Travel Location: Seaspray,Australia

Travel About: historic

We reached Seaspray on the 90 Miles Beach safely. That seemed today not a certainty at all times, but that is the end of the story, let’s start at the beginning. We woke up on a sunny morning after spending the night in the downstairs bedroom. After a walk along the lake we packed up our gear and drove towards the town centre of Beechworth.

Beechworth is famous because of its place in history with Ned Kelly. Ned Kelly and the Gang were infamous bushrangers best known for their armour. The town was the showplace where Ned Kelly was sentenced to hard labour and later where he had the last stand off with the police and where his preliminary hearing was held. We joined a Ned Kelly tour which was telling the whole story in relation to the various buildings. The tour guide almost looked like Ned Kelly.

After the tour, we drove on Gorge Road which is a scenic drive around Beechworth and then drove on the Great Alpine Road towards Sale. The Great Alpine road climbs up the Mountain and is very windy and had to be driven in low gear. On the top, Mount Hotham, we could see snow and we could see the ski lifts; truly an amazing view and absolutely to be recommended to drive.

On this drive is where our problems with the car started. Having had problems with two wheel driving on the first day, now we had squeaking sounds on the left wheel while driving slow and in four wheel drive (like the axel is loose). After a couple of stops we wanted to change back to two wheel drive, but couldn’t change the mode. After we reached a spot with Mobile phone reception, we called Britz and asked for help. We asked to change the car as soon as possible as we were no longer comfortable with ours. We drove on, now downhill and faster and didn’t have the problem anymore. After another 200 km, we reached Seaspray with 90 miles of beach. We put up our tent and started to remove the language while waiting for the replacement car arriving from Melbourne.

We ended the evening with the arrival of the new campervan and moving the stuff across. With the arrival of the car also came the rain. As they say, it’s Melbourne weather where you can expect four seasons in a day. We cooked the dinner under an umbrella and for the first time had to eat inside our bushcamper.

Related Travel Entry

• Canberra
  Canberra... think perfection, think blue skies, perfect clouds, tree lined streets, sunshine, kept parks, streamlined houses, roads that travel on perfect angles from each other, think smiling people,...
• Preparation & Planning
  We initially planned the trip for July 08, but had to put it on hold. Now, before the Christmas vacation and before our dogs arrive in Sydney, we decided it is the right time.. now or never.. to emba...
• Day 1
  Today is the big day! The alarm rang 6 am, but we kept delaying the getting up until 8.30. We picked up our campervan, which took two hours because we were stuck in rush hour traffic jam. So, the day...
• Day 2
  After yesterday’s blog, we sorted the bed out. The bed is on top and the room between head and roof rather tiny. We are not even able to crawl on all four. After trying to sleep for a couple of hours...
• Day 4
  The rain didn't stop during the night and the roof window of our campervan was leaking. A good start with the new car! However, the car was driving well and without problems. We may never know what a...

Travel Location: Bangkok,Thailand

Travel About: food-&-wine,historic,tour,transportation,travel-tips

January/Enero 2, 2007 Bangkok

We started our first day in Bangkok anxious to go the its main attractions : Wat Phra Kaeo, Grand Palace, Wat Po, Wat Arun, and all of the Wats possible. However after a big brunch we didn’t bother to ask the people from the hotel for their suggestions. This meant that after walking one block we were already approached by a ‘very friendly’ local that gaves us all sorts of suggestions based on a true fact: 2nd of January is national holiday and most of the locals were attending the Buddhists temples to pray. To make a long story short we ended up in a tremendously cheap tuk-tuk that took us around some non-touristic temples making 3 unwanted stops at a tailor’s shop, a site where a local and a French guide by coincidence started talking about the great business of buying cheap gems in Thailand and selling them in the US or Europe, and finally gem factory. Obviously we didn’t buy a thing but our original plans weren’t followed. By the time the tuk-tuk took us to the Golden Mount, we spent so much time in the temple that when we got out he had left. The the tuk-tuk driver not only did not receive the commission from the tailor and the gem factory but also he didn’t get paid by the ride. After this initial unsuccessful ‘scam’ we managed to walk our way to the Grand Palace and Wat Prae Kaeo stopping first in the Democracy Monument, a Hindu temple and Wat Rachmanat under the midday sun. The Grand Palace and Wat Pra Kaeo proved to be wonderful. We finished our day by returning to Bangamplhu’s night markets to enjoy delicious Thai food.

