Our train trip on the CHR, which is the new fast train network, took just over four hours from Weifang to Beijing. The trip was very comfortable and several friendly locals chatted with us along the journey. One entertaining young man spoke excellent English - he works with CCTV (television) in advertising, so enjoys being able to speak both Chinese and English.
A Canadian man came up to chat with us when we were in the train. He told us how he has worked in China as a teacher of English since 2003 - each year he has a 10 month contract then he and his wife head home to Canada for 2 months. He told us he is an English Language co-ordinator for a large area in China and told us how he only employs Canadians and Americans and that he won't employ Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans and British - he said he doesn't want anyone with an accent teaching English!!!! I felt like giving him a serve about his loud personality and his loud twangy accent - but I said nothing and remained calm!!
Charlie told us not to worry about our transport in Beijing and that someone would be there at the train station to pick us up. Once again we entered a very busy train station and once again there was James at the front of the line to meet us. He had been in the north on business so was able to pick us up together with one of Charlie's twin sons, also named James. Charlie's twin boys are both almost 20 and attending University, James here in Beijing and Bob in Wuhan City. It was great to meet up with Charlie and his wife Kelly once again. We had visited in both 2006 and 2007. The only difference this time, is that Otmar and Antoinette are in Australia - it seems a little quiet without them. Wu now works for Charlie and for our stay in Beijing, he took us out and about to most places.
We spent one day with James and then the following day he flew to another city before flying home to Angela in Chongqing. In the evening we went down to the Restaurant street to the Mongolian Restaurant and had a very enjoyable hot pot dinner. As it can be difficult to obtain train tickets, Pat and James headed off to purchase our train tickets for the following Tuesday for the 13 hour train trip from Beijing to Erlian, close to the Mongolia border. Our Chinese visas will expire on the Wednesday, so we have to ensure we cross the border on or before the 15th June.
To help ease vehicle congestion on the streets and freeways in Beijing, the government has introduced a plan whereby you must not drive your vehicle on certain days of the week when the registration plate ends in particular numbers - for example - on Mondays if your registration number ends in either 2 or 7 you must leave your vehicle parked up - otherwise suffer the fine of 100 to 200 RMB (divide by 6.8 for Australian equivalent) for as many times as you are caught on the day. Tuesdays numbers are 3 and 6.
One day Wu, Pat and I headed out to the Olympic Stadium which is nicknamed The Birdsnest. On our last visit in '07 it was still under construction, in preparedness for the opening of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The stadium is huge once inside - it was great to see it first hand - we spent a couple of hours walking around the different levels. Wu took us to the rebuilt hautong area of Beijing - it is a shame that the original hautong area has been razed to the ground and the modern "old design" structures stand in their place.
Charlie suggested that we have Chinese names for when we visit China as it is very difficult for Chinese people to pronounce our English names. My Chinese name is Wei Bo Sha (pronounced WE BOW SHA) and Pat's Chinese name is Wei Bai Cui (pronounced WE BUY TSUI) - Wei is the surname for Wells which is always placed at the front of the christian names. I think that's pretty cool!
We have been in Beijing twice before, so we didn't need to do much sight seeing, instead we enjoyed some casual shopping - particularly at the Silk Markets. On our Silk Market day, Charlie's wife Kelly joined us for lunch and then we continued shopping in the afternoon. We stocked up on some gifts for the family and had a great time, with both Kelly and Wu joining in the fun of the bargaining. A girl remembered Pat from 5 years ago when he bought a set of golf clubs from her - she said he was such a hard bargainer she can never forget him. I did mention that man loves to bargain!
Charlie comes from a village in the southern area of China, so he took us to meet some of his friends he grew up with in that same village. Over the years they all moved to Beijing and are in the throes of expanding their already booming media and film business. With the Chinese film industry at an all time high there is a lot of work available and many businesses have already established themselves as clients with them. We wished them the best of luck in their new and expanded venture.
After a tour of the business premises, we visited their apartment for fruit and tea, after which about 16 of us headed out to a restaurant for, once again, a magnificent meal. This round table (3 metre diameter) and lazy susan (2 metre diameter) would have to be the largest we have seen with a seating for 16. A little 5 year old girl sat next to me and we chatted a few words in English - yes she is now learning English at school.
Not too far from Charlie's home is a Home Furnishings and Building Materials Centre - we think Bunnings is big - this place covers blocks and the shops go on and on and on .... If you think of something to buy, yes it can be bought here. We spent many hours wandering around and checking out the gear .. it is mind boggling.
Not too far from the house, is what we refer to as the Restaurant Street - there must be about 50 restaurants fronting the street in a space of about 250 metres. As you can imagine, it's a different place for dinner each night - no need to double up here!
On our last day in Beijing we had quite a few things to do, namely post a box of shopping and gifts home and stock up on some of our depleted medications before heading into Mongolia. I very sheepishly made an appointment to have my hair cut and coloured - remembering full well that my last episode at a hairdresser in China left me with bright yellow hair - somewhat looking like Big Bird's sister!!! I need not have worried - the salon was excellent, the staff were friendly and the outcome was perfect - not to mention the price of 130 RMB, which is approximately $18.50 Australian.
We said goodbye to Kelly this morning, as she is travelling to Shenyang for a 3 day business trip and won't be able to join us for dinner this evening. She is hoping to fit another trip to Australia into her busy schedule and include some time to visit Dingo Beach for well earned relaxation.
It was our shout for dinner on our last night in Beijing, so it was suggested we go to a Western restaurant, which we did. All had a great time and seemed to enjoy the Western style food. Back home we finalised our packing in readiness for our train trip to Erlian on the Mongolian border the following morning.
After saying our goodbyes to Charlie, Wu and James took us to the main Beijing station. After boarding our train we checked into our cabin for the 13 hour journey to the border of China. The train trip was quite good until we started crossing the Gobi - dust came pouring into the carriage and it became quite a dusty journey in the last number of hours before arriving at Erlian. We decided to head up to the Restaurant Car to wash down the dust with a cold beer. We met up with a couple of Aussies also having a beer, so after lunch the blokes chatted on for quite some time. At Erlian we checked into a hotel close to the station - it was great to have showers and wash our clothes, to get rid of the dust.
In the morning we took a taxi to a busy square full of Russian Jeeps - this was to be our mode of transport to cross the Chinese border into Mongolia. It was quite an entertaining day with all the goings on and the unbelievable movement of people and goods. We made a monetary deal with the driver and he indicated for us to sit in the front bucket seat and the area between the two bucket seats, on which he placed a little carpet. We noticed there was very little leg space behind the front seats so were pretty happy with our positions.
