/s_879.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />After a very cosmopolitan lunch of a Subway sandwich and a packet of crips (I know, we're really living it up on this trip!) we decided to jump on a tram and head over to Memorial Park; the official graveyard for all of the old Soviet statues which were taken down from around Hungary at the end of the communist era in 1989. We didn't make it. We got completely lost - just goes to show, even Lonely Planet gets it wrong sometimes!<br /><br />We headed back to the hotel, dumped my hefty camera equipment and wandered back down to Dumas where we commandeered a giant bean bag and a comfy lawn chair. I had an icy glass of homemade peach lemonade (delicious but I was up five times in the night after two glasses of that stuff) and rested our weary feet to watch the sun set over Budapest. Perfect!<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/31/880.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/31/s_880.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />After dinner we took our last opportunity to snap some moonlight photos of the river with boats and cars whizzing by. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/31/881.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/31/s_881.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />The parliament building stood out against everything else and lit up the whole river. Even the "I'm loving it" sign, delightfully displayed by Mr McDonald, took a back seat in this light show.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/31/882.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/31/s_882.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />Even at 10pm, the streets bustled with dog walkers, runners, cyclists, roller bladders and sweethearts smooching and sharing wine straight from the bottle on the walls of the banks.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/31/883.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/31/s_883.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />This city has a pulse, the constant beat of life passing it by, and I love it!<br /><br /><p class='blogpress_location'>Location:<a href='http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Budapest,%20Hungary&z=10'>Budapest, Hungary</a></p>Princess and the Peahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01504953599906445036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375462526952425723.post-49979154170435868382012-08-29T19:48:00.001+01:002012-08-29T19:53:42.046+01:00Hungary? I'm famished!If you have never been to Hungary, I highly recommend that you go. Just do it. Book it. Right now!<br /><br />When we arrived last night, it was already dark. We walked along the Danube watching party boats sail by with their lights glistening in the water below. All of Budapest's most impressive buildings and bridges were lit up to demonstrate their beauty. Car's lights flickered around like fireflies. A big yellow moon glowed, perfect, above. Couples and families strolling casually along the river sat on the walls to chat a while, with their dogs waiting patiently at their feet. Even tired and hungry, I could tell this was a magical place.<br /><br />And I was right! When we checked in (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.artotels.com/budapest/bed-and-breakfast?s_cid=se.bmm98547">D'art Otel</a>), we were told that we had been given a free upgrade. They didn't say why. When we got to our room, it had double doors where all of the others only had one. This was the executive suite! One of the bathrooms is bigger than my living room! The bed is whopping, there is a living room, a study and a dance floor. Ok, I lied about the dance floor!<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/1938.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_1938.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />This morning we took the funicular up to Castle Hill on the Buda side of town. We took the back car so that we could see the landscape panning out in wide angle. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/1940.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_1940.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />The views from the top were impressive. You can see for miles in both directions, every bridge, every building. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/1941.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_1941.jpg' border='0' width='187' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />The castle grounds were surrounded by huge statue of birds with wings outstretched and lions standing proudly, mid roar.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/1942.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_1942.jpg' border='0' width='187' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />We arrived at the start of a beer fest so we had a wander round looking at all of the different tipples on offer. It was before lunch so a bit early to drink any! <br />We were lucky enough to see the changing of the guards at the castle gates which was quite a spectacle. Think men in uniform doing synchronised gun stuff. Very nice. Ahem.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/1943.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_1943.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />We had lunch from one of the stalls, I had chicken in mustard cream sauce with fried potatoes and onions. Delicious! I will try and replicate it when I get home!<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/1944.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_1944.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />We walked over to the cathedral which reminded me very much of St Vitus cathedral in Prague only much whiter and with a beautiful ornate roof in very Moroccan colours with zigzag and diamond patterns.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/1945.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_1945.jpg' border='0' width='187' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />I'm seeing some kind of patchwork quilt here!<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/1946.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_1946.jpg' border='0' width='187' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />While we were there I held a hawk. Four year old 'tweeter'. She was beautiful and very well behaved. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/1947.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_1947.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />Even when perched above my head, she didn't think to peck me (or poo)! Her wing span was about four foot.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/1948.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_1948.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />Later, we went back down the hill to one of the famous thermal spas (Gellert Baths). The water was 36 degrees celsius, which in a colder climate would have been just what we needed. Here, though, it's 34 degrees so it didn't really help! The interior was stunning though, mosaic from floor to ceiling, with little windows in the roof to allow the light to come streaming through. There were several baths indoors and out, ranging in temperature from what felt like -62 to 36 degrees. we stayed in until we were sufficiently pruned and then ventured back out in to the golden evening sun.