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The Twelve Apostles

First you should understand that there are actually not twelve “apostles” here, and there never were – the actual number is currently about seven.  However these huge limestone stacks were named the Twelve Apostles because someone felt that sounded better from a tourism point of view than the original “sow and piglets” !  These pillars are in a continuous state of change as the soft rock is worn away or fractures and falls into the sea, so they each shrink and disappear over time.  However there is the possibility of new ones forming as the sea cuts into the mainland further along the coast.

In 1990 two tourists were stranded (lucky to survive) when the stone bridge linking one pillar to the mainland collapsed into the sea just after they had walked out across it.  They were left standing on the pillar and were eventually rescued by helicopter.

We first stopped at the “Gibson Steps” which form a steep path down the cliff to a beach at the bottom, just east of the first of the Apostles.

Sue descending the Gibson steps to the beach.
Sue descends the Gibson Steps
Brian on the beach below the steps.

We drove on and came across the main visitor centre and carpark for the Twelve Apostles, where there are spaces for hundreds of cars and tour buses.  From there it is a walk of about a kilometre out to the furthest lookout, which gives a great view along the coast to the west.

Looking west along the coast.
Don’t expect to see twelve of them!
Obligatory selfie.

As you can see the weather was still nice.  Cold but sunny.  There is a constant circuit of helicopters taking off from the visitor centre, but they seem to fly past out to sea a bit so are not too intrusive for the rest of us touring the site on foot.

Helicopter!
The outermost lookout position.

That selfie (above) was taken from the lookout on the promontory in this photo, which will one day be another pillar but today provides the best vantage point for looking back along the coast. You can see the pile of huge rocks which has fallen off the side into the sea.

We returned to the car and pressed on, now at risk of hallucinating due to the lack of a good coffee.  Even the visitor centre didn’t seem to provide that, so we decided to keep going to Port Campbell.  On the way we stopped one more time at “Loch Ard Gorge” because that sounded interesting.  This turned out to be the area west of the Apostles where the land is in an earlier stage of erosion by the sea.  It’s hard to completely visualise from ground level, so here is a shot from Google showing how the sea is carving deeply into the mainland:

Land in the early stages of carving out the future new “Apostles”.

This is on the coast just east of Port Campbell if you are trying to find it on the map.  Those cliffs are about 30 metres high, so it’s all on a grand scale.

Port Campbell provided the coffee we had been hanging out for, and a delicious brunch!  That was the end of the main attraction and we had a couple of hundred kilometres to go to get back to Melbourne, so we turned inland and drove through farmland to join the A1, which took us through Colac and eventually became the M1 heading back into Melbourne.  Afternoon tea was on the outskirts of Geelong, and we stayed overnight near the airport and flew home early on Monday morning.

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Cape Otway Lightstation

Cape Otway Lightstation (1848) was one of the first light stations on the Australian mainland, built to guide ships coming in from England towards the port of Melbourne.  It originally burnt whale oil, then later kerosene, before converting to electricity in 1939.  In 1994 the main lighthouse was replaced by a new much smaller solar-powered lighthouse which now sits a few metres below the original tower.  Cape Otway is the approximate boundary at which Bass Strait meets the southern ocean.

The road out to Cape Otway.

Today the old lighthouse is preserved and open during the day as a tourist attraction.  Accommodation is offered in the old lightkeepers lodge and other original buildings.  We stayed in a small “studio” style room.

From the air (borrowed from www.lightstation.com).

As you can see the lightstation is a small settlement.  We stayed in the building furthest from the lighthouse, at top left.

Cape Otway Lighthouse

The lighthouse is not particularly tall, because it sits on a cliff about 90 metres above the ocean.  It could be seen from about 40 km out to sea, and together with another on King Island in Bass Strait marked the northern and southern limits of the safe channel leading into Melbourne.

Our quarters in the foreground, with the cafe and lighthouse beyond.

Our room was quite “compact” and had no outlook to the sea or the lighthouse, although that is probably because it is designed to provide shelter from stormy weather.  We settled in then went down to climb to the top of the lighthouse.  It is not a particularly tall structure so is easy to ascend, and at the top is a tiny museum with some artifacts from the past.  The lighthouse lamps and lens assembly weights about 2 tonnes and rotated about once every 90 seconds.  To eliminate friction the whole 2 tonne assembly floats in a bath of mercury!  The guide told us that once an earthquake caused the mercury to slop out of its container and run down the stairs.

The steps up the last part of the ascent to the top.
Fine brass air vents circle the room at the top – ventilation for the burning whale oil?
The view from the top.

At 5 pm the lightstation closes to the public, and soon after that the staff lock the gates and go home leaving any guests there with the whole place to themselves.  There did not seem to be any other guests, but early next morning I did see one woman with a toddler emerge from another house.  We went down to the lighthouse that night, and again early in the morning (up at 5 am because we are on Wellington time).  It was great having no-one else about, and so far from the nearest town.

The lighthouse is floodlit at night.
Sue off looking for Pokemon in the early morning light.

The site was also a lookout for spotting whales which come quite close to the shore here, but we could not see any that day.  The main lighthouse is no longer operational, having been replaced by a much smaller automatic light which sits nearby.  The old light had a 1,000 watt light bulb; the new one has a 35 watt bulb which is brighter!

Cape Otway was also a whaler’s lookout.
The much smaller modern lighthouse in front of the old one; solar panels nearby.

We enjoyed our stay at such an unusual location, especially as we had such nice autumn weather.  The room was small and modestly equipped, but had everything we needed.  Except for the on-site cafe during the day there is nowhere to buy a meal, so you need to take your dinner with you.  We were warned there is no cellphone or TV reception, but in fact we did manage to get both.  I think it might depend on where you stand!

Next morning we set out early(ish), before the site opened, back up to the main road and turning west to head for the Twelve Apostles.  We had a couple of small scares with wallabies, sitting in the shadows on the edge of the road.  The worry is that they will hop across your path at the last moment and do serious damage to your car, and themselves.  Fortunately neither wallaby made that mistake this time.

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The Great Ocean Road

We left Melbourne on Friday evening for a couple of days exploring the Great Ocean Road (GOR) which heads along the coast from south of Melbourne in the direction of Adelaide.  Our route would take us along the coast about 300 km to Port Campbell, before turning to return to Melbourne along the inland route, a total of about 550 km over three days.  The highlights of the trip were the stay at the Cape Otway Lightstation, and the spectacular “Twelve Apostles” rock pillars near Port Campbell.

Our route showing Melbourne up at top right, Cape Otway at the lowest point.

Out first night was not far from Melbourne in Geelong (with a soft “G” I believe), the second largest city in the state of Victoria, with about 250,000 people.  As we often discover when visiting somewhere in Australia for the first time it is much larger than we had expected.  There were palms along the waterfront giving it a tropical look but it was a very chilly 14 degrees.  We had clear, cold weather which we thought is pretty good for this time of year.

Geelong Waterfront at dusk.

Next morning our first stop along the road was at Torquay, our first encounter with the actual south coast of Victoria.  We were surprised to find a surfing town with extensive beaches, and plenty of old guys out surfing even in this crisp weather.  The waves were a good height for learners or some gentle practice.  We lunched in the town centre at morning tea time, trying to stay on NZ time as far as possible.

Sue enjoying the view from “Danger Point” at Torquay.
Surfers at Torquay.

Further along the coast at Aireys Inlet we missed the hourly lighthouse tour by a couple of minutes.  There were quite of lot of other tourists on the road seemingly following the same route, so the driving was slow, and the carpark at the lighthouse was full.  At least we had a beautiful clear day!

Split Point Lighthouse, at Aireys Inlet (Not Cape Otway!)

There were many stop/go roadworks along the coast, with heavy machinery working on numerous locations where the bank above or below the road needed work, reducing the road to single lane.  Reminded me of the Kaikoura coastal road.  There are many large, architectural houses along the coast built for expansive views out over the ocean – perhaps weekend places for the better-off folk from Melbourne?

Home with a view!

We passed through a nice little town called Lorne, with a bay and beach tucked in behind a headland, and agreed we come back there for a holiday one day!  It felt like a holiday sort of place.

At Apollo Bay the highway leaves the coast, and does not return to it for 80 km (apart for a brief moment at Glenaire).  We stopped for a cup of tea, aware that this is the nearest place to Cape Otway where we could buy a meal.  With that in mind we had stocked up on something for dinner and breakfast at the supermarket back in Geelong.

I had expected the Great Ocean Road to stick much more to the shoreline.  From Apollo Bay it winds up into the hills through tall forested areas, in the middle of which is the turn-off to Cape Otway where would spend the night.

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Nelson and Lakes

We had an enjoyable stay in Nelson, catching up with relatives both near and distant at the family reunion and taking the opportunity to revisit Nelson Lakes and Blenheim.  The weather was generally brilliant, and we managed excursions to several places in the area which generally involved climbing up some sort of a hill.

View from the “Centre of New Zealand” above Nelson.
Miles of open beach at Rabbit Island.
Kieran lines up a shot.
The reward for a steep climb up the track from Cable Bay.
On the way back down, trying to catch up to James.
A mysterious water jet on the road to Maitai Dam.
The Maitai Dam above Nelson – part of the water supply system.

Upon leaving Nelson we drove to Picton via Nelson Lakes and then Blenheim.  We lunched at Saint Arnaud, which was pretty quiet, and did the Loop Track bush walk up onto the slopes and back along the edge of Lake Rotoiti.  Another nice sunny day.

Lake Rotoiti – the standard photo everybody takes!

Sue can still skip a stone when the need arises!

After lunch it was on to Blenheim where we did the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre.  There was a bit of a lunch crowd in the cafe, but the venue is large so it was not crowded in the exhibition spaces.  The main display is designed around the personal airplane collection of the famous Sir Peter The-Hobbit Jackson, and there is a second space containing a World War II exhibition.  You can also buy a ticket for a ride in real biplane if you’re feeling brave and wealthy at the same time.

Thrill seekers getting briefed for their biplane experience.

A real plane, with realistic action figures providing some drama.
Weird and wonderful airplanes of all shapes.  This one has the propeller at the back.

A Spitfire, in the WWII exhibition.

The World War II exhibition finished with a full-on “immersive experience” of the bombing of Stalingrad by the Germans, from the point of view of a resident of Stalingrad lurking in a ruined building.  Helps to make you glad you never had to experience anything like that yourself.

We returned home via the Makana Chocolate Factory (recommended by Lisa), then Picton and the Cook Strait ferry.

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Hobart

It was a bit grey and wet in Hobart after we arrived, but improved over the weekend.  We found Hobart nice, but perhaps not particularly memorable.  There is a waterfront area with many eateries and with tourist and craft shops, which is quite interesting and provided us with several coffees and meals.  The more interesting times were the ones we spent on outings into the hinterland.

One of our first outings was an outing to “MONA” – the Museum of Old and New Art.  It’s about 13 km north of the city centre, so the way to get there is on the special MONA ferry.  MONA is a privately funded art museum and opened in 2011, and is mostly below ground level, cut into the rock.  It is full of interesting, puzzling, and downright weird stuff.

Disembarking from MR1 ferry at MONA.
These sheep (not real!) stayed aboard.
A water text display (explained below).

This display is three-storey high installation comprising a gantry holding hundreds of little computer-operated water nozzles in a row.  Every few seconds it drops a curtain of droplets which form a word, and those droplets are lit up by the row of spotlights so you can see the word as it falls to the floor and disappears.  Here you can also see the rock walls formed when the space for MONA was carved out of the earth.

A bloated car in MONA.

MONA has all sorts of traditional and avant-garde exhibits, many of which are in dark locations, so don’t photograph very well.

Our (Ibis) hotel in Hobart, during a false fire alarm evacuation.
Butterflies at the (more conventional) Museum of Tasmania in Hobart.

Our last outing with the car was an ascent of Mount Wellington, which rises 1200 metres above Hobart providing spectacular views (on a nice day).  It snows up here in winter.

Sue showing off (not really).
Mount Wellington lookout, with Hobart below.
The lookout / shelter on Mount Wellington.
Hobart and the River Derwent below.

Mount Wellington is a long way up, leaving us very impressed by those half-marathon runners who had run up that morning!

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Port Huon, Tasmania

Port Huon and the Huon Valley are south of Hobart.  Our second day with the car we set off in that direction, also planning to ascend Mount Wellington which is just west of the city.  The day turned into one of those where not much worked out as we’d planned.  We first discovered we had picked the day of the “Point to Pinnacle” half marathon, when hundreds of people run up Mount Wellington from the city.  This meant the road was closed, and we spent about half an hour sitting in stationary traffic waiting for the police to let us through.

So we set of instead for the famous Willie’s Apple Shed in the Huon Valley, which promised an interesting visit to an apple-growing operation, and of course coffee!  We should have checked their website – when we arrived half an hour later we found it we were still an hour too early for opening time.  Instead we carried on south.

This road goes deep into the south of Tasmania, and up into the forests, but we really only had time to go to Greeveston.  There it was actually very hot in the sun, so after a short wander through the town we headed north again.

A striking wooden statue in Greeveston of a respected local doctor – Doctor Kyle.
The Huon River near Port Huon.

Perhaps the most interesting stop of the day was at the Wooden Boat Centre in Franklin, where they practise traditional methods of wooden boat manufacture and refurbishment, with a little modern technology thrown in.  The Huon River provides fairly extensive and sheltered waters for boating, and on this day there was a regatta of traditional boats on the river.

The Wooden Boat Centre sits beside the Huon River, in Franklin.
Huon Pine is a unique and excellent material for boatbuilding.
A kayak from light timber covered in a fibreglass shell.
The Wooden Boat Centre.

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Port Arthur, Tasmania

Port Arthur is 100 km to the east of Hobart city, out on the end of a peninsular which is almost an island, connected only by a narrow strip of land at Eaglehawk Neck.  The remoteness of Port Arthur served it well as a convict settlement (about 1830 to 1870) as the location made escape all but impossible.  One prisoner tried to escape by wrapping himself in a kangaroo hide as a disguise and hopping away, but when guards saw him they thought he would make a good meal and tried to shoot him.  He gave himself up.

We hired a car and drove to Port Arthur on a sunny but windy day.  We learnt that much of the Tasmanian countryside here looks like the rest of Australia, with a predominance of eucalypt trees.  I think we had expected wetter, more rain-forest conditions.

The “Tesselated Pavement” reserve near Eaglehawk Neck.
The rock is naturally splitting into fairly neat rows of “tiles”.

On the way we stopped near Eaglehawk Neck to look at the “tesselated pavement” (above) and the blowhole, Tasman’s Arch, and the Devil’s Kitchen.  Those last three are related caves and arches formed where the sea has eroded deep slots into the cliffs.

The high cliffs near the blow hole.
Tasman Arch (see man at top right for the scale).
Looking south down the coast towards Port Arthur.

The coast around Hobart is deeply indented with many inlets and islands, resulting in hundreds of kilometers of coastline.  The road is never too far from the ocean.

Port Arthur itself now operates as a tourist attraction, with a large new visitor’s centre nearing completion, and ticket office extracting money from your wallet as you enter.  Apparently it has been a popular destination ever since the prison closed back in 1877.  It is now a very pleasant estate with mature trees and extensive lawns and gardens.  The lunatic asylum is now a cafe, and there is a modern catamaran running cruises from the jetty out to nearby islands connected to the prison.

In the grounds of the Port Arthur historic site.
Our cruise stopped off on the Island of the Dead – the prison cemetery.
The headstones on the island are almost exclusively for prison staff and their families.
Leaving the (little) Island of the Dead.
The ruins of the penitentiary.
Our guide giving as a shady break.
The roofless church.
No services today.

We found Port Arthur more interesting than we anticipated, and run as an efficient tourism operation rather than the abandoned site we expected.  The 200 km drive there and back took us through past countryside and coastlines, so it was a satisfying day out.

However I can’t recommend the fish and chips from the “Dunalley Fish Market”, unfortunately!

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Brighton

(October 3 to 6) Our last stay before flying home was in Brighton, which we visited 13 years ago in 2004 with Lisa and James.  This time we stayed in an Airbnb apartment beside Brighton Marina, which has undergone major development over the last ten years and is now surrounded by apartments, shops and eateries.  Our apartment had a great view westwards along the beach towards the Brighton town centre and the famous Brighton Pier.

We revisited the Royal Pavilion, the little narrow streets of The Lanes area, and walked along the pier and down the waterfront.

On Brighton Pier, 2004.
Brighton Pier 2017.
Lisa’s purple bunny, won in 2004.
In 2017 Pikachu has taken the place of purple bunnies.

Our Airbnb experience was not so good in Brighton, as our host Alex did not respond to messages, did not turn up to give us the key, and told us there was parking included which turned out not to be the case.  Despite that the apartment was quite well equipped and had a spectacular view over the sea, and there were lots of places for coffee and dinner nearby.  In the end it turned out ok.

Sunset over Brighton, from our windows.
Cafe Rouge had the best coffee!  Our apartment in the distance.
A large wind farm is being constructed offshore from Brighton.
Brighton Marina.
Our apartments on the left.  Plenty of walking space around the marina.

Brighton’s newest attraction is the “British Airways i360” which is a huge tower with a moving viewing pod.  It rises 160 metres, compared to say 120 metres for the Wellington Cable Car, and takes about 10 minutes to ascend giving a ride of about 25 minutes in total.  It is the tallest moving viewing platform in Britain, and provides a view from the top a bit like that from a low-flying plane.  It can hold up to 200 people, but today there were only about 15 of us so it was not crowded.  It moves almost silently, suspended on eight cables which are pulled by motors below ground.  The i360 was designed by the same architects who designed the London Eye.

The i360 viewing pod approaching its lower park position.
It’s beautifully shiny and reflective underneath!
Sue, relaxed, about 100 metres in the air.
The space-age viewing pod.  Staff wear airline-style uniforms.

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Seven Sisters

(October 6) About 20 km east of Brighton are the Seven Sisters Cliffs, a stretch of steep white chalk cliffs on the coast.  The name arises from the fact that there are seven rises and falls in the clifftop.  We are still 100 km from Dover, but these cliffs are quite like those famous white cliffs.

I was a nice sunny day, but with a stiff cool breeze so we needed our warm jackets.  We parked at the end of the road out of Seaford, and walked the 1 km or so down to the beach.  You get great views along the coast as you approach the old Coastguard Cottages.  This track is their only access to the outside world.

A selfie!
Walking down to the beach approaching the Coastguard Cottages.
Cuckmere Haven, the mouth of the Cuckmere River.
This World War II Spitfire zoomed past low overhead!
The view inland from Cuckmere Haven, toward Exceat.
The Seven Sisters

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Ancestral Haunts

(19 September)  Today we moved again, leaving Cornwall and heading east and north toward London again.  We will stop on the way for three nights in Lyme Regis.  We planned a few stops along the way to visit places associated with Sue’s ancestors.

Sue’s g-g-g-grandparents were Edward and Elizabeth Tregenza (“Edward the First” and “Elizabeth the First”, say). According to census information, Edward the First was born in Lelant (in 1814) where we had lunch today at the railway station.

Lunch at Lelant Station.

The Lelant Station is a quiet secluded place, with a nice view over the estuary, so it was actually not a bad place to have lunch.

Edward and Elizabeth probably met in Barripper, which we also passed through. The 1841 census records Edward as being a copper miner, living in Barripper next door to Elizabeth Collins, a “mine girl”. Elizabeth was living with the Thomas family along with her sister Maryann.

Sarah Jane Lukey (Sue’s g-g grandmother) lived with her parents (Joseph and Sarah) in Liskeard around 1860 in one of the Trevecca cottages which still stand today.

Sarah Lukey emigrated to New Zealand in the “Tiptree” arriving in Lyttelton in 1864, and later married Edward Tregenza (Sue’s g-g-grandfather, Edward II), son of the Edward I mentioned above, after he emigrated to New Zealand, via Adelaide (in the “Electric”) in 1865.

Trevecca cottages circa 1918 (the Lukey house is no 11, third from left).
Trevecca cottages in 2017, and Sue.
We found more or less the same viewpoint as the old photo above and took this photo.  Where those cows stood is now a construction site, so from next year this view will be gone forever as the foreground will be blocked by new houses!

The cottages up close.
Sue in front of number 11.

We chatted to a woman gardening outside Trevecca Cottage Number 1, and when we came back from taking photos from across the road, she hurried out again to show us a book, “The Life and Work of Henry Rice: Liskeard’s Foremost Architect”. He apparently designed the Trevecca Cottages, which were built in 1847. The cottages were therefore quite new when the Lukeys lived there.

We also had this old photo of the fountain in Liskeard (on the right), also designed by Henry Rice, so took the same photo again just because we were there:

Liskeard Fountain circa 1914-19
Liskeard Fountain 2017 (on the right)

Edward II and Sarah’s daughter, Elizabeth II, travelled to England in 1891 as a nursemaid for the Hamlyn family, and was able to visit her grandmother (Elizabeth I) in Callington.  Her diary reports they went for a walk which took in “Doublepools”, and nearby Hangman’s Lane.  Edward and Elizabeth were living in Callington in the Doublepools cottages at the time of the 1851 census.

Doublepools cottages 2017.
Hangman’s Lane 2017.

On another day we walked to Land’s End from Sennen Cove, a distance of a couple of kilometers.  Marion’s photos include this one of Sennen Cove from the past:

Sennen Cove near Lands End.
Sennen Cove today (Google image) – many of the same houses are still there.
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Duxford IWM

Today we had a day out, driving to Duxford just outside Cambridge to visit the Imperial War Museum.  Duxford is an operating airfield, and an aircraft museum displaying everything from WW II fighter planes to airliners, but focusing on British ones.  There is one display hall devoted to American aircraft as well.  There were hundreds of people there for the day, and there was continuous activity in the sky as all sorts of historic aircraft took off and landed, or buzzed the airfield at low altitude.  It was like a mini airshow.  You could pay to have a ride in some of them, but we didn’t.

It was a nice day, although a bit blustery.

I know of many of these old aircraft, but found that up close they are generally much larger than I had imagined.  Those on display here are ingeniously packed into several large halls with their wings cunningly intertwined like a huge jigsaw puzzle.  They are several layers deep with the smaller ones under the big ones or suspended from the ceiling on wires.

The Lancaster bomber.

When I was growing up there was always a photo in our home of a Lancaster bomber with a couple of hundred men lined up on its wings and on the ground for a group photo, taken during World War II of the New Zealand Squadron 75 which was based in England.  Somewhere in that photo was my uncle Gerry (Gerald) who flew in one of these bombers over Germany, as the wireless operator.  He took part in night raids over Germany, when sometimes over a thousand bombers at once would conduct raids on German cities.  It was very interesting to see a real Lancaster bomber up close.