Well the people kept coming and the goods kept coming! About an hour later when we were finally leaving there were the 3 of us in the two front bucket seats; 2 men and 2 ladies behind us in quite a small space; the back was loaded up with our back packs and many goods the people were taking across the border into Mongolia - when lo and behold he put 3 more ladies in the back with all the gear! There was one lady I could not even see - she was buried somewhere amongst the gear. To top it off, when we reached the border a box with a portacot was placed on the bonnet in front of the windscreen! Vehicles were loaded to the hilt - boxes and parcels were tied onto the back bumper - items were tied underneath the vehicle and just basically anywhere there was a space it was pretty quickly filled. What a day! Also lined up on both sides of the border are hundreds of loaded trucks waiting for clearance to cross.
After clearing immigration we headed into the Mongolian border town of Zamyn-Uud. We checked out the train station to buy onward train tickets - no such luck - after a lot of hours we found out that there is no ticket available for the next 5 days on the 17:35 train - we certainly did not want to spend 5 days in Zamyn-Uud, which is recorded as the hottest town in Mongolia. Pat and I decided to check into a hotel and come back later. A young Mongolian guy who attends University in Washington DC befriended us and said he would help us in any way he can. There were 4 other westerners there as well, so we were able to converse about our plight - we were all in the same boat.
We returned to the station a little while later and came across our Mongolian friend telling us he had the solution - we can buy tickets for the following evening for the express train to Ulaanbataar. I was standing back in the line and he told me he would buy our tickets for me. He went up to the front of the line - pushed past some people and the next minute he was asking for our 2 passports and 68,000 Togrog ($60 Australian) - he then exited the queue with our 2 soft sleeper tickets for the next night - yet another 13 hour train trip. How good - we would have still been in Zamyn-Uud if it had not been for him! We offered to tip him for helping us - he refused - he said he enjoyed being able to help. The other 4 westerners were also booked onto the same train. The only thing I was not looking forward to was the dusty overnight journey.
We walked up to the local Internet Cafe and logged onto our email - now we are in Mongolia we can access our GMail quite easily - also Google, Facebook and Blogs are now able to be accessed - thank goodness - it makes it a lot easier for us. Many Mongolian children surrounded us in the internet cafe - all saying hello in English and telling us their English names. They were great kids and we had a lot of fun with them on both of our visits to the internet cafe. Our tour company in Ulaanbataar sent an email to say that they will pick us up from our transport when we arrive in the city - that's something now that we won't have to worry about - excellent!
That afternoon we watched with great interest at the people lined up along the platform with all their stacked up boxes, bags and luggage heading for the central market place in Ulaanbaatar where they hope to make some good sales and also some extra money. We're actually very pleased that we were not able to get tickets on the 17:35 train!! After a pretty full day, we hit the hay onto a very hard bed and a seed pillow! Welcome to Mongolia!
We spent a leisurely day in and around Zamyn-Uud while we waited for our 21:35 train to Ulaanbataar. Check out time at the hotel is 5pm, which makes it very convenient when travelling on a night train.
Our train arrived and with trepidation I entered our carriage! What would be in store for us? Wow - no need to worry - the train was brilliant! The carriages are timber panelled, squeaky clean and the whole train is air conditioned! There'll be no dust in this train tonight! The provodnitsa (carriage attendant - she who must be obeyed) welcomed us onboard with a cup of tea and gave us our linen pack for our soft sleeper beds. A young Japanese man Yasuhiro joined us in our cabin and organised himself in the top bunk, leaving the 2 lower bunks for us. We put out the lights and locked the cabin door - we all had a great night's sleep in the dust-free, air-conditioned carriage. Even the toilets are kept very clean on this train.
Our driver picked us up at the station and took us to the tour company's office where we finalised plans for our 21 day overland tour of Mongolia, which will commence on 20th June.
Pat has been reading about the Guesthouses in UB, so after some walking around we checked into one he had read about - The Golden Gobi, which is easy to find alongside the State Department Building. This little place, where we will stay for the next 3 days, is a beehive of activity, with people coming and going all day long. There are all kinds of nationalities staying here and many different age groups - however I think I can say with certainty that we are the most senior residents! We went shopping at the deli and bought lovely bread, ham and cheese for lunch. In the evening we sat on the front patio with several travellers and listened to many interesting stories.
We haven't done many of the usual tourist jaunts around the city, as these places are being covered in the first and last day of our organised tour. There are many shops for buying local goods, which we enjoy checking out. In the evening we relaxed with a couple of drinks and sat on the front patio once again listening to the many interesting travellers' stories.
We have had a very eventful day today. Pat had a very restless sleep and kept waking up with excruciating pain in the left side of his mid to upper back. Checking out his symptoms in our medical books for travellers, did not clarify just what might be wrong. Pat being Pat, on the evening prior, he lifted and carried a large sack of onions into the kitchen of the Guesthouse - I told him to leave the work to the locals!! He just can't help himself - he always likes to help out.
We took a taxi over to the UB International Hospital and were welcomed by Benita, a Kiwi who is the Administration Manager and also a nurse and paramedic - immediately we felt we were in good hands. It was very heartening to hear that all the Doctors speak fluent English. She set about organising urine tests to commence before the Doctor arrived. We had the option of a Mongolian or Ex-Pat Doctor - Benita said take the Ex-Pat as he is just the best and is also an Orthopedic Surgeon. The Bulgarian Doctor arrived, gave Pat a very thorough examination, organised kidney scans and blood tests - later on he followed up with a drip to begin treatment.
The results were good - all Pat's tests are clear thankfully. It is very fortunate there is no kidney problem and Pat has been diagnosed with a badly strained back. He has been ordered to bed rest for the next few days before we head out of Ulanbaatar on our trip. The Doctor said he'll be fine to travel but also gave Pat strict instructions that he is not to horse ride or camel ride while on the trip. He was telling us that just this week he treated a man with a broken leg, after he was thrown from a horse; the second tragedy was when a lady's water bottle fell from her back while she was riding a camel - it frightened the camel and he threw her off. The lady is now in Singapore for treatment - he said very sadly that if she survives she will have brain damage. Good enough for us - there'll be no horse or camel riding on the trip. Pat is sleeping at the moment, so I have had the opportunity to finish off my blog. Till next time.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
Dali in Yunnan Province to Chongqing and Weifang in Shandong Province
The taxi arrived at our Hotel early in the morning to take us to the bus, as promised, to head out of Dali to Lijiang. The ancient cities are so much more interesting than the new cities - they usually lie alongside each other. I heard two young Asian girls chatting behind us on the bus and I wondered why they were speaking in English. We met later on and found out that Yvonne and Ruth had come from Singapore and were doing a trip into the mountainous area of Yunnan Province. The reason for the English is that English is the primary language spoken in Singapore.
The girls were being picked up by a lady from a guesthouse in the ancient city of Shuhe, a few kilometres away from Lijiang. The lady said she had accommodation available for us also so we headed off to her guesthouse. Our landlady belongs to the Naxi minority group living in this area of China.
The following morning we hired a mini van and visited the ancient city of Lijiang. The cobblestone streets wind their way around the little town - small channels less than a metre wide are tucked into the side of these roadways and are fast flowing with fresh water from the mountains. Little shops and businesses front the streets and vendors are selling their wares. Following a big day out and a lovely dinner we headed back to our cosy room and had the best night's sleep in quite a while. The crisp mountain air is very nice here in Shuhe with an altitude of around 3,200 metres above sea level, halfway up the Tibetan plateau.