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/1949.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_1949.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />The perfect end to a perfect day.<br /><p class='blogpress_location'>Location:<a href='http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Budapest&z=10'>Budapest</a></p>Princess and the Peahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01504953599906445036noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375462526952425723.post-14341759730377734902012-04-22T11:40:00.001+01:002012-04-22T11:42:23.200+01:00A nice cuppa teaThe last two days of our Malaysian adventure have been spent in the Cameron Highlands in a little town called Tanah Rata (seemingly peaceful by day, Beirut by night).<br /><br />The highlands are really beautiful. Miles and miles of hairpin bends surrounded by lush tea plantations and lovely hilly vistas where the low clouds graze the horizon and sink down into the curves of the landscape giving it a real atmospheric mood.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/22/561.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/22/s_561.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />The trip was dicey, to say the least. Frequently, we were overtaken by boy racers right into the path of oncoming trucks, motorbikes and dogs. Mostly, I just shut my eyes and hoped for the best. All of them made it past alive (including the dogs who nonchalantly sit in the middle of the road, lazily eyeing the trafic as it nearly runs over their tails).<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/22/562.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/22/s_562.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />We visited a couple of the tea plantations and sampled some of their offerings (iced tea for me - black currant, passion fruit and 'orchard burst' - yum).<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/22/563.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/22/s_563.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />The plantations are huge; camellia bushes as far as the eye can see. The workers usually live on sight, accommodation is provided, as is a Hindu temple, school and even health centre (Boh Plantation).<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/22/564.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/22/s_564.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />The highlands are not just famous for their tea, but also their strawberries which you can pick yourself and buy by the weight (everywhere you look, there are strawberry based souvenirs from hats and umbrellas to slippers and bath mats!). A Cameronian delicacy is strawberry jam and cream scones with a nice cup of tea or a refreshing glass of strawberry juice!<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/22/565.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/22/s_565.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />That done, I'm now sat by a hotel pool near KL International Airport where I will stay until I fly home tomorrow night.<br /><br />The journey has come to an end now, we have successfully managed to negotiate our way around thousands of miles of Malaysia and Borneo by plane, train and automobile... not to mention on foot and by boat, through city, jungle and island! We've travelled through ten different airports, stayed in ten different hotels and visited goodness knows how many cities. It's been a busy trip and one hell of an adventure.<br /><br />Now, where next?<br /><p class='blogpress_location'>Location:<a href='http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Cameron%20Highlands,%20Malaysia&z=10'>Cameron Highlands, Malaysia</a></p>Princess and the Peahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01504953599906445036noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375462526952425723.post-86769764140757150352012-04-20T13:24:00.001+01:002012-04-21T07:17:15.990+01:00Desert island blissI'm writing this from a desert island with rain hammering down like a million tiny bullets on the tin roof of the cabin. The thunder is so loud that if I closed my eyes I could be forgiven for thinking that there was a war going on outside. Bombs exploding right above my head, rumbling each time for what seems like minutes. The first crack made me jump right out of my seat as the ground underneath me shook and the walls rattled. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/20/554.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/20/s_554.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />What, for the last three days, has been pure turquoise sky with puffy white clouds that never move and crystal clear water the colour of valuable gems is now one big wash of varying shades of slate. But for the thunder, the island is now silent - the villagers are all hiding inside their huts; the children have stopped playing in the water and the men have stopped repairing their boats.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/20/555.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/20/s_555.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />The power is out and so is the Internet so I'm scribbling down my notes trying to ignore the explosions around me. There is no sign of this storm clearing any time soon.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/20/556.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/20/s_556.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />I'm on Mabul, an island an hour away by boat from the mainland. It's a happy, feel good place with a community that works together. The island is tiny, you can easily walk around it in 20 minutes through the little shanty village where the sea gypsies live. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/20/557.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/20/s_557.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />There are children playing everywhere, most of them toothless but each of them happy. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/20/558.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/20/s_558.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='186' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />I had one run up and give my leg a hug and another run along side me and hold my hand. The water is their home and they splash in and out of it like fish. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/20/559.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/20/s_559.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />They run, naked, down the beach and launch themselves belly first into the water, laughing all the way.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/20/560.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/20/s_560.jpg' border='0' width='187' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />It's where the turtles come to lay their eggs before heading back out to sea. I'm staying at Scuba Junkie, one of the few dive resorts on the island. They are passionate about the future of our ocean and pay the locals 10 ringgit for every turtle egg they find - an incentive which stops them eating them instead. Each turtle lays around 120 eggs so it's an expensive operation! Those eggs are then transferred to their hatchery and released, when ready, back into the sea. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/20/561.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/20/s_561.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />The money they pay out comes from their own profits, not the government so they are disappointed that not all of the eggs can be saved. But some is better than none and their work pays off for all of the divers and snorkellers who get to see the turtles, fully grown, at every turn - some up to a metre and a half. HUGE.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/20/562.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/20/s_562.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />Scuba Junkie campaigns against a number of other environmental issues including shark finning. In the last thirty years sharks have almost been wiped out, taken only for their fins and then thrown back in the water to die.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/20/563.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/20/s_563.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />They teach the villagers about the importance of keeping the beaches clean and have organised large scale litter picks to get rid of the debris washed up. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/20/564.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/20/s_564.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='202' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />Even the cocktails are served in recycled water bottles - though not from the beach, I hope (that's a litre of Mai Tai I'm drinking there - yeah, I know how to live).<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/20/565.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/20/s_565.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />They also encourage guests to go and help teach English at the local school on Wednesday evenings. No teaching experience necessary, just a few interesting things to show the children.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/20/567.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/20/s_567.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />There is not a lot to do here (if you don't like water) but a lot certainly gets done!<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/20/568.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/20/s_568.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />(Posted, belatedly, from Cameron Highlands)<br /><p class='blogpress_location'>Location:<a href='http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Mabul,%20Borneo&z=10'>Mabul, Borneo</a></p>Princess and the Peahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01504953599906445036noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375462526952425723.post-91307664625725975812012-04-15T12:03:00.001+01:002012-04-21T07:13:22.648+01:00Monkeys and other creaturesNot content with a glimpse of a big floppy nose from behind a tree branch, we hired a car yesterday and drove three hours to Kota Kinabatangan for a wildlife river cruise. We hoped to see more proboscis monkeys, more orang-utan, Pygmy elephants and lots of bird life.<br /><br />When we arrived we were a bit troubled by their apparent lack of other visitors. I.e. we were their only visitors! They only had three bottles of water and a can of coke in the fridge - we bought the lot; we'd left before lunch with nothing to eat or drink and were now ravenous! There was no food either so we'd have to wait until after the trip which was due to finish at 6.30pm. <br /><br />Actually, it worked to our advantage being the only guests as we ended up on a private tour with a very knowledgable guide. We set off early and straight away saw a tree full of proboscis monkeys.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/15/570.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/15/s_570.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='191' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />A dominant male with several wives and tiny babies! This was far more than I could have wished for - especially in the wild! It was a real lucky spotting!<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/15/571.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/15/s_571.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='182' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />You can easily pick out the dominant male - he's the one with the biggest nose and the fattest belly.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/15/573.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/15/s_573.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />Their big noses look almost stuck on when you get a closer look. They are very comedic!<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/15/575.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/15/s_575.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />Immediately after seeing the family of proboscis, we saw a black hornbill sitting in the tree with his mate. You can tell which is the male by the colour of their beak - the male has an all white beak while the female's is all black and... erm... less horny.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/15/578.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/15/s_578.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='194' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />In the same group of trees we also saw a lonely red leaf monkey. Normally they live in packs so it was unusual to see one alone like this. The guide said that he was drying off after the heavy rain. He was lying on his front across a branch with his arms and legs dangling off the edge.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/15/612.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/15/s_612.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />After that we spotted more hornbills. Different types this time, a group of bushy crested hornbill (they always live together in groups of up to seven birds where other hornbills live alone or as part of a couple) and an oriental pied hornbill (the one in the photo below).<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/15/618.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/15/s_618.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='188' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />I asked if we'd see the elephants but the guide said that they were not at this point in the river yet. Shame. I had been really looking forward to seeing them.<br /><br />On the hunt for orang-utan, we took a turn off down a narrower river towards a palm plantation where the orang-utan can usually be spotted. We saw a huge family of common macaque playing in the trees and the lillies growing at the river edge.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/15/620.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/15/s_620.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />There were some tiny babies in amongst them but they weren't at all scared and came right up to the boat.