This is the nose of the Concorde.

They also have one of the few surviving Concordes, the supersonic English/French airliner which operated for 27 years between Europe and the USA until economics, noise complaints, and a disastrous accident ended its career about 2003.  Today there are still no supersonic airliners.

Sue below the engine exhausts.
Inside.  This was a test Concorde, fitted with test equipment and fewer seats.
The cockpit – not complicated at all.

My father was stationed in Noumea for part of the war, where as a technician he serviced and repaired the radio equipment on the aircraft operating there.  One he told us about was the Catalina flying boat, able to land on water or land.  He remembered feeling seasick having to work inside these planes in the 40 degree heat while they slopped about at anchor smelling of oil and kerosene.  I assembled a kitset model of one, so I knew what it looked like.  Today I saw a real one for the first time, which was quite exciting.  They are a weird looking aircraft.

The Catalina.

Duxford also has a larger Sunderland Flying Boat on display, which I believe were among the first aircraft to fly to New Zealand as commercial airlines, landing on Auckland Harbour at Hobsonville, from about 1940.  I see that today there is a new housing development at Hobsonville called “Sunderland”.

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Cambridge

We’ve found Cambridge a very interesting town, with lots to see and busy with students and tourists everywhere.  The university system is very different to our NZ one, there being 31 colleges here in Cambridge and each one basically a little university in its own right.  Generally students at these colleges also live at them, and each one may teach a full range of subjects.  Trinity College is the largest, and is a very wealthy college, owning over a billion pounds worth of property and assets.  It is among the largest landowners in Britain.

We visited the main museum, the Fitzwilliam.  Here are a few photos from there:

A decimal clock.  Ten hours per day, ten minutes per hour.  The small face within is a normal 24 hour clock.
A fabulous nautilus shell.
This huge slab is the lid of an Egyptian sarcophagus.
A face from the decoration on a 3000 year old Egyptian coffin.
Yes, that is a man busking from inside a rubbish bin.
The autumn leaves are starting to gather on the ground in thick layers.

 We bought our tickets for a punt on the river Cam on Monday, where it was much quieter than the previous weekend days.  Your punt-man propels you up and down a stretch of the river which takes you past many of the famous colleges – Trinity College, Kings College, Queens College, etc.  These all back onto the river and their properties extend across to the the land on the other side, so most have their own bridges across.  Cam-bridge == Cambridge.

A quiet day for punting on the river Cam.
Our punting guide, Ben, a student.  We are passing under the Bridge of Sighs.
This is called the “Mathematical Bridge”, made from wood.

 Next on the agenda was a look inside one of the colleges, in our case Kings College.  You buy a ticket, and are then allowed to wander through the chapel and around the grounds (but NOT on the grass).

Inside Kings Chapel.
The famous vaulted ceiling, 40 metres above.
A trumpeting angel.
Amateur and professional punters going in all directions.

 If you prefer you can hire a boat without a guide, and propel yourself down the river.  Judging by the efforts of those we watched, this is not as simple as it might appear.  On this quiet Monday in October there were plenty of near misses, so in July and August when the town is packed with tourists it must be chaotic!

A side view of Kings Chapel, across the immaculate lawn.

 I loved this amazing mechanical clock – the “Corpus Clock”.  The alien-looking beast on top (the “Chronophage” or time-eater) walks atop the turning second wheel, occasionally blinking and yawning. I will try and put up a video of it to show it working (actually of course Youtube has it already, for example this video ).

The Corpus Clock and Chronophage.

 We also checked out the Sedgwick Earth Sciences museum, since we are now amateur ammonite enthusiasts.  It is full of fossils of all ages from around Britain and the world, including some big dinosaur skeletons.

Sue blissfully unaware of the danger!
Thousands of catalogued items of every type and size.
These ones were quite like our own little ammonite.
Glad these spiders are now extinct!

Cambridge is flat, and there are bikes everywhere,
Sue contemplates a wardrobe update.

It would have been nice to have a few more bright days, to give more life to our photos!  But it has been quite warm, with just occasional rain.  Not bad overall.

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Bletchley Park

Bletchley Park is a property on the edge of Milton Keynes which was the home of an ultra-secret British code breaking organisation during World War II.  Alan Turing was probably the most famous person associated with this place, and his story was turned into the film “The Imitation Game” (2014) starring Benedict Cumberbatch.  Today they have recreated much of the original setup of Bletchley Park and turned it into a tourist attraction, including modern displays about encryption and protecting your personal data online and the like.

Bletchley House, the original grand house, viewed across the lake.

 The Germans used an “Enigma” machine to encrypt all their communications.  The machine itself was fairly well known and had been used before the war.  The problem was that it could encode messages in over a billion different ways, so the British needed to work out what settings were being used each day.  Even after they learned to break the code they had to keep doing it again every day, because every day the Germans changed the code.

The German Enigma machine, thousands of which were used by the Germans to encrypt messages.

 The British secret weapon was the “Bombe” machine they developed, which was sort of primitive computer which could run through a huge number of possible combinations in a short time.  The one pictured here is a faithful replica built from scratch over 13 years, finishing in 2009.  All the originals were destroyed to maintain secrecy after the war.

This replica is a fully operational one, and they run it every 15 minutes every day to demonstrate it to visitors.  All these wheels spin, at various speeds, until the machine detects a possible solution to the day’s code.  It may have to be run numerous times before the correct answer is found, but it massively reduces the number of combinations which have to be checked by hand.  It is much more entertaining to watch than a modern computer!

The British “Bombe” machine, which helped break the Enigma codes.
Around the back of the machine, some of the whirring cogs and shafts.  Also an elaborate oiling system!
Some of the relays which trip to capture the correct solution.
The top wheels spin twice per second; the second row step once in 13 seconds, and the last row once in 5 minutes.
A man warned us there had been a “pecking incident” yesterday – keep a safe distance!

It was very pleasant looking around the park and gardens, and through the main house.  It seemed quite well run, and they are working to raise money and restore more of the 1940’s buildings.

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Oxford

In Oxford we stayed in one of the colleges – Lady Margaret Hall – in the student accommodation.  That was a bit of a reminder of how soft we have become since we were at university.  We did have a bathroom, but it was slightly smaller than an aircraft toilet but still managed to include a shower!  We had a quieter time in Oxford, because Sue was attending a conference there.

Outside the porter’s lodge (gate house) of Lady Margaret Hall.
The breakfast (dining) room was a bit quiet with all the students on holiday.
Part of the Lady Margaret grounds.  The brown lawn is infected with a grub, and also being dug up by badgers and moles.
There are nice big parks nearby.
Autumn colour.
The Bridge of Sighs – a replica of the original in Venice.
Ready for dinner at The Crown.  They say Shakespeare used to stop here.
And this was where J.R.R. Tolkein and C.S. Lewis used to drink!

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Zoe’s Birthday Party

Today we were invited to Zoe’s birthday party.  She turned three.  Marilyn is here too, having a month in England catching up with her boys (men) and their families, and fitting in some walking in Cornwall.  We met them at “Oxygen Freejumping” which turned out to be a large indoor space filled with trampolines and dozens of shrieking children.

Trampolines everywhere, and a lot of yelling.
Mally, Zoe and friends preparing the cake for candle-lighting.
Sue, Marilyn, Stephen, Ivana, and Kieren in the beer garden.

After and hour of trampolining followed by the blowing out of the candles and the cutting of the cake, we all retired to the Duke of Kent pub down the road, which has a large beer garden out the back which include a children’s playground.  Perfect for everyone, in other words.

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Lyme Regis to Uxbridge

We had a fairly long drive today, from Lyme Regis to Uxbridge, on the outskirts of London.  The traffic was fairly bad even for London, I think, with big queues even on major roads, and our satnav changed our route several times to try and avoid gridlocked traffic. Uxbridge is fairly close to where Kieren and Mally live, so it will be easy to get to Zoe’s party tomorrow from here.

Halfway to London we stopped to revisit Stonehenge, having last been there in 2004 with Lisa and James.  They have completely altered the nearby roads and built a large new visitors’ centre about 2 km away.  Now you have to park at the visitors’ centre, buy your ticket and take a shuttle bus to Stonehenge itself.  I noticed that Google maps still shows the now-disappeared road, so it must have happened fairly recently.  We had a nice sunny day, similar to the last time 13 years ago.

Found a gap in the crowds to take a photo.
Stonehenge, still impressive.  The big stones are 4 metres high and weight about 25 tonnes.
Hmmm, coffee and mobility scooters together.  Perfect for my old age.
Salisbury Cathedral.

Salisbury cathedral was consecrated over 750 years ago, and has the tallest spire in Britain, at 123 metres.  The huge font (below) is filled with absolutely still water, forming a mirror surface.

The perfect mirror surface of the water in the Salisbury Cathedral font.
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Lyme Regis

Lyme Regis is a small seaside town which is a popular tourist destination.  There has been a town here for 1,000 years or so.  Like many of the seaside places we’ve been on this trip it has streets sloping steeply down to the sea, which was about 10 or 15 minutes walk from our Airbnb.  The man who founded Bermuda was once the mayor of Lyme Regis, and various famous people have lived or stayed here including Jane Austen and J R R Tolkien.

The Cobb is a massive stone wall to protect a man-made harbour from the sea.
British seaside towns all have these little huts you can hire, to make a cup of tea out of the wind.

The town mill has been around since the 1300’s, and is now maintained in running order as one of the few remaining examples.  They still mill wheat and other grains, and sell the flour.  The guided tour was given by a very knowledgeable man who explained the whole system to us, and started the mill up from scratch so we could all see it working.  He reminded us of the many figures of speech which came from milling, e.g. “grind to a halt”, “rule of thumb”, “show one’s metal”, and “run of the mill”.

The waterwheel inside the town mill.
The town mill running, milling wheat into flour.
Our flat here is on top of the garage.
Fine pumpkins!
Our host said she didn’t quite know what to do with these.
Topiary caterpillar?
The huge cliffs at West Bay, as seen in “Broadchurch” on tv.

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Fossil Hunting

We stayed in Lyme Regis, an historic little town on the “Jurassic Coast”, so called because along 95 miles of coastline about 185 million years of history is exposed in the cliffs along the shore.  At Lyme Regis the cliffs are about 200 million years old.  We read that the shores are littered with fossils, so eagerly set out along Chippel Bay to the west of Lyme Regis, where we could see people scattered into the distance with their heads down, also looking for those elusive fossils.

In Lyme Regis the streetlights contain ammonites!
On Chippel Beach searching for fossils.
Traces of a large ammonite in the rock.
A bigger ammonite – not something you can put in your pocket.

 After finding no take-home fossils on Chippel Bay, next day we drove along the coast to nearby Charmouth, where they are so easy to find that even children will have no trouble!  It was raining and stormy, but we gritted our teeth and set out along the beach.  They say that wild weather is the best time, and a falling tide, because all the freshly-exposed fossils will be there for the finding.  There are high, soft cliffs along the beach, displaying many layers of sediment and obviously eroding quickly and falling onto the beach.

Sue wrapped up against the weather.
I got my feet wet several times when I was too slow to beat an incoming wave!
Finally!  A beautiful little ammonite, and some other stuff.  Fossil poo?
The results of our day’s efforts.

The breakthrough came when we gave up all hope after about an hour and a half, and starting heading back along the beach.  Suddenly there it was – a real ammonite just lying on the sand.  A moment after I picked it up another man walked past and stooped to pick up another just a metre away, but i could find no more in that area.

It was harder than we expected, but we did come away with a real ammonite.  It feels almost like a piece of metal.  It is amazing the amount of detail that has been preserved in something 200 million years old or so.

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Newquay

We’ve been staying in Newquay for a few days now, using it as a base to explore the tip of Cornwall.  Today we had a bit of a look around.  It shares several characteristics with many of the seaside towns of this part of England: (a) most of the town is on a cliff above the sea, (b) they have big tides, and (c) they build big walls to provide a sheltered mooring for their fishing boats.  Population is about 20,000 and it is served by the railway.

Newquay has beaches, but some like this one disappear at high tide.
This boogie-boarder waited for a while to find a lull in the waves so he could launch.
The Huer’s Hut

 We walked out to the Huer’s Hut high out on the point, where long ago the “huer” would keep watch out over the ocean, and if he spotted a nice big school of pilchards he would raise a “hue and cry” to alert the town’s fishermen.  See plaque (below) for full details.  The hut has steps up the back (on the right above) for access to the roof.  There was a strong cold wind up there today!

The story of the Huer’s Hut.
The boat harbour and walls.
An unusual place to build a house!

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St Ives

St Ives was “Best UK Seaside Town” of 2011, and is a popular resort.  Today was sunny on-and-off which was enough to draw reasonable crowds to the town.  It has little narrow streets so the best approach is to park outside the centre and walk in.

Few people try driving through the streets of St Ives.
Lunching in the sun on the harbour front.
A common scene here – boats high and dry waiting for the tide to return.
Sue takes a short-cut.
I once had a watch like this!
Aah – sunshine!
Out at the end of the sea wall.
Cornish pasties are everywhere, in all possible flavours.
Fudge is rather popular too.
Cornish pastie for lunch!  Our first and only pastie so far.


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The South-Western Tip

Today we set out bright and early because we wanted to walk out to St Michael’s Mount via the causeway, which is not possible at high tide.  And it was bright because the sun was shining at last.  St Michael’s Mount is an English version of Mont Saint Michel in France, just across the channel from here.  The French version has quite a lot more going on as it is an abbey and a village; also you can now drive out to the French one in almost any tide, and the surrounding bay is slowly silting up.  The English one has a castle on top with a small settlement below, and is still a private residence.  They open it to the public six days a week.

The causeway to St Michael’s Mount.
Almost there…
There we found top class coffee and pain-au-raisin!  Highly recommended if you are passing.
The commodore was directing the yachting from this hut on the island.  Note the blue sky!
After St Michael’s we headed for Land’s End.  On the way we sought out the Stone Circle, but ended up getting stuck up tiny mud tracks instead.  We can see it on Google (link here) but never got to see it in person!  Our car was now nice and dirty.

The “road” to the stone circle.

We have heard from certain family members that Land’s End is not worth the trouble, so I came up with the brilliant plan of driving to Sennen Cove a couple of km away and walking to Land’s End along the coastal walkway.  This way we avoided the crowds, got to walk some of the great coastal walkway, and still got the photo at Land’s End.  Paid NT parking fee.  This plan worked well, with the walk along the cliffs providing spectacular (windy) views.  They were right; Land’s End itself is no more notable than any other headland along the coast.

The coastal walkway between Sennen Cove and Land’s End.
The cafe at LE was below par, so we walked back to Sennen Cove for our refreshments.
Land’s End – the headland in the background.
The rugged coastline.
Old lookout post near Sennen Cove.
Our final mission while we were in the extreme south-west of Cornwall was to visit some of the old tin mines.  We headed for first the Botallack area, then the Levant mine, guided partly by that gripping Cornwellian soap opera, “Poldark” which we have been known to follow.  The landscape is dotted with these old mine buildings and chimneys, and the Botallack mine area is now a protected tourist attraction.  Here the engine houses are on the edge of the sea, and the underground mine passages extend about 400 metres out under the ocean as well as a long way inland, and to depths of 500 metres.  This mine amounted to about 100 km of shafts and tunnels. These engine houses contained large steam engines to pump water out of the mines, and to help lift men and materials in and out of the mine.  A guide told us it would take the men hours to get to and from work at the mine face underground, and they were only paid for the time they were actually mining!  The Botallack mine produced tin, copper, and arsenic.

Old Botallack engine houses, and Sue.
Another Botallack pump house – as seen in “Poldark”!
Sue auditioning for a part as a Poldark extra.

We also visited the Levant mine, which was less scenic but does include a working beam engine of the type used in these mines.

It was after five when we turned for home – about the same time as a red light came on to let us know we were running out of petrol!  We learned how few petrol stations there are in this little corner of Cornwall, but managed to reach one in Penzance without having to get out and walk.  Today we were also amazed to find that all the big supermarkets close about 4 pm on Sundays!  This caused us to re-think our dinner plans.  We were eventually rescued by the discovery of one small supermarket still open in Newquay (which was doing a roaring trade).

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The Eden Project, and Lizard

First stop today was the Eden Project, near St Austell.  We got torrential rain interspersed with sunshine – most welcome!  The Eden Project is a sort of environmental campaign and botanic gardens, with huge plastic-covered insulated domes enclosing tropical and Mediterranean climates with thousands of plants inside.  There are two similar domes in Singapore – I’m not sure which is bigger.  This site is set up to handle thousands of visitors each day, but fortunately for us today was a relatively quiet one.

There are two huge “biomes”, the tropical one (beyond) and Mediterranean one on the right.
Inside the tropical biome.
Those distant people high above give some idea of the size of these domes.
They grow crops here, such as pineapples and rice.
Unusual flowers – the stalk grows right through the middle of each.
Looks like some pagans decided to party here.
Even the bees grow unusually well here.

This area produces white clay used for ceramics, and has huge clay-mining pits which are clearly visible on Google Earth.  The Eden Project was built inside one of these pits.  We tried but found despite their huge size they are well-hidden from the road – it’s actually easier to see them from space!

We paused in Truro, the capital of Cornwall, for lunch and a bit of a wander, then continued south to Lizard, the most southerly point in Britain (Land’s End is the most westerly point).  After paying the usual parking man we walked down to the point.

What we really came for – coffee!
Sue and the southern tip of Britain.
Nearby Kynance Cove, where some brave tourists were swimming.
A panorama of Kynance Cove.

I’ve noticed that they like the letter “z” down here.  There is the Begg family “Tregenza” ancestral branch of course, and places like Lizard, Penzance, and Marazion.

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Padstow

Had an outing today to Padstow, to the north of our new base in Newquay.  First stop was the “Bedruthan Steps” which are basically very big rocks sitting along the coast.  The winds were galeforce and the rain bucketed down periodically, causing some minor flooding on the roads.  When we pulled into the carpark there was a man braving the awful conditions to collect our parking money.  We staggered along the clifftop path, leaning into the wind, and found the steep steps down to the beach below.  We were likely to be cut off by the rising tide so did not venture along the beach.

Sue battling to stand up in the wind along the clifftop.
Those big rock-bergs are the “Bedruthan Steps”.
Brian wrapped up against the blizzard.

When we returned to our car the tearoom there had opened, so we had a cheerful cup of coffee there while we sheltered from the conditions, along with quite a few other people who had appeared.

We pressed on to Padstow, which we’ve only heard of because of the TV chef Rick Stein, who does combined travel / culinary TV series through interesting countries like India, or Spain, etc.  In Padstow we saw the Stein Fish and Chip shop, some Stein restaurants, and the Stein patisserie.  Apparently some of the locals are bit fed up with the way their town has become “Stein-ville”.

In Padstow it kept raining, but we resolutely explored it anyway, getting drenched from the legs down.  We had a nice soup lunch in a pub, and walked around the harbour.  Like many ports in this part of the world, they have a boat harbour with a big gate which keeps the water inside when the tide drains the harbour outside.  We were there when they opened the gate at Padstow, which surprisingly involved the whole gate folding down onto the seabed, completely disappearing beneath the water.

This is the gate in its fully closed position.  You can walk across it.
Starting to open…
Two minutes later.  Still going down…

A last glimpse as it disappears under the water.

I think all the other gates we have seen have opened and closed like normal lock gates, in other words like big doors.

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Tintagel

Tintagel is an historic site on further down the coast, connected by legends to King Arthur (but not by facts, it seems).  It is pronounced “tin-taj-el” (with “a” as in “bad”).  There are ruins of settlements and fortifications there on a dramatic headland which projects out into the Atlantic.  It was once part of the mainland but erosion has caused much of the land to collapse into the sea, leaving it now barely connected to the land.  It has become a very popular tourist spot, so the little village now has lots of large carparks, and even at this late time of year was full of people.

It was sunny but there was a moderate gale blowing in off the ocean.  The whole setting is striking, with steep cliffs dropping into the sea, and the wind and waves thrashing against the rocks below.  There were quite extensive settlements here, some over 1,000 years old, yet there is just a tiny path connecting it to the mainland.  The steep steps are great exercise for one’s knees!

The historic information explained that there are several accounts of walls or parts of buildings falling into the sea when cliffs collapsed occasionally.  Each time they just rebuilt a bit further back from the edge!

Looking down on the connecting bridge from the mainland.
Looking back to the mainland (same bridge visible on left).  

There are paths and ancient sites across the island.
Mysterious sculpture of King Arthur.
High above the Atlantic Ocean.
A sign, in case you hadn’t noticed the huge vertical drops into the sea.

It’s one of those (many) places where photographs do not do a very good job of conveying the impression you get from seeing it yourself.

On today’s trip south we also passed the first proper beaches we have encountered – still fairly wild and windy, but with real sand.  At Widemouth Bay there was a class of small wetsuit-clad kids learning to surf, and a couple of experienced kite-surfers racing about in the surf.  We also discovered we are now in a part of the world where every place you might stop to look at or walk on a beach is staffed by a chap in a hut who demands a few pounds for parking.

Widemouth Bay.
Daymer Bay.  Lots of windsurfers, kite surfers, and dog walkers.

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Clovelly

Today we moved from Littleham to Newquay.  On the way we visited Clovelly, a little village notable for the fact that it is closed to vehicles.  All visitor access is through a large “Visitor Centre” at the top of the cliffs where you park and buy a ticket to enter the village!  It did not open until 9:30, so we were the first in.  The main street is just a steep stony path, with very uneven smooth stone cobbling, which became quite slippery in the wet.  The absence of roads and cars, and people – I think most residents were still asleep – made the place amazingly quiet and peaceful.

The main street of Clovelly.
Looking back up from out on the sea wall.
Clovelly cat.  As quiet as the rest of the village.
The road is steep, uneven, and (when wet) slippery.
They use rough sleds to deliver goods to businesses down the street,
Sue on the sea wall.  This also shows how steep the coastline is here.
A Clovelly ass.
Old photo showing paddle steamers visiting Clovelly.
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Exmoor

Today we set out in the wind and rain to visit the Exmoor National Park, to the north.  Exmoor lies along the north-facing coast of this part of England, looking across the Bristol Channel to the south coast of Wales.  Our car’s satnav system seemed to often send us down miles of tiny narrow roads, but we did end up in the right places, so perhaps it knew best.  The road took us through high open country, with just scrubby grass and reeds, although most of the time we could still see hedgerows and paddocks in the distance, which we had not expected.

Wild horses beside the road.
High on the wind-swept moorish country of Exmoor.
Our car satnav sent us down miles of roads like this!
Ancient looking road signs.
An Exmoor sheep, checking to see who interrupted her grazing.