*********************************

Iniciamos este día a eso de las 8:00 am con un desayuno buffet en el hotel B180 (us$5) por persona, por supuesto le saque el jugo a estos B180 comiendo tanto que a las 4:00 pm aun no tenia hambre, jejejeje. La intención este día era visitar Wat Phra Kaeo (El Buda de esmeraldas), El Gran Palacio Real, Wat Po (Buda Reclinado) y Wat Arun, al final del plan inicial solo pudimos visitar Wat Phra Kaeo (El Buda de esmeraldas) y El Gran Palacio Real en la tarde, durante el día estuvimos visitando otra serie de templos y tiendas a las que solo van los locales y los turistas incautos como nosotros. La historia: salimos del hotel decididos a cumplir con nuestro itinerario cuando una mujer tailandesa se nos acerca y nos pregunta que a donde íbamos, en cuestión de un minuto ya nos había convencido de visitar Wat Intharawihan (Buda de pie), el Buda de la Suerte, the Thai Factory y otra serie de monumentos y lugares que aparentemente eran gratis este dia del ano porque era dia de fiesta nacional, lo cual era cierto, y por este motivo estaba abierto gratis al publico en general. Al final hicimos el siguiente recorrido en un Tuk-tuk con emosion: Wat Intharawihan un pequeño templo en donde hay un buda de pie al que los locales van a hacer ofrendas, de ahí salimos a ver el dichoso Buda de la Suerte, en donde conocimos a unos locales que eran católicos pero estaban visitando los templos budistas ese día, de ahí el Tuk-tuk nos llevo a un almacén en donde hacen vestidos a la medida, y fue acá en donde ser Colombiano nos salvo de que nos tumbaran, cuando el señor del almacén supo que éramos de Colombia se pego una desanimada porque creía que en Colombia hacer un vestido salía mas barato que en Tailandia y ni siquiera insistió en vendernos algo. Conclusión en 20 segundos ya estabamos afuera del almacén y al parecer estos almacenes les dan plata a los de los Tuk-tuk por llevarlos allá a comprar cosas, en ese momento la cara de felicidad del conductor ya no era tal, jejeje. De ahí salimos a otro templo que estaba cerrado pero en donde había un tailandés que supuestamente vivía en California y el que se nos aproximo para contarnos que hoy precisamente había una gran promoción en un sitio en donde se venden zafiros y rubíes tailandeses y que comprar en ese día era el gran negocio porque uno tenia el 195% de impuesto y además era 20% mas barato y que el ya había pagado su viaje desde California comprando joyas en Tailandia y vendiéndolas por casi el doble en USA. Por supuesto nosotros sabíamos que era un lavado de cerebro y que nos querían era hacer comprar huevonadas, en eso se aproxima un supuesto turista francés que ya había hecho lo mismo, por supuesto todo era un montaje. Conclusión decidimos irnos del templo y por supuesto el man del Tuk-tuk nos llevo a la dichosa joyería, que realmente no tenia nada bueno. Como es de esperarse no compramos nada y de ahí finalmente nos llevo el Tuk-tuk a un sitio muy popular de peregrinaje que se llama Wat Saket (Montana Dorada), en este lugar nos demoramos tanto que cuando salimos el man del Tuk-tuK ya se había ido sin que le pagáramos los B40 que habíamos arreglado por el viaje. La Montana Dorada es un sitio de peregrinación muy famoso en Bangkok y en especial el 2 de Enero estaba lleno de locales haciendo ofrendas al Buda. Después de visitar este monumento emprendimos una caminata que nos llevo a un área en la cual están ubicados el Monumento a la Democracia; la Galeria de la Reina; Wat Rachanatda, un castillo y templo de estilo Burmes, con una escalera en espiral ubicada en el centro del castillo y desde la cual a medida que se va subiendo se ven Budas a lo largo de todos los puntos cardinales. Las escaleras terminan en una pequeña cúpula que contiene una piedra a la que los locales le llevan ofrendas. De ahí seguimos a Erawan Shrine un templo dedicado a Brama, el dios hindú de la creación y a Erawan su elefante. A este templo los lugareños van a hacer ofrendas para obtener buena suerte. El día de nuestra visita el templo estaba repleto de gente llevando ofrendas y pidiendo por un buen ano 2007. En este punto de la caminata a Carolina el calor ya le había sacado la piedra. Luego de caminar un buen rato y preguntarle a un policía de transito llegamos finalmente al Gran Palacio Real y a Wat Phra Kaeo (Templo con el Buda de Esmeraldas). Este lugar es realmente alucinante, tan bello que cualquier sensación de calor, hambre y cansancio fue eliminada al instante. A Bangkok no se puede ir sin visitar este templo, es como ir a Romo y no visitar el Coliseo Romano, claro que la belleza de los templos y palacios, los detalles de la decoración, los colores, la calidad de los murales y pinturas es realmente maravillosa. A la salida de este lugar se me ocurrió sugerirle a Carolina que regresarnos al hotel caminando, por supuesto la respuesta fue un rotundo no, con la que la mejor opción fue negociar el regreso al hotel en Tuk-tuk. Después de dejar los morrales en el hotel y refrescarnos un poco decidimos salir a caminar a los alrededores de Banglamphu en busca de un lugar para comer. El área esta llena de pequeños puestos de comida y almacenes en donde se consigue desde un alfiler, pasando por artesanías, ropa de marca, zapatos y equipo electrónico. Entramos a una calle llamada Thanon Khao San en donde encontramos un muy buen lugar para probar algo de la cocina tailandesa. Carolina pidio una sopa y yo Pat Thai con langostinos, de tomar un coco helado y una cerveza Singha (la mas tradicional de Tailandia). Después de esta comida de vuelta al hotel y ahí si a descansar hasta el otro día.

Dia 3 Bangkok

Para nuestro tercer día en Bangkok teníamos bien claro que intentaríamos seguir al pie de la letra un itinerario predefinido. Salimos del hotel a eso de las 8:00 am e inmediatamente empezamos a caminar a lo largo de Thanon (Road) Phra Athit. Lo primero que encontramos fue un fuerte llamado Phra Sumen, seguido del parque Santichaiprakan. Desde este punto se puede ver el río Chao Phraya. Si se continúa caminando sobre esta calle en dirección sur oeste se puede llegar a los principales sitios turísticos de Bangkok muy fácilmente. A lo largo de Thanon Phra Athit, se pueden encontrar una serie de palacios en donde vivio la nobleza Thai y que ahora son utilizados por diferentes tipos de organizaciones. Algunos de estos palacios son el Ban Chao Phraya que es utilizado por las Naciones Unidas y Maiwan Palace el cual es ocupado por la FAO. Siguiendo la misma ruta se encuentran el Teatro Nacional, los campos reales de Sanam Luang y el Museo Nacional. Lo siguiente que encontramos fue la Universidad de Thammasat, un sitio muy importante para la historia reciente de Tailandia. Contiene un monumento que conmemora la masacre de estudiantes del 6 de octubre de 1976. La derecha Tailandesa que gobernaba en ese momento masacro a un grupo de estudiantes que estaban protestando por los derechos de los más pobres. Esto motivo a muchos a huir a las montanas y selvas de Tailandia para formar grupos guerrilleros de izquierda. Una muestra clara de cómo la violencia y la represión generan más violencia. Siguiendo la misma ruta esta Wat (Templo) Mahathat, un monasterio budista que alberga la Universidad Budista Mahachulalongkorn. Este monasterio fue construido para albergar hasta 1000 mojes. Allí tuvimos la oportunidad de entrar a un lugar que congregaba a muchos monjes, hombres vestidos de naranja y mujeres vestidas de blanco, orando alrededor de un buda. De aquí nos dirigimos a nuestro destino principal del día, Wat Pho (El Buda Reclinado) pero antes volvimos a pasar por las afueras de El Gran Palacio Real; Wat Phra Kaeo; la Universidad Silpakorn; Tha Chang Wong Luang, que en un tiempo fue las puertas del ciudad y ahora es un embarcadero para cruzar el rio, el mercado de los amuletos, el embarcadero real Tha Ratchaworadit y un mercado en donde los sentidos se deleitan con la cantidad de olores y colores de frutas, especias, pescado seco y puestos de comida típica tailandesa.