Pat was told that China has a plan to build 30,000 klms of fast rail line over the next few years. It is amazing how fast China is progressing, we have noticed quite a few changes since our last visits in 2006 and 2007. One huge environmental issue China is tackling is to rid the country of plastic bags - the people are just like us and trying to remember to always take their own bags for shopping.
In the ancient cities there are a couple of minority groups who are among the last remaining matriarcial societies in the world - the women work to earn a living - the women own the land and buildings and the husbands stay at home and look after the children and keep house. The women in this group are also able to have several husbands ... the mind boggles. These women make their own cloth and operate looms in their shops to make beautiful shawls for sale.
A trip out to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain National Park held a great surprise in store. The man, Zhang Limou, who produced and choreographed the opening of the Olympic Games in China, has staged the Lijiang Impressionist Show which is held daily at the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. This is not just a show - it is a spectacular with a cast of hundreds participating. There would have been about 2,500 people in attendance, with Pat and myself the only whities. In the spectacular there were participants from all the minority groups singing and dancing and telling their stories - the show came complete with horses - it was a wonderful spectacle.
After the show we took a bus to a chairlift and headed up in the chairs to the yak meadows at a height of 3,600 metres. We visited a Monastery and walked on a boardwalk through the yak meadow which was full of yaks happily grazing. One thing for sure is that we get plenty of walking on our travels - we must ensure we keep up the activity when we get back home.
We boarded the Shangri-La bound bus with Yvonnne and Ruth, but decided to stop off at Tiger Leaping Gorge which is one of the steepest gorges in the world - a length of 16 klms and a distance of 3,900 metres from the river to the top of the mountains. Pat clearly remembers learning about this gorge when he was a child, so it has been on his list of places to visit - his Bucket List. We spent the night at a village called Walnut Grove and enjoyed the hospitality of Tina's Guesthouse. The restaurant was on a deck overlooking the gorge - here at dinner we met a tour group who had completed a trek along the gorge that day. The group of 8 was comprised of New Zealanders, French, Swiss, Brazilians and headed by a Chinese lady.
We headed back to the village of Qiaotou the following morning and waited for our Shangri-La bound bus just outside a little restaurant. The staff were busy washing and preparing vegetables on the footpath, when the boss very kindly brought out two small stools for us to sit on while we waited for our bus. When the bus neared they all let us know that this was our bus - no chance of missing it.
We gave our bus driver the well deserved title of "The Best Bus Driver in China". He was a very courteous and safe driver who did not take crazy chances like all the others we have come across. I'm not sure how the road rules work here in China, but there seems to be no respect for other traffic, road markings, bike riders, bicycle riders and even pedestrians. If there is a space it seems that the driver will head for it - regardless if it's uphill going around a bend, crossing a double line or whatever! Drivers pull out in front of each other without looking - it seems that it must be the responsibility of the driver behind to ensure there is no collision. Your life is in your own hands even crossing the streets on pedestrian crossings - the traffic just keeps flowing through - it seems to be up to us to dodge the vehicles on the roadways which might be up to 5 lanes wide.
The driver let us off at Shangri-La's Old Town where we received an email from Yvonne and Ruth to say they had reserved a room for us at Nima Guesthouse where they are staying. Shangri-La which marks the start of the Tibetan world, changed its name from Zhongdian in the past few years. We really enjoyed walking the streets of this old city and sat down in the town square to enjoy a BBQ lunch which was cooked on wooden skewers over little BBQ's with open coals. We went back to the same lady each day for lunch while we were in Shangri-La .. she would see us heading in her direction and would beckon us over to her little table and chairs. At 7:00pm each evening the tables, chairs, BBQ's, stalls and umbrellas are all cleared away - in readiness for the local dancing and singing which continues on for many hours into the night.
We climbed the steps to visit the central Temple which has the world's largest prayer wheel at the top. The prayer wheel is painted gold and it can be turned with the assistance of at least 8 to 10 people. The following morning we hired a driver who took us out to the wetlands of Napa Lake nature reserve which is surrounded by a large grass meadow. Here we saw yaks, horses and sheep grazing on the grasslands and pigs roaming about - the spring flowers were also in bloom along the way. Our driver, who is the local Mayor of his village, took us into his home to see how they live. The Tibetan style house was very large with several rooms, including a very large sized prayer room and a kitchen with the most ornate woodwork we've ever seen in any home.
The driver took us to the wet markets where we saw yak, beef, fish, chicken and many other kinds of animals carved up for and displayed for sale. If the butcher has butchered a yak, for instance, the whole beast is on display on his counter with the head and hooves sitting at the front for inspection. It is so surprising that there are very few flies about and all the food is kept fresh and clean. Of course, the cooler temperatures would be a big help, unlike home where we have to keep everything refrigerated.
We have wi-fi in our room so it is great to be able to hook up to the internet and check our emails, even though the service is very slow indeed. When the sun begins to set the temperature drops considerably, so it is time to put on our jackets and scarves - we even had electric blankets to heat up the bed.
We met up with the Singaporian girls at Compass Cafe where we had a most welcomed cup of coffee - probably the best one to date. It started to rain and the power all went out, so this evening we went back to the Compass Cafe with Yvonne and Ruth for dinner and played the board game of Rummikub by candelight. The following morning we said goodbye to the girls and hope to meet up in Singapore on our return flight to Australia. We spent the day in the new city and did our washing in readiness for our flight the following morning. Our stay in Shangri-La was very enjoyable with clean fresh air and blue sky by day.
We had considered taking a bus to Chengdu but after discovering it would be a difficult 4 to 5 day trip over mountainous terrain we opted for the 1 hour flight across the mountains of the lower Tibet plateau. Our flight with Sichuan Airways was excellent and it was great to see the mountains from the air.
At Chengdu we checked into our hotel and headed out to do some shopping. We received an invitation to a Baby Shower for Kelli's new baby Bronagh Lee Jai-Wen Symonds, so decided we would like to send a gift for the shower seeing we would be unable to attend. We bought some gifts, found a post office and sent the package on its way to Mackay.
Chengdu is a lovely big city, but for us the pollution is an issue. We have come to Chengdu specifically to visit the Panda Research Centre - we have seen several documentaries on this centre and are happy to be able to see it for ourselves. We arrived at the centre at 7:15am the following morning and not surprisingly, we were the first in line to buy tickets. We left our bags at the Visitors' Centre and headed out on foot. The trip around the Panda Research Centre did not disappoint us - we would have seen at least 20 Pandas, from the playful young to the giant Pandas - many of whom put on a good show for us. Within the centre is another species called the Red Panda, which resembles an animal somewhere from a fox to a possum. Our visit to the Panda Research Centre was both excellent and enjoyable.