We found a nice cup of coffee in a tiny village called Withypool.  It was close to our next objective, the Tarr Steps “clapper bridge”.  A clapper bridge is a very old style of footbridge, made by stacking large flat stones across the river.  The Tarr Steps are the largest known bridge of this type, and date back a few hundred years, or perhaps a few thousand – there seems to be some uncertainty.

The Tarr Steps over the river Barle.
This walking track took us up one side of the Barle and back down the other.
Crossing a side stream on the track.
Back across the Tarr Steps to complete the loop.

We moved on north to the coast, visiting first Porlock Weir, then the twin towns of Lynmouth and Lynton.  There are high cliffs all along these coasts, so the roads down to these seaside towns are very steep.  We drove down Porlock Hill past signs warning us to stay in low gear, to test our brakes first, and to avoid stopping in places where out-of-control vehicles might crash into us!  It was all a bit exaggerated really.  Porlock Weir is a little village, with the usual sheltered “basin” where its fishing boats can be protected from the wild sea.  After lunch we decided to climb back up via the “new toll road” which offered a more gentle ascent.  We stopped at a gate which a man opened when we paid him two pounds, then set off up what turned out to be a one-lane, pot-holed bumpy road up the hill!  Later I read about this “new” road on Wikipedia – it was built in 1840!

A friendly rock-man on the beach at Porlock Weir.
Boats at anchor inside the gates of Prolock Weir.
The new “Worthy Toll Road” from Porlock Weir.

Last stop for the day was Lynmouth and Lynton, further along the coast.  Lynmouth is down by the sea (mouth of the River Lyn), while Lynton (Lyn-town) is above it on top of the cliff.  They are linked by a very steep road, but also by an ingenious water-powered cable car railway.  Like the Wellington cable car there are two cars fixed to the opposite ends of a long cable so one goes down as the other goes up.  However the Lynmouth/ton cable cars have no motors; just a large water tank on each car.  When a car stops at the top it immediately fills it’s tank with water.  When both cars are ready to go, the car at the bottom suddenly empties it’s water tank, which causes the whole system to start moving as the heavier car at the top comes down, pulling the lighter one back up the hill!

The water-powered cable car.  The water is held in the green tank under the car.  It’s very steep!
Lynmouth boat harbour, waiting for the distant tide to return.

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Glastonbury

Glastonbury is widely known for the Glastonbury Music Festival, which has been going for 46 years and draws 100,000 hippies and music fans of all ages to the area.  Recent acts have included Adele, Muse, and Coldplay.  It is also the home of Glastonbury Abbey, a ruined monastery dating back over 1,000 years and rumoured to be the burial place of King Arthur.  We found a park and started the day with our customary cup of coffee in the main street, and were struck by how many aging hippies there were everywhere.

The abbey ruins are quite spectacular, and show the original building must have been huge.  Abbeys were communities so there was also accommodation, kitchens, etc., and extensive grounds.

This is one end of the original abbey.
In the distance are the remains of the other end.
It must have been gigantic.

We stepped around a woman prostrate on the grass, her arms out in the shape of a cross and her eyes closed, channelling the spirits of this mythical place.  Glastonbury is that sort of place to many people.

Not far away is Glastonbury Tor (hill) which can be seen from miles around.  It is topped by Saint Michael’s Tower (1300’s).  We climbed up to enjoy the view, glad the sky had cleared although there was a very strong wind.

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Cheddar Gorge

Our route south from Bath took us through Cheddar Gorge and the town of Cheddar.  It is a modest but picturesque gorge, with sheer cliffs on one side, and is home to a busy tourist operation based around limestone caves found there.  There is also the cheese, of course.

Cafes around the caves in Cheddar Gorge.
The entrance to Gough’s Cave, discovered by him in the 1800’s.
“Cheddar Man” was found in the cave, and dated at 9,000 years old!

The remains of Cheddar Man were found in the cave in 1903.  In 1997 researchers were able to analyse some of his DNA, and then went on to identify a number of locals who are direct descendants, so whose families have lived in this area for 9,000 years!  They must like it here.

There is some cheddar maturing in the cave, but I think that’s just for the tourists…
The route through the cave has been fully tamed, with steps and handrails.
These deposits have been dated at 500,000 years old.
After the cave we climbed to the top of the gorge.
The view from above the gorge, south over Somerset.
And you can take away some cheddar if you wish.

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A Bath in Bath

The architecture of Bath is recognised as including some fine examples from Georgian times, and the Royal Crescent is probably the best known.  It is a grand semicircular row of houses, looking out over Bath across a perfect lawn.  We walked up the hill to see it for ourselves, dodging the showers.

The Royal Crescent, Bath.

 Back down the hill we headed to the abbey, in order to climb the tower.  They run guided tours, preceded by dire warnings about the number of steps to be climbed.  As in other cathedrals and abbeys we have climbed, the route is a tiny spiral stone staircase; in this case just over 200 steps.

The abbey has a beautiful fan-vaulted ceiling.
Halfway up the tower we passed through the bell-ringing room.
Our tour group huddled inside the tower behind the clock face!
In the abbey ceiling, high above the floor below.
Sue out on the tower roof, beside one of the little corner spires.
Looking out across Bath city centre, the new rooftop spa visible (light blue coloured).
Sue getting diverted.

 Our last objective before leaving Bath was to get the real spa experience, in the new Thermae Bath Spa complex sited near the original Roman Baths but using clean water from a new bore.  We paid our money (cough!) and were issued with robes, towels, and jandals, then joined the small crowd in the roof-top pool, soaking away our troubles in the 35 C water.  It was very nice.  I felt relaxed for at least a day afterwards!

The new “Thermae Bath Spa” with the rooftop hot spa pool.
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Engineering Marvels

In Wales we also found an engineering marvel to visit, the Newport Transporter Bridge.  It was completed in 1906, and is still driven by the original electric motors.  It is comprised of a huge gantry which spans the River Usk, and a gondola, a sort of “suspended ferry” which hangs off this gantry on cables.  Up to six cars and thirty pedestrians can be loaded onto this gondola, which is then carried across the river suspended on its cables from a trolley above which rolls across the overhead gantry.

Newport Transporter Bridge
Sue standing in the rain at the entrance to the gondola.

Why would they build such a thing, I hear you ask.  Well, it allows tall ships to pass but does not require an elevated bridge to achieve this.  An elevated bridge would have been a much bigger structure with long approach ramps needed at each end to get up to the height of the crossing.

The transporter bridge still operates, although it is largely just a tourist attraction today.  The wind and rain were so strong today we decided to give it a miss.

SS Great Britain

When launched in 1843 the SS Great Britain was the first iron hulled propeller-driven steamship to operate across the Atlantic Ocean between England and America, and until 1854 was the longest passenger ship in the world.  She was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, one of the greatest engineers of the time, and is powered by a two-cylinder steam engine, each cyclinder being 2.2 metres in diameter!

The SS Great Britain first operated as a luxury ocean liner between Bristol and New York, then later for thirty years carried immigrants to Australia, before eventually being abandoned in the Faulkland Islands in 1937.  Decades later money was raised to have her towed back to England, where she was restored and now sits in dry dock exactly where she was built 170 years ago.

She is actually sitting in just a few inches of water.
An excellent unicorn on the prow.
The stern windows.
The first class dining deck.
The rudder, and a replica propeller.
Sue and Daisy the ship cow.
Mother reaching through the glass to her son outside.  Tricky.
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Wales

It’s not too far from Bath to Wales, so today we went to Cardiff.  It was grey and damp most of the day, but we’re getting used to that.  We crossed the (second) Severn Crossing bridge, which marks the border between Wales and England at that point, and were impressed by how huge that bridge is.  It is five kilometres long (Auckland Harbour Bridge is one km), and very wide.

The bridge over the Severn River (estuary).

In Cardiff it was raining, and many of the city centre streets were blocked off with cones and people in hi-vis vests.  It turns out that the Tour of Britain cycle race was finishing today in Cardiff, with the riders expected about 2 or 3 pm.  Unfortunately that was a bit too late for us as we had places to go.

We wandered through the city centre, then visited Cardiff Castle where they had set up a band and other entertainments in anticipation of the crowds expected to come to see the cycle race.

A coffee shop for Game of Thrones followers (note blackboard).
The two-storey carousel!  Sue did not want a ride.
This zebra was very pleased to see us!

Cardiff Castle is in the middle of the city, and was the site of a Roman fort, and an 11th century Norman castle, and then various later developments and enhancements right up to Victorian times.  It is an outer wall surrounding an open grassed interior, in the middle of which is a smaller “keep” on top of a mound (“motte”) surrounded by a moat.  With the walls and towers are elaborately decorated rooms and apartments, and the exterior of the clock tower has brightly coloured figures and other decorations, added in the 18th century.

Entering Cardiff Castle
A 1928 Rolls Royce, on display inside the castle.
A friendly robin.

The clock tower, with statues of Venus and Mercury.
The central keep in the grounds, within the outer castle walls.

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Bath

Here we are again in England, this time getting around the south and in particular the southwest of the country.  After one night’s sleep near Heathrow Airport we have come to Bath, where we have an Airbnb for a few days.  Bath is a compact town on the river Avon, or a least one of the several rivers Avon, famous for having the only geothermal springs in Britain.  This has drawn visitors to the town since at least two thousand years ago when the Romans developed public baths here, so Bath also retains many signs of the Roman occupation.

After the Romans left Britain in about 400 AD their public baths fell into disuse and ruin, and were eventually buried and built over for hundreds of years, until they were rediscovered, excavated, and enclosed in the 18th century buildings still here today.  The baths are now a museum and tourist attraction, but are no longer considered safe for swimming.  There are newer spa facilities nearby using clean water from the same underground sources.  We may investigate these more closely!

The main bath at the Roman Baths.
Part of a hoard of Roman coins found here.
The hottest pool, where over one million litres of water per day rises from below at 46 C.
This statue of Minerva was in the adjacent Roman temple.
Looking up at Bath Abbey from the Roman Baths.

Bath is also the home of Pulteney Bridge (1774), one of a handful of bridges in the world lined with shops on both sides.  When crossing the bridge you cannot see the river, so it’s just like walking down any other street.

Pulteney Bridge, Bath.  Complete in 1774.

Just below the bridge is this elegant weir (below) built much more recently in about 1970 as part of works to reduce flooding in Bath.  Flooding is still a bit of a problem, and there was a particularly big flood in 1968.

This weir was used as the scene of a drowning in the film “Les Miserables”, where it was made out to be in the river Seine in Paris!

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The Sunshine Coast

We had a few days in Brisbane, with Stephen and Jayne Gale, while Sue and Stephen attended the 2017 Australian Regulatory Conference, and Jayne and I drank lots of coffee and designed her new computer game.  We had an expansive view from the sixteenth floor down onto the city centre, including the old General Post Building on Post Office Square, surrounded by towering office blocks.

Post Office Square in Brisbane
Dawn over Brisbane 

After the conference we had a day wandering around together, including a visit to the GOMA (Gallery of Modern Art) which was hosting a popular Marvel superheroes exhibition.  It was very reminiscent of Weta Workshops stuff, with lots of meticulously made costumes and weapons.  We returned home via a ride on the river ferry downstream to the Riverside pier.  Stephen introduced us to the delights of shopping at Uniqlo, a clothing store.

Lunching at GOMA

Passing under the Goodwill Bridge on the river ferry.

On our last morning in Brisbane we picked up our rental car, and took the opportunity for a group outing up to Mount Coot-tha overlooking the city, then to the nearby Botanic Gardens.

From the top of Mount Coot-tha.
Dragons fighting on the path while tourists stepped over them.
The Japanese garden.

We said goodbye to Stephen and Jayne and drove north to Caloundra, on the Sunshine Coast, looking forward to some quiet “down time”.  That’s a drive of just over one hour, and is the closest part of the Sunshine Coast to Brisbane.  It’s an uninteresting drive up the motorway, although you do pass the weird Glass House Mountains, which are the remnants of volcanoes active about 25 million years ago.  They provided an interesting skyline from the balcony of our accommodation.

The Glass House Mountains, looking west from Caloundra.
Tandem skydivers landing on Kings beach at Caloundra.
Grooming the beach early in the morning.
It is a nice walk along the coast to Kings Beach and back.
Our room looked over the little Bulcock beach
There are quite a few pelicans around the harbour.

We liked Caloundra, because it is a nice little town with everything in easy walking distance, and with people always out and about but not too busy.  The climate was great in August, with sunshine every day, cool mornings and warm evenings.  Might go back there sometime!

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Last Day in Alice Springs

This morning we drove up the small Anzac Hill which overlooks Alice Springs, to get a panoramic view of the town.  It is more substantial than I expected – population about 30,000, and fairly well served with shops and businesses.  There is a huge modern building in the middle labelled “The Supreme Court of the Northern Territories”, which I would have expected to find in Darwin rather than here.

Looking down on Alice Springs, with “The Gap” in the MacDonnell ranges visible behind.

The story of Alice Springs started with the telegraph station, established here in 1871 as one stage of the telegraph line across Australia from Adelaide to Darwin in the north.  This was the first link, established not long after the the first ever successful crossing of Australia from south to north by a European, by John Stuart in 1862.  The telegraph linked Adelaide all the way back to England, crossing under the oceans and across Asia and Europe, and was a major leap forward in communications at that time.  Telegraph stations were required every 200 miles or so to re-transmit the weak signal received over the wire from the previous station, and the Alice Springs station was the starting point of this town.

The restored 1871 telegraph station, on the north side of Alice Springs.

The telegraph office.
Canoodling local pointy-headed pigeons.
Mother and daughter on the telegraph station lawn.

We finished our Alice Springs visit with a drive out to Simpson’s Gap.  These “gaps” are a local feature, being naturally occurring gaps in the long MacDonnell ranges which cross the land here.  Roads and rivers flow through these gaps rather than climbing over the range.  Simpson’s Gap has a river flowing through it in the wet season, but at the moment the river is dry and there is a stagnant pool in the gap itself.

Sue on the track to the gap.
Simpson’s Gap
A local Black Footed Rock Wallaby, which I was able to get very close to!
The dry river bed.  There are many dry rivers in central Australia.

The rock wallabies are very cute.  They live amongst the tumbled piles of rock which line the gorge leading into Simpson’s Gap, and run about on the rocks with great agility.

We sat in the sun and ate our peanut butter sandwiches, and the ranger came over and talked to us about the wallabies and the birds.  He was about to go and help with a “burn”, the burning-off of dry grass and vegetation to reduce the chances of major fires later on.  Everywhere you go here you see large burnt areas and blackened trees.  The native trees have adapted in many ways to survive fires; either by having thick bark (cork trees) or being able to regenerate from their roots if they are burnt to the ground.  Fire has been part of the natural cycle here for thousands of years.

It’s been a great trip and we’ve learned a lot about this part of Australia.  We are back on the plane tomorrow afternoon, from Alice to Sydney and then on to Wellington, arriving late at night.  See ya later!

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Uluru

Yesterday we went on a day trip to Uluru, or Ayers Rock.  This is Australia, so this day trip took us 1,100 kilometres and took from 6 in the morning until 11 pm.  This was roughly the same as driving from Wellington to Rotorua and back in a day, to see the geysers.  Increasingly (more sensible) people now fly to the airport near to Uluru, and perhaps stay in one of the hotels nearby.  There is a reasonable settlement at Yulara just a short distance from the rock.

We were picked up outside our apartments just after six am, when it was dark and about 3 degrees.  The bus was nice and warm and we got seats at the front with a good forward view.  Our guide was Luke, joined by Steve to share the driving.  The bus included a toilet and a bunk up the back where the spare driver could nap between shifts.

Speeding south down the Stuart highway early in the morning.

After a couple of hours we stopped at the Erldunda roadhouse for breakfast.  On these remote roads the roadhouses are the oasis (plural?) supplying petrol, food, groceries, and restaurant and bar facilities.  Many of the huge farm stations have set up a roadhouse where their land meets the road as a supplemental source of income.  This place had emus too…
 

A handsome emu who looked quite interested in pecking my camera.

 At Erldunda we turned west towards Perth for the next leg.  Later we stopped to view Mount Connor (below) as well as the extensive salt lakes to the north.  Mt Connor is also dubbed “fooleroo” because of the number of people who think they are looking at Uluru.  There are tales of those who stopped here, took the picture, then turned around and drove home thinking they had been to Uluru.

Red sand dunes, and Mt Connor (Fooleroo) in the distance
Entering the national park which surrounds Uluru.

By late morning we could see Uluru, but our trip took us first to the Olgas (Kata Tjuta), which are slightly further on.  The Olgas are the lesser-known cousins of Uluru, and are also quite spectacular.  Whereas Uluru is a single massive rock, the Olgas are a cluster of 36 pieces which have worn into separate domes.  The highest rises 564 metres above the plain, or about 200 metres higher than Uluru.  The rock was laid down about 600 million years ago, and later thrust up by tectonic plate movements, so it is very old even in geological terms.

Some of the Olgas.  There are 36 domes altogether.
Setting out on our walk, which took us up the narrow valley between the domes in the background.

We did a half-hour walk up the Walpa valley between two massive domes, rising almost vertically for over 300 metres on each side of us.

After the Olgas, we returned to our bus and drove to Uluru.  It is a very impressive sight, apparently the second largest known rock / monolith in the world.  Most of it is hidden underground, like an iceberg, and the exposed part has been weathered into this shape over about 300 million years.

Uluru – or at least part of it.  It is quite green around the base at this time of year.
Sue was there too!

Our guide Luke gave us an in-depth talk about climbing the rock, by which I mean he told us not to.  There is a path up to the top, but the local tribes do not want people to climb it, so although it is allowed they do everything they can to discourage it.  It is expected that at some time in the future the climb will be closed off to tourists who will be instead invited to explore around the base as we did today.

Luke, our hipstery guide talking about not climbing the rock.
Walking along the western base of Uluru.
The rock is sculpted into complex shapes.
The surface rusts to orangey-red because of the iron content.
“The breaker”.  Fantastic cave shapes are sculpted out of the rock by rain and wind.
Inside another curved cave.  The fresh rock faces are grey rather than red.
Luke showing us signs of early habitation.

We walked along the foot of Uluru with Luke talking us through the stories of the rock, the plants, the wildlife, etc.  The finale of our trip was a champagne barbeque beside the bus at a popular vantage point from which we could watch the sun set on Uluru.  A few other people had the same idea…

Steve and Luke provided the bbq spread including kangaroo steaks and champagne.
Some other people came to watch the sunset too.  This happens every day.
Sue and I and the rock.

The rock did indeed appear to glow as the sun sank behind us.  It set at 6:04 pm, and at 6:05 pm we were all aboard and the bus was on its way, with about 500 km between us and home.  We dozed on the way home as far as possible.   The drivers had to remain very alert because of the numbers of cows, wallabies and kangaroos which wander along the edges or onto the actual road in the dark.  We passed a couple of badly bent cars on the side of the road which had had unfortunate collisions.  Unfortunately we did reduce the kangaroo population by one that night.

Later we passed a man standing in the middle of the road in the dark, with a car on the edge and a small fire burning in the grass.  To my surprise Luke stopped the bus and ran back down the road carrying the bag of leftover sausages from our barbeque!  When he returned he reported the man had run out of petrol, and greatly appreciated the sausages.

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Around Darwin

After we returned to Darwin from Kakadu we moved to the Palms City Resort, which is right in the city but looks as though it on some Pacific island, with little bungalows squeezed in amongst palm trees, and a nice little pool in the middle.

The Palms City swimming pool, and Sue.
Sue whips up some bbq sausages for dinner on our deck.

We had our own little deck where we could eat or sit and read.  It was very nice.

On our last day we took advantage of having a car to drive out to East Point to visit the popular military museum there.  On the way we stumbled upon a great coffee place on the beach, the Salty Plum cafe.  We could have stayed there for hours…

The Salty Plum cafe – bean chairs under the palm trees, and the Timor Sea.

The military museum has a modern pavilion and multimedia displays, and a garden area displaying a large number of WW II military vehicles and equipment.  We watched a dramatic cinematic display of the bombing of Darwin by the Japanese in 1942.  They sent hundreds of warplanes over Darwin and destroyed a lot of the city and port infrastructure, surprising the world.  This was just two months after they had attacked Pearl Harbour in Hawaii, and the attack was led by the same commander.

Inside the military museum, a.k.a. the “Defence of Darwin Experience”.

The biggest gun.  Never really used!

A searchlight which could spot planes 30 miles away.

On Saturday we left Darwin and flew to Alice Springs, the flight taking just over two hours.  We arrived just after 9 am, and were meet with brilliant sunshine and a brisk temperature somewhere about 5 degrees.  A shocking change from Darwin – we had not expected that Alice would be cold!  I had to pull out my fleece top for the first time.

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Litchfield National Park

Today we completed our tour of the north with a visit to Litchfield National Park, the smaller cousin to Kakadu.  It is about 150 km from Darwin so can be visited as a reasonable day trip.  Our first stop was the “magnetic” termite hills, so-named because the termites here build their hills as flat slabs which are aligned north-south.  This is believed to result in comfortable temperatures inside the hill as the sun crosses the sky.  Scientists have conducted tests and found that they do indeed use the magnetic field of the earth to determine north.

The area looks a bit like a large cemetery.  All the hills are aligned to north.
A specific family of termites builds this shape of termite hill.

Our first stop was at Florence Falls where we hoped for a swim.  We had read that some areas are still closed to swimming, but this one had opened.  We took the steep way down from the car park to the pool via the steps, and later returned via the more gradual Shady Creek walking track.

The steps down to Florence Falls
Florence Falls and pool, where there was quite a crowd of swimmers.

 We both took the plunge here, and the water was very nice.  When I tried swimming over to the foot of the falls I found it was quite hard work against the current.  The pool was full of fish, which didn’t seem too disturbed by the swimmers.  They appeared to be “sooty grunters” as far as we could tell.

The stream which flows out of the Florence Falls pool.

On the same road we visited the Buley Rockholes, where we ate our peanut butter sandwiches beside the stream.  The stream descends through a series of various sized pools, each forming a nice swimming hole.

Buley Rockholes – our lunch spot.
Buley Rockholes were quite popular.

One of the main stops in Litchfield park is Wangi Falls, but the pool there has has not opened yet following the end of the “wet” because they have not cleared it of crocodiles.  It is a large deep pool fed by a couple of waterfalls.  Wangi Falls is also the site of the only coffee we found for some distance.

Some geezers at Wangi Falls.

Crocodile trap at Wangi Falls.