Wat Po es un complejo de templos que albergó la primera Universidad en Tailandia en 1832, sin embargo lo mas destacado de este lugar es el Buda Reclinado. Una figura de 45 metros de largo que muestra al príncipe Sidarta entrando al Nirvana. Después de visitar Wat Po, cruzamos el río en ferry. En este momento me di cuenta porque el trafico en Bangkok es tan caótico, pues tal parece que el curso de conducción de carros se aprueba después de pasar la prueba de manejada de ferry. Inclusive en el río el tráfico es un caos. Este cruce nos costo B3, mas o menos US$0.08. De aca nos dirigimos a Wat Arum o El templo del Amanecer, compuesto por una serie de torres de estilo Ayutthayan, es el templo más distintivo de Bangkok. Después de visitar Wat Arum cruzamos nuevamente el rio pero esta vez para tomar el bote expreso que recorre todo el Rio Chao Praya, con destino a el Barrio Chino y El Buda de Oro.

El Barrio Chino es una combinación de todos los barrios chinos que he visto en Londres, Melbourne, Sydney, pero además agregándole San Victorino y la carrera decima en la peor época de invasión del espacio publico, con un poco del mercado, el paseo de Bolívar y el San Andresito de Barranquilla, por aquello del calor, los olores a cano y los carritos de comida vendiendo arroz de lisa, claro que en Bangkok la variedad es mucho mayor, arroz frito, noodles, pescado seco, jugos de fruta, etc. La experiencia recorriendo el Barrio Chino fue fascinante. Para destacar el Kuan Yin Shrine. Finalmente llegamos al Buda de Oro, que esta localizado en un templo muy modesto, pero que da su importancia a que es la figura de un Buda en oro macizo más grande del mundo, de trss metros de alto y media tonelada de peso. Impresiona que no hay ningún tipo de sistema de seguridad que lo proteja. Después de visitar el Buda de Oro, decidimos aventurarnos a tomar un bus que nos llevara de regreso al hotel. A 250 metros del golden buda esta la estacion de Hualamphong en donde tomamos el bus numero 53 que nos llevo de regreso a Banglamphu. Recorrer la ciudad de Bangkok en transporte publico fue una de las mejores experiencias que hasta ahora hemos tenido del viaje. Nada de guerra del centavo y tampoco nada de Transmilenio o servicio primera clase. Un sistema bien básico pero organizado y en el que se tiene la oportunidad de experimentar la ciudad y su gente siempre amable y servicial. El recorrido en bus nos permitió tomar muy buenas fotos de la vida de la ciudad, siempre vibrante, llena de olores, colores y sonidos intensos.

Al final del día fuimos a cenar a Siam Oriental Inn, a probar algo mas de la comida tailandesa, totalmente exhaustos pero felices por todo lo vivido ese dia.

Related Travel Entry

• Sukhumvit – the lifeline of Bangkok
  If one were to look at the street map of central Bangkok, one would unmistakably recognize its most central arterial vessel – the Sukhumvit line. Intersecting the city with numerous ‘sois’ branching ...
• A shopper’s paradise
  I arrived at the Silom Serene Hotel around 8am.....hmmm mainly because the taxi driver couldn't find it.....I was totally knackered and caught some sleep.I had arranged to meet Natalia and Natasha la...
• "43 P, Please!"
  After I wrote my last entry, I met up with Carl (from New York City) and we headed to the International Students reception at Falmer Bar in Falmer House. Free drinks and food were served! My kind of ...
• The Big Test
  Well last Sunday was the big day that I have been preparing the last two years for. I wrote the Grade 6 Thai test, which the Thai government has set as the standard of fluency. Passing this test is on...
• "I’m in a glass box of emotion!!"
  Coming home from school on Friday, I could not remember the last time I had a hot shower, did not reeeeak of mosquito repellant, was not in the constant state of sweating, slept on a bed that was no...

Travel Location: Hoi-An,Vietnam

Travel About: historic

We arrived yesterday in the ancient town of Hoi An, just south of Da Nang in the middle of Vietnam. Liza pointed out that the name Hoi An is anagram of Hanoi. I am pleased to notice this because it is the kind of thing that I like to notice as well. Like later in the trip, we are scheduled to go to both Kyoto and Tokyo, which are anagramatical sister cities. In fact you could chain the two endlessly, as in 'kyotokyotokyotokyo…' etc.