Now the fun begins .. we headed to Chengdu Train Station to book tickets on the fast train to Chongqing, where we will meet up with James and Angela (English names). We met James in Beijing in 2006 and then in 2008 he visited us at Dingo Beach, when Otmar and Antoinette brought him for a visit while he was on business in Australia. The train station was packed - there were about 50 queues of people and all with at least 100 people in them ... where do we begin?? We moved twice and then on the third attempt to join a queue Pat suggested I work my way along the line to see if anyone could speak English to help direct me to the correct window to buy the tickets to Chongqing. As I worked my way down the line people smiled at me but no one spoke English, until finally I came upon a lovely man and his wife who told me to stand in front of them and they will help me buy the tickets - a stroke of genius as he was about 6 people from the front of the queue. Within 15 minutes I was at the ticket counter and confirmed on the next train in about 2 hours time .. brilliant! I thanked the couple profusely and we then headed out for lunch before our fast train departure time.
We wondered how we would spot James at Chongqing train station - but the worry was not necessary - he was standing right in the front row at arrivals waving to us as we came through the barriers. It was great to see him and after getting into a taxi we headed to the Carol Hotel where James had booked us into a beautiful big room on the 21st floor. The room was very spacious and gave us fabulous views of all the river traffic up and down the Yangzi River.
Angela arrived a short time later and we all headed out to dinner. The Chinese love food and they love to eat .. our time in Chongqing has been fantastic and just like a great food festival. Nearby to our hotel is a newly built complex in the old Chinese style, complete with laneways and merchants called The Cave. We visited a couple of restaurants there and did some shopping.
We visited the Three Gorges Dam Museum and spent many hours enjoying the exhibits. At some of the laneways merchants make their own sweets - one such sweet is like a peanut brittle - the Chinese were very impressed at Pat's prowess on the large wooden mallet - flattening out the sweet's mixture. Of course, there are samples to be had along the way, so there's no reason to be hungry.
Sichuan Province is famous for the very spicy hot food they prepare, so Pat was ready for the challenge. We went to a restaurant where they served a hot pot with 2 rows for cooking the food in - the inner row was not spicy and the outside row was extremely spicy. James usually does not eat the hot spicy food, but together he and Pat made a formidable pair - I was more cautious and preferred to eat the milder dish.
On our final day in Chongqing we packed our bags in readiness for our flight to Weifang in Shandon Province. James and Angela met us and we went to the Inter-Continental Hotel for an amazing lunch - I enjoyed the coffee so much I backed up for a second cup. We said goodbye to Angela and wished her well for her forthcoming marriage to James, possibly next January. Angela is a beautiful young lady - we told James he is a very lucky man to have found such a wonderful future wife. Together with James we headed out to the airport - we boarded our 50 seater aircraft for our flight to Weifang and James prepared for his flight to Beijing.
Arriving in Weifang, we were enthusiastically met by Zhang & Yu and some other members of their family. We met Zhang and her family in China in 2006 and then in 2007 we met up in Beijing and she came to Australia to spend two months with us. It was an experience of a lifetime for her and a very enjoyable experience for us. It is amazing how people can communicate without a common language and a common background - but believe me - it can be done. In Zhang's time with us she travelled between Sydney in NSW and Dingo Beach in Queensland - we even fitted in a trip up to Home Hill and Ayr for a few days.
After arriving at the airport we headed off in two cars to meet Zhang's brother and his family - following the meeting we set off for a banquet dinner at a restaurant nearby. Zhang was very excited to show us her new car - since her trip to Australia she decided to get her licence and buy herself a car - it must be amazing for her to have achieved such independence in her 60's.
It was great to arrive back at Zhang & Yu's - into a comfy bed in a lovely big room, where we slept soundly for the next nine hours. Their grandaughter Tong Tong arrived at her grandparents' home for lunch. We last saw her when she was 9 years of age - she is now 14 years of age and a couple of inches taller than I am. Tong Tong has been learning English for quite a number of years now, so we have been able to have some wonderful conversations with her. It is also good experience for her to speak in English. Her grandparents are very impressed at her ability to converse so well with us. Unfortunately Tong Tong's parents are both working away from Weifang so we will not have the opportunity to meet up with them this time.
There are beautiful botanical gardens and a river close by to Zhang & Yu's home, so every evening after dinner we head out for a walk of about 3 to 5 kilometres. The pathways follow the river and are bordered on all sides by beautiful shrubs and trees. We have been very impressed by the number of gardens and parklands in Weifang, so I asked Zhang for some information. She told me that the government have many large nurseries and in the last few years they have taken on a programme to beautify the city of Weifang. Well they have done an amazing job, as the rivers, walkways and gardens - all complete with beautiful lighting are truly fantastic.
I have given Zhang's washing machine a good run - it's great to give our clothes a thorough washing. Every night when we travel we wash our clothes out by hand and hang them in the bathroom overnight to dry.
With Tong Tong's help we managed to set Skype up on Zhang's computer, so we've been catching up on a few calls - it's particularly great to be able to see our grandchildren, Flynn, Liam and Ayla.
We received wonderful news from Kelli and Lawrence - that being, they are going to Taiwan to pick up their new daughter, Bronagh Lee Jai-Wen Symonds on July 1st and will be there for 2 weeks. They asked if it would be possible for us to meet them in Taiwan to spend a few days with Bronagh - so as we say - nothing is impossible. We are now in the process of making inquiries for our travel to Taiwan.
Zhang took us to her Art Class where we met her teacher and fellow students. It was very interesting to see their style of painting. Following the class we were invited to have our photographs taken with the teacher and his students. We were made feel very welcome and enjoyed the experience.
We have met several members of Zhang's family including another son, daughter in law and their son. Families are still governed by the one child policy, however there are some exceptions to the rule. The latest we have heard is that if husband and wife are both an only child then they have permission to have two children. China has realised that the one child policy will create some issues down the track as there won't be enough population to do all the work and subsequently care for the aging population.
I have been having some interesting conversations with Zhang's grandaughter, Tong Tong (14 years of age) in relation to her education and how her days are managed. I'll write an outline of my understanding of her general day at home and at school where she is studying eight subjects, including English. She has gained recognition for her achievements in English - a Bronze Medal for her city Weifang with a population of 9 million, a Silver Medal for her Province of Shandong with a population of 95 million, and a Bronze Medal for the whole of her country of China which has a total population of 1.6 billion - now that is really some achievement. Congratulations Tong Tong!
An outline of Tong Tong's Day: 6:00 am Tong Tong arises; 7:00 am she leaves on her bicycle for school; 7:30 am she must be seated at her desk in school for lessons to begin; 11:30 am she rides her bicycle to her grandmother's for lunch: 1:45 pm she returns to school on her bicycle to commence her lessons at 2:00 pm; 6:00 pm she leaves school and rides her bicycle to her home; 7:00pm after dinner she begins her homework and studies into the night; 12 midnight she goes to bed to have 6 hours sleep before rising.