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Darwin Waterfront

Darwin has constructed an extensive waterfront area, with a lagoon and beach, an artificial wave beach, and many apartment blocks, shops and restaurants.  There is a large grassed area by the beach popular with families and sunbathers.  The little beach fronts onto the man-made lagoon which is separated and raised from the ocean but connected by pumps with filters to keep the sharks, crocodiles and stinging jellyfish out.  Some little jellyfish do get in, so they also maintain a population of big fish to eat them and keep them under control.

Sue heading down to the beach.

There is a second “beach” near this one which is supplied with waves by some hidden machine.  You have to pay to get into that area, but it was filled with people when we saw it.

The artificial wave lagoon.

 

Frolicking in the waves
An ibis
Looking down on the lawn and beach, with the harbour beyond.

It is a very nice area to sit and eat your lunch, or your fish and chips in the evening.  There is also a large convention centre, and a long pier with restaurants out on the end.  A small driverless bus is operating to take people out along the pier and back.

The driverless bus undergoing trials along the waterfront.

In evening it was still calm and warm, so very pleasant sitting by the beach.

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Nourlangie Rock Art

On our drive back from Cooinda to Darwin we detoured onto the Nourlangie road in the hope of seeing some the aboriginal rock art this area is famous for.  We were not disappointed, with the escarpment towering overhead and the walking track winding between huge slabs of stone standing at various angles which provided shelter for the aborigines who lived here.  Their drawings decorate the rock walls which they sheltered beside or under.

Instructions for various dance moves.

It was very hot when we parked the car and set out up the track, but as we got up into the stone landscape where the indigenous people lived it was noticeably cooler.  The huge stones provide shade and shelter, and gentle breezes are created around them making for a much more comfortable environment.

The Kakadu escarpment above us.

The escarpment towering overhead resembled a monkey’s head.

A small skink on the hot rocks.

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Yellow Water

We rose before dawn in Cooinda, Kakadu to start our Yellow Water Cruise this morning.  A couple of hundred people had booked the same cruise so it was rather different to our two-person tour yesterday.

We were bussed a few hundred metres to the jetty for the cruise boats.
Setting out, about four boats carrying 50 people each.

The Yellow Water is a billabong adjoining the South Alligator River, which means it is a sidewater rather than part of the main river.  The South Alligator river is 160 km long and lies completely within Kakadu.  It was given its name by the original surveyor who had experience of alligators in America and did not realise that this river is full of crocodiles, not alligators.  Once it was mis-named the name stuck.

It was a beautiful morning, warm and clear like just about every morning so far.  Insect repellent kept the mozzies at bay, so they did not trouble us.  The water was flat and calm and there was no wind, so it was very pleasant being out in the boat in the early morning.

Pre-dawn over the Yellow Water.
A sea-eagle in the tree on the right, watching the sun rise.

Our guide explained the remarkable annual cycle of this area.  During the wet season the whole area floods, over thousands of square kilometers, and the waterfalls off the escarpment turn into huge torrents as the plateau drains onto the lowlands.  The huge areas of Buffalo Grass we saw around us actually float on top of the water, so they rise and fall with the floods which means the whole area looks very similar through all seasons, except that in the wet the trees look shorter!  However many roads and tracks become impassable for that part of the year.  It must take a staggering amount of water to flood such a large area, sometimes to three meters above this level.

Our guide told us a lot about the flora and fauna as we cruised up the Yellow Water, and out into the South Alligator River.  Everyone wants to see crocodiles, so he was very pleased when a large fellow (below) came cruising down the river.  This would be the dominant male crocodile for this stretch of water, and at about 4.5 metres long he is the largest in the area.  Our guide quietly motored backwards to keep us close to the croc, who did not seem perturbed by our presence.  The guide said that crocodiles were almost wiped out before they became protected in 1971, so it will be a few more decades before there are any super-large (seven metre) crocodiles to be seen.

Our big male crocodile eyeing us from close to the boat.
We were warned to keep ourselves inside the boat, to stay out of reach of jumping crocodiles.
A sea eagle landing on her favourite branch.
Lotus lily leaves growing in the buffalo grass turn to follow the sun.
Possibly a magpie goose…
A crocodile lurks patiently (centre) while the birds wander nearer.

The photo above shows little Jacana birds which everyone enjoyed watching.  The shape in the water behind them is a female crocodile sitting motionless, waiting for something edible to come near.  These birds seem to run around on the surface of the water, earning the nickname “Jesus birds”, while actually walking on floating weeds and lilies.  Those above are large chicks but we also saw very small ones running around under the watchful eye of their father.  If any threat is detected he quickly calls them together, tucks two under each wing, picks them up and runs off with them with legs dangling!

We found the cruise very interesting and enjoyable, and saw a lot more wildlife than during our travels further south the day before.  To top it off breakfast at Cooinda Lodge was included, so we left very happy with our morning outing.

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Kakadu Adventure

Our Kia long-distance touring SUV

Yesterday we drove from Darwin to Jabiru in the Kakadu National Park, a distance of about 250 km mostly eastward across flat open country, on a good two lane highway.  Kakadu covers 20,000 square kilometers so is a huge area.  The view from the road is mainly of fairly open land populated with long grass, gum trees and termite mounds.  It is frequently blackened by fires, most of which are deliberately lit early in the dry season to prevent huge natural fires taking hold and doing more damage.  This area has one of the highest rates of lightning strikes in the world, so fires are not uncommon.  The aboriginal people have been burning the land like this for thousands of years.

Gum trees, and termite hills three or four metres high.
Smoke from fires smouldering along the side of the road.

The roads was generally straight and flat, and there was hardly any traffic, so with no radio station or cell phone coverage for long distances we found ourselves napping (“resting our eyes”) when not doing the driving.  We saw our first “road train” during this drive; a truck with four trailers which provides a bit of challenge if you want to overtake!

A four-trailer road train thundering by
Most of the road trains we saw had four trailers.


There are long stretches of nothing out here, as we found when we started hankering for our next coffee.  It is just the start of the tourist season, so the information centre by the Kakadu sign (below) was not open.  We realised it is still quiet at this time of year, as for example when we met our guide for our “Spirit of Kakadu Adventure” day tour we were the only two there.

Welcome to Kakadu!
The Crocodile Mercure Hotel, Jabiru, Kakadu.

Kakadu undergoes a drastic change from the wet season to the dry.  In the wet season huge areas are flooded and many roads are closed.  Now most are open, but a few are still out of bounds, so our guide Harim drove us fairly large distances to show us the sights, because some of the more convenient areas are still closed.  The outstanding geological feature of this area is the 300 metre high escarpment which separates the lowlands from the higher plateau, and runs for about 500 kilometres roughly north / south.  Millions of years ago it was a cliff at the edge of the ocean.  Many of the tourism sites are points along the escarpment where waterfalls flow over the edge and into gorges and pools below.

Harim took us first to Maguk or “Barramundi Gorge Falls”.  This included a pleasant walk up the creek to the head of the valley where a waterfall drops into a large pool.

If you are eaten, you can’t say they didn’t warn you.  These signs are everywhere.
We had to wade through this bit.
Sandy stretches, eroded from the sandstone cliffs.
At Maguk we had a swim in the pool.  Very nice, but I couldn’t quite forget about the crocodiles…

After Maguk we drove further south to reach Gunlom, which has an even larger pool and a much higher waterfall.  Here there is a camping ground and extensive picnic areas, and there were many more people out for the day.  The 300 metre cliffs are awe inspiring.

Gunlom
Gunlom again, with Sue in the distance.

Here we climbed the steep track to the top of the escarpment, and were rewarded by a coolish breeze and a view out across the land.

It doesn’t look very far up…?
The view from the top of the escarpment.  Kakadu as far as the eye can see..
The pools above the waterfall at Gunlom.

Harim stopped to show us a termite hill up close, beside the road.  We passed thousands of these, so there must be billions of termites out there.  I learned that termites are NOT ants, not even like ants – more like a cousin of the cockroach.  You never see them because they cannot stand the heat of the sun so do most of their foraging at night.  They eat grass and leaves and wood, a bit like the role filled by large animals in other ecosystems.

Termite hill.

I worked out that Harim drove us about 270 km today, so there was a lot of driving per place visited.  It’s an important thing to remember if you travelling in Australia.

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Darwin

We have come to Darwin, to experience the heat and sights of the Northern Territories of Australia.  Darwin is the capital of NT and with 140,000 people is a reasonably substantial city.  It’s 12 degrees south of the equator so has a tropical climate with a hot wet “summer” with monsoon rains and a cooler dry winter.  We have arrived at the start of the “cool” season but their idea of cool means 22 C at night and 32 C during the day, so it feels pretty hot to us.  We are two and a half hours behind New Zealand time here.

It is quite a long trip to get here – over 3 hours from Wellington to Sydney, then another 4 hours 20 from Sydney to Darwin.  In all more than 13 hours from home in Wellington to our hotel in Darwin. We arrived about one in the morning, but despite the hour the airport was full of people coming and going.  It was much bigger and busier than I expected.

Sue’s conference kept her busy on Thursday and Friday, then we picked up our rental car and looked around the town a bit.  Darwin seems to be an important defence area, with quite a large base on the north shore of the city and various navy ships moored.  A group of young soldiers travelled on our flight from Sydney, and later on the road we saw a long convoy of army vehicles.

A bronze croc down at the marina
The shore looking out at the Timor Sea

There is a well-developed waterfront area with bars and restaurants around a marina, and also large houses around the edges with their own jetties and boats parked.  At the NT Museum and Gallery we learned more about the myriad creatures which might bite, sting, poison or eat you around here, and also saw photos of the near-destruction of Darwin by Cyclone Tracey in 1974.  Most of the population had to evacuate the city, and many did not come back.  All houses are now required to include a concrete shelter to protect inhabitants from future cyclones.

The box jellyfish (fatal) and salt-water (estuarine) crocodiles and other various unfriendly creatures mean swimming at the beach is not really a big thing here.  Best to try the hotel swimming pool instead.

It is very hot out in the streets, so we have not stayed outside too long as yet.  No doubt we will last longer as we get used to the heat.

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Milford – The End

Our last night on the trip was in Milford, where Ultimate Hikes has taken over the old THC hotel.  We were shown to our allocated rooms, and reunited with our “orange bags”, which we eagerly opened to see what clean clothes we had sent to our future selves when we packed that bag several days ago.  It turned out that my past self wasn’t very imaginative, so I’m going to have to wear these pants for another day.

The hotel is comfortable, with a view directly down the sound to world-famous Mitre Peak.  Our last adventure on the trip is a cruise down Milford Sound to the open ocean on a big tourist boat.

The lounge in the Milford Lodge – very comfortable.
A small cruise ship passing us.
Some of our Japanese ladies enjoying the wind on the cruise!
Karen and Neil, from Auckland.  Just five of the fifty in our trip were New Zealanders.

There were fifty people on our trip, five of them kiwis.  About fifteen were japanese, mainly quite small women who seemed to have no trouble with the terrain and were obviously enjoying themselves.  We talked a lot to Tom (a journalist) and his wife Carol from Montana.  Bob (MBE, from Bristol, UK) was here in NZ to walk all the Great Walks in the South Island (except for Stewart Island)!  He didn’t say much, but is ex-British Army and has spent years in places like Afghanistan, the Balkans, and East Timor.  There was an australian couple, Graeme and Lynne, with their grandson Toby who was the youngest on the trip.  Most of the people we spoke to seemed to have travelled and hiked everywhere – at least one including Antartica.

The full team photo.
Bowen Falls in Milford Sound (162 metres)
Our boat was the one on the right – Milford Monarch
Boarding the bus in Milford, for the trip back to Queenstown.
Our head guide, Kelly.
Mitre Peak, with the sun out.

 We really enjoyed our trip with Ultimate Hikes.  Our four guides were very good, complete with a dry kiwi sense of humour, and they seemed to really enjoy their job.  The lodges were warm, well maintained, and comfortable, and the food was plentiful and good.  There is wine and beer if you want to buy it.  There are permanent staff at each lodge (“lodgies”) who welcome you and show you your room, and run the kitchen, etc.  The guides don’t get much rest – they double as kitchen staff and waiters!  Each night they run a presentation where they show you pictures and information about the next day’s walk, and answer any questions.

A great trip!

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Milford Track Day 4

This is the last day of real walking on the Milford Track, as when we reach Sandfly Point at the other end a boat takes us across Milford Sound to our (luxurious) accommodation.  Tomorrow we relax with a short cruise up and down the sound, before boarding the bus for the trip back to Queenstown.

A new boardwalk saves wet-weather walkers from having to wade across this stretch.

 We were very lucky with our weather.  We crossed hundreds of little streams and dry stream beds which would have been much deeper after rain.  In very wet conditions you have to a lot more wading, and at times the track can become impassable.  In 2011 for example, they helicoptered about 170 walkers over part of the track.  On our trip one woman hurt her knee, so was helicoptered over the last section to Milford.

The “Boat House” is the oldest still-standing hut on the track.  Stopped for a cuppa.
25 miles (40 km) down.  Only 8.5 miles (13.7 km) to go!
Half the track fallen into the river.  It must require constant maintenance!
This part of the track was hacked out of the rock.
Thirty miles. I think we’re going to make it!
This weka kept a close lookout for crumbs as we ate our lunch.
Sandfly Point. Finally! This is the photo everyone walks the Milford Track for.
Our ferry across to Milford village.  They had a larger one, but it sank.
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Milford Track – Sutherland Falls

After staggering into Quintin Lodge following the descent from MacKinnon Pass, we had the option of taking an additional 5 km walk to Sutherland Falls and back before dinner.  We had every excuse for skipping this pleasure given the wrecked state of our legs, but naturally we went anyway.  At least we did not have to carry our packs.

It seemed like a long 2.5 km, but it was well worth the visit.  The falls are 580 metres high, which for Wellingtonians is three times the height of Mount Victoria.  So quite high.  The noise is similar to the sound of a jet airliner taking off, and as you approach the base you run into a blast of spray and wind like being caught in a storm.  Without good wet weather gear you will get drenched.

The water falls in three leaps, for a total of 580 metres.
Sue (and my camera) in the blast at the falls.
A photo doesn’t really do it – you have to go and see it yourself.

We learned from the guides that all the rivers here are safe to drink from, as there are no animals to foul the water.  There is also little soil and no clay to muddy the waters, so it all runs crystal clear.  We tested this theory by drinking from the river running away from the falls.  In the good old days of course we often drank from the rivers and streams when out tramping, but I thought that years ago they had all become contaminated.  This water tasted great!

Sue sampling the clear waters of Staircase Creek
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Milford Track Day 3

Wake up time is 6:15 am, with 45 minutes to get ready, make your lunch, and eat breakfast before setting off at 7:30 am.  This is hardest day, the day we climb over the MacKinnon Pass.  We felt very lucky that the forecast rain did not seem to have come, and we could see patches of clear sky.  It was a far cry from the heavy rain we had been expecting.

Lunch-making in full swing
Glimpses of peaks and blue sky
We were converted to using walking poles by this trip
Peaks 1,000 metres above

As we progressed and started to climb the sky cleared above us, and we could see the towering peaks around us.  The valley walls are so steep that the peaks seem to overhang the valley, giving a sense of vertigo when you look up.  The sheer rock rises 1,000 metres above you on each side.

Tree mosses
Part way up the zig-zag to the pass.  Sunshine!
Out of the trees
The memorial just before the pass.

We puffed on up the zig-zag path leading to the pass, with frequent stops to catch our breath and to admire the landscape.  Eventually came out on top, where (guide) Richie was waiting by the MacKinnon Memorial cairn with hot drinks or cordial to resuscitate us.  We were very pleased to have completed the hardest part of the track (…or had we?).

On the other (north) side there is a sheer drop for hundreds of metres – the guides said it is called the “12 second drop”, and recommended walking down the track instead!  Looking over the edge we could see our next hut (Quintin Lodge) far below, 900 metres down.  Many had said that going down the track from here is harder than the climb up, but that seemed hard to believe….

The next hut in the distance (bottom centre), 900 metres below us.
The highest point on MacKinnon Pass is 1,154 metres.
Scenic shot – mountains reflected in a tarn
Looking back down the way we had come, back towards Pompolona.
The shelter on the pass.
The “loo with a view”.
Everyone enjoyed lunch in the sunshine beside the shelter a short walk from the memorial.  The loo was also popular, with its spectacular views back the way we had come.  Then it was time to start down towards our next shelter for the night.
The first part of the descent.
Sue with Tom and Carol (Montana).  Lots of loose rock here.
Particularly steep parts have steps.
The walking poles really came into their own as we worked our way down, because the way is often over slippery rock or loose boulders, and the poles provide great support in those situations.  We were soon back into the bush, and carried on down beside “Roaring Burn” which plunges down a series of waterfalls and clefts.  I started expecting the Quintin Lodge to be around each turn, but instead the track kept on endlessly plunging steeply down hill.  My legs eventually reached a jelly-like state, and the poles became essential in avoiding a fall as I stumbled on.  Of course we did make it in the end, but it will be some time before my legs forgive me for that day.
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Milford Track Day 2

Day two was our first day of serious walking – about 16 km from Glade House to Pompolona Lodge.  The track is periodically marked by mile posts, as it has been since the old times, so we started thinking in miles too.  Sixteen km is ten miles.  Having not done any serious tramping for at least thirty years, this was to be a test of our aging legs and bodies, and of our shiny new boots and socks and other outdoor gear.

Crossing our first swing bridge – the first of many
The track is under constant attack from slips and erosion
A waterfall at Prairie Lake
Around noon, and the sun is out
Pausing beside the river.  The water is crystal clear, and safe to drink
The 6 mile marker, beside the Clinton River
A bush robin attacked my socks
A weka eyeing me suspiciously
Track markers used when this section is under water!
Pompolona!

The weather was much better than expected, with just light rain at times.  We could see the peaks towering overhead on both sides of the valley, and could even glimpse the high pass ahead which we will be climbing tomorrow.  Our expenditure on decent boots and high-tech “Smartwool” socks seemed to pay off, as we did not get blisters.  I had a sore back and feet, but overall we held up fairly well.  We were just satisfied not to be the slowest walkers!

Welcoming food and drink when we reached Pompolona.
Sue takes the load off her feet.
The hand-washing laundry facilities.

 Each hut has a powerful drying room where you can dry wet clothes and laundry.  It is a large room full of wooden racks blasted with hot air by an industrial-scale heating system.  The lodges use gas for cooking and fuel oil to power the generators.  The generators stop at 10 pm each night, which means the lights go out.  We were told to leave our lights turned on, so that when the generator starts up again at 6:15 am, the lights come on and wake everyone up!  In practice I don’t think I ever managed to stay awake until 10 pm.

Looking out from the lodge at the peaks over 1,000 metres above.
This is what keas do to your boots if you leave them outside!

The famous Newey sisters Jean and Margaret walked the Milford Track about 22 years ago, when they were in their sixties.  I searched the old visitors’ books still stacked in the lounge area, and found Jean’s entry:

Jean’s entry in the Pompolona visitors’ book, February 1994

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Milford Track Day 1

Queenstown

We flew to Christchurch then drove to Queenstown, stopping to visit Marilyn in Lincoln and then Marion in Timaru on the way.  We are staying in Queenstown for a few days before the walk to relax and acclimatise and build up our caffeine levels.  To cap off our intensive training program we climbed Queenstown Hill, which rises about 500 metres above the town.  That’s high enough to give us a taste of what it will be like getting over the MacKinnon Pass in a few days time.  It was quite a steep climb.

Looking back down to the town
View from the top of Queenstown Hill

Day One – to Glade House

The first day is easy – we had a nice bus trip down the east side of Lake Wakatipu and onward to Te Anau, where we stopped for lunch.  The bus then carries on up the side of Lake Te Anau to Te Anua Downs. There we transferred to the boat which took us up to Glade Wharf the northern tip of the lake, where reality set in as we stepped off into the rain and loaded our packs onto our backs.  It was mid afternoon.

Glade Wharf

From the wharf it is a flat 1.4 km walk to our first stop, Glade House beside the Clinton River.  Got our first taste of the accommodation there – a plain but clean and comfortable room with luxuries such as a radiator and a hot shower.  Even a little coffee machine in the dining room.  This is not tramping the way we used to do it!

Luxury tramping!
Covered walkways link the rooms
Supplies are helicoptered in

It was cloudy and wet, and the forecast was for a “weather bomb” which didn’t sound good.  Because of this we spent up on more rain-proof gear in Queenstown.  At night there was deafening thunder which shook the walls, and it rained heavily.  At least we had been able to glimpse the peaks around us, and as we were told several times “…the waterfalls will be great!”.

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Manuia Beach Resort (October 20 – 23)


Day 7 (cont): The final destination

The day began with a classic (slightly average, dry and undersized) breakfast at Sanctuary, then we hopped on the Clockwise bus to make our way to our last resort. I have circled in red where we stayed during our trip on the map below.

Note that the airport is at the north of the island. From our arrival here, we travelled clockwise around the island – firstly staying three nights at Muri Beach, secondly three nights at Sanctuary on Aroa beach, and now, we were heading to our last destination for the final three nights on the west coast.

A map showing Rarotonga. The centre of the island is mountainous so everyone lives in a ring on the flat land near the coast. The main township (Avarua) is along the north side. Muri Beach is the main tourist area, along the south coast are mostly private houses, and the west coast has a few resorts.

There were large variations between the different places we stayed. Muri Beach is the most popular tourist spot, which can be a good thing (lots of restaurants handy) but also a bad thing if you don’t want to be around a lot of people. The lagoon here is very shallow, which theoretically is good for swimming – however, the population of sea slugs was so out of control when we went that I didn’t even go in the water here! 

On the other hand, Aroa Beach, where we stayed at Sanctuary, turned out to be much more pleasant than I expected – this is a relatively deep part of the lagoon and the snorkelling straight off the beach was simply amazing. I think if I came back to Rarotonga and could only stay in one place, this is where I would return to.

By contrast, off the coast at Manuia turned out to be very shallow, muddy and rocky. We tried snorkelling but there were few fish and many slugs, and our stomachs were almost scraping the bottom, so it was a brief attempt! The beach was very nice for lying on, but if you want to do any swimming in Rarotonga, this is not the spot I would recommend.

We arrived a bit early at Manuia, so left our bags at reception and went to chill out on the beach. It was very pleasant. I was feeling a bit blue about missing out on the whalewatching, as everything else we had planned had been so fun. However, to my amazement, as we were lying on the beach looking at the sea, a whale popped up right in front of us and sprayed out of its blowhole!!

 

A whale popped up just past where the waves are breaking on the reef!

It was a really special moment, and from then onwards I was always scanning the sea to try and spot more whales – but it was a one off. However I feel very lucky to have seen a whale in spite of not being able to go on our whalewatching tour!