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/15/623.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/15/s_623.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />We continued up stream past a monkey bridge (a rope across the river with extra ropes hanging off it) which had been put there for the orang-utan as they can't swim. It also prevents the other monkeys from getting eaten by crocodiles as they try to cross the river.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/15/631.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/15/s_631.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />We went as far as we could along the river but didn't see any orang-utan. Just a couple of men fishing. The guide pointed out a load of plastic bottles floating with their bottoms out along the edge of the river. This is where the fisherman have set fishing traps to catch crab and prawn. The bottles are just markers so that they don't lose their traps.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/15/649.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/15/s_649.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />We turned around and made our way back with the hopes that we'd spot something in the trees. Nothing. The orang-utan were not interested in us today. We did spot a nest high in the canopy but the guide said that it had been abandoned - you could tell because it had turned brown already. The orang-utan use lots of green foliage when building their nests so if they were still living there it would be green. He thought they'd been gone for about a week.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/15/651.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/15/s_651.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />Just as we were about to moor up, the guide squealed and nearly jumped out of the boat (he was so enthusiastic about things he must see every day). He'd spotted the most elusive of all of the hornbills - the rhinoceros hornbill - resting in a tree. I just managed to snap this one out of focus photo (it's hard using a big telephoto lens in a rocking boat with a moving subject!) before we were spotted and he flew off. What a perfect end to the day!<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/15/652.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/15/s_652.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='202' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />Note: if you ever hire a car in Borneo, never ask for a half tank of petrol! Fill that bugger up! On the way back from Kinabatangan, we passed one petrol station which was under construction, one which was dry, one which was closed and then not a single one for three hours until we got back to Sandakan! Luckily, the fuel light never came on but I was nervous, nevertheless!<br /><br />Watch out for pot holes too - in some places it looked like a volcano had erupted!<br /><p class='blogpress_location'>Location:<a href='http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Sabah,%20Borneo,%20Kota%20Kinnabatangan&z=10'>Sabah, Borneo, Kota Kinnabatangan</a></p>Princess and the Peahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01504953599906445036noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375462526952425723.post-1606405012142645772012-04-13T16:18:00.001+01:002012-04-21T07:12:08.528+01:00Even the most intrepid explorer deserves a break!After a week of long and exhausting treks and losing half our body weight in sweat, we have taken a few days to relax.<br /><br />On the last morning in Gunung Mulu, we took a pleasant boat ride up the river to see the Wind Cave (not where you go for a cure for flatulence, the echoes would be frightening - there is just a wind passage between this and Clear Water) and Ladies Cave (there is a shadow created by a stalagmite which supposedly looks like a lady. I thought it looked like one of the wise men) followed by Clear Water Cave.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/13/1081.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/13/s_1081.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />On the way we stopped in a Penan village for a handicraft market. The Penan people are a nomadic tribe (or at least 200 of them out of the 10,000 living in Sarawak still are, most are now settled in one place). They are a gentle, softly spoken people with little gender divide. Although there is a headman there is no real hierarchy, just a strong belief in sharing with one another and never taking more than necessary. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/13/1082.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/13/s_1082.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />The Penan use a complex system of sign language in the jungle; complicated arrangements of twigs and leaves give messages to fellow Penan as to the state of the local hunting and the mood of the person leaving the message.<br /><br />After visiting the Penan people, we continued along the river to the caves. The inside of the caves was nothing special, especially in comparison to the rock formations in Lang's cave and the millions of bats in Deer cave, the main attraction was a refreshing swim in the ice cold, crystal clear water which flows from an underwater entrance to Clear Water cave. <br /><br />The water was so cold that even getting up to my hips in it took my breath away! Needless to say, I did not go any further!<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/13/1083.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/13/s_1083.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />In the afternoon we caught a flight to Sandakkan in Sabah. The flight was turbulent and my stomach nearly hit the ceiling on a number of occasions but the bad weather outside resulted in some lovely cloud formations and light shows.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/13/1084.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/13/s_1084.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />Sandakan is a scruffy and extremely busy little town on the waterfront, there is not a lot to do here other than laze around the pool, which is fine by me for a couple of days - it will give my feet a rest!<br /><br />Today we visited Agnes Keith's house. Her husband was a government official here for over 20 years and set up the forestry commission. As the only Canadian woman in a British colony and feeling left out of the British ladies community, Agnes began to write articles for US papers about her time here in Borneo. One of the papers collected all her articles and put them together as a book (Land Below the Wind). When she and her family were taken as prisoners of war during the second world war, she wrote notes on anything she could find and then sewed them into her son's toys, hid them in her shoes and buried them in tins in the ground. When they were finally released, years later, they dug up all of those notes to make the book "Three Came Home".<br /><br />It was really interesting to read all about her life, to stand in her office and look at the type writer on which she wrote some of her best works.<br /><br />The rest of the day was spent relaxing by the pool. A very well earned break!