The Chinese have a very committed and determined attitude toward study and education, it's no wonder that so many of them are high achievers. Tong Tong told me that only 66% of school students will achieve high enough marks to enter higher education and University, so it is very necessary for her to be very dedicated to her lessons and studies. Tong Tong also attends night school on Friday nights and attends special classes on Saturday - quite a work load for a 14 year old wouldn't you agree?
Zhang's husband Yu, often indicates to us that he grows his own vegetables, so we set off after a delicious Hot Pot lunch with some family members to visit what they call the plantation. It is alongside a major dam and is a series of market gardens which are individually fenced off with low bamboo fencing. Yu has his own allotment in which he grows many vegetables, eg radishes, lettuce, shallots, beans and other leafy green vegetables which we cannot identify. On the lower reaches of the dam there is a beautiful golf course and many gardens.
We headed home in the afternoon thinking that was the end of a great day, but no, we all prepared then to go out to a restaurant for an evening meal. We met up with some more very close family friends and went to a magnificent restaurant where we were shown to a private room. The food was really delicious - and the dishes just kept coming!
We were given boxes of beautiful gifts to take home with us, particularly kites for which Weifang is world famous as the International Kite Capital of the World. As these boxes are bigger than our back packs we'll pack them all up and ship a carton home to Australia. I'll list some of the names of the family and friends - you'll see and understand why I have to write the names down - here's a sample - Zhang Li Li; Jing Jing; Liu Jian She; Sun Ming Xiang; Wang Yi Xuan; Wang Quan Yong; Zhang Sheng Tang; Jiang Lan Fang; Zhang Xiao Min; Yu Wei; Yao Ning Ning; Yu Xiao Long; Zhang Lian Fang; Yu Hua Hui and the lovely Tong Tong. They are all so generous and very kind - they won't let us pay for anything but we have told them we will take them all out to a special restaurant before we head to Beijing later in the week.
Pat enjoys visiting the local fruit and vegetable markets which are close by to Zhang & Yu's home - he always comes back with lovely fresh food which he enjoys bargaining for. That man loves a bargain!
We had a good giggle today while we were on the local bus back from the city, where we managed to buy some footwear for our grandchildren. Two young girls standing near Pat were fascinated at the hair growing on his arms and giggled when they touched his arms - Asian men are fairly hairless. Just after that two ladies behind me were touching and feeling my curly hair - I guess because theirs is so straight and flat - we all had a good laugh.
Tonight Zhang and Yu presented us with two large paintings (which fortunately fit inside a cardboard postage roll) - Zhang has spent two months completing these paintings which are gifts from them to us, their Australian friends. It is amazing to see the detail and the work in these paintings, which we will treasure.
Our fast train tickets from Weifang to Beijing are booked for Thursday, where we will be met by Charlie. We met Charlie (through Otmar) in 2006 and 2007 on previous trips to Beijing. We are looking forward to meeting up with Charlie and his wife Kelly once again. They have twin boys who are both at University - one is in Wuhan and one is in Beijing.
This afternoon we made confirmation of the changes to our flights and we are now booked to fly into Taipei on 11th July to meet up with Kelli, Lawrence and Bronagh - it's going to be so exciting to have the opportunity to meet our new little grandaughter.
Fangtze is an area of Weifang, which is comprised of many German buildings from over 100 years ago. Some of these buildings are being bulldozed in the name of progress but a collection of them are being preserved and comprise a little village, complete with what was once a hospital. German beers are available for sale and an Art Gallery in the old hospital is a big attraction.
We have spent 9 fantastic days in Weifang, so on our last night, we took Zhang, Yu, family and friends out for dinner. Pat booked a private room in a restaurant close by to their home, so we were able to walk to the venue. Tong Tong sat between Pat and myself, so she was able to translate the conversations in both Chinese and English. Tong Tong told me that at school, the most important lessons for the students are English and Maths and that she enjoys the English very much. We have invited Tong Tong to visit us in Australia for a holiday when she is a little older - we told her family that we would look after her. Tong Tong thinks it is a very good idea.
The following morning we were awake early and prepared for our fast train trip to Beijing. Zhang was very sad that we were leaving, but we told her that perhaps we can visit Weifang's International Kite Festival another year - she is happy that we would like to do that.
The girls were being picked up by a lady from a guesthouse in the ancient city of Shuhe, a few kilometres away from Lijiang. The lady said she had accommodation available for us also so we headed off to her guesthouse. Our landlady belongs to the Naxi minority group living in this area of China.
The following morning we hired a mini van and visited the ancient city of Lijiang. The cobblestone streets wind their way around the little town - small channels less than a metre wide are tucked into the side of these roadways and are fast flowing with fresh water from the mountains. Little shops and businesses front the streets and vendors are selling their wares. Following a big day out and a lovely dinner we headed back to our cosy room and had the best night's sleep in quite a while. The crisp mountain air is very nice here in Shuhe with an altitude of around 3,200 metres above sea level, halfway up the Tibetan plateau.
Pat was told that China has a plan to build 30,000 klms of fast rail line over the next few years. It is amazing how fast China is progressing, we have noticed quite a few changes since our last visits in 2006 and 2007. One huge environmental issue China is tackling is to rid the country of plastic bags - the people are just like us and trying to remember to always take their own bags for shopping.
In the ancient cities there are a couple of minority groups who are among the last remaining matriarcial societies in the world - the women work to earn a living - the women own the land and buildings and the husbands stay at home and look after the children and keep house. The women in this group are also able to have several husbands ... the mind boggles. These women make their own cloth and operate looms in their shops to make beautiful shawls for sale.
A trip out to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain National Park held a great surprise in store. The man, Zhang Limou, who produced and choreographed the opening of the Olympic Games in China, has staged the Lijiang Impressionist Show which is held daily at the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. This is not just a show - it is a spectacular with a cast of hundreds participating. There would have been about 2,500 people in attendance, with Pat and myself the only whities. In the spectacular there were participants from all the minority groups singing and dancing and telling their stories - the show came complete with horses - it was a wonderful spectacle.
After the show we took a bus to a chairlift and headed up in the chairs to the yak meadows at a height of 3,600 metres. We visited a Monastery and walked on a boardwalk through the yak meadow which was full of yaks happily grazing. One thing for sure is that we get plenty of walking on our travels - we must ensure we keep up the activity when we get back home.
We boarded the Shangri-La bound bus with Yvonnne and Ruth, but decided to stop off at Tiger Leaping Gorge which is one of the steepest gorges in the world - a length of 16 klms and a distance of 3,900 metres from the river to the top of the mountains. Pat clearly remembers learning about this gorge when he was a child, so it has been on his list of places to visit - his Bucket List. We spent the night at a village called Walnut Grove and enjoyed the hospitality of Tina's Guesthouse. The restaurant was on a deck overlooking the gorge - here at dinner we met a tour group who had completed a trek along the gorge that day. The group of 8 was comprised of New Zealanders, French, Swiss, Brazilians and headed by a Chinese lady.