 Some poser on the beach.
Once check-in was open, we had a look at our room. Adam thought it wasn’t flash enough since this was meant to be our nicest place (it was a 4 star whereas the others were 3). However I thought it was nice enough – very spacious, with a modern bathroom and tropical outdoor shower.

 
The room, ensuite and attached outdoor shower.
 We had individual “garden villas”. The hotel was very nicely landscaped with lush planting and sandy paths.
A fateful meeting.

After setting up our room, we headed back to the beach to contemplate what to do for lunch. Adam patted this dog on the head at that moment, and from that point on, she was Adam’s best friend for the day. She followed us right down the beach to check out the nearby pier with us, stayed with us while we had lunch at a very nice and surprisingly well-priced cafe/restaurant by the beach, and followed us all the way back home.

Adam and his dog friend.

Dog friend has trouble distinguishing between friendly and stalkerish.

We thought we had finally lost the dog when she stopped at the beach outside our hotel, but she soon came sniffing her way back to our room and then waited outside in the bushes. By this point Adam was quite freaked out and hid away in our room until she left.

We chilled out in our new room for a while since it was so hot walking in the sun, then went for a dip in the infinity pool and spent sunset on the beach. The sun was setting about 6pm each day. True to our hopes of staying on the west coast, the sunsets were beautiful!

Adam being a showoff and me being sensible, as usual.

 
So beautiful!

We splashed out on a delicious dinner at the restaurant at our hotel. The food was amazing and it was such a nice tropical ambiance. The food was quite expensive but you don’t go to Rarotonga every day, right? (This is how we justified ourselves at the time)

So delicious. Adam had king prawns and I had a melt in the mouth lamb chop, then for dessert we shared this amazing apple tart.
On our way back we discovered a strange phenomenon… the hotel grounds were bustling with another kind of guest – there were hermit crabs everywhere! It was quite entertaining following their tracks to hunt them down but also slightly unnerving once we realised we were truly surrounded by them.

An important hermit crab meeting we stumbled across at the base of a tree.


Day 8: Doing absolutely nothing

Finally… what you’re meant to do on a holiday to a tropical island!



This day more than any other day is the one where we lay around, read books, drank cocktails, swam in the pool, had food brought to us on our loungers, and generally embraced the blobbiness of being on holiday in paradise. In fact this was the general idea of the last three days at Manuia – we had done our best to do interesting activities the other places we stayed, this was our chance to relax!

 Selfie opportunities abound, whether in beanbags by the pool, or on loungers on the beach.


Some shots of the beachfront with loungers, hammocks, pool and restaurant/bar.

Another gorgeous sunset!
We were lucky because the forecast from today onwards had consistently predicted a “tropical downpour” would arrive by the next morning – so we thought each sunny day and lovely sunset would be our last – but fortunately for us the storm never arrived!
The most adventurous thing we did this day was wander back along the beach to the yummy restaurant where we had lunch the previous day (sans dog friend this time). Yesterday Adam had glanced upwards and noticed a giant dead spider hanging above him by a thread, so there was a bit of nervous checking of our surroundings this time (there were many suspicious spiderwebs, but also several geckos roaming about which I assume kept the spider population under control).

Me with a giant plate of curry and rice, Adam furtively checking for wildlife overhead. 

We wandered back and hung out (no pun intended… yikes) on the hammock for a while, then decided we hadn’t been piggy enough already today, so visited the restaurant at our hotel for some yummy shared dessert.

The restaurant and pool at night. It was lovely to be able to sit outside at night and still feel very warm.


Day 9: Relaxed to the max
This day had very similar themes to the previous one – lying around and eating – with the addition of a 50 minute couples massage at the fancy Crown Beach Resort & Spa just up the road. It was an extremely relaxing start to the day and really made us feel like we hadn’t a care in the world!

Afterwards we headed to the restaurant at Crown Beach just to try something different. There weren’t too many options on this side of the island so it was nice to branch out.

 What you see on my plate are banana and chocolate crispy wontons… they were absolutely delicious!!

 Our table was beside this pretty pond.

 Oh dear.
During lunch I went to put my sunglasses on and the arm snapped straight off. It was turning into a bit of an unfortunate saga, as I had bought some new sunglasses the week before we left New Zealand (mostly in preparation for this trip), and proceeded to leave them at the bus station outside Muri Beachcomber when we moved across to Sanctuary. I then purchased this pair at Sanctuary… but they didn’t even last til the end of the trip!

 Adam squinting past through the glare after lending me his sunglasses.

The winner out of many “candid” beach shots Adam was forced to take on the walk home… and I’m still wearing his sunnies. Life is tough when you have a high maintenance girlfriend.
 We had our final dinner of the trip at the restaurant at our resort. Dinner consisted of a yummy shared entree, a delicious sushi and sashimi platter on my part, followed by that apple tart we ordered previously (Adam tried the meringue for dessert which was also very good). It was a lovely way to end our trip.

Day 10: Homeward bound
These little guys left these tracks absolutely everywhere all over the hotel grounds.
Finally, it was time to go. By the time we woke up on the 23rd, having arrived on the 14th, we felt like we were ready. Due to the magic of crossing the dateline, we left on Sunday 23rd at 2pm, and arrived on Monday 24th at 7pm – after a mere 4 hour flight!
Ten days really was the perfect length of stay – long enough that we felt refreshed and ready to face returning to our regular lives, but not so long that we became bored and started taking it for granted.
Rarotonga really was a lovely place to stay, I would highly recommend it. It was particularly fun going on the adventures with Adam, Emily and Seb. I am looking forward very much to the possibility of more trips overseas in the future… the only question is where to begin!
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Last Post from Kerala

(Kevin and Linda) This morning I went out to watch these fishermen pull their net in and had the good luck to see an operation that is still done the old way – 300 years my informant tells me. At  least that long  I suspect.

Last night they put out about a km of net off the beach and it  took fifty men to retrieve it manually.
When I got there they had each end of the net rope on the beach about 100 m apart and 25 men pulling on each end.  At first the weight of net meant everyone heaved and gained about a metre of rope each pull.  When  the net was maybe 50 m offshore four men swam out, one to the furthest point and the other three into the mouth of the net to splash and keep the fish in the net. Eventually about 100 kg  of sardines were landed, auctioned off on the beach and the proceeds noisily shared among the fishermen. Three partners own the rowboats used to set the net and the net.

Next we had our “complimentary” full body nude massage – eek! Came back completely relaxed and covered in oils .  Probably looked like seals.

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After Hours

(Kevin and Linda) You have probably detached yourselves from India but we are still living the dream.  Last night was a candle lit dinner  (prawns) overlooking the lake and tonight we are on the edge of the Arabian Sea.  This hotel is an excellent combination of ambience and location.  Sue needs to know that we have three pools to choose from!

Dining by the Arabian Sea

Unfortunately tomorrow is the last day before we head home so there is some serious suitcase balancing to be done.  Looking forward to coming home now.

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Lake Ashtamudi

(Kevin and Linda) Moved camp from the houseboat to Kollam.  The canoeist took us across Lake Ashtamudi to Monroe Island and through a labyrinth of canals. Some big houses funded by locals working in Arabia, but mainly modest people farming prawns and coconuts.

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Alleppy, Kerala

Home sweet home

(Kevin and Linda, December 2) This is us moored for the night somewhere near Alleppy.  It’s been a lovely relaxing day.  Lots of interest to see on the water and on the banks – women washing clothes and dishes, people washing themselves, small boats ferrying people back and forth and selling stuff.

The skipper is cooking prawns for tea.

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Kevin and Linda in Kerala

November 29:  Kerala is in the south of India, over 2,000 km from our tour of Rajasthan.  We flew down there from Udaipur the same day Sue and Brian left to return to NZ.

We landed in Cochin, which was an interesting combination of scenery and history, quite lush and laid back but a humid 33 C. We liked it. Now high in the Western Ghats (5,000 feet above sea level) with New Zeland-like temps and lovely accommodation set up among the treetops.

There’s a nationwide strike action against Mr Modi so no driver today but we have have been for a forest walk to look at cardamon and coffee plantings and had a massage, so all is not lost. Luckily the excellent restaurant is operating.

We are surrounded by 23,000 ha of tea plantations which are very scenic.

The scary guys in photos are Kathakali dancers getting their makeup, and the other two are of our current accommodation.

Kathakali dancers preparing

The Kathakali performance was very good; it was all in mime along with strangled singing from the narrator and horrible roars from the demon who was eventually dispatched by the village hero in the green makeup.

Fort Cochin had amazing Chinese cantilevered dip nets that I failed to get a decent picture of – also container ships going past about 20 metres from the beach. Both activities are possible due to the very sharp drop off.

Are expecting our driver to return to work in a couple of hours and hope the air is clear enough to get some good photos of the tea plantations when we leave for Thekkady.  Linda says she can hear a whistling thrush. They sound just like a person whistling cheerfully, quite uncanny.

Spotted walking in the woods!

Now in Kumily, near Thekkady.  The elephants were viewed from about 50 metres and we were in a boat on Lake Periyar.  Also saw sambar deer, wild dogs, wild boar, buffalo and quite a variety of different birds.  Like the tiger in Ranthambhore, all the big animals were very relaxed.  We were lucky to see so many animals but the lake level was low creating a grass margin as a good food supply right next to the boat.  Rode, fed and washed a tame elephant as well.

The Internet here is very good – about 140 mbs. Good hotels in nice leafy surrounds. Off house boating today after about four hours downhill travel.

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Udaipur

24 November:  Our last stop in India is at Udaipur, a city of about 700,000 people in the south of Rajasthan.  It is named after Maharana (king) Udai Singh who founded it in 1553 and moved his capital here.  He had previously been exiled at Kumbharghal, our previous stop in the Aravali mountains.  The mountainous surroundings helped to protect Udaipur from the muslim Moghuls who controlled much of India.

Our hotel, the Jagat Niwas Palace, is in the old city and right on the lake edge.  It is a beautiful little hotel, one of the nicest we have stayed in, so a great way to finish our tour.

We had to travel by tuk-tuk through the narrow streets to the hotel.
Our rooms had these comfy window seats, looking out on the water.
Our hotel was on the water’s edge.  Here seen from the tour boat.

The main nearby attraction was the City Palace, which today houses a museum and a hotel as well as the local royal family.  It is also on the edge of the lake and runs along it for about 2 kilometers, so is a very large building.

At the gates to the city palace
The life-size elephant statue at the gates.

Inside the walls are decorated with colourful frescoes.

The towering walls of the palace.
Horses and silver carriage once used by the Maharana.
Statue of warhorse disguised to look like an elephant (note the leather trunk!)

The picture above shows how the Maharana’s army attached leather “trunks” to their horses to confuse the Moghuls’ battle-elephants, who were supposed to think the horses might be baby elephants and therefore avoid attacking or hurting them!

The lake in front of our hotel, Lake Pichola, is one of seven man-made lakes created to provide water for Udaipur, by storing the water from the rainy season to give a year round supply.

Lake Pichola, with the Taj Palace (now a luxury hotel) in the foreground.
Tea and cookies in the hotel restaurant, looking out at Lake Pichola.

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Big Fat Indian Wedding Season

It is the wedding season in India, and hundreds of weddings are planned or are going on.  Nobody chooses to get married while “the gods are sleeping”, so most weddings are during this auspicious time of year.  Kuldeep told us that at least 70% of Indian weddings are still arranged marriages.  The traditional wedding follows an established path, and can last over many days.  We first encountered one when visiting Fatephur Sikri, where we investigated loud music and drums.  This was quite a small wedding by Indian standards, but everyone involved was dancing around the groom, who was on a small horse.  They were all having a great time!

Part of the band
The mobile loud (ear-splitting) music machine, adding to the sound of the live band above.

The groom arrives on a horse.  He must appear solemn at all times.
When we stayed at the Bal Samand Hotel in its huge grounds we learned that most of their income came from big weddings held there, rather than the hotel.  We are now at our last stop here in Udaipur, where there appears to be a steady succession of huge weddings going on.  Every day at the city palace huge wedding venue structures are being assembled or torn down, and on our boat outing on lake Pichola we visited the island of Jagmandir, where preparations for another grand wedding were underway.  The whole island is transformed into a large party venue, with everything outdoors because it never rains of course!
Elephants on the edge of the island, and wedding colours.
Beautiful fresh flowers everywhere

Assembling a golden tree.
Pavilions and a large stage with powerful sound systems beyond.
After sunset the whole island lit up, with searchlights and music we could hear from 1 km away.
Kuldeep explained that this was not a particularly large wedding, but probably cost in the order of one million dollars (NZ).  We were told several times that big weddings hire entertainers like Jennifer Lopez or Cirque du Soleil to perform for multi-million dollar fees.  The most extreme weddings cost hundreds of millions of dollars!
It seems a bit crazy to spend so much on weddings when there are so many other ways the money could be spent to improve life in India.  Indians do like to party, though.
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Fine weather and furballs

Every day of our trip has been fine and sunny with a very occasional breeze. The days start off cool (below 20°C), they are pleasant morning and afternoon (25°C), and sometimes a bit hot (30°C+) at mid day. 
The pollution had been the main factor that has varied. It was appalling in Delhi and Agra.  For example, in Agra, we got up early to see the sunrise at the Taj Mahal. Only after the sun had been up for a couple of hours did it start casting shadows.
The pollution remained bad in Bharatpur, Jaipur, Pushkar and beyond.  Only in the past week in the Arivali Hills and Udaipur has the sky been relatively clear.
For the first couple of weeks our hacking coughs made us sound like cats with furballs. We are fortunately recovering now the air is cleaner.
Sue
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Rum in the Dunes

Wed 16: Today we pressed further west, far from the crowds into the desert close to Pakistan.  There is a strong military presence here because of the ongoing tensions between the two countries.  India has the BSF (Border Security Force) whose personnel guard the full length of the border.  We saw several fighter jets cruise by overhead.

An Indian air force fighter patrolling near the border.
We saw a few groups waiting for the wind to lift their paragliders into the air.

We expected this remote area to be quite empty, but in fact found it is a popular tourist destination for Indians and there are a few big hotels and quite a number of tourist tent settlements out here.  Apparently Indians like to get away from it all too.

Comfortable tents for tourists

Our mission was to ride camels into the sandy desert to watch the sun go down.  As experienced camel riders this no longer presented a challenge to us.

Sue prepares to put her camel into first gear.
The trickiest moments are when your camel gets up and sits down.

Ready for action!

My camel boy instantly recognised my innate camel-riding talent and handed me the reins.  The told me my camel’s name was Michael Jackson, and we plodded off after the rest of the party.  Linda’s was called Bob Marley.

Heading into the dunes as the sun goes down.
Sue’s camel and camel “boy”.

We found a comfy looking dune and settled down to admire the sunset.  Kuldeep produced some rum and some coke which was shared around, and on cue four roving musicians wandered up and sat down to entertain us.

These roaming musicians were great.
Enjoying some drinks and camel music with Kuldeep.

John shows his cobra dance skills, to the great amusement of the locals.
Ms Begg lets her hair down after a bit of rum.

The sun went down and it was time to let the camels go home, so we mounted up one last time and set off back.  My camel man was in a hurry, or perhaps he decided I was getting too comfortable, because he started trotting and repeating “Michael Jackson” over and over, which had the effect of making my camel break into a bit of a gallop.  I worked out how to use my stirrups to avoid jarring my spine and arrived back at the van at speed but with my dignity intact.

(video to come…)

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West to Jaisalmer

Tues 15: The land steadily got drier and the vegetation hardier and more sparse as we drove west.  Further west before the Pakistan border it turns into sandy desert.  Jaisalmer is known as the Golden City because of the yellowish colour of the local stone.

Feeding the fish as part of his morning prayers.
Close up of the catfish.  Don’t look if this sort of thing gives you nightmares.
Fixing a small problem with the outer wall.  Lucky its not serious!

 As in many of these old cities there is a large fort above the town.  Jaisalmer is unusual in that the fort contains part of the town, including shops and houses.  They call it a “living fort”.

Sue and Kevin high on the fort, looking over Jaisalmer

One of the highlights of Jaisalmer are the old “havelis” (houses) built by wealthy merchants.  We visited a narrow street of them in the town where one man had built five in a row for his sons.  They are like small palaces, finely decorated and faced with detailed hand-carved stone facades.

Havelis in Jaisalmer 
Ceiling decoration in one of the havelis.
Incredibly detailed stonework balcony with screens
Helen poses for the cameras

Don’t litter! 
Close-up of haveli stonework

 We were shown into one haveli where our host tried to interest us in fabrics and antiques he has for sale.  The haveli are expensive to restore or maintain, and this is one way of financing that work.  There were all sorts of interesting things on offer, but we were not buying.

For sale in the haveli.

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Lakhs, crores and arabs

India uses it’s own numbering system as well as the familiar western system of thousands, millions, and billions.  They write the same number of ones and zeroes to represent say one million, but they put the commas in different places!

  • One thousand is the same for India and us, i.e. “1,000”.
  • The indian “lakh” is one hundred thousand, written “1,00,000”.
  • The indian “crore” is one hundred lakhs, written “1,00,00,000”.
  • The indian “arab” is one hundred crores, written “1,00,00,00,000”.
To convert these indian units back to a more familiar form you would just move the commas to the usual places, so a crore becomes ten million, and an arab one billion.
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Bikaner

Sunday 13: We are heading west, out towards Pakistan and into increasing arid lands.  Bikaner (b-kan-eer) was a stopover on the way to Jaisalmer, to break the long journey.  We stayed here just one night, in another palace partly converted to a hotel, and visited the local historic Junagarh Fort in the morning before setting out for Jaisalmer.

Meeting our local guide for the day

For most days we went sight-seeing we were joined by a “local guide” who was there to provide a more in-depth tour than Kuldeep might.  Kuldeep later explained that they were obliged to employ these guides even if they were not very good!  In practice we found most of them good, a few excellent, and one was essentially useless!

Inside the palace, surrounded by intricate hand-carved stonework.
This family seemed to be getting a blessing from the priest behind (pink shirt).
Fantastic fine hand-carved marble screens to shield the women from men’s eyes below.
Light chain curtain to let people through while keeping pigeons out.
One of the many treasures on display in the museum in the fort.
The cloud room, designed to evoke the rains during the hot season.

The cloud room (above) also contained a water feature on one wall which provided the sound of running water and also cooled the room.

Jewelled decoration in the maharajah’s audience room.
Detailed carved walnut door frame.
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Rubbish everywhere

Rubbish is stewn everywhere in Rajasthan: plastic bags and food packets lie on the streets, gutters and footpaths, and in the waterways and lakes.  Sometimes the rubbish is collected into piles, and sometimes it is burnt on the footpath. I have only seen one rubbish collector who was pushing a small hand cart and picking up individual pieces of rubbish with the help of a small shovel. He wasn’t having much of an inpact on the mess.
Most of the organic rubbish is eaten by the many cows, pigs, dogs and goats which are an intrinsic part of the streetscape, so for the most part, the rubbish doesn’t smell.
We saw one street in Pushkar that was immaculately kept, when we were travelling in a tuktuk on the way to the temple on the hill. On the next street there was a dead pig lying in the gutter.
Perhaps if Mr Modi solves the “black money” problem, there will be taxes to pay for rubbish collection. However, he will have to change the attitudes of the locals, who almost inevitably just drop unwanted items on the ground.

This seemed to be a playground – grassless and dusty.
Village cows fossicking for something edible amongst the plastic
Two of the few rubbish collectors I saw
Sadly a very common site in most towns and villages.
Sue
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Sanctuary Rarotonga (October 17 – 20)

Day 4 (cont): Arrival at Sanctuary

After the buggy tours, we jumped on the bus (still all muddy) to travel around the island to the southwest corner, to our next place – Sanctuary Rarotonga on the Beach, which is the kid-free add-on to the larger resort, the Rarotongan. We were all pretty exhausted from a day out in the sun and mud, so first things first, we went to check out our rooms and have a nap. The rooms were very nice and had that classic tropical resort feeling.

Our room with shutters opening into the bathroom.


Views to the beach from the balcony. 

The logical thing to do for dinner was head down the road to Coco-putt, which offered a great dinner + golf deal – a burger plus a round of 18-hole minigolf. After what felt like a surprisingly long walk along the very poorly lit street, we finally made it to Coco-putt and enjoyed a round of minigolf. While the conditions were a little challenging at times (seeing where you were meant to be aiming, for example), it was a lot more enjoyable playing minigolf in the evening rather than out in the blazing sun!

Seb tackling his turn at golf, while Emily watches.


The entrance to the Rarotongan, complete with flaming torches.

Day 5: Te Vara Nui Cultural Tour + Show 

 
Emily sheltering from the sun.
  

The day started like any other – moving shortly after breakfast to the pool for lounging, reading, eating yum food, and sampling the various cocktails on offer. We also had a great time snorkelling straight off the beach. In the afternoon we were picked up and taken back around to Muri Beach, to Te Vara Nui cultural village. The four of us had signed up for the cultural tour plus over-water dancing show extravaganza!

The garden and lagoon setting was beautiful.

The tour consisted of moving through various huts/halls set up with displays of different aspects of Cook Island culture – weaving and clothing, fishing, and sailing – and hearing different people talk about the history and culture. We also visited a marae, which in the Cook Islands is not a building, but a designated sacred outdoor area, with rocks representing different families.
 
Display of the waka (or “vaka” in Cook Islands Maori) which set sail for NZ

Something that I thought was really interesting was that there are records of twenty vaka leaving the Cook Islands to migrate to ‘the new land’; and the names of seven of these match up with the seven most well-known waka of the ‘great fleet’ which arrived in New Zealand. Cook Island Maori language is certainly almost identical to New Zealand Maori – the greeting here is “Kia orana” rather than “Kia ora”, and “w”s are replaced with “v”s (for example “vaka” instead of “waka”, “vahine” instead of “wahine”), but many things seem recognisable.

The concept of Hawaiki, or the ancestral land of the Polynesian people, is also an interesting thing that was discussed. It seems that throughout Polynesia it appears in various forms – Hawaiki in Maori, Havaiki in Cook Island Maori and Tahitian, Savai’i in Samoa, and Hawai’i. NZ Maori are said to have sailed from Hawaiki, but our guide explained that this should be interpreted more as the origin of their ancestors, and those of the Polynesian peoples throughout the Pacific.


After the cultural tour, it was time for the buffet. Buffets are Adam’s favourite as he can eat as much as he wants! There was a delicious selection of food to try, including our favourite local food – ika mata! Ika mata is like the Pacific island version of sashimi – raw fish, but in a delicious mix of coconut cream and herby sauce. Afterwards we all felt slightly stuffed.