<br /><p class='blogpress_location'>Location:<a href='http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Sabah,%20Borneo,%20Malaysia&z=10'>Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia</a></p>Princess and the Peahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01504953599906445036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375462526952425723.post-63123194145428740792012-04-12T10:11:00.001+01:002012-04-12T10:15:45.345+01:00Into the wildFrom Kuching we went even deeper into the jungle in Gunung Mulu.<br /><br />The airport is tiny, the runway is pretty much a car park but as soon as I stepped off the plane I was in love with the place; tiny brightly coloured huts in the foreground and dense green jungle with a hazy backdrop of blue mountains shrouded in low cloud.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/12/297.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/12/s_297.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />We stayed right inside Mulu National Park in a garden bungalow with nothing but the sounds of the jungle to disturb us. Crickets, frogs, birds, geckos and other creatures, each with its own distinctive call.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/12/303.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/12/s_303.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />When we arrived at dusk, we decided to have a little trek to Moonmilk cave. It's one that you can do without a guide and is supposed to be good for bird spotting at that time of day. It was no leisurely stroll. The humidity was unbearable, we were drenched within minutes. Although there were paths all the way, most of it was up steps - hundreds and hundreds of steps! After about an hour we reached the cave and bumped into a couple of other people staying in the park.<br /><br />We all walked through the cave together and came out the other side to a beautiful sunset burning through the canopy. After taking a few photos, we presumed that the trek would carry on in a loop and take us back to the bungalow so we all continued walking. We took our time, taking photos of all kinds of giant bugs on the way. I saw my first fire flies, twinkling amongst the trees like strings of fairy lights.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/12/305.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/12/s_305.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />After walking for over an hour, we came to yet more stairs and had the sudden feeling of deja vu... Are these not the steps we walked up to get to Moonmilk? Have we just circled back on our selves? No. Worse. In the dark, we'd walked in a straight line in the wrong direction (1.5km) and reached the next set of caves. The walk back was now 3km. The jungle was dark. And hot. We had one small bottle of water left between the four of us. And did I mention the giant bugs? We had no choice but to turn around and double back on ourselves.<br /><br />When you go into the jungle, you have to let security know where you are going and what time you expect to be back. We were due back an hour ago so I was worried they'd be out looking for us! The trek back was hard, we were all exhausted and pretty hungry. We walked and walked and walked with the sounds of the jungle as our power song. We eventually made it back to camp just before 9pm. What was meant to be a 45 minute walk had turned into a four hour hike! <br /><br />On the plus side, I discovered glow in the dark berries...or was I hallucinating from dehydration?<br /><br />No rest for the clinically insane wicked. The next day was more trekking! 3km in the morning for the canopy walk. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/12/311.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/12/s_311.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />At 480 metres long, it's the longest tree canopy in the world. At 30m high, if you look down, your guts will make it back down long before you do! <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/12/312.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/12/s_312.jpg' border='0' width='187' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />Walking along each section was ok until the person behind you stepped onto the planks and almost catapulted you out of the canopy! Not for the feint of heart (or weak of bowel)!<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/12/313.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/12/s_313.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />After lunch we had a 6km walk to see Deer and Langs caves. The guide was great, he was extremely knowledgable and stopped to show us every weird creepy crawly, strange climbing plant and explain the meaning of each jungle call and what animal made it. I wanted to hold his hand and skip through the jungle, excited to learn about the next bug! He was even able to explain what my glow in the dark berries were (I should see a doctor if that doesn't clear up soon) - they work the same way as fire flies - not by leaving them in direct sunlight all day as I thought, but with bioluminescence. I should have brought him an apple because I was teachers pet by the end! I found the walk more interesting than the caves themselves, although they were pretty impressive!<br /><br />Langs cave is full of some really interesting rock formations, grown drip by drip over the millennia.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/12/319.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/12/s_319.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />Deer cave is much bigger and was featured on BBC's Planet Earth for the millions of wrinkle lipped bats living inside. The sound inside was deafening and the smell... well, millions of bats produce a lot of guano. A thirty metre high pile of guano to be exact! The smell permeates your clothes and sticks to your nostrils like a pint of spilled milk in a hot car!<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/12/320.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/12/s_320.jpg' border='0' width='187' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />At dusk, all of the visitors are ushered down to the observatory to watch the bats fly out in teams like clouds of black smoke for their evening hunt. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/12/321.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/12/s_321.jpg' border='0' width='187' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />It's a very strange thing to watch, you can't make out the shape of a single bat, they just merge into one flowing stream of squeaking silhouette.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/12/322.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/12/s_322.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='187' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />The walk back was another dark one, we managed not to get lost. Success!<br /><p class='blogpress_location'>Location:<a href='http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Gunung%20Mulu%20National%20Park,%20Sarawak,%20Borneo,%20Malaysia&z=10'>Gunung Mulu National Park, Sarawak, Borneo, Malaysia</a></p>Princess and the Peahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01504953599906445036noreply@blogger.com2