We headed back to the village of Qiaotou the following morning and waited for our Shangri-La bound bus just outside a little restaurant. The staff were busy washing and preparing vegetables on the footpath, when the boss very kindly brought out two small stools for us to sit on while we waited for our bus. When the bus neared they all let us know that this was our bus - no chance of missing it.
We gave our bus driver the well deserved title of "The Best Bus Driver in China". He was a very courteous and safe driver who did not take crazy chances like all the others we have come across. I'm not sure how the road rules work here in China, but there seems to be no respect for other traffic, road markings, bike riders, bicycle riders and even pedestrians. If there is a space it seems that the driver will head for it - regardless if it's uphill going around a bend, crossing a double line or whatever! Drivers pull out in front of each other without looking - it seems that it must be the responsibility of the driver behind to ensure there is no collision. Your life is in your own hands even crossing the streets on pedestrian crossings - the traffic just keeps flowing through - it seems to be up to us to dodge the vehicles on the roadways which might be up to 5 lanes wide.
The driver let us off at Shangri-La's Old Town where we received an email from Yvonne and Ruth to say they had reserved a room for us at Nima Guesthouse where they are staying. Shangri-La which marks the start of the Tibetan world, changed its name from Zhongdian in the past few years. We really enjoyed walking the streets of this old city and sat down in the town square to enjoy a BBQ lunch which was cooked on wooden skewers over little BBQ's with open coals. We went back to the same lady each day for lunch while we were in Shangri-La .. she would see us heading in her direction and would beckon us over to her little table and chairs. At 7:00pm each evening the tables, chairs, BBQ's, stalls and umbrellas are all cleared away - in readiness for the local dancing and singing which continues on for many hours into the night.
We climbed the steps to visit the central Temple which has the world's largest prayer wheel at the top. The prayer wheel is painted gold and it can be turned with the assistance of at least 8 to 10 people. The following morning we hired a driver who took us out to the wetlands of Napa Lake nature reserve which is surrounded by a large grass meadow. Here we saw yaks, horses and sheep grazing on the grasslands and pigs roaming about - the spring flowers were also in bloom along the way. Our driver, who is the local Mayor of his village, took us into his home to see how they live. The Tibetan style house was very large with several rooms, including a very large sized prayer room and a kitchen with the most ornate woodwork we've ever seen in any home.
The driver took us to the wet markets where we saw yak, beef, fish, chicken and many other kinds of animals carved up for and displayed for sale. If the butcher has butchered a yak, for instance, the whole beast is on display on his counter with the head and hooves sitting at the front for inspection. It is so surprising that there are very few flies about and all the food is kept fresh and clean. Of course, the cooler temperatures would be a big help, unlike home where we have to keep everything refrigerated.
We have wi-fi in our room so it is great to be able to hook up to the internet and check our emails, even though the service is very slow indeed. When the sun begins to set the temperature drops considerably, so it is time to put on our jackets and scarves - we even had electric blankets to heat up the bed.
We met up with the Singaporian girls at Compass Cafe where we had a most welcomed cup of coffee - probably the best one to date. It started to rain and the power all went out, so this evening we went back to the Compass Cafe with Yvonne and Ruth for dinner and played the board game of Rummikub by candelight. The following morning we said goodbye to the girls and hope to meet up in Singapore on our return flight to Australia. We spent the day in the new city and did our washing in readiness for our flight the following morning. Our stay in Shangri-La was very enjoyable with clean fresh air and blue sky by day.
We had considered taking a bus to Chengdu but after discovering it would be a difficult 4 to 5 day trip over mountainous terrain we opted for the 1 hour flight across the mountains of the lower Tibet plateau. Our flight with Sichuan Airways was excellent and it was great to see the mountains from the air.
At Chengdu we checked into our hotel and headed out to do some shopping. We received an invitation to a Baby Shower for Kelli's new baby Bronagh Lee Jai-Wen Symonds, so decided we would like to send a gift for the shower seeing we would be unable to attend. We bought some gifts, found a post office and sent the package on its way to Mackay.
Chengdu is a lovely big city, but for us the pollution is an issue. We have come to Chengdu specifically to visit the Panda Research Centre - we have seen several documentaries on this centre and are happy to be able to see it for ourselves. We arrived at the centre at 7:15am the following morning and not surprisingly, we were the first in line to buy tickets. We left our bags at the Visitors' Centre and headed out on foot. The trip around the Panda Research Centre did not disappoint us - we would have seen at least 20 Pandas, from the playful young to the giant Pandas - many of whom put on a good show for us. Within the centre is another species called the Red Panda, which resembles an animal somewhere from a fox to a possum. Our visit to the Panda Research Centre was both excellent and enjoyable.
Now the fun begins .. we headed to Chengdu Train Station to book tickets on the fast train to Chongqing, where we will meet up with James and Angela (English names). We met James in Beijing in 2006 and then in 2008 he visited us at Dingo Beach, when Otmar and Antoinette brought him for a visit while he was on business in Australia. The train station was packed - there were about 50 queues of people and all with at least 100 people in them ... where do we begin?? We moved twice and then on the third attempt to join a queue Pat suggested I work my way along the line to see if anyone could speak English to help direct me to the correct window to buy the tickets to Chongqing. As I worked my way down the line people smiled at me but no one spoke English, until finally I came upon a lovely man and his wife who told me to stand in front of them and they will help me buy the tickets - a stroke of genius as he was about 6 people from the front of the queue. Within 15 minutes I was at the ticket counter and confirmed on the next train in about 2 hours time .. brilliant! I thanked the couple profusely and we then headed out for lunch before our fast train departure time.
We wondered how we would spot James at Chongqing train station - but the worry was not necessary - he was standing right in the front row at arrivals waving to us as we came through the barriers. It was great to see him and after getting into a taxi we headed to the Carol Hotel where James had booked us into a beautiful big room on the 21st floor. The room was very spacious and gave us fabulous views of all the river traffic up and down the Yangzi River.
Angela arrived a short time later and we all headed out to dinner. The Chinese love food and they love to eat .. our time in Chongqing has been fantastic and just like a great food festival. Nearby to our hotel is a newly built complex in the old Chinese style, complete with laneways and merchants called The Cave. We visited a couple of restaurants there and did some shopping.
We visited the Three Gorges Dam Museum and spent many hours enjoying the exhibits. At some of the laneways merchants make their own sweets - one such sweet is like a peanut brittle - the Chinese were very impressed at Pat's prowess on the large wooden mallet - flattening out the sweet's mixture. Of course, there are samples to be had along the way, so there's no reason to be hungry.
Sichuan Province is famous for the very spicy hot food they prepare, so Pat was ready for the challenge. We went to a restaurant where they served a hot pot with 2 rows for cooking the food in - the inner row was not spicy and the outside row was extremely spicy. James usually does not eat the hot spicy food, but together he and Pat made a formidable pair - I was more cautious and preferred to eat the milder dish.