And since we are in fact headed for Hanoi next week, this is a similar situation dont you think? But these are trivial matters in light of the week we've been having. Our Mekong Delta three day trip had suddenly become a four day trip when Liza took ill in Chau Doc on the second morning. After dinner on the first night of the tour, we had both taken a Lariam pill (ANAGRAM ALERT! 'a lariam' = 'malaria')as we have every Sunday since the week before Christmas. Maybe that was the reason that Liza got sick, but I didnt so what's up with that? Was my illness in Koh Samet my turn for the reaction, but if so then why did it affect me on a Thursday night? More likely, Liza had a bad reaction to food or an ice cube may have found it's way into her Milkless Mango Shake. Maybe she just a bad piece of lettuce, even if it was boiled it may have been boiled in water that had bacteria in it – the kind of bacteria that wouldnt affect the locals but would devastate the tourist. Because that's just what happened to Liza. She had all the symptoms, cold chills, sweats, and you know the other thing. I cant even type the word for fear of getting it again. Anyway,we had to get off the bus at the foot of Sam Mountain,just outside Chau Doc (Yes, there's a mountain called Sam – the site of a Pagoda that they call 'The Lady Pagoda') and hastily book an air conditioned room in the Bui Dien Nui Sam hotel for 220,000 dong, in cash. Luckily we had the cash, as we had checked our credit cards in a safe deposit box back at the Hotel A-1 Dong in Saigon along with the guitar and our big packs. Liza just needed to be off the bus and sleep in a nice bed with Air conditioning so we got her to the room and put her to bed. I made arrangements with a nice older guy who was our tour operator from the Sinh Cafe Saigon, Tankh was his name, so that a Sinh bus of the next days tour would come to the hotel and pick us up at noon the next day. I'll never forget how helpful the hotel manager was, she plumped up the pillows for Liza and showed me how to use the remote for the Toshiba air conditioner. Made sure I had my complimentary breakfast coupons as well. This was triage as far as I was concerned, but it turned out to be a magical oasis for us. They had satellite TV and since Liza was sleeping, I caught up on my CNN World News and MTV ASIA. But I also thought about the tour so far the day before, we had gone in the morning to the Rung Tram Forest hideout of the Viet Cong on pleasant little boats that curl up and down the many tributaries of the Upper and Lower Mekong River forks. It was here that I first saw a skull and cross bones sign that warned in Vietnamese and English of unexploded mines and bombs just past the fences, 'Deadly Ground' being the discernable and wisely heeded phrase that accompanied a decidedly un-jolly roger. This was yet another reminder of the folly of the U.S. forces even thinking that they could win here. 'WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?' should be etched into every captured and burned out tank and dismembered Huey helicopter across these former battlefields. The North Vietnamese Army, or NVA and all their guerilla instincts demonstrate the fact that 'charlie' knew his way around the jungle better than the yanks could ever have hoped. No matter how much money, or what percentage of an entire generation of young Americans that the Pentagon threw on the fire, it would only serve to burn out and drive out the foreigners. The Domino Theory. That's what US Generals like Westmoreland or then Senator Barry Goldwater called it. The idea being that if South Vietnam fell to the 'commies' then soon all of Asia, followed by India, then Western Europe etc…would fall like dominoes. Well, maybe it was the times, cold war hot war it's all war in the end. And for the US troops – particularly after the Tet Offensive in 1968, the end was pretty much everywhere, and every day, in the Mekong region. But back in a hotel near a mountain named Sam, Liza was now well enough to sit up in bed and watch Asian MTV. You have no idea how happy we were to see a documentary on Beck, one of those jump cutty snippet filled programs that MTV calls 'Biorythm'. It was very moving and inspiring if not utterly incongruous to our present conditions. And maybe that's why it felt so comforting. Junk food is extremly tasty when it's a familiar flavour. Comfort Junk Food. That's MTV Asia to me, and as they're fond of sloganing 'I Like'. Next morning and Liza's 24 hour flu is approaching hour #25. We are extremely well rested and descend into the pleasant hotel lobby to wait for the promised bus from Sinh Cafe and resume the three day tour with another group. At 11 am I see a bus with the Sinh Cafe logo on it (a curiously sixties, hippy graphic that combines a pointing finger with the wings of a dove in something that looks strangely like the Toronto Blue Jays logo.) Since it was an hour ahead of schedule, like that was even remotely possible, I went up to the driver with my make up voucher to see what was up. Sure enough this was not our bus, but the driver knew where the right bus was. Only trouble was that the driver of that bus, as far as this guy knew, had not been informed to pick us up. Not to worry, he intoned in Vietnamese English (i.e. indecipherably), I could pay one of the motorcycle 'taxi' guys who hung around the door of the hotel, to scoot me over to the other side of 'Sam' (the mountain as you'll remember) Just leave the bags with Liza in the lobby and get on the back of this Suzuki and whisk over there and back, lighter of course, for the 5000 dong that this would require. To my surprise, this seemed like a reasonable idea. Not to say I was cavalier and without trepidation, that would be a lie. I did all the silly things that seem to make sense when you're paranoid, like leaving my money belt and Passport back at the hotel with Liza, and only taking exactly 5,000 dong with me,lest this 'taxi' turn out to be a 'Cowboy' or motorcyle bandit. On the contrary, he turned out to be a friendly and efficient 'courier du bike'. I suddenly felt like a pony express man in the old west as I hopped on the motorcycle passenger seat and put my leery feet on the, well the place where one puts one's feet in those situations. I wasnt sure how hard I should hold the guy, so I tentatively rested my unclosed hands on his back – I would only grab on if I suddenly needed to – such an awkward 'guy moment'. The wind blew through my hair and the town flew by me as we raced around Sam Mountain to alert the cavalry. Suddenly, as the exhiliaration kicked in, I was having fun again. I met the Sinh bus and after being assured that he would come back for us, I got back on my chariot to give Liza the good news, a returning hero.

Well they say that things happen for a reason. And this was verified as we boarded the new bus and met our new crew of tourists. Among them were an Aussie girl, from Melbourne (Australia's Most Liveable City' according to the ads on Australia 7 TV which we also watched the night before), a balding and otherwise clean cut Irishman with round glasses who vaguely resembled the singer James Taylor both physically and in his demeanour, an unaccompanied German man who resembled an unaccompanied German version of the actor George Kennedy, two Italian girls of questionable fashion sense, an adorable and very young arian couple from Denmark and our prize acquaintance,who we will call Larry (for that is his name)and who was an American ex-soldier returning to 'the shit' after 30 years. In our next episode we will relive his horror, hopefully with a healthy respect and appreciation. SEE : THE WAR ACCORDING TO LARRY.

Related Travel Entry

• Tet/New Year in Hoi-An
  We arrived in Danang at around midday & it was significantly hotter here than what we left in Hanoi. We were supposed to be getting picked up by Hanoi hotels mans sister who owned a tailors shop ...
• Day 3
  We reached Seaspray on the 90 Miles Beach safely. That seemed today not a certainty at all times, but that is the end of the story, let’s start at the beginning. We woke up on a sunny morning after s...
• hanoi and halong bay
  we arrived in hanoi weary after our long bus journey from dien bien phu. it was dark, damp and the bus station smelt of wee. but we hopped in our taxi and were soon at our hotel.we did not have high ...
• test
  test test Bắt đầu chọn khách sạn và đăng kí nhận Phiếu khuyến mãi Skydoor qua Email để được giảm giá phòng 20-30% tại các thành phố du lịch lớn mùa Tết Tây 2009! tại đây!Thời gian khuyến mãi: 20/12/2...
• Limbo Vientamis
  On mai 2008. Outer travel at best only reflects the inner journey and at worst substitutes it. The world you perceive only provides symbols for what you seek. The sacred journey is inside you, before...

Travel Location: Caracas,Venezuela

Travel About: cultural-immersion,big-city,historic

My partner and I were in Caracas for the World Social Forum of 2006.

Given the left wing press on Venezuela, particularly Chavez’s socialist allegiances, concern for the poor and stance against US oil interests, we had expected something more akin to a socialist utopia. This was perhaps foolish but while aware of the countries poverty we had the impression that social infrastructure had been put in place to render life a little more tolerable than what it actually is.

Least welcoming

In Caracas we found people to be the rudest and least welcoming of all the places we have been to in Central and South America. This is possibly because in Caracas, more than any other place, poverty is so grindingly bad that being kind to white, bleeding heart westerners just isn’t a high priority. Another explanation is that they assumed we were American. That most foreigners were in the city for the World Social Forum, with the intent of in some way working together to improve the state of things, didn’t seem to have any impact.

