Reiseblogg

Wow, Fiji. What can be said? Not much to be honest, it is just paradise on earth! I know im not eloquent enough to do it justice...but sure ive never been known as a quiet one so I'll try and describe it anyway.

We had been enjoying the New Zealand section of our trip so much that to be honest, we hadn't planned ahead for Fiji at all. So a few days before we left New Zealand we called into a travel agency to see if we could blag a package/transfers etc for the 2 weeks we would be in Fiji and we were in luck. So our Fiji trip was for the most part planned and arranged before we'd even left New Zealand which was very different then the rest of our trip to date. Knowing exactly where we'd be every hour and day for the next 2 weeks seemed strange, we normally dont know where we'd even be staying one night to the next but we planned on doing nothing but relaxing so it was a welcome change.

It was a short flight to the city of Nadi on the main Fijian island where we landed without any hassle at all and were transferred to the hotel where we'd be staying overnight before moving on to the outlying islands the following day. This was the first time we had stayed in a 'proper' hotel in some time, and we immediately felt the difference. We were on a package holiday for 2 weeks now, not so much travelling anymore. It was bitter-sweet!

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Thailand is known more for its wild parties than wild animals, but away from the fleshpots of Bangkok and Phuket the country is blessed with some extraordinary natural treasures. We planned our fortnight in southern Thailand to include some of the area's wildlife hotspots, and we weren't disappointed.

The chain of karst mountains that we had seen earlier in our travels in Vietnam and Laos raise their heads again in southern Thailand. They stretch all the way from Guilin in China to Sarawak in Borneo, and are the eroded remains of an ancient coral sea that was thrust up when the Indian and Eurasian plates collided. The limestone peaks are at their loftiest in Khao Sok National Park, reaching to more than 3000ft, and it was here that we spent New Year.

The park was created in the 1970s to protect the rich tropical forests that cloak the hills, a dense jungle older than the Amazon rainforest. Subsequently, the creation of more National Parks and wildlife sanctuaries in the surrounding areas mean that Khao Sok is now part of the largest tract of old-growth forest in Southeast Asia. So vast is this protected area that it still holds viable populations of wild elephants, tigers and gaur. I decided this was the place to watch wildlife in Thailand.

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Well 5 months after starting out on our trip it has already come to the end of our Latin American adventures. Even though we are excited about the next travels, we are still sad to be leaving such a great area of the world. We had so many incredible experiences in the brief time we were there, met some great people and will have many memories to keep for the rest of our lifetime. We will be back, as there are still lots of things we still need to do.

We thought that it deserved making a top 10 (limiting it to 10 was tough) of our favourite memories from the 5 months as well as pointing out a few of the small things that we noticed which makes it truly unique to travel in Latin America. If you have been to South or Central America before, hopefully you chuckle at a few of these which you encountered; otherwise, if you are heading there, you have this to look forward to.

TOP 10 HIGHLIGHTS

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In this month's Talking Travel series, we chatted to regular TP contributor Glynn Hammond (aka nzhamsta). A prolific traveller and blogger, he has mapped over 40 trips and shared more than 2000 photos. Glynn is an avid believer in making the most of travel opportunities, having spent his life balancing work with long trips overseas, and takes his inspiration from the Mark Twain quote: "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

Glynn with the Great Sphinx

Most recently you spent four months travelling through Europe and the Middle East both on organised trips and also on your own. What do you like about organised travel and what do you like about making your own plans?

I like to use organised travel for places that are less “easy” to travel around independently. Some of the Middle East falls into the “easy” category (Dubai, Oman (wonderful place by the way), Egypt), whereas in other places it falls into the “less easy” (on this trip, Syria). The use of an organised tour can eliminate all the headaches regarding transport, accommodation, arranging guides and so on. The downside is that you are with a group and that does not suit those people who do not like being herded, having to be ready by a certain time or be left behind, group meals and so on. The make up of the group is also very important.