On our final day in Chongqing we packed our bags in readiness for our flight to Weifang in Shandon Province. James and Angela met us and we went to the Inter-Continental Hotel for an amazing lunch - I enjoyed the coffee so much I backed up for a second cup. We said goodbye to Angela and wished her well for her forthcoming marriage to James, possibly next January. Angela is a beautiful young lady - we told James he is a very lucky man to have found such a wonderful future wife. Together with James we headed out to the airport - we boarded our 50 seater aircraft for our flight to Weifang and James prepared for his flight to Beijing.
Arriving in Weifang, we were enthusiastically met by Zhang & Yu and some other members of their family. We met Zhang and her family in China in 2006 and then in 2007 we met up in Beijing and she came to Australia to spend two months with us. It was an experience of a lifetime for her and a very enjoyable experience for us. It is amazing how people can communicate without a common language and a common background - but believe me - it can be done. In Zhang's time with us she travelled between Sydney in NSW and Dingo Beach in Queensland - we even fitted in a trip up to Home Hill and Ayr for a few days.
After arriving at the airport we headed off in two cars to meet Zhang's brother and his family - following the meeting we set off for a banquet dinner at a restaurant nearby. Zhang was very excited to show us her new car - since her trip to Australia she decided to get her licence and buy herself a car - it must be amazing for her to have achieved such independence in her 60's.
It was great to arrive back at Zhang & Yu's - into a comfy bed in a lovely big room, where we slept soundly for the next nine hours. Their grandaughter Tong Tong arrived at her grandparents' home for lunch. We last saw her when she was 9 years of age - she is now 14 years of age and a couple of inches taller than I am. Tong Tong has been learning English for quite a number of years now, so we have been able to have some wonderful conversations with her. It is also good experience for her to speak in English. Her grandparents are very impressed at her ability to converse so well with us. Unfortunately Tong Tong's parents are both working away from Weifang so we will not have the opportunity to meet up with them this time.
There are beautiful botanical gardens and a river close by to Zhang & Yu's home, so every evening after dinner we head out for a walk of about 3 to 5 kilometres. The pathways follow the river and are bordered on all sides by beautiful shrubs and trees. We have been very impressed by the number of gardens and parklands in Weifang, so I asked Zhang for some information. She told me that the government have many large nurseries and in the last few years they have taken on a programme to beautify the city of Weifang. Well they have done an amazing job, as the rivers, walkways and gardens - all complete with beautiful lighting are truly fantastic.
I have given Zhang's washing machine a good run - it's great to give our clothes a thorough washing. Every night when we travel we wash our clothes out by hand and hang them in the bathroom overnight to dry.
With Tong Tong's help we managed to set Skype up on Zhang's computer, so we've been catching up on a few calls - it's particularly great to be able to see our grandchildren, Flynn, Liam and Ayla.
We received wonderful news from Kelli and Lawrence - that being, they are going to Taiwan to pick up their new daughter, Bronagh Lee Jai-Wen Symonds on July 1st and will be there for 2 weeks. They asked if it would be possible for us to meet them in Taiwan to spend a few days with Bronagh - so as we say - nothing is impossible. We are now in the process of making inquiries for our travel to Taiwan.
Zhang took us to her Art Class where we met her teacher and fellow students. It was very interesting to see their style of painting. Following the class we were invited to have our photographs taken with the teacher and his students. We were made feel very welcome and enjoyed the experience.
We have met several members of Zhang's family including another son, daughter in law and their son. Families are still governed by the one child policy, however there are some exceptions to the rule. The latest we have heard is that if husband and wife are both an only child then they have permission to have two children. China has realised that the one child policy will create some issues down the track as there won't be enough population to do all the work and subsequently care for the aging population.
I have been having some interesting conversations with Zhang's grandaughter, Tong Tong (14 years of age) in relation to her education and how her days are managed. I'll write an outline of my understanding of her general day at home and at school where she is studying eight subjects, including English. She has gained recognition for her achievements in English - a Bronze Medal for her city Weifang with a population of 9 million, a Silver Medal for her Province of Shandong with a population of 95 million, and a Bronze Medal for the whole of her country of China which has a total population of 1.6 billion - now that is really some achievement. Congratulations Tong Tong!
An outline of Tong Tong's Day: 6:00 am Tong Tong arises; 7:00 am she leaves on her bicycle for school; 7:30 am she must be seated at her desk in school for lessons to begin; 11:30 am she rides her bicycle to her grandmother's for lunch: 1:45 pm she returns to school on her bicycle to commence her lessons at 2:00 pm; 6:00 pm she leaves school and rides her bicycle to her home; 7:00pm after dinner she begins her homework and studies into the night; 12 midnight she goes to bed to have 6 hours sleep before rising.
The Chinese have a very committed and determined attitude toward study and education, it's no wonder that so many of them are high achievers. Tong Tong told me that only 66% of school students will achieve high enough marks to enter higher education and University, so it is very necessary for her to be very dedicated to her lessons and studies. Tong Tong also attends night school on Friday nights and attends special classes on Saturday - quite a work load for a 14 year old wouldn't you agree?
Zhang's husband Yu, often indicates to us that he grows his own vegetables, so we set off after a delicious Hot Pot lunch with some family members to visit what they call the plantation. It is alongside a major dam and is a series of market gardens which are individually fenced off with low bamboo fencing. Yu has his own allotment in which he grows many vegetables, eg radishes, lettuce, shallots, beans and other leafy green vegetables which we cannot identify. On the lower reaches of the dam there is a beautiful golf course and many gardens.
We headed home in the afternoon thinking that was the end of a great day, but no, we all prepared then to go out to a restaurant for an evening meal. We met up with some more very close family friends and went to a magnificent restaurant where we were shown to a private room. The food was really delicious - and the dishes just kept coming!
We were given boxes of beautiful gifts to take home with us, particularly kites for which Weifang is world famous as the International Kite Capital of the World. As these boxes are bigger than our back packs we'll pack them all up and ship a carton home to Australia. I'll list some of the names of the family and friends - you'll see and understand why I have to write the names down - here's a sample - Zhang Li Li; Jing Jing; Liu Jian She; Sun Ming Xiang; Wang Yi Xuan; Wang Quan Yong; Zhang Sheng Tang; Jiang Lan Fang; Zhang Xiao Min; Yu Wei; Yao Ning Ning; Yu Xiao Long; Zhang Lian Fang; Yu Hua Hui and the lovely Tong Tong. They are all so generous and very kind - they won't let us pay for anything but we have told them we will take them all out to a special restaurant before we head to Beijing later in the week.
Pat enjoys visiting the local fruit and vegetable markets which are close by to Zhang & Yu's home - he always comes back with lovely fresh food which he enjoys bargaining for. That man loves a bargain!
We had a good giggle today while we were on the local bus back from the city, where we managed to buy some footwear for our grandchildren. Two young girls standing near Pat were fascinated at the hair growing on his arms and giggled when they touched his arms - Asian men are fairly hairless. Just after that two ladies behind me were touching and feeling my curly hair - I guess because theirs is so straight and flat - we all had a good laugh.