Admittedly, I was very sick during my time in Caracas. This may have effected my perception of things substantially.

Related Travel Entry

• Tibet
  Free Tibet: you see the stickers everywhere (especially living in Santa Cruz), I get a newsletter from the Dalai Lama asking for money and support almost every month (someone sold my name) but until ...
• The Seventh Day: The Cairo Museum
  We flew from Aswan to Cairo. One of the fascinating sights were the streets of Aswan and Cairo and in Cairo all the activity on the street of a major world city. (See The New York Times, March 1, 200...
• So is Vancouver like Melbourne?
  So the question is: "Is Vancouver really like Melbourne?"Well at a first glance "Yes it is" the postcards pictures of the city at night, the nightlife, little suburbs, it almost has the same kind of ...
• A Buried Village, and Mitai Maori Night
  So how did you like all the funky stuff I told you about Rotorua in the last post? Sometimes the city seems like any other city....then you bump into a geothermal area, and it looks like another plane...
• Bangkok, Thailand
  If one night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble, what does two nights make?  We arrived in Bangkok around noon, on the 25 of July. It's really different now. We've been there, done that, we know ...

Travel Location: McLeod-Ganj-(Upper-Dharamsala),India

Travel About: cultural-immersion,historic

Free Tibet: you see the stickers everywhere (especially living in Santa Cruz), I get a newsletter from the Dalai Lama asking for money and support almost every month (someone sold my name) but until now Free Tibet was just one more cause that I didn’t have the time or money for. Now that I am in McCleod Ganj, home of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in exile, Free Tibet has taken on a new meaning. Before I continue, I just want to say that I am well aware that I am only seeing one side of this conflict and I know very little about the history behind it. But I do know a little bit more than I knew before coming here and I would like to share it with you, so that those Free Tibet stickers may take on some sort of meaning for you. For much more info (or just because you’re not in China and you CAN), go to www.tibet.com

In a nutshell, China invaded Tibet in the 50′s and has occupied ever since. Tibetans aren’t allowed to practice their religion, Tibetans fleeing their country have been massacred, and their children are required to have a Chinese education. (As a side note, there are no Chinese citizens allowed in the International and American schools in China- the government won’t allow it- Chinese must have a Chinese education. Many wealthy Chinese buy foreign passports for their kids to get them into the private schools). Tibetans want to be able to live in Tibet and have basic freedoms and the Chinese are not allowing that.

Back in the day, when the US was in the height of the anti-communist policy, the US government trained Tibetan forces (there was even a training base in Colorado), and supplied them with weapons. These operations were pretty successful and the Tibetans relied on the American support. However, China eventually opened up to trade and became too important to the US economically to be on its bad side. Support for Tibet was not possible if the US was going to have good relations with China so US support for the Tibetans abruptly stopped. Despite lack of support from governments worldwide the Tibetans continue their fight.

Soon, President Bush will discuss Tibet with Hu Jintao-http://www.tibet.com/NewsRoom/presidentbush2.htm

Today I walked through town to find a sit down demonstration- the Tibetans protesting China President Hu Jintao’s visit to India, happening in the next few days. Apparently the big protests are happening in Delhi but it was very interesting to be right in the middle of a peaceful protest. A beautiful thing, really, and I feel quite lucky to be here- each day learning just a litttle bit more about the world.

Related Travel Entry

• Escape from Delhi
  Hi everyone. Peter and I have been hanging out here in the mountains for 8 days now, a cool relaxing departure from our mad week in Delhi (no offence to our lovely hosts in Delhi, but it is a demandi...
• Home of the Dalai Lama
  Train to Dharamasala: After 5 days in Rishikesh we were ready for a change. We booked an overnight train ticket to Dharamasala--though the train only went as far as Chucky Banks --or at least thats wh...
• Conference superstar, Ghandi’s nature cure, Brazilian for a week
  Again, it has been way too long since I have written and I have a million stories I would like to share. First of all, the international yoga conference was great. About half of the participants were...
• Through the eyes of a sick man
  My partner and I were in Caracas for the World Social Forum of 2006.Given the left wing press on Venezuela, particularly Chavez’s socialist allegiances, concern for the poor and stance against US oil...
• The Seventh Day: The Cairo Museum
  We flew from Aswan to Cairo. One of the fascinating sights were the streets of Aswan and Cairo and in Cairo all the activity on the street of a major world city. (See The New York Times, March 1, 200...

Travel Location: Fort-Jesus,Kenya

Travel About: historic,cruise

Dhow Sundowner Cruise offers an outstanding view of the old port from the water. After docking, a Jahazi Marine guide (on booking with Jahazi Marine for this particular tour) will lead you on a walk through the historic old town to the 400 years old fortress of Fort Jesus.

Fort Jesus is a Portuguese fort built in 1593 on Mombasa Island to guard the old port of Mombasa. Between 1631 & 1875 the fort was won & lost nine times by the nations contesting control of Mombasa. It was declared a historical monument in 1958. Today it houses a museum.

Fort Jesus

Related Travel Entry

• Day 3
  We reached Seaspray on the 90 Miles Beach safely. That seemed today not a certainty at all times, but that is the end of the story, let’s start at the beginning. We woke up on a sunny morning after s...
• City of Angels
  January/Enero 2, 2007 BangkokWe started our first day in Bangkok anxious to go the its main attractions : Wat Phra Kaeo, Grand Palace, Wat Po, Wat Arun, and all of the Wats possible. However after a ...
• Ahoy from Hoi An….a tale of Malaria, Lariam and a Larry.
  We arrived yesterday in the ancient town of Hoi An, just south of Da Nang in the middle of Vietnam. Liza pointed out that the name Hoi An is anagram of Hanoi. I am pleased to notice this because ...
• A preservation of Culture within a 21st Century Paradigm
  Sopa. Kaaji encarna Alex. Ainguaa Canada. Kayie etii choo? (How are you? My name is Alex. I am from Canada. Where is the latrine?- is probably the most important combination of phrases to know.) On o...
• Through the eyes of a sick man
  My partner and I were in Caracas for the World Social Forum of 2006.Given the left wing press on Venezuela, particularly Chavez’s socialist allegiances, concern for the poor and stance against US oil...