Finally, it was time for the show. It was amazing seeing the performance out over the pool of water. The dancing was beautiful and the drums sounded great – it was all very well put together with great lighting, music and even fire dancing! The story was about the origins of the Cook Islands, how two peoples became one (their ancestors arrived from Samoa and Tonga).


Day 6: Last day at Sanctuary!
This was a bit of a weird day, as we had scheduled a whalewatching tour – however, there was a criminal who had escaped from prison on the loose, and he had killed his ex-partner and her new partner, and there was a bit of a police chase going on – extremely unusual for such a peaceful little island! We were told to stay in the resort for our safety and so as not to get in the way of the police hunt. In any case it was a bit too windy for the whalewatching anyway, and it seemed like the weather was only going to get worse – so unfortunately we had to cancel. I was really looking forward to seeing those whales!

However the day ended up being very peaceful and relaxing for us, as we generally took it easy, and had another great snorkel. This part of the island was my absolute favourite for snorkelling – it was just amazing what you could see straight off the beach. I really felt like I was in an aquarium! We even saw a massive shoal of these little fish absolutely covering the sea floor feeding, it was amazing:

Again… photo from Google!
That evening we had our final dinner at the resort restaurant with Seb and Emily. They had arrived in Rarotonga two days or so before us, and so were heading back a bit earlier too.


The last sunset at The Rarotongan/Sanctuary.
At night we all had one last round of cocktails together. It was a bit sad after Emily and Seb left as we had had such a good time together. I’m really glad we coordinated this holiday together!
The reception/bar area – with swim-up bar seats!
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Amusing the locals

The locals seem to be highly amused at seeing us, particularly when we are crammed into a local vehicle like a tuktuk or a jeep. In the smaller villages we are a novelty. Kids with big smiles rush out of their houses to wave and say hello, goodbye, and then chase after our vehicle.

We stopped in one small town to join the queue for the ATM, to the amusement of the people in the very long queues. An official asked to take a photo of Linda and I while we were waiting, and in the men’s queue, the locals wanted to take selfies with Kevin, John and Brian.

In the countryside most children wave and smile, or call and run after you.

Children on our visit to a village farm.

This young man froze mid-step to make sure I got a good shot of him.
Reaction to me cruising past on my camel.
Everyone wanted to in this shot when Kevin raised his camera.

There is a notable difference in the tourist areas and cities, where a smiling child is usually accompanied by an outstretched hand wanting rupees.  Tiny children are dressed up and sent out to busk or just beg by their parents.

Sue
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Living Like Kings

Rajasthan is made up of a number of small kingdoms centred on the major towns. The maharajas no longer have political power but are widely respected. Because they no longer have the power to tax their citizens they have had to look for other income streams to fund their lifestyles. A number have converted their palaces into hotels, while reserving some space for their own use. We have stayed in three or four of these.  They are generally a bit worn or faded in places, but often have huge rooms and impressive architecture and grounds.

Our most recent stay was in Bal Samand Lake Palace in Jodhpur. Our rooms were in converted stables set in 300 acres of beautiful grounds with a large man-made lake, swimming pool, temple, step well, and aqueduct. 

The stables, converted to 25 rooms.
The Peacock Fountain – dry during this time of year.
They still keep a few horses, which are available for riding.
The dam and lake, which was a bit low.

The photos above all all from around the Bal Samand Hotel in Jodphur, which has 300 acres of grounds!  The 25-room hotel seems too small to support such extensive grounds, and when I asked the manager told me that it is popular for high profile weddings and parties, just a few of which generate enough income to make it profitable.

Our huge room in the Lallgarh Palace Hotel.

Tigers on the walls (Lallgarh Palace)
Dinner under the stars, with live music (Jaisalmer)
The swimming pool – we didn’t get to try this one (Jaisalmer).

Relaxing after dinner up on the roof.
The hotel is an oasis of green surrounded by dry stoney countryside (Pushkar).
The pool was coolish but very refreshing in the afternoon heat (Pushkar).

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Ships of the Desert

Saturday 12: Still in Pushkar, this evening we faced our fear of camels and set off to watch the sunset.  The camel has a saddle which can take two people, but we had a camel each.  There are basic rope stirrups for your feet, and (generally) the camel “boy” guides the camel.  You mount the camel while it is seated on the ground, then hang on tight to ensure you are not launched over its head as it lurches to its feet.  Once you’re up, it’s a great view!

Sue and John about to be launched on their camels.  My camel’s head on the right.

Sue relaxing on her camel
All under way, Kuldeep in the centre.

When we paused at a water trough we became a photographic attraction!
Our camels were dressed in their Sunday best.
Lot’s of smiles and waves from people as we passed.

Camels have big feet!
Some of our camels felt like a lie-down when we stopped.

John of Arabia in the Pushkar sunset.

Plodding home through the market traffic.

We rode to the nominated spot to watch the sun set, where most of us dismounted for a while, then rode back through the market to the place we started from.  Riding a camel was pretty easy and reasonably comfortable, once you got the hang of it.  You enjoy a high vantage point and you are out of reach of the annoying people trying to sell you stuff.  The camels are generally very calm and serene, except perhaps when another camel looks at them the wrong way.

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Pushkar Day Two

Another clear sunny day in Pushkar, and today we started with an ascent of the Ratnagiri Hill by ropeway (gondola).  At the top is a temple for the godess Savitri, wife of Shiva.  There is a great view over Pushkar from the top, showing how the town lies around the sacred lake which has great religious significance for Hindus.
Looking down on Pushkar from the summit of Ratnagiri Hill

Pushkar is important to Hindus as one of the places they should visit in their lifetimes, to visit the temple of Lord Brahma (one of few in India) and to bathe in the sacred waters of the lake.  The camel fair runs for several days, starting with the camel, horse and cattle trading and then moving on after about three days to the start of the religious side.

One of many old men on a spiritual journey in Pushkar
Indian police in Pushkar, male and female.
Looking across the lake.  It is surrounded by “ghat” or stepped bathing areas.
Monkeys watching the humans at the top of the ropeway.
In the market
Colourful quilts hanging overhead.  (And clear blue sky!)

Anyone like a sultana?  How about 1,000,000 sultanas?
Motorcycle ninja.  Youths ride back and forth through the market crowds, to annoy NZ tourists.
Vivid pigments for sale.
Still huge queues outside banks today.  We have almost no cash left!


The money crisis continues today.  Thousands queue at money machines and banks to change old notes for new, or to withdraw new cash.  The banks and machines run out of money.  Our guide Kuldeep assures us it will all sort itself out “soon”….

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The Pushkar Camel Fair

Friday 11: Today we drove from Jaipur to the little town of Pushkar, to visit the famous Camel Fair.  Most of the travel was on a well-maintained six lane highway, made extra smooth by the fact that all the toll booths were free today, because of India’s current drama around bank notes – no-one has the small notes to pay the tolls, and the toll booths have no small notes for giving change!  So the government decided to just wipe the tolls until things get sorted out.

Even though it was a wide motorway, we still had entertaining moments like buses coming towards us driving on the wrong side of the motorway, and a flock of sheep someone was trying to drive across the road!

At Pushkar we checked into another palatial hotel, with a swimming pool which we quickly took advantage of.

This camel took an interest in Sue

Women carrying sugar cane – crushed and sold at the fair as a drink. 

Many women wear colourful saris

A very small beast I saw in the sand,

All these men are trying to sell Linda (centre) something 

 The street hawkers here were among the most persistent we have encountered, which is saying something.  Politely telling them “no thanks” has absolutely no effect, or actually encourages them.  They will follow you down the street repeating their sales pitch no matter how many times you say “no”.  I try to act as though they are not there, and say nothing to acknowledge them, which generally works.  Today one obnoxious chap blocked my camera when I tried to take photos, and elbowed me in the ribs.

You can ride on a camel, or in the camel cart.

Daggers and cricket bats – something for everyone!

 Today we learned that the significance of the camels at the Pushkar Fair is declining as camels become less important economically.  The fair is also a big market for horses and cattle, and we saw many horses on display today.  However there were not as many camels as expected, also because the currency upheaval of the last few days has affected the whole business of buying and selling at the fair.

These white horses has light blue eyes!  They almost looked albino.
Horses were paraded up and down the road.
A camel, the fairground wheels, and the shrine on the mountain!  Pushkar in a nutshell.
In the evening the music gets louder and the fairground lights up spectacularly.

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Jaipur

Thursday 10:  Today we are in Jaipur, one of India’s largest cities and the seat of one of the remaining Maharajahs (kings).  This Maharajah is only 18 years old, and is the grandson of the previous one who never had a son of his own.  There are aboutt 11 significant Maharajahs left in India, mostly in Rajasthan, the “Land of Kings”.  They no longer have any political power, but are still widely respected.  These pictures include some of palaces which are owned by the Maharajah.

Cobra and snake charmer

Space in the Amber Fort for public audiences with the Maharajah

Elephants ferrying tourists up to the Amber Fort.

We rode up to the Amber Fort in a little jeep which was quite a squeeze.

The queen could watch public audiences from behind those screens.

Detail of the Mirror Palace

The Mirror Palace is covered in mirrored mosaic tiles (from Belgium!)

The geometric gardens in the Amber Fort

The Palace of the Winds in Jaipur

The “Palace of the Winds” is not really a palace – just a building in the middle of the city.  It is very high, but actually just a thin facade built to allow the ladies of the court to watch activities in the street from behind lattice screens.

The elephants returning home through town after work.

Amber Fort monkey

Kevin and Linda before the Mirror Palace

The Water Palace, in the middle of an artificial lake.

The largest sundial in the world, accurate to two seconds.

Sue and the Scorpio observatory (one of twelve zodiacal observatories)

The largest silver vessel in the world – about 345 kg.

This huge silver vessel is one of two made in 1896 for the Maharajah.  He filled them with water from the Ganges River and took them with him to England in 1902 when he attended the coronation of Edward VII.  They hold 4,000 litres each.

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Goodbye to the Black Money

Thursday 10: India awoke yesterday to the news that overnight prime minister Modi had declared all higher-value paper money notes to be no longer valid.  This is a bold strike at India’s huge “black money” economy, the huge volume of business which is conducted in cash and not declared as taxable income.  Millions of indians are believed to have huge sums of money in cash, on which they have never paid tax.  The government has allowed 50 days for people to take the old paper notes to banks and deposit them or change them for new notes.

This means that if you have millions of rupees under your bed, they will be completely worthless unless you take them to a bank and deposit them.  When you do the bank will ask for details of where the money came from, to determine if it is “white money” or “black money”.  If they conclude it is black you will pay large penalties (a shopkeeper told us this could be 45%) for unpaid taxes.  Millions of holders of black market cash face a grim choice.

As an example of the cash economy our bed and breakfast in Delhi only wanted payment in cash, so we paid him about 90,000 rupees in notes!

A third of the cash we used to pay the guesthouse bill

In the meantime many traders have suddenly stopped accepting the 500 and 1,000 rupee notes, because they may never be able to get rid of them.  The smaller notes are in huge demand and there are not enough to go around, so even if shops accept 500 Rs notes, they will not give change.  This means small notes are suddenly much more useful, so the system of tipping everyone you meet with small notes is breaking down.

Today the banks opened for the first time since the announcement, so every bank we passed had a huge queue outside which lasted all day.  Tomorrow the ATMs will start working again, stocked with the new notes but with a limit of 2,000 Rs (4$NZ40) per day!

One of the many queues we saw outside Jaipur banks

We ourselves were also caught carrying a fair amount of money in 500 and 1,000 rupee notes (these are about the same as $NZ10 and $NZ20 notes), so have been wondering what we were going to do.

Fortunately today we were taken to a place where they polish and cut gemstones.  We discovered this place would take the problem notes, so managed to get rid of almost all of them there (by spending them).  And Sue now has a nice ruby pendant!

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On the Roads

The sights we see on the roads are one of the most surprising and entertaining aspects of our trip.  Most of them go past too fast to be photographed, but here are some of the road users we saw.

Delivering the milk

A temple entrance in a village
A pig’s breakfast
Working camels.  Many seemed to be towing bricks.
Three (and more) on a scooter is very common.
Goats wander on all roads, including the major highways.

There are thousands of animals everywhere, on the country roads (above) and in the towns and cities, mostly wandering about or sitting on or beside the road.  Cows, goats, pigs, dogs, and buffalo are very common, and there are also many camels and occasionally sheep.  In towns the roads are even more chaotic, with vehicles of every shape and size going in all directions, and people on foot wandering across busy intersections and roundabouts regardless of the traffic.  Lane markings are generally completely ignored.  Somehow everyone seems to emerge unscathed.

A cow dozing on a busy four lane road, between our van and the median strip.

Even on major highways you encounter goats and cows wandering across the road.  On a four lane road we passed a cow standing on the dotted line in the middle of our lanes with traffic whistling past on each side.  The traffic just parts around any such animals, and they seem to plod across the roads without injury.  Mind you they are sacred cows, of course.

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A Tiger in Ranthambhore

Tuesday 8th: Today was tiger safari day, which we’d been anticipating for some time.  Up early at 5:45 for a cup of coffee and biscuit then into our open jeep for the 13 km drive to the tiger reserve.  It was unexpectedly cold especially racing along in the open vehicle, but they provided blankets which were a great help.

About to set off in our tiger-proof jeep.

The jeep didn’t seem to provide much protection from ferocious tigers, but our guide assured us we were safe as long as we didn’t get out of it.  John asked if he carried a gun.  “We don’t need a gun”, he replied.

We shivered our way down the bumpy, dusty road, dodging the usual cows, dogs, pigs, buffalo and goats which wander on the roads, and into the the reserve.  The Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve is a huge area which used to be a hunting preserve for the local rulers.  When it first became a tiger protection area the tiger population had dropped to about 15.  It has now recovered to sixty.  In addition to these tigers there are large numbers of deer, antelope, gazelles and other animals and birds which help to provide an ecosystem to support the tigers.

We spent a couple of hours in the reserve, driving about looking for signs of tigers and stopping to appreciate the various other animals and birds we encountered.  We waited for a long time at a particular spot our guide identified as the area where he believed the local tiger was lurking, somewhere in the grass.  We could see tiger “pugs” (pawprints) in the dust.  The tiger did not show itself, so eventually we moved on.  We left the park without seeing our tiger, so our remaining hopes rested on our second outing after lunch, to another zone of the reserve.

Some of the animals we did see:

Samba

Squirrel

Gazelles

Axis Deer
A little lapwing which came  very close, trying to lure our jeep away from its nest.

We went home to our hotel to catch up on breakfast.  There were many other tourists at the hotel, all there to see tigers.  On group reported success, seeing three tigers up very close.  The tigers had killed a “Blue Bull” – a large antelope.  At two pm we boarded our second jeep for our last attempt at seeing them too.  After about 45 minutes in the jeep we reached location of the Blue Bull carcase, but despite a careful search our guide could not see tigers.  We moved on, climbing a rough steep track until we emerged high on the buttresses above, with a wide (although hazy) view out over the land.  Again our guide found pug marks, but no visible tiger.  Suddenly he was talking on his phone, told us a tiger had appeared back at the carcase, and asked if we minded going a “bit fast” back down the mountain.  We went back down the rough track quite fast, arriving to find a crush of about twenty jeeps all trying to get near the tiger.  There was a bit of shouting between guides as jeeps jostled for position.

First we saw a distant glimpse of tiger stripes though the shrubbery, but our tiger kept moving and eventually came closer and closer until he was in full view, about 30 metres away across a dry stream.  Amazingly he showed no fear or aggression, just calmly stared at all the jeeps, moving and resting, and working his way past us until he decided he would cross the track to return to the carcase.  He then set about pulling and tearing at it to find the last of the meat for a feed.

Tigger pauses to contemplate the tourists between him and his supper.
Decides it time to move, crossing the riverbed near the jeeps.
Heading back towards his supper.

Our guide told us the three tigers seen this morning were a female and her two cubs.  It took us a while to realise that this (large) tiger was one of those cubs.

We drove home through the dusty dusk thoroughly satisified and pleasantly surprised that we had actually seen a tiger.  A wise man told me that only about half of those who come to see one actually do.

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Delhi to Agra

We assembled at 4:45 am in the Delhi pre-dawn murk to set off the railway station for the trip to Agra.  At the station Kuldeep handled the porters who fought to take our bags, before finally two of them got the job and set off with two balanced on their heads and a third towed behind!

Each porter balanced 2 bags on his head and towed a third.  Kuldeep hauled his own.
The carriages were worn but comfortable.

On the train we were served hot tea and a rudimentary breakfast.  This was the express, and at times it reached high speeds.  The journey time was about 2 hours.  In Agra we found our hotel was quite flash, with a real swimming pool!  It has gates and guards, and a metal detector we had to pass through at the entrance.

It was luxury to be able to cool off in a pool!

Indian security measures are superficial.  At this hotel and on other occasions we were directed through an airport-style metal detector, which beeped loudly as each person passed through.  However there was no follow up at all, and we simply carried on with no further checks!  At one site we visited the security man actually frisked me to check for concealed weapons or whatever, but then waved me through ignoring the backpack I was wearing.

Today we visited the beautiful “Baby Taj” in Agra, actually Itmad-ud-Daula, which predates the Taj Mahal but has many similarities to the big one.  It is also on the banks of the Yamuna River in Agra.

Details of the Baby Taj.  All created with inlaid stone of different types.

The “Baby Taj”, Itmad-ud-Daula

At sunset we visited to Moonlight Garden, which is across the river from the Taj Mahal, to give us our first view of the real thing.  In better times (less smog) the setting sun casts a warm red light over the Taj Mahal.

The Taj Mahal from across the river, in the Moonlight Garden.

In the photo above is our local guide, who was very good.  He led us around the Agra sites.  On our tour of India we are accompanied all the way by our guide Kuldeep and by our driver.  Local guides are used at various points to provide more in-depth commentary.

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Agra – the Taj Mahal

We joined the crowds early to see the Taj Mahal at sunrise (actually it was a bit after sunrise).  There are separate queues for men and women, and separate queues for Indians and foreigners.  Foreigners pay much higher ticket prices.  Once inside there are extensive grounds around the Taj so it was not hard to avoid the crowds.  We waited for the sun to gain strength and highlight the precious stone inlays which decorate the Taj Mahal, but in reality the smog is so thick at the moment that the sun did not even cast shadows.

The morning sun struggling to illuminate the Taj Mahal

These koranic texts are formed from inlaid stone.

Sue channels Lady Di at the Taj Mahal

The murky Agra air, looking over the Yamunar River.

The Murghal emperor who built the Taj Mahal as a masoleum for his favourite wife was later overthrown by his son and imprisoned in the nearby Agra Fort.  From there he could gaze out across the river at the Taj Mahal.  Today we could not even see the Agra Fort through the smoke and haze.

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Hidden Delhi

Our host Avnish, who owns the guesthouse we are in, today took us for his tour of “Hidden Delhi”, which took us into Old Delhi.  This is the crowded maze of streets inside what was once the walled city, where we experienced a little of the traditional side of India you might see in movies and documentaries.

This morning the pollution was particulary bad so Avnish started the outing a little later than planned to give the air time to clear.  Even so the air was thick, so as he drove us much of the commentary was along the lines of “To your right you would normally be able to see (name of monument)…”.

Morning ablutions beside the road

Roses for sale
Ox power

Man power
Builders and plumbers etc. waiting for someone to hire them

Open air ironing service, using a charcoal-powered iron!

We travelled by rickshaw – here following Kevin and Linda
Our lunch being cooked.  Deep-fried pastry bagel things, dipped in syrup!

Open-air laundry service – washing pit.
Drying lines alongside the road.

Possibly non-compliant mains wiring

We rode in three rickshaws through narrow crowded streets filled with traffic and various animals all jostling for position, and some quite rough potholes to jar our bones.  Avnish took us to a little eatery somewhere in there for lunch, where we could see our food being cooked on the street frontage, and it was quite clean and freshly painted inside.  We are all eating cautiously and waiting to be struck down by “Delhi belly”, so every new food is eyed with suspicion.  So far we are all unscathed!

This area was once quite wealthy, and there are the run-down remains of fine houses.  Avnish showed us one he had tried to buy, with the idea of restoring it and providing accommodation right in the old city.  The deal fell through.

The house Avnish tried to buy

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India!

We’ve arrived in India and successfully negotiated the initial challenges of getting through Customs (easy!) and meeting up with our guide (no problem).  I bought a SIM card at the airport to improve my chances of enjoying internet services on our travels, and we were introduced to our minibus and driver.  There was a noticable armed security and military presence around the airport.

It has been a bit of a struggle to get internet going, and to upload photos, but here is my first successfully uploaded shot, showing the full team during our early morning outing to Lodi Gardens this morning.  Note the warm tops – it is actually quite cool in the mornings.

 

It was very smoggy, and the sun rose as a dull red ball into the sky.  It is unusually smokey because Delhi is celebrating Dilwali, which means hours of fireworks every night.  Huge bangs ring out around our area in the evenings.  It can be a bit noisy, with occasional street dogs fights at night, and a builder across the road starting at 3 am because that’s the only time he’s allowed to park his truck in the street!

More posts soon I hope, flakey internet willing.

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Muri Beachcomber (October 14 – 17)

Day 1: Arrival in Rarotonga

Adam and I were very excited by the time we got on our plane to Rarotonga! The flight was only about 3-4 hours, but in that time we crossed the date line. So (somewhat confusingly), we left on Saturday morning, and arrived on Friday afternoon. We flew right past the island first and doubled back to land. 

 We were able to see the beaches as we flew in, but the mountains were mostly hidden by cloud.

When we landed we were greeted by a blast of hot air – it was 28 degrees! After customs we were greeted by our hotel’s driver and presented with the traditional flower garland – it was later explained to us that these are called ‘ei’ rather than ‘lei’, as Cook Island Maori language has no ‘l’s.

Our first stop was Muri Beachcomber Resort. We checked out our room which was very nice, then headed straight for the beach! Seeing the beach was like being in a dream, it was very surreal coming from a cold, rainy Auckland morning just hours ago.

Our friends from Wellington Emily and Seb, who we had coordinated the trip with, tracked us down and we had a bit of a catchup. Later, after a shower and a nap, we headed back to walk along Muri Beach and find somewhere to eat. Muri Beach on the east of the island is the most famous (and popular) part of Rarotonga for tourists to visit. There are many resorts, restaurants and shops along this stretch. The whole island is surrounded by a lagoon, however in Muri Beach the lagoon is renowned for being shallow, sandy and sheltered, so a great place for swimming and watersports. The sunset was beautiful as the water in the lagoon was so calm that night.