The trip went to all the places I wanted to go (with the exception of the Western Desert oases) and was well organised with a decent standard of transport, accommodation (notwithstanding Egyptian plumbing), guides and food.

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Kevin’s parents were waiting for us when we arrived back to Perth from our road trip. After some discussions on timing, it was decided that the four of us would head down to the Margaret River region for some wine tasting while Anya and Justin finished up their work before the holidays. We spent three days and two nights in the Margaret River region tasting local cheeses, local wine, local venison, local sodas, local fudge, local wood fired bread, local olive oils, local breweries, local coffee, and local yogurts, don’t u know I’m loco! It was a foodies paradise! The top three highlights were visiting the Yallingup Wood Fired Bakery, having a formal coffee tasting at Yahava and wine tasting at The Growers lake side cellar door. The map below shows all the places that we tasted and traveled.

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Our first stop in the journey to Machu Picchu was the town of Aguas Calientes, at the base of the mountain on which the city was built. It has the facade of a frontier town but the character of one large tourist trap.

Machu Picchu (elevation 8,000 ft) was believed to be constructed sometime around 1430 for the Incan Emperor Pachacuti. Archaeologists are still at a loss as to the purpose of the site. The current theory is that it was a retreat for the nobility and priests as well as a site of extreme religious importance due to its location in the mountains. The numerous terraces also prove that the city sustained itself through agriculture, enough to support almost 1,000 people. It was abandoned less than 100 years after it was built, perhaps due to smallpox which was brought by Spanish Conquistadors and introduced to the city by travelers.

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1. Photo Competition Winner: A view in Puno, Peru. Photo by kostlin.

2. Runner-up: Water Dandelions in Christchurch, New Zealand. Photo by dinah1.

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So I decided to go to Akihabara the gadget mecca of the world! All bright eyed with the possibilities of the wonders I would see I set off on trying to navigate my way through the subway system, which I'm now getting the hang of (they have a my I kind of myki system here also which helps me alot), I've wanted to take pictures on the train but I think it would be frowned upon and have not yet built the courage to quickly snap one. Here are some pics so you can get a feel of what I'm seeing in Akihabara..

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Like said earlier, Dunedin wasn't anything special (except for the fact that Ipa finally found a proper wool shop!), and we ended up doing pretty much nothing while there. We met some of the frenchies from Treehugger's, but otherwise the only thing worth mentioning would be Baldwin St -the steepest town street in the world! It lies just a few km outside the center and on the side of it there are stairs for the pedestrians We did see a small van getting to the top of it, but Judith didn't feel like putting Daisy to the test, so we just walked it up (huffing and puffing).

Baldwin St

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Day 2

I slept suprisingly well considering my inevitable fall from the heavens but once awake the excitement started to build. I say excitement, it was kind of a sense of impending doom mixed with excitement. I tried to skype my mum to let her know what I was about to do but after a few failed attempts called my friend Guru from Norway instead as I felt I had to tell someone I loved them before I set off and Jayne was out running!
I very light breakfast for fear of seeing it again shortly and then we trotted off to the agreed bus pick up point to take us to the airfiled

45 seconds and it was as if my mind started to realise what was happening, I was falling to earth at 120mph and a wave of fear started to creep over me again as I hoped the parachute would work first time.

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Ok so this blog update might be a few days late, but it's Christmas so get out of it! gon git

Our short flight from Vientiane, Laos to Hanoi, Vietnam lasted around 50mins, they had just enough time to rush through a round of drinks down the aisle before we were already descending. Crazy short. In Hanoi we had planned to take a 2 day trip to Sapa, a mountain village in the north of Vietnam. In the end however we stayed in Hanoi for a full 7 nights, mainly due to our laziness and not wanting to go through the hassle of having to pack up our homes again and move.