Travel Location: Berlin,Germany

Travel About: architecture,art-&-museum,historic,island

August 08 So this morning we got up and it was quite cloudy still from last night’s rain. We hopped in a cab to take us to the Hertz rental car place. The driver drove extremely fast, and at one point I swear he was gunning for some old lady crossing the street. When we got to the Hertz place we had to wait for dad to fill out paper work. It was really cold and I’m starting to get sick so I sat inside and looked at a hot guy for awhile. We then loaded up our rental car and started to head out of the city. We ended up sitting in traffic for quite awhile because it turned out the main highway was closed. Dad rerouted somehow, I wasn’t really paying attention because I didn’t feel like listening to him and Steph arguing. I just read and before I knew it I looked up and we were in the middle of the Dutch countryside. It’s extremely pretty, very green with the red tile roofs of the little houses contrasting nicely. I even saw an old fashioned windmill which was still working. There are way more of the new ones everywhere. They are the tall white ones which Mrs.Cameron showed us pictures of in science class. Now though they have red stripes painted on them for better visibility. I slept for awhile and when I woke up we were in Germany. It looks alot like Holland. Many cute hillside towns with the red tile roofs. For lunch we stopped at a McDonald’s. For some reason every McDonald’s in Europe is decorated very nicely. They are all very modern and chic. There are flat screen TVs and everything. The girl we were ordering from didn’t speak English but we finally got what we wanted and headed off again. We missed one of our exits twice but got on the right track. The rest of the drive was pretty uneventful. It just feels like we’re driving through Canada or the States, except for the fact that there’s no speed limit. This is quite scary especially when we are the slow ones going 180. Most cars are pushing 200. When we got to Berlin it took us a little while to find our hotel. This gave me a good chance to scope out the city. It certainly isn’t as pretty as Amsterdam, but it’s okay. Very gray looking, but that may only be because of the cloudiness. After we dropped our bags off at the hotel (which certainly isn’t as nice as the Amsterdam one) we went to look around a bit. We had gotten into the city later than expected so we just stayed close to our hotel. The walk/don’t walk lights are those funny little men like the postcard Mrs. Cameron showed us. A couple blocks down there is a cathedral that got bombed in WWII. Only the front of it is still standing and there is a giant hole in the middle. The tops of the towers are also missing. On the ceiling there was a gorgeous mosaic with lots of gold. It seems like it would have been a grand place back in the day. We went into some shops afterwards, then for dinner. At another Italian place. There are certainly no shortages of them and every restaurant we come across is Italian. I have eaten pasta and pizza every night! The menus are kind of hard to read here though, because it’s not as English speaking as Amsterdam. We went back to our hotel then and went to bed.

August 09 We got up bright and early to go on a walking tour through Berlin. There was a bit of trouble finding the meeting place but we found it eventually and joined the group. Then we hopped on a train to Hackescher Markt where our tour started. It turns out that it used to be an area where all the people living at the edge of society (poor, sick, blind, Jewish, dwarves, etc) lived in the 1930s. Hitler had decided he was going to round up all the people here and send them off to Concentration Camps. Many Berliners hid them though behind false partitions in closets and cellars and cupboards and saved many. I really wanted to go see a Concentration Camp but we didn’t have enough time. After Hackescher Markt we started off to an island in the middle of Berlin. There are many museums and old churches, and illegal immigrants. It is Imperial Berlin and there are many old buldings from the 1900s. On the bridge there were two little kids playing music for money. One was playing an accordion and the other was playing some weird instrument which was a cross between a flute and a piano. According to our tour guide they were part of the Mafia, and are in an agreement sort of like forced prostitution, which is also a problem in Berlin. They were very cute and played well so we gave them money. We continued onto the island and then back onto the mainland. We stopped many times at various historical sights. Some had to do with Hitler, others had to do with the Communists, and some with the royalty of Germany from long ago. Finally there was a stop for lunch and I was very hungry indeed. We were running behind schedule and what was supposed to be a four hour tour turned into six hours. Since we finished lunch early we went into a free internet cafe and I wrote a few quick emails before we started up again. After lunch we stopped at Checkpoint Charlie. It was Checkpoint C along the Berlin Wall, and it was the only checkpoint where you could cross between East and West Germany. The tour stopped and our guide explained all the politics that went along with the Berlin Wall and how the Soviets and the Americans had a stand off at Checkpoint Charlie that almost started WWIII. He also pointed out that along the line where the wall once stood there is a brick line with brass plates every so often stating the date when the wall was put up. It was put up during the night and many people woke up to find it there. It criss-crossed and went everywhere so it wasn’t a straight line. Many people died trying to cross as in some places where there was room, the wall stretched for 500 m. They had electrical fences and trenches and the wall so that people and tanks couldn’t cross. We moved on to various other buildings then to the site where Hitler’s bunker was. It was very large and he had many other people down there living with him. Our guide said he and others have a documentary coming out that there is evidence that Hitler had syphallis, Parkinson’s disease, Schizaphrenia, Male anorexia, and he was addicted to cocaine that was given to him through eye drops to cure his weepy eye due to his syphallis. When he knew the Soviets were coming for him he married his girlfriend Ava Brown and they decided to kill themselves with cyanide capsules. They didn’t believe the man who gave them to them so they tested to capsules on Hitler’s dog. It successfully killed the dog so they took them and then were partially burned because there wasn’t enough gasoline to fully cremate them. Them the Soviets dug them up and found the skull of Hitler. They took his ashes and his skull and jaw back to Moscow where the jaw and the skull are displayed in separate museums. His ashes were then flushed down the toilet. After Hitler’s bunker we went to the monument to all the Jews who were killed in the war. There were about 11 million and 6.5 million were successfully exterminated by the Nazis. The monument was a bunch of stone blocks of varying heights and sizes. It was meant to resemble a cornfield, and you were supposed to get confused and disoriented walking through it. I didn’t experience this phenomenon, but what I did find interesting was that the stones were sprayed with a material that resists graffiti so they can’t be damaged. We finished off the tour at the Brandenburg gate, which is the gate to the city. It is in the middle of the city but whatever. It is very large and is designed in the Roman fashion. It has Nike the goddess of victory riding a chariot on the top. When Steph was trying to take a picture of it someone bumped her and she dropped the camera on the cobblestones. The lens was out and bent, so now our camera is broken. We still don’t know what we’re going to do. You certainly can’t be on this kind of trip and not have a camera! It hasn’t even been a week yet! We did also got to see the balcony where Michael Jackson hung his baby out the window and shook it though. Since our tour ended up being six hours we were all quite tired so we went up a street to look for restaurants but no one was really hungry yet. We got back on the train and went for dinner closer to our hotel. Then went back to the hotel where I read for a bit then went to sleep.