Day 2: Punanga Nui Markets

The next morning, we caught the Anticlockwise bus (yes, there are two bus routes on the island – Clockwise and Anticlockwise!) off to the Saturday morning markets at Punanga Nui, in the main town Avarua. It was very hot and there was little wind, so it was a bit of an extreme introduction to the climate! We spent the rest of that day relaxing, catching up with Emily and Seb, and drinking cocktails.

Emily, Seb and Adam enjoying cocktails at the “Sands” restaurant (part of the Pacific Resort).

There are lots of animals roaming around Rarotonga. Emily and Seb made friends with a dog that night who followed them back to their villa at the place they were staying. When we got home to our room, this cat with very sad eyes wanted to get let inside, so we caved and let it in. We later found out she was a cat that lived at our resort called OJ, who apparently liked going inside people’s fridges. I guess it is hot for a cat living in Raro!

 
OJ making herself at home, in the kitchen and on a spare bed in our lounge.

Day 3: Koka Lagoon Cruise

The next day was Sunday. A lot of things are closed, particularly after midday on Sunday, so if you go to Rarotonga don’t expect to have much to do on that day. Fortunately though we had most of the day booked up with our Koka Lagoon Cruise! This involved boating around on a glass bottom boat to the south-east corner of the island, which is an area with great snorkelling and lots of fish known as the Fruits of Rarotonga.

One of two glass bottom boats that took our group out on the Koka Lagoon Cruise.

The glass bottom boat was fun and very entertaining, with the tour guides telling us a bit about Rarotonga and the lagoon, as well as singing and playing the ukelele and drums. Then we got to jump off the boat out in the lagoon and snorkel around the marine reserve. There were so many colourful fish, it was amazing!

This picture is from Google as my camera and phone can’t go underwater! But you get the idea.

After the snorkelling, we went across to one of the islands out off Muri Beach called Koromiri for a buffet lunch of tuna, sausages, coconut and other tropical fruits, which was delicious! The Koka group sang us some songs while we ate. They all were called Captain something – Captain Awesome, Captain Cook (the chef), Captain Shiny, Captain Black Jack Sparrow… 

Afterwards Captain Awesome explained the differences between the different ages of coconuts and for what they are best used – for example, young coconuts are sweetest for drinking, and coconuts that have been left on the ground for 3-4 months are best for extracting coconut milk.

 Captain Awesome with a coconut that is ready to eat, and a coconut that is sprouting a new plant.

There was a tree climbing competition with ‘warriors’ from each country (Seb was selected to represent New Zealand), then Captain Awesome climbed a tree up and down in 7 seconds which was pretty impressive!

We were dropped back over to Muri Beach about 3 or 4pm, and took it easy for the rest of the day as we were a bit knackered. There were many cocktails and much delicious food!

 Having cocktails with the team at the Muri Beach Club resort – a nice place near us.

Adam and I on Muri Beach, with small islands Taakoka and Koromiri in the background.

 Going to have drinks at the Sands bar and restaurant, which is attached to Pacific Resort. 
This is where we stayed years ago (2008?) on our first family trip to Rarotonga.

It was our last day at the Muri Beachcomber. We really enjoyed staying here – the staff were very friendly and helpful, and it had a relaxed, humble vibe.

 The Beachcomber had a lovely path across a pond between our villa and the beach.

Day 4: Buggy rides + moving day!

We checked out of Beachcomber at 10am and left our bags with reception, as the hotel had helpfully offered to drop our bags off at our next place for us while we were out for most of the day. This was because we had booked into Raro Buggy Tours!

Again, not my photo – but it gives you the idea!

This involved driving around to the south of the island in a big row of bright yellow buggies. We then went up into the grounds of a derelict hotel (the Sheraton) and drove wildly around through the mud (Adam did anyway, harking back to his Hamilton boyracer days). Strangely I ended up with a lot more mud on me than he did, although by the end we were both pretty much covered! It was a lot of fun for all of us but I think especially for the guys.



The aftermath…

After that we drove up to a waterfall, where we caught our breath and then tried our best to wash some of the mud off (without too much success). The next step was to a nearby park where we all tried our best to get a hole in one and therefore win our buggy tour for free – unfortunately no luck. Finally we headed back towards Muri Beach for a yummy crumbed fish sandwich which was included with the tour.

Finally, it was back to Muri Beach, and hopping onto the bus to go to our next resort… still covered in mud!



Posted on

Muri Beachcomber (October 14 – 17)

Day 1: Arrival in Rarotonga

Adam and I were very excited by the time we got on our plane to Rarotonga! The flight was only about 3-4 hours, but in that time we crossed the date line. So (somewhat confusingly), we left on Saturday morning, and arrived on Friday afternoon. We flew right past the island first and doubled back to land. 
 We were able to see the beaches as we flew in, but the mountains were mostly hidden by cloud.
When we landed we were greeted by a blast of hot air – it was 28 degrees! After customs we were greeted by our hotel’s driver and presented with the traditional flower garland – it was later explained to us that these are called ‘ei’ rather than ‘lei’, as Cook Island Maori language has no ‘l’s.
Our first stop was Muri Beachcomber Resort. We checked out our room which was very nice, then headed straight for the beach! Seeing the beach was like being in a dream, it was very surreal coming from a cold, rainy Auckland morning just hours ago.

Our friends from Wellington Emily and Seb, who we had coordinated the trip with, tracked us down and we had a bit of a catchup. Later, after a shower and a nap, we headed back to walk along Muri Beach and find somewhere to eat. Muri Beach on the east of the island is the most famous (and popular) part of Rarotonga for tourists to visit. There are many resorts, restaurants and shops along this stretch. The whole island is surrounded by a lagoon, however in Muri Beach the lagoon is renowned for being shallow, sandy and sheltered, so a great place for swimming and watersports. The sunset was beautiful as the water in the lagoon was so calm that night.

Day 2: Punanga Nui Markets

The next morning, we caught the Anticlockwise bus (yes, there are two bus routes on the island – Clockwise and Anticlockwise!) off to the Saturday morning markets at Punanga Nui, in the main town Avarua. It was very hot and there was little wind, so it was a bit of an extreme introduction to the climate! We spent the rest of that day relaxing, catching up with Emily and Seb, and drinking cocktails.

Emily, Seb and Adam enjoying cocktails at the “Sands” restaurant (part of the Pacific Resort).

There are lots of animals roaming around Rarotonga. Emily and Seb made friends with a dog that night who followed them back to their villa at the place they were staying. When we got home to our room, this cat with very sad eyes wanted to get let inside, so we caved and let it in. We later found out she was a cat that lived at our resort called OJ, who apparently liked going inside people’s fridges. I guess it is hot for a cat living in Raro!

 
OJ making herself at home, in the kitchen and on a spare bed in our lounge.

Day 3: Koka Lagoon Cruise

The next day was Sunday. A lot of things are closed, particularly after midday on Sunday, so if you go to Rarotonga don’t expect to have much to do on that day. Fortunately though we had most of the day booked up with our Koka Lagoon Cruise! This involved boating around on a glass bottom boat to the south-east corner of the island, which is an area with great snorkelling and lots of fish known as the Fruits of Rarotonga.

One of two glass bottom boats that took our group out on the Koka Lagoon Cruise.
The glass bottom boat was fun and very entertaining, with the tour guides telling us a bit about Rarotonga and the lagoon, as well as singing and playing the ukelele and drums. Then we got to jump off the boat out in the lagoon and snorkel around the marine reserve. There were so many colourful fish, it was amazing!

This picture is from Google as my camera and phone can’t go underwater! But you get the idea.
After the snorkelling, we went across to one of the islands out off Muri Beach called Koromiri for a buffet lunch of tuna, sausages, coconut and other tropical fruits, which was delicious! The Koka group sang us some songs while we ate. They all were called Captain something – Captain Awesome, Captain Cook (the chef), Captain Shiny, Captain Black Jack Sparrow… 
Afterwards Captain Awesome explained the differences between the different ages of coconuts and for what they are best used – for example, young coconuts are sweetest for drinking, and coconuts that have been left on the ground for 3-4 months are best for extracting coconut milk.
 Captain Awesome with a coconut that is ready to eat, and a coconut that is sprouting a new plant.

There was a tree climbing competition with ‘warriors’ from each country (Seb was selected to represent New Zealand), then Captain Awesome climbed a tree up and down in 7 seconds which was pretty impressive!
We were dropped back over to Muri Beach about 3 or 4pm, and took it easy for the rest of the day as we were a bit knackered. There were many cocktails and much delicious food!

 Having cocktails with the team at the Muri Beach Club resort – a nice place near us.

Adam and I on Muri Beach, with small islands Taakoka and Koromiri in the background.
 Going to have drinks at the Sands bar and restaurant, which is attached to Pacific Resort. 
This is where we stayed years ago (2008?) on our first family trip to Rarotonga.
It was our last day at the Muri Beachcomber. We really enjoyed staying here – the staff were very friendly and helpful, and it had a relaxed, humble vibe.
 The Beachcomber had a lovely path across a pond between our villa and the beach.

Day 4: Buggy rides + moving day!

We checked out of Beachcomber at 10am and left our bags with reception, as the hotel had helpfully offered to drop our bags off at our next place for us while we were out for most of the day. This was because we had booked into Raro Buggy Tours!

Again, not my photo – but it gives you the idea!

This involved driving around to the south of the island in a big row of bright yellow buggies. We then went up into the grounds of a derelict hotel (the Sheraton) and drove wildly around through the mud (Adam did anyway, harking back to his Hamilton boyracer days). Strangely I ended up with a lot more mud on me than he did, although by the end we were both pretty much covered! It was a lot of fun for all of us but I think especially for the guys.



The aftermath…

After that we drove up to a waterfall, where we caught our breath and then tried our best to wash some of the mud off (without too much success). The next step was to a nearby park where we all tried our best to get a hole in one and therefore win our buggy tour for free – unfortunately no luck. Finally we headed back towards Muri Beach for a yummy crumbed fish sandwich which was included with the tour.

 Finally, it was back to Muri Beach, and hopping onto the bus to go to our next resort… still covered in mud!



Posted on

Muri Beachcomber (October 14 – 17)

Day 1: Arrival in Rarotonga

Adam and I were very excited by the time we got on our plane to Rarotonga! The flight was only about 3-4 hours, but in that time we crossed the date line. So (somewhat confusingly), we left on Saturday morning, and arrived on Friday afternoon. We flew right past the island first and doubled back to land. 

 We were able to see the beaches as we flew in, but the mountains were mostly hidden by cloud.

When we landed we were greeted by a blast of hot air – it was 28 degrees! After customs we were greeted by our hotel’s driver and presented with the traditional flower garland – it was later explained to us that these are called ‘ei’ rather than ‘lei’, as Cook Island Maori language has no ‘l’s.

Our first stop was Muri Beachcomber Resort. We checked out our room which was very nice, then headed straight for the beach! Seeing the beach was like being in a dream, it was very surreal coming from a cold, rainy Auckland morning just hours ago.

Our friends from Wellington Emily and Seb, who we had coordinated the trip with, tracked us down and we had a bit of a catchup. Later, after a shower and a nap, we headed back to walk along Muri Beach and find somewhere to eat. Muri Beach on the east of the island is the most famous (and popular) part of Rarotonga for tourists to visit. There are many resorts, restaurants and shops along this stretch. The whole island is surrounded by a lagoon, however in Muri Beach the lagoon is renowned for being shallow, sandy and sheltered, so a great place for swimming and watersports. The sunset was beautiful as the water in the lagoon was so calm that night.

Day 2: Punanga Nui Markets

The next morning, we caught the Anticlockwise bus (yes, there are two bus routes on the island – Clockwise and Anticlockwise!) off to the Saturday morning markets at Punanga Nui, in the main town Avarua. It was very hot and there was little wind, so it was a bit of an extreme introduction to the climate! We spent the rest of that day relaxing, catching up with Emily and Seb, and drinking cocktails.

Emily, Seb and Adam enjoying cocktails at the “Sands” restaurant (part of the Pacific Resort).

There are lots of animals roaming around Rarotonga. Emily and Seb made friends with a dog that night who followed them back to their villa at the place they were staying. When we got home to our room, this cat with very sad eyes wanted to get let inside, so we caved and let it in. We later found out she was a cat that lived at our resort called OJ, who apparently liked going inside people’s fridges. I guess it is hot for a cat living in Raro!

 
OJ making herself at home, in the kitchen and on a spare bed in our lounge.

Day 3: Koka Lagoon Cruise

The next day was Sunday. A lot of things are closed, particularly after midday on Sunday, so if you go to Rarotonga don’t expect to have much to do on that day. Fortunately though we had most of the day booked up with our Koka Lagoon Cruise! This involved boating around on a glass bottom boat to the south-east corner of the island, which is an area with great snorkelling and lots of fish known as the Fruits of Rarotonga.

One of two glass bottom boats that took our group out on the Koka Lagoon Cruise.

The glass bottom boat was fun and very entertaining, with the tour guides telling us a bit about Rarotonga and the lagoon, as well as singing and playing the ukelele and drums. Then we got to jump off the boat out in the lagoon and snorkel around the marine reserve. There were so many colourful fish, it was amazing!

This picture is from Google as my camera and phone can’t go underwater! But you get the idea.

After the snorkelling, we went across to one of the islands out off Muri Beach called Koromiri for a buffet lunch of tuna, sausages, coconut and other tropical fruits, which was delicious! The Koka group sang us some songs while we ate. They all were called Captain something – Captain Awesome, Captain Cook (the chef), Captain Shiny, Captain Black Jack Sparrow… 

Afterwards Captain Awesome explained the differences between the different ages of coconuts and for what they are best used – for example, young coconuts are sweetest for drinking, and coconuts that have been left on the ground for 3-4 months are best for extracting coconut milk.

 Captain Awesome with a coconut that is ready to eat, and a coconut that is sprouting a new plant.

There was a tree climbing competition with ‘warriors’ from each country (Seb was selected to represent New Zealand), then Captain Awesome climbed a tree up and down in 7 seconds which was pretty impressive!

We were dropped back over to Muri Beach about 3 or 4pm, and took it easy for the rest of the day as we were a bit knackered. There were many cocktails and much delicious food!

 Having cocktails with the team at the Muri Beach Club resort – a nice place near us.

Adam and I on Muri Beach, with small islands Taakoka and Koromiri in the background.

 Going to have drinks at the Sands bar and restaurant, which is attached to Pacific Resort. 
This is where we stayed years ago (2008?) on our first family trip to Rarotonga.

It was our last day at the Muri Beachcomber. We really enjoyed staying here – the staff were very friendly and helpful, and it had a relaxed, humble vibe.

 The Beachcomber had a lovely path across a pond between our villa and the beach.

Day 4: Buggy rides + moving day!

We checked out of Beachcomber at 10am and left our bags with reception, as the hotel had helpfully offered to drop our bags off at our next place for us while we were out for most of the day. This was because we had booked into Raro Buggy Tours!

Again, not my photo – but it gives you the idea!

This involved driving around to the south of the island in a big row of bright yellow buggies. We then went up into the grounds of a derelict hotel (the Sheraton) and drove wildly around through the mud (Adam did anyway, harking back to his Hamilton boyracer days). Strangely I ended up with a lot more mud on me than he did, although by the end we were both pretty much covered! It was a lot of fun for all of us but I think especially for the guys.



The aftermath…

After that we drove up to a waterfall, where we caught our breath and then tried our best to wash some of the mud off (without too much success). The next step was to a nearby park where we all tried our best to get a hole in one and therefore win our buggy tour for free – unfortunately no luck. Finally we headed back towards Muri Beach for a yummy crumbed fish sandwich which was included with the tour.

Finally, it was back to Muri Beach, and hopping onto the bus to go to our next resort… still covered in mud!



Posted on

Muri Beachcomber (October 14 – 17)

Day 1: Arrival in Rarotonga

Adam and I were very excited by the time we got on our plane to Rarotonga! The flight was only about 3-4 hours, but in that time we crossed the date line. So (somewhat confusingly), we left on Saturday morning, and arrived on Friday afternoon. We flew right past the island first and doubled back to land. 
 We were able to see the beaches as we flew in, but the mountains were mostly hidden by cloud.
When we landed we were greeted by a blast of hot air – it was 28 degrees! After customs we were greeted by our hotel’s driver and presented with the traditional flower garland – it was later explained to us that these are called ‘ei’ rather than ‘lei’, as Cook Island Maori language has no ‘l’s.
Our first stop was Muri Beachcomber Resort. We checked out our room which was very nice, then headed straight for the beach! Seeing the beach was like being in a dream, it was very surreal coming from a cold, rainy Auckland morning just hours ago.

Our friends from Wellington Emily and Seb, who we had coordinated the trip with, tracked us down and we had a bit of a catchup. Later, after a shower and a nap, we headed back to walk along Muri Beach and find somewhere to eat. Muri Beach on the east of the island is the most famous (and popular) part of Rarotonga for tourists to visit. There are many resorts, restaurants and shops along this stretch. The whole island is surrounded by a lagoon, however in Muri Beach the lagoon is renowned for being shallow, sandy and sheltered, so a great place for swimming and watersports. The sunset was beautiful as the water in the lagoon was so calm that night.

Day 2: Punanga Nui Markets

The next morning, we caught the Anticlockwise bus (yes, there are two bus routes on the island – Clockwise and Anticlockwise!) off to the Saturday morning markets at Punanga Nui, in the main town Avarua. It was very hot and there was little wind, so it was a bit of an extreme introduction to the climate! We spent the rest of that day relaxing, catching up with Emily and Seb, and drinking cocktails.

Emily, Seb and Adam enjoying cocktails at the “Sands” restaurant (part of the Pacific Resort).

There are lots of animals roaming around Rarotonga. Emily and Seb made friends with a dog that night who followed them back to their villa at the place they were staying. When we got home to our room, this cat with very sad eyes wanted to get let inside, so we caved and let it in. We later found out she was a cat that lived at our resort called OJ, who apparently liked going inside people’s fridges. I guess it is hot for a cat living in Raro!

 
OJ making herself at home, in the kitchen and on a spare bed in our lounge.

Day 3: Koka Lagoon Cruise

The next day was Sunday. A lot of things are closed, particularly after midday on Sunday, so if you go to Rarotonga don’t expect to have much to do on that day. Fortunately though we had most of the day booked up with our Koka Lagoon Cruise! This involved boating around on a glass bottom boat to the south-east corner of the island, which is an area with great snorkelling and lots of fish known as the Fruits of Rarotonga.

One of two glass bottom boats that took our group out on the Koka Lagoon Cruise.
The glass bottom boat was fun and very entertaining, with the tour guides telling us a bit about Rarotonga and the lagoon, as well as singing and playing the ukelele and drums. Then we got to jump off the boat out in the lagoon and snorkel around the marine reserve. There were so many colourful fish, it was amazing!

This picture is from Google as my camera and phone can’t go underwater! But you get the idea.
After the snorkelling, we went across to one of the islands out off Muri Beach called Koromiri for a buffet lunch of tuna, sausages, coconut and other tropical fruits, which was delicious! The Koka group sang us some songs while we ate. They all were called Captain something – Captain Awesome, Captain Cook (the chef), Captain Shiny, Captain Black Jack Sparrow… 
Afterwards Captain Awesome explained the differences between the different ages of coconuts and for what they are best used – for example, young coconuts are sweetest for drinking, and coconuts that have been left on the ground for 3-4 months are best for extracting coconut milk.
 Captain Awesome with a coconut that is ready to eat, and a coconut that is sprouting a new plant.

There was a tree climbing competition with ‘warriors’ from each country (Seb was selected to represent New Zealand), then Captain Awesome climbed a tree up and down in 7 seconds which was pretty impressive!
We were dropped back over to Muri Beach about 3 or 4pm, and took it easy for the rest of the day as we were a bit knackered. There were many cocktails and much delicious food!

 Having cocktails with the team at the Muri Beach Club resort – a nice place near us.

Adam and I on Muri Beach, with small islands Taakoka and Koromiri in the background.
 Going to have drinks at the Sands bar and restaurant, which is attached to Pacific Resort. 
This is where we stayed years ago (2008?) on our first family trip to Rarotonga.
It was our last day at the Muri Beachcomber. We really enjoyed staying here – the staff were very friendly and helpful, and it had a relaxed, humble vibe.
 The Beachcomber had a lovely path across a pond between our villa and the beach.

Day 4: Buggy rides + moving day!

We checked out of Beachcomber at 10am and left our bags with reception, as the hotel had helpfully offered to drop our bags off at our next place for us while we were out for most of the day. This was because we had booked into Raro Buggy Tours!

Again, not my photo – but it gives you the idea!

This involved driving around to the south of the island in a big row of bright yellow buggies. We then went up into the grounds of a derelict hotel (the Sheraton) and drove wildly around through the mud (Adam did anyway, harking back to his Hamilton boyracer days). Strangely I ended up with a lot more mud on me than he did, although by the end we were both pretty much covered! It was a lot of fun for all of us but I think especially for the guys.



The aftermath…

After that we drove up to a waterfall, where we caught our breath and then tried our best to wash some of the mud off (without too much success). The next step was to a nearby park where we all tried our best to get a hole in one and therefore win our buggy tour for free – unfortunately no luck. Finally we headed back towards Muri Beach for a yummy crumbed fish sandwich which was included with the tour.

 Finally, it was back to Muri Beach, and hopping onto the bus to go to our next resort… still covered in mud!



Posted on

Muri Beachcomber (October 14 – 17)

Day 1: Arrival in Rarotonga

Adam and I were very excited by the time we got on our plane to Rarotonga! The flight was only about 3-4 hours, but in that time we crossed the date line. So (somewhat confusingly), we left on Saturday morning, and arrived on Friday afternoon. We flew right past the island first and doubled back to land. 
 We were able to see the beaches as we flew in, but the mountains were mostly hidden by cloud.
When we landed we were greeted by a blast of hot air – it was 28 degrees! After customs we were greeted by our hotel’s driver and presented with the traditional flower garland – it was later explained to us that these are called ‘ei’ rather than ‘lei’, as Cook Island Maori language has no ‘l’s.
Our first stop was Muri Beachcomber Resort. We checked out our room which was very nice, then headed straight for the beach! Seeing the beach was like being in a dream, it was very surreal coming from a cold, rainy Auckland morning just hours ago.

Our friends from Wellington Emily and Seb, who we had coordinated the trip with, tracked us down and we had a bit of a catchup. Later, after a shower and a nap, we headed back to walk along Muri Beach and find somewhere to eat. Muri Beach on the east of the island is the most famous (and popular) part of Rarotonga for tourists to visit. There are many resorts, restaurants and shops along this stretch. The whole island is surrounded by a lagoon, however in Muri Beach the lagoon is renowned for being shallow, sandy and sheltered, so a great place for swimming and watersports. The sunset was beautiful as the water in the lagoon was so calm that night.