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I've spent the last three and a half months of my life studying abroad through University of Denver's Cherrington Global Scholars program, and a large part of that time has been spent out and about traveling Europe, exploring everything I can get my hands on, and soaking up as many new cultural experiences as I can. Armed with just my iPhone 4 camera, I've been photographing my travels and have somehow managed to compile over 1000 images alone, not including the awesome 360s I've been able to take. Below is my collection of over 100 of my favorite Camera+ iPhone 4 pictures (I don't use Instagram) from study abroad all over Europe, followed by my favorite 360 Panoramas, panoramic pictures, and a few other shots from my ending trip to Agadir, Morocco last weekend. Enjoy!

Pictures

Dijon, France

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Now I'd been told that Cuernavaca is a pretty special place. It is located about an hour south of Mexico city.

Just nearby is another quaint town, called Topotzlan. So I made it my mission to visit them both just before my arrival into the grand Mexico City.

Cuenevaca it seems, is where a lot of people like to come to study Spanish in Mexico these days. It was fairly quiet whilst I was there with winter setting in, although it felt much warmer to me than Oaxaca.

It lies about 700m below Mexico city and once was the summer escape for both the Spanish and the Aztecs in early years and remains an upper class holiday destination for many from Mexico City.

One person who made this city his home was the American Artist and Interior designer, Robert Brady.

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¡Hola!

After spending a day in Chichicastenango we got on the chicken bus heading for Antigua. For those unfamiliar with the term, here is a brief explanation: Local buses in many Central American countries are old U.S school buses repainted in bright coloures blasting the latest hits of the country. There is no limit to how many people one can fit in a bus, no matter how full it is Central American bus drivers seem incapable to pass potential passengers along the way. Seats made for two people appear to have plenty of room for three, in some cases five people depending on their size. Three Jason's or four Anne's plus a baby for example. Also you are free to bring your chickens, roosters or other farm birds on board. Hence the name.

Streets of Antigua

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In this month's Talking Travel series, we chat to long-term TP member and avid traveller Rebecca Barnshaw (aka bex76). She loves travel, photography, snorkelling, film, reading, swimming and football (watching not playing!).

Skydiving in NZ

You're a Mancunian living in New Zealand – how did you make the switch and which hemisphere do you like better?

I initially went over on a one year visa as a backpacker in 2005, but met a Kiwi guy and ended up staying longer than expected! I’m actually in the process of moving back to Manchester, mainly to be closer to family but also because I miss the travelling opportunities that living in the UK brings. The lifestyle in New Zealand is great and on the whole I have loved living there, but it’s not the best place to be based if you want to travel regularly. I’ve enjoyed travelling in NZ, Oz and three of the Pacific Islands (The Cook Islands, Fiji and Samoa) and I’m now looking forward to exploring lots more of Europe, in particular the former Yugoslavian countries which I think sound fascinating. I love that within a couple of hours I could be somewhere which is culturally and linguistically different, something which isn’t possible from NZ!

What do you love about travelling and what kind of traveller are you?

I love experiencing and learning about new cultures, seeing how people live and meeting people from all over the world, both locals and fellow travellers. I’m fascinated by the varied history of everywhere I go and whenever I’ve been somewhere I’m always inspired to read more about that country, so I love the fact that I learn a lot from my travels too. I try to support the local community wherever possible, so I’d rather stay in a small and friendly family-run guesthouse than a large, multi-national five-star hotel chain, not that I can afford that anyway! I generally like to pack in as much as possible when travelling – I’ll save my relaxing for weekends at home. While I think flexibility is important on any trip, I do love the planning as for me that’s a big part of the fun; reading and researching a place gets me even more excited about going!

You've been a TP member since early '04 – what do you love about the site?

I like the friendliness and sense of community that TP has always had, something which I feel few other forum websites have. I feel as if I know a lot of the regulars even though there is only one I have ever met; hopefully I’ll be able to meet more TPers in person one day. I think both novices and experienced travellers alike feel comfortable posting on the site, because the reaction from others is almost always positive and helpful. It’s a pleasant and user-friendly site to use and navigate around which always helps. TP also offers lots more as well as the forums such as photo storage, accommodation bookings and blogs so it’s almost a one-stop place for all travel needs.

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