I slept for awhile and when I woke up we were in Germany. It looks alot like Holland. Many cute hillside towns with the red tile roofs.

Related Travel Entry

• The Seventh Day: The Cairo Museum
  We flew from Aswan to Cairo. One of the fascinating sights were the streets of Aswan and Cairo and in Cairo all the activity on the street of a major world city. (See The New York Times, March 1, 200...
• Settling In
  Well it seems like it has been a while since I have posted anything. I have been sick for what feels like a week with a sore throat and a cold. I went to a doctor yesterday and I got some antibiotics...
• Wat Amazing Sites! Part II
  The next day Erik, Frank and Lou picked me up at 9am. Our first stop was to one of the gates of Angkor Thom which was pretty impressive. As we headed up to the gate, we had to cross a bridge that was...
• Bolton Abbey, Yorkshire
  Well it didn’t look all that promising this morning. It was grey and overcast but warm, so ideal really for a walk. My brother had decided to head off to the Yorkshire Dales, a beautiful part of the c...
• Glasgow
  Today was another beautiful day in Scotland.Karin had a stomach ache and decided to take a day off to rest, so I hit the center of Glasgow on my own. It was interesting to experience traveling solo fo...

Travel Location: Cairo,Egypt

Travel About: architecture,cultural-immersion,art-&-museum,historic,world-heritage-site,ancient-egypt,cairo

We flew from Aswan to Cairo. One of the fascinating sights were the streets of Aswan and Cairo and in Cairo all the activity on the street of a major world city. (See The New York Times, March 1, 2007).

The Cairo Museum was incredible, and there are so many things worth seeing it’s not really fair to pick and choose. If you are lucky enough to have a day or two in Cairo, spend time here. We had two hours.

Enjoy, find your own treasures to see

When you come in the museum, go straight to the central hall and be sure to see the Narmer Tablet. This is the most ancient example of hieroglyphics and shows a figure who may be the earliest pharoah. It is thought to be a representation of the battles that led to the first union of Egypt and some consider it one of the earliest works of art. See the pyramidion, a capstone from a pyramid, a little farther along in this foyer. Get a diagram of the museum.

You should not miss the statue of Khafre, the pharoah portrayed on the Sphinx. (See the photos for a comparison between the face on the statue and the Sphinx.) If you see nothing else, see this statue, it is truly a startling work of art. It was discovered hidden in a well in the temple beside the Sphinx. You will find it in Room 42.

In Room 32 are the statues of Rahotep and Nofret, husband and wife; the statues are painted and have startling inset eyes that seem to be alive. These statues are older than the pyramids of Gisa. In the same room in a case on the left is a small family group, the dwarf Seneb and his wife and children. The affection she shows for her husband is touching. in fact he was a very important official just after the building of the pyramids and they were buried in a place of honour, in Gisa near the pyramids. Perhaps the ancient Egyptians have something to teach us about accepting differences.

See the huge, strange,and somehow fascinating statues of Akhenaten (Room 3), unlike any other statues of pharoahs in Egypt. All other pharoahs are portrayed as handsome, strong, young. Akhenaten looks wierd. The face is arresting. This man outlawed all other gods in Egypt and substituted one god only, Aten, the sun’s disc. In this room, try to find the head of a statue of one of the most beautiful women in history, Nefertiti, Akhenaten’s wife. He wrote the world’s first love poem, to her.

Nearby are the most famous treasures in the Cairo Musuem, the treasures of Tutankhamen, the next pharoah after Akhenaten. After Akhenaten’s death, all the Egyptian gods were restored and an attempt was made to wipe out all memory of Akhenaten and he was referred to as “the great criminal.” He may have been deposed in a military coup. Nefertiti disappears from history, we don’t know what happened to her. Tutankhamen was originally called Tutankhaten, but the last part of his name was changed to “Amen” to show the old gods were back. This may be why he was buried the way he was and his tomb covered in rubble, to get rid of all traces of Aten. The grave robbers missed the tomb as a result and that is why we have such incredible examples of the best work in the best period of Egyptian artwork and craftsmanship. When you look at the treasures of Tutankhamen, you are seeing some of the very best ancient Egypt has to offer.

Do not miss the solid gold coffin, and the gold mask (see the photos). The surprising thing is how much else was in the tomb. It goes on and on, for room after room, Tutankhamen’s chariots, his hunting bows and arrows, his throne and portable bed, several large statues, and countless small ones. Everything he might possibly want, even some game boards to while away the centuries. Today we believe that “You can’t take it with you.” Tutankhamen disagreed.

Enjoy. Find your own treasures to see, or odd things to take in that you won’t find anywhere else, the mummies, perhaps. The realistic paintings on the faces from mummies in the later period, maybe, in Room 14.

This was the trip of a lifetime. Hope we get back there one day. Too much to see in a short time.

Related Travel Entry

• China: Beijing
  Sunday 24th September6am and Idre presented us with our Beijing tickets, but the only places he could get meant that we are not in the same carriage. In fact we were 7 carriages apart!! A bit awkward ...
• Berlin
  August 08 So this morning we got up and it was quite cloudy still from last night’s rain. We hopped in a cab to take us to the Hertz rental car place. The driver drove extremely fast, and at one poin...
• Settling In
  Well it seems like it has been a while since I have posted anything. I have been sick for what feels like a week with a sore throat and a cold. I went to a doctor yesterday and I got some antibiotics...
• Wat Amazing Sites! Part II
  The next day Erik, Frank and Lou picked me up at 9am. Our first stop was to one of the gates of Angkor Thom which was pretty impressive. As we headed up to the gate, we had to cross a bridge that was...
• Angkor Wat: Tourists Do, Travelers Pass Through
  I love Cambodia and it is, undoubtedly, the best country I have ever traveled in. But I don't love it because of it's claim to fame - the astounding temples of Angkor, the site of the Khmer ancient ca...

Travel Location: Madang,Papua-New-Guinea

Travel About: beach,historic,island

In mid-August 1998, the inhabitants of Aitape on the north coast of Papua New Guinea felt a mild tremor underneath their feet. Thinking nothing more of it, they carried on with what they were doing. 20 minutes later, the same people were scrambling for cover as a 10-metre high wall of water headed towards them.