Day 2: Punanga Nui Markets

The next morning, we caught the Anticlockwise bus (yes, there are two bus routes on the island – Clockwise and Anticlockwise!) off to the Saturday morning markets at Punanga Nui, in the main town Avarua. It was very hot and there was little wind, so it was a bit of an extreme introduction to the climate! We spent the rest of that day relaxing, catching up with Emily and Seb, and drinking cocktails.

Emily, Seb and Adam enjoying cocktails at the “Sands” restaurant (part of the Pacific Resort).

There are lots of animals roaming around Rarotonga. Emily and Seb made friends with a dog that night who followed them back to their villa at the place they were staying. When we got home to our room, this cat with very sad eyes wanted to get let inside, so we caved and let it in. We later found out she was a cat that lived at our resort called OJ, who apparently liked going inside people’s fridges. I guess it is hot for a cat living in Raro!

 
OJ making herself at home, in the kitchen and on a spare bed in our lounge.

Day 3: Koka Lagoon Cruise

The next day was Sunday. A lot of things are closed, particularly after midday on Sunday, so if you go to Rarotonga don’t expect to have much to do on that day. Fortunately though we had most of the day booked up with our Koka Lagoon Cruise! This involved boating around on a glass bottom boat to the south-east corner of the island, which is an area with great snorkelling and lots of fish known as the Fruits of Rarotonga.

One of two glass bottom boats that took our group out on the Koka Lagoon Cruise.
The glass bottom boat was fun and very entertaining, with the tour guides telling us a bit about Rarotonga and the lagoon, as well as singing and playing the ukelele and drums. Then we got to jump off the boat out in the lagoon and snorkel around the marine reserve. There were so many colourful fish, it was amazing!

This picture is from Google as my camera and phone can’t go underwater! But you get the idea.
After the snorkelling, we went across to one of the islands out off Muri Beach called Koromiri for a buffet lunch of tuna, sausages, coconut and other tropical fruits, which was delicious! The Koka group sang us some songs while we ate. They all were called Captain something – Captain Awesome, Captain Cook (the chef), Captain Shiny, Captain Black Jack Sparrow… 
Afterwards Captain Awesome explained the differences between the different ages of coconuts and for what they are best used – for example, young coconuts are sweetest for drinking, and coconuts that have been left on the ground for 3-4 months are best for extracting coconut milk.
 Captain Awesome with a coconut that is ready to eat, and a coconut that is sprouting a new plant.

There was a tree climbing competition with ‘warriors’ from each country (Seb was selected to represent New Zealand), then Captain Awesome climbed a tree up and down in 7 seconds which was pretty impressive!
We were dropped back over to Muri Beach about 3 or 4pm, and took it easy for the rest of the day as we were a bit knackered. There were many cocktails and much delicious food!

 Having cocktails with the team at the Muri Beach Club resort – a nice place near us.

Adam and I on Muri Beach, with small islands Taakoka and Koromiri in the background.
 Going to have drinks at the Sands bar and restaurant, which is attached to Pacific Resort. 
This is where we stayed years ago (2008?) on our first family trip to Rarotonga.
It was our last day at the Muri Beachcomber. We really enjoyed staying here – the staff were very friendly and helpful, and it had a relaxed, humble vibe.
 The Beachcomber had a lovely path across a pond between our villa and the beach.

Day 4: Buggy rides + moving day!

We checked out of Beachcomber at 10am and left our bags with reception, as the hotel had helpfully offered to drop our bags off at our next place for us while we were out for most of the day. This was because we had booked into Raro Buggy Tours!

Again, not my photo – but it gives you the idea!

This involved driving around to the south of the island in a big row of bright yellow buggies. We then went up into the grounds of a derelict hotel (the Sheraton) and drove wildly around through the mud (Adam did anyway, harking back to his Hamilton boyracer days). Strangely I ended up with a lot more mud on me than he did, although by the end we were both pretty much covered! It was a lot of fun for all of us but I think especially for the guys.



The aftermath…

After that we drove up to a waterfall, where we caught our breath and then tried our best to wash some of the mud off (without too much success). The next step was to a nearby park where we all tried our best to get a hole in one and therefore win our buggy tour for free – unfortunately no luck. Finally we headed back towards Muri Beach for a yummy crumbed fish sandwich which was included with the tour.

 Finally, it was back to Muri Beach, and hopping onto the bus to go to our next resort… still covered in mud!



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Muri Beachcomber (October 14 – 17)

Day 1: Arrival in Rarotonga

Adam and I were very excited by the time we got on our plane to Rarotonga! The flight was only about 3-4 hours, but in that time we crossed the date line. So (somewhat confusingly), we left on Saturday morning, and arrived on Friday afternoon. We flew right past the island first and doubled back to land. 

 We were able to see the beaches as we flew in, but the mountains were mostly hidden by cloud.

When we landed we were greeted by a blast of hot air – it was 28 degrees! After customs we were greeted by our hotel’s driver and presented with the traditional flower garland – it was later explained to us that these are called ‘ei’ rather than ‘lei’, as Cook Island Maori language has no ‘l’s.

Our first stop was Muri Beachcomber Resort. We checked out our room which was very nice, then headed straight for the beach! Seeing the beach was like being in a dream, it was very surreal coming from a cold, rainy Auckland morning just hours ago.

Our friends from Wellington Emily and Seb, who we had coordinated the trip with, tracked us down and we had a bit of a catchup. Later, after a shower and a nap, we headed back to walk along Muri Beach and find somewhere to eat. Muri Beach on the east of the island is the most famous (and popular) part of Rarotonga for tourists to visit. There are many resorts, restaurants and shops along this stretch. The whole island is surrounded by a lagoon, however in Muri Beach the lagoon is renowned for being shallow, sandy and sheltered, so a great place for swimming and watersports. The sunset was beautiful as the water in the lagoon was so calm that night.

Day 2: Punanga Nui Markets

The next morning, we caught the Anticlockwise bus (yes, there are two bus routes on the island – Clockwise and Anticlockwise!) off to the Saturday morning markets at Punanga Nui, in the main town Avarua. It was very hot and there was little wind, so it was a bit of an extreme introduction to the climate! We spent the rest of that day relaxing, catching up with Emily and Seb, and drinking cocktails.

Emily, Seb and Adam enjoying cocktails at the “Sands” restaurant (part of the Pacific Resort).

There are lots of animals roaming around Rarotonga. Emily and Seb made friends with a dog that night who followed them back to their villa at the place they were staying. When we got home to our room, this cat with very sad eyes wanted to get let inside, so we caved and let it in. We later found out she was a cat that lived at our resort called OJ, who apparently liked going inside people’s fridges. I guess it is hot for a cat living in Raro!

 
OJ making herself at home, in the kitchen and on a spare bed in our lounge.

Day 3: Koka Lagoon Cruise

The next day was Sunday. A lot of things are closed, particularly after midday on Sunday, so if you go to Rarotonga don’t expect to have much to do on that day. Fortunately though we had most of the day booked up with our Koka Lagoon Cruise! This involved boating around on a glass bottom boat to the south-east corner of the island, which is an area with great snorkelling and lots of fish known as the Fruits of Rarotonga.

One of two glass bottom boats that took our group out on the Koka Lagoon Cruise.

The glass bottom boat was fun and very entertaining, with the tour guides telling us a bit about Rarotonga and the lagoon, as well as singing and playing the ukelele and drums. Then we got to jump off the boat out in the lagoon and snorkel around the marine reserve. There were so many colourful fish, it was amazing!

This picture is from Google as my camera and phone can’t go underwater! But you get the idea.

After the snorkelling, we went across to one of the islands out off Muri Beach called Koromiri for a buffet lunch of tuna, sausages, coconut and other tropical fruits, which was delicious! The Koka group sang us some songs while we ate. They all were called Captain something – Captain Awesome, Captain Cook (the chef), Captain Shiny, Captain Black Jack Sparrow… 

Afterwards Captain Awesome explained the differences between the different ages of coconuts and for what they are best used – for example, young coconuts are sweetest for drinking, and coconuts that have been left on the ground for 3-4 months are best for extracting coconut milk.

 Captain Awesome with a coconut that is ready to eat, and a coconut that is sprouting a new plant.

There was a tree climbing competition with ‘warriors’ from each country (Seb was selected to represent New Zealand), then Captain Awesome climbed a tree up and down in 7 seconds which was pretty impressive!
We were dropped back over to Muri Beach about 3 or 4pm, and took it easy for the rest of the day as we were a bit knackered. There were many cocktails and much delicious food!

 Having cocktails with the team at the Muri Beach Club resort – a nice place near us.

Adam and I on Muri Beach, with small islands Taakoka and Koromiri in the background.

 Going to have drinks at the Sands bar and restaurant, which is attached to Pacific Resort. 
This is where we stayed years ago (2008?) on our first family trip to Rarotonga.

It was our last day at the Muri Beachcomber. We really enjoyed staying here – the staff were very friendly and helpful, and it had a relaxed, humble vibe.

 The Beachcomber had a lovely path across a pond between our villa and the beach.

Day 4: Buggy rides + moving day!

We checked out of Beachcomber at 10am and left our bags with reception, as the hotel had helpfully offered to drop our bags off at our next place for us while we were out for most of the day. This was because we had booked into Raro Buggy Tours!

Again, not my photo – but it gives you the idea!

This involved driving around to the south of the island in a big row of bright yellow buggies. We then went up into the grounds of a derelict hotel (the Sheraton) and drove wildly around through the mud (Adam did anyway, harking back to his Hamilton boyracer days). Strangely I ended up with a lot more mud on me than he did, although by the end we were both pretty much covered! It was a lot of fun for all of us but I think especially for the guys.



The aftermath…

After that we drove up to a waterfall, where we caught our breath and then tried our best to wash some of the mud off (without too much success). The next step was to a nearby park where we all tried our best to get a hole in one and therefore win our buggy tour for free – unfortunately no luck. Finally we headed back towards Muri Beach for a yummy crumbed fish sandwich which was included with the tour.

 Finally, it was back to Muri Beach, and hopping onto the bus to go to our next resort… still covered in mud!



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Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace was a short drive from our place in Oxford, so on our last day we stopped there on our way back to Heathrow.  It was built about 1720 and is a huge place, one of the largest houses in England, and set in a vast park with lawns disappearing into the distance.  The pictures give you some idea of the size, I hope.

The East Gate
The North lawn and lakes
The water terrace garden
A fine horse
You could get lost here.

(Part of) the South Lawn

A fountain

A small person took this shot for us.  Lunch on the lawn.

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Accommodation

We booked all our accommodation on the web – three hotels, two guest houses, and ten apartments or bed-and-breakfasts.  Most were booked through the Airbnb website which we’ve used before, and most were very good.  One cancelled our booking at short notice (because her elderly mother had taken a fall) but we were able to find a replacement.

The true B&B’s include your breakfast prepared by the operator, whereas many of the Airbnb places are actually apartments or cottages where you get a full kitchen and look after yourself.  The B&B’s give you more interaction because they are generally friendly chatty people, and quite interesting to talk to.

Our first B&B, in the Cotswolds.
An excellent cottage near Wales.
Inside the cottage above.
Our slightly bizarre “chalet” in Wales.

In Wales our “chalet” was a slightly bizarre temporary-looking building which sat on the edge of a large grassy clearing.  A family of rabbits sat at the other end of the meadow most of the day, watching us and nibbling away.

The guesthouse in Windemere (Lake District)

A guesthouse is just a bed-and-breakfast but with several rooms for guests instead of just one.  The Windemere guesthouse had five rooms.  In those places we ate in a breakfast room shared with the other guests, who we sometimes got to chat to.

Airbnb near Glasgow.

Guest house in Fort William, looking out on the loch.
Our attic room in the little hotel in Skye.
Inverness apartment on the ground floor of this block.
Edinburgh apartment was fully furnished and overlooked a bowling green.
Another fully furnished apartment, in Durham this time

Some apartments are sparsely but adequately furnished, intended for full time rental use, but others are packed with the owner’s personal possessions.

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Oxford

Our last stop is Oxford, which turns out to be very busy at this time of year – just before the new university year starts.  The weather is still fairly hot, but slightly cooler, so quite nice.  There were crowds of people in the streets, including a large number of organised groups of young people, local and foreign.

The oldest church tower in Britain (c 1040)

English language school group
Lots of photos being taken in front of monuments and edifices
More bikes than in most places we’ve been

We liked the Ashmolean Museum, which is fairly famous and was started based on the collections of a Mr Elias Ashmole, who donated them in 1677.

The Ashmolean Museum
Egyptian alligator-headed god

Sheepish sphinx
A one cent note

A hundred-billion German mark note (1923)

Oxford was a nice town to wander about in, especially in this nice weather.

We bought our lunch at Jimbob’s
The clock on the Carfax Tower in the centre of Oxford.
Replica of the Bridge of Sighs in Venice

The covered market
Very fancy cakes!

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Shrewsbury

A Shrewsbury is of course a biscuit, but its also a town in England.  We visited to see the origin of the biscuit for ourselves.

A shrewsbury from Shrewsbury.  It seems you have to put the jam in the middle yourself!
“The house in which Henry VII lodged on his way to Bosworth Field in 1485”
Spidermen selling pizzas
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Foxton Locks

More canals!  We stopped at Foxton Locks because they a famous for having 10 locks in a row, the longest single run in Britain.  They’re also an example of the much narrower locks which are more common than the big ones we saw in Scotland on the Caledonian Canal.  There were also lots of people there, many with children, who went there for a day out and to have lunch at the adjacent pub.

Motoring into the next lock, deep down in the slot.
Sluices are opened and the boat starts rising.
Almost up!
The lock is now full, the gates are opened and they motor forward to the next one.
Mrs Boatman’s life involves lots of opening and shutting of canal gates!
You can still have fresh lettuce on a canal boat
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Edinburgh

In Edinburgh we got a great apartment – large, very fully furnished, fast internet, and on the top (4th) floor overlooking a bowling green and the surrounding city.  We went to Edinburgh Castle early, which is a good idea because it is very popular and becomes packed with tourists as the day progresses.

Edinburgh Castle sits high above the surrounding country
Lucky we got there before it got too busy!
The biggest gun in the universe (in 1457), for smashing castle walls.  Fired 20 inch cannon balls!
Looking down over the city, with the dog cemetery in the right foreground.

Sue’s favourite shop
In Saint Gile’s Cathedral

Some local colour

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Edinburgh

In Edinburgh we got a great apartment – large, very fully furnished, fast internet, and on the top (4th) floor overlooking a bowling green and the surrounding city.  We went to Edinburgh Castle early, which is a good idea because it is very popular and becomes packed with tourists as the day progresses.

Edinburgh Castle sits high above the surrounding country
Lucky we got there before it got too busy!
The biggest gun in the universe, for smashing castle walls
Looking down over the city, with the dog cemetery in the right foreground.

Sue’s favourite shop
In Saint Gile’s Cathedral

Some local colour

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York

A hot sunny day in York, so we finally got to wear those shorts we’ve been carrying.  Our first stop was York Minster, which is distinguished from the thousands of old churches and cathedrals in Britain by being one of the largest in northern Europe.  We decided we had to climb the tower, because our legs have not been sore enough lately.

Tourists recovering in the shade with icecreams
York Minster is extremely large
Sue pauses for breath halfway up
The stairs are strictly one-way.
A great view from the top, and great weather to enjoy it.

The Minster sits in the old town part of York, with little streets and crooked medieval buildings overhanging the streets.  Also quite popular today, with tourists thronging the streets.  One of the more famous little streets is called “The Shambles”, which is not a bad description.

In The Shambles
The chap on the right looks a bit unhappy

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The Falkirk Wheel

Yes, another post about canals!  I promise this is the last.  The Falkirk Wheel near Edinburgh was built quite recently, in 2002.  It was supposed to be a “Millenium Project” but was completed slightly late.  It is a huge rotating machine to lift or lower canal boats from a canal above to the one 24 metres below.  Until 1933 the two canals were linked by a staircase of 11 locks which took about a day to get through.  For many years the canal was closed, until the completion of the Falkirk Wheel allowed it to reopen.

One boat motors out along this channel into the top of the wheel…
..while another one enters the bottom.  Then the wheel starts turning.

These two Kelpies think the wheel is pretty special, obviously.  These two are a small-scale reproduction of the much larger original sculpture nearby in Falkirk, which is 30 metres high.
Kelpie sculpture at the Falkirk Wheel

We saw the huge versions as we sped by on the motorway last evening, but did not get a photo.  Here’s one I found online which shows how impressive they are:

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Melrose Abbey

Melrose is a partially ruined abbey dating from 1136, started by Cistercian Monks at the request of King James I of Scotland.  Like many other sites it is now managed and maintained by Historic Scotland, and you pay to enter and get an “audio tour” device to carry around which guides you around the site at your own pace and explains what you see.

Melrose Abbey claims the “most famous gargoyle in Scotland”, which is on the gutter of the main roof (next photo).  It is supposedly a bagpipe-playing pig, although I found I needed a bit of imagination to see the bagpipes:

The bagpipe-playing pig gargoyle

There is a story that the heart of Robert the Bruce is buried here at Melrose.  His friend Black Douglas promised Robert he would take Robert’s heart to Jerusalem when he died, but Black Douglas got distracted by some exciting opportunities in Spain on his way to Jerusalem, and was killed there so the heart never made it.  It is believed to have eventually made it back to Scotland, to be buried here.  In 2014 we found ourselves at that place in Spain where Black Douglas was killed: Teba.

Teba, Spain, where Black Douglas died carrying Robert the Bruce’s heart

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HMY Britannia

Her Majesty’s Yacht Britannia was the Queen’s royal yacht for 43 years up until 1997, the last in a long line of such yachts.  It’s not actually a yacht as most people would now understand, but a large motorised ship.  It is still crewed but is permanently tied up in Edinburgh and operates as a tourist attraction and a venue for functions.  We found it very interesting!

Britannia carried the royal Rolls Royce too.
A bigger dining room than most yachts
The drawing room
The Queen’s telephone, complete with “The Duke” button!
You could eat off the engine room floor

The operating theatre
Fully operational fudge shop on board
Crew’s quarters.  Forget privacy.
Real chef working in the galley

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Owlish Encounter

Today in the main street in Edinburgh (the Royal Mile) we came across a woman who had two large owls.  If you paid her she would give you a leather gauntlet and set one on your arm while you had a photo taken.  They seemed huge (for owls) but were very docile, although this one had huge eyes and an incredible stare!

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Inverness

Leaving Skye we drove east through the wilds of Scotland, across to the other coast at Inverness.

The bridge which gets you over the sea to Skye
Buskers in Inverness

Soldiers at Fort George, built to protect Inverness but never used.

A mortar on the wall of Fort George
The big Visitor Centre at the Culloden battlefield
The path marking the Scottish line on the battle field at Culloden
The locks on the Inverness end of the Caledonian Canal we saw in Fort William.

The man operating the lock gates.  A hydraulic system.
Foyers Falls near Loch Ness

The path to the falls

This guy has been watching from here for the Loch Ness monster since 1991!

Skipping stones on Loch Ness

A sandwich for lunch beside Loch Ness

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The Quiraing

The Quiraing (“Kee-raing”) is a wilderness area on the island of Skye which draws thousands of walkers to see the rocky crags and the view out to sea from the heights.  We parked our car on the side of the road with all the others and set out up the slope on the steeper path to the top of the cliffs.  Woolly hats, scarves, and jackets were definitely required.

Sue at the start of the days walk, the Quiraing on the skyline behind
Toiling up the slope with the road far below
Some of the locals

The view from the top was great, as you could see the sea on both coasts, but the weather got very cold and wet as we climbed along the cliff top looking for the path down.

Giant rock formations viewed from above (see the little people?)

Look for the people on top of those cliffs.

The views from the top were great.  We never found the path we planned to descend by, but eventually came down by a later route and turned our tired legs for the return trip along below the cliffs to the car.  We slept well that night.

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Skye

We moved on over the sea to Skye (via a big bridge rather than a bonny boat) to the little port of Portree, and the Rosedale Hotel.  The harbour reminds me of Leigh, although its a little bigger and busier.  The hotel is the white building on the right of this photo, right on the waterfront, so it was in a great position, and is composed of quite old buildings (cottages) so is rather quirky.

Portree harbour, the Rosedale hotel on the right

 We got the only room without a view – a little funny-shaped attic room.  You can see our windows sticking out of the roof on the left in this photo.  It was perfectly comfortable, although lacking in internet coverage or a plentiful supply of hot water!

Portree harbour, Skye

Portree buskers

It’s quite a touristy little town now, and there was even a cruise ship moored some distance out in the harbour.  We heard quite a few Americans in the streets.

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Loch Lomond and Luss

Loch Lomond is close to Glasgow, and obviously a popular tourist and holiday location.  The big “Loch Lomond Shores” centre at the foot of the lake includes a large shopping complex, restaurants, and an aquarium – all very touristy.

Loch Lomond tourism centre
There is a big shopping mall there

We stopped for a coffee, then moved on up the western side to Luss, which lies in the area McClintocks are supposed to have frequented long ago.  Luss is famous in Scotland because it was the setting for a long-running local TV soap opera, “Take the High Road”.

The shore at Luss

Tartan everywhere!

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Fort William

The internet has been fairly miserable up in the highlands so my blogging has been thwarted, but now I’ll have to try and catch up (we’re actually in Edinburgh now!)  In Fort William we stayed right beside the loch (Loch Linnhe) and our window looked out across it.  It was mostly cloudy and wet, so this is mostly what we saw:

Summer in the highlands!
Part of the appeal of Fort William is to see the highest peak in Britain, Ben Nevis.  However that was never going to happen with the weather like this.  Instead we drove to Glenfinnan to see the famous (thanks to Harry Potter) curved railway viaduct.  You can’t actually see the curve from this level, but it curves towards us:
The Jacobite Express crossing the Glenfinnan Viaduct.

 We climbed a muddy track and waited in the drizzle with dozens of others for the daily “Jacobite” steam train to cross.

Tourists waiting for the train to cross the viaduct.

Fort William is also one end of the Caledonian Canal, which cuts right 100 km across Scotland from here to Inverness.  If you have a boat you can sail across country via this series of canals (35 km), locks, and lakes (65 km, actually lochs).  At this end it descends through ”Neptunes Staircase”, a series of 9 locks to bring it down to the level of Loch Linnhe, and we went to see the locks in action.  It takes an hour or two to get through just this set of locks:

Four yachts waiting to get up one step in the locks.
One set of gates, with the next set in the distance.
The same four yachts lifted 3 metres, ready to pass through to the next step.