10,000 of them got away, only to be left homeless and destitute in a mass graveyard full of bloated corpses. 3,000 were not so lucky. But the real horror was the lagoon in the path of the tsunami, which trapped all the bodies which would otherwise have been washed out to sea. With cholera and typhoid a constant threat, with dogs digging up hastily buried bodies and with the stench of corpses trapped in palm trees and mangrove roots, the place was eventually abandoned. All the houses had been washed away anyway.

10,000 people got away, only to be left homeless and destitute in a mass graveyard full of bloated corpses

Hundreds of miles away in the Highlands, we were finishing our last days in Kainantu and heard the news. It didn’t seem that serious at first, and we made our way to our holiday spot in Madang without too much worry.

But the scale of the damage became clear when we got to the north coast. As the nearest major city, Madang was the base for all the emergency services going to Aitape. With two of our group training to be doctors and the other two wanting to help, our goal was to get on the first plane out there.

It wasn’t so easy. No-one wanted to take responsibility for a random group of travellers who had been in PNG a matter of weeks. In the course of an anxious day, where the chicken part of me desperately hoped we wouldn’t be able to go, we must have made 15 phone calls. But it wasn’t meant to be.

So, instead of burying bodies and bandaging wounds, we were forced to go on with our holiday (not without a touch of guilt). We decided to head for Siar Island, with its unspoilt beaches, heartbreaking sunsets and cyan waters. There’s one budget guesthouse on the island which gave us bed and breakfast for about 5 pounds a night. The accommodation was basic but clean and there were only two other people staying there.

The rest of the tiny island was deserted except for one Papua New Guinean family we spotted fishing. It was classic tropical paradise – vines you could swing on, waters full of stunning coral, sunsets that made you overuse the word ‘beautiful’.

Madang was a great holiday town too, with a posh (but affordable) club by the marina and small enough to wander around. We stayed there for a few days, then headed back to Port Moresby for our flight home.

Madang, and the whole of PNG, was beautiful, welcoming, intriguing and bizarre all at the same time. But I still wished, as the plane lifted us off the island, that the chicken part of me hadn’t had its way. I would have liked to have given something back.

Related Travel Entry

• The Gulf of Thailand…hit that party!
  Following a gruelling 14hr journey from Phi Phi by ferry to Krabi, minibus to Surat Thani and another much delayed ferry, we have finally arrived in Koh Phan Ngan ahead of the masses to secure accom ...
• The ‘Real’ Fiji
  We decided to spend our first week touring Fiji's main island, Viti Levu, with the Feejee Experience (sister company to the good old Kiwi Experience). Aboard the familiar green bus we set about getti...
• surrounded by speedos
  So we left Bangkok on Thursday and we couldn't get out of there fast enough. One night was definetely enough with being bombarded by tuk tuk drivers who didn't speak any english and just wanted to ta...
• New Year on a beautiful island
  I have to admit I was completely spoilt rotten by my lovely boyfriend, taking me to such a gorgeous place. The views over the Indian Ocean were absolutely the best I have ever seen. I really regret n...
• Berlin
  August 08 So this morning we got up and it was quite cloudy still from last night’s rain. We hopped in a cab to take us to the Hertz rental car place. The driver drove extremely fast, and at one poin...

Travel Location: Santiago,Chile

Travel About: architecture,art-&-museum,historic

Well it seems like it has been a while since I have posted anything. I have been sick for what feels like a week with a sore throat and a cold. I went to a doctor yesterday and I got some antibiotics that appear to be helping. My always troublesome tonsils are really struggling with the polluted air here.

On Friday, we took a group trip to the town of Pomaire where they specialize in making the pottery that they sell on their one main road. It was definitely worth the stroll. Later we arrived to Pablo Neruda´s ocean front home in Isla Negra. Neruda is something of an idol here as his poetry is thought very highly of by Chileans. His home is quite interesting because of his habit of collecting many rare and interesting things like old bottles and centuries old statues of women that had once stood at the front of old sea ships. That night, several of us parted ways with the organized tour bus and took off for Viña del Mar. We spent the weekend there and it was fantastic once again. One of our group of four, Tyler, is staying with a family that owns a condominium in Viña. They have a room with bunk beds and we were more that happy to occupy them free of charge. The balcony overlooks a rather modern looking city standing in front of the Pacific Ocean. That Saturday night we went out on the town and found many great little pubs and bars each with its own character.

My classes have been fairly easy so far and we have been trying to find things to fill the day when not in school. Today we found a bowling alley above a grocery store and spent an hour knocking down pins. Other days are filled by finding new, tucked away restaurants where we can sit and relax for extended periods. But mostly we just sit outside on a park bench in front of school and watch the many Chilean college students do their thing. There are dozens of colleges in the neighborhood where our school is located and it seems to be 90% students walking about.

Tomorrow, five of us are renting a Nissan Sentra and driving to Chiloe. We have a four day weekend due to the Chilean independence. Everyone else in Chile gets the entire week off! Chiloe is an island down south that I feel will be extremely interesting. They apparently have their own mythology that is still very much a part of everyday life. I have never been much of a seafood lover but I feel that the time has come. In Chiloe, the dish Curanto, is perfected. It is a soup of vegetables, meat, and just about every kind of seafood. From what I have read, it must only rightfully be served after it has been cooked in a hole in the earth. I will surely let you know how that turns out.

Related Travel Entry

• The Serenity of La Serena
  Wow a lot to say as a lot has been done.Firstly, let me mention that photos will be coming as soon as we find a place that actually has DSL or Cable, as it´s basically impossible to upload our (fanta...
• Berlin
  August 08 So this morning we got up and it was quite cloudy still from last night’s rain. We hopped in a cab to take us to the Hertz rental car place. The driver drove extremely fast, and at one poin...
• The Seventh Day: The Cairo Museum
  We flew from Aswan to Cairo. One of the fascinating sights were the streets of Aswan and Cairo and in Cairo all the activity on the street of a major world city. (See The New York Times, March 1, 200...
• Wat Amazing Sites! Part II
  The next day Erik, Frank and Lou picked me up at 9am. Our first stop was to one of the gates of Angkor Thom which was pretty impressive. As we headed up to the gate, we had to cross a bridge that was...
• Bolton Abbey, Yorkshire
  Well it didn’t look all that promising this morning. It was grey and overcast but warm, so ideal really for a walk. My brother had decided to head off to the Yorkshire Dales, a beautiful part of the c...