Tonight Zhang and Yu presented us with two large paintings (which fortunately fit inside a cardboard postage roll) - Zhang has spent two months completing these paintings which are gifts from them to us, their Australian friends. It is amazing to see the detail and the work in these paintings, which we will treasure.
Our fast train tickets from Weifang to Beijing are booked for Thursday, where we will be met by Charlie. We met Charlie (through Otmar) in 2006 and 2007 on previous trips to Beijing. We are looking forward to meeting up with Charlie and his wife Kelly once again. They have twin boys who are both at University - one is in Wuhan and one is in Beijing.
This afternoon we made confirmation of the changes to our flights and we are now booked to fly into Taipei on 11th July to meet up with Kelli, Lawrence and Bronagh - it's going to be so exciting to have the opportunity to meet our new little grandaughter.
Fangtze is an area of Weifang, which is comprised of many German buildings from over 100 years ago. Some of these buildings are being bulldozed in the name of progress but a collection of them are being preserved and comprise a little village, complete with what was once a hospital. German beers are available for sale and an Art Gallery in the old hospital is a big attraction.
We have spent 9 fantastic days in Weifang, so on our last night, we took Zhang, Yu, family and friends out for dinner. Pat booked a private room in a restaurant close by to their home, so we were able to walk to the venue. Tong Tong sat between Pat and myself, so she was able to translate the conversations in both Chinese and English. Tong Tong told me that at school, the most important lessons for the students are English and Maths and that she enjoys the English very much. We have invited Tong Tong to visit us in Australia for a holiday when she is a little older - we told her family that we would look after her. Tong Tong thinks it is a very good idea.
The following morning we were awake early and prepared for our fast train trip to Beijing. Zhang was very sad that we were leaving, but we told her that perhaps we can visit Weifang's International Kite Festival another year - she is happy that we would like to do that.
Northern Vietnam to Yunnan Province, China
We boarded the train from the Gold Coast to Brisbane International Airport and checked in with Singapore Airlines for our flights to Singapore and further onto Hanoi in North Vietnam. We're on our way.
Our advance booking at The Little Hanoi Hotel which included an airport pickup eliminated being hassled at the airport by the hoardes with "Please come to my Hotel" - it was especially welcome after 19 hours of travelling.
Heading into Hanoi on the freeway I was very quickly reminded we were actually in Vietnam - we passed a farmer on his scooter which had a .5 square metre wire cage loaded up with about 7 live piglets - all jammed in and hanging out through the wire in every which way. It was only a few minutes further on when we passed a scooter with a sole driver who was transporting two queen size mattresses which met at the top above his head! What a hoot!
The Little Hanoi Hotel is in the French Quarter of Hanoi, close by to most places. Our accommodation at $28 US per night for a double deluxe room includes breakfast each morning and complimentary airport/train transfers. Our room is large with a massive king size bed and this little hotel is as clean as a whistle. The staff are very friendly, attentive and helpful.
The best way to see a place such as Hanoi's Old Quarter is to set out on foot - so off we went. Close by Hoan Kiem Lake is the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre which puts on a fantastic show. This form of puppetry originated in North Vietnam, is over 1,000 years old and is enjoyed by all. The puppets are mounted on long sticks with the operators working from behind curtains in feet deep water. This form of entertainment had its origins in the paddy fields. The show is comprised not only of puppetry but also of music, drumming and beautiful singing. Our dinner in the evening at our hotel was wonderful Vietnamese cuisine. I'll give the strong coffee a miss but I am enjoying the Vietnamese tea. Apparently the terminology "Dog Lover" takes on a whole new meaning in North Vietnam - so we'll steer clear of dark meat and choose chicken!
The following day we set off on a long walk to visit Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, his vestige and home on stilts which are all located within the Presidential Palace area. Ho Chi Minh, the man, affectionately known as Uncle Ho is revered by his people and was known for his simple style of living, gentleness and the dedication he had to his nation and people.
We bused to Halong City and were then taken out to our Junk "Poseidon" for 2 days of cruising in Halong Bay. Vietnam is well known for it's beautiful area of Halong Bay which is comprised of more than 3,000 islands in the Gulf of Tonkin. The limestone pinnacles of the islands jut out of the sea and the scenery is spectacular. The food onboard our Junk was fantastic and we thoroughly enjoyed the activities of kayaking and caving. Our three day trip has been organised by our hotel and so far so good, it has been great. In the morning we visited Cat Ba National Park where Pat joined a group for a walk and climbed 300 stairs (steep and dangerous) to reach the lookout which was used during the war. We had an overnight stay on Cat Ba Island, visited Monkey Island and spent a couple of hours lazing on the white sandy beach while the monkeys showed off in the trees behind us. Back on board the Poseidon we had a delicious seafood lunch before heading back to Hanoi. We were very warmly welcomed back to the Little Hanoi Hotel by Lily and the evening staff and were handed the keys to our lovely room 201.
Ninh Binh is approximately 90 klms south of Hanoi - here we visited the ancient city of Hoa Lu which was the original ancient capital back in the 10th century. There are very few ancient ruins in Vietnam, said to be a result of bombings during the "American" war. Pat chose to take a 12 klm bicycle ride from Hoa Lu to Tam Coc - I chose the air conditioned van due to the 40 degree heat. The surrounding countryside is just what Vietnam is depicted as - lush brilliant green rice paddies, water buffalo and their handlers in conical hats working in the fields. These conical hats (which are brilliant for cool and shade) are worn by just about everyone - even me.
Tam Coc is known as The Halong Bay of the Rice Paddies as this area has the same limestone rock formations as Halong Bay. We climbed onto a little row boat to see the Ngo Dong River wind its way through the paddie fields. Mostly girls row these boats and they alternate between the use of their hands and feet for rowing - quite fascinating to watch. They also push the paddles when rowing as compared to us - we pull the paddles when rowing. We rowed 3 klm upstream and crossed under 3 grottos (keep your head low). On the return journey Pat took over the main paddles and had a row for about one kilometre - our guide enjoyed the little bit of relaxation on the 6 klm round trip. We helped row from our seats with shorter paddles - sore shoulders next day served as a reminder.
On our return journey to Hanoi we had 3 retirees from Melbourne sitting in the front row of seats behind the driver - they kept us entertained with their commentary on the magnificent and experienced driving skills of our driver. I find it better to sit behind and not look at how they overtake a vehicle with 3 vehicles coming at us from the opposite direction ... yes we definitely are in Vietnam!
Back at the Little Hanoi Hotel we were given fresh towels for showers before they organised our taxi to the train station for our overnight journey on the "Orient Express" to Sapa. Our 4 berth cabin was very comfortable, however, very early in the evening a young man joined his lady friend in the top bunk - making our cabin a 5 berth instead. How the hell they squeezed 2 people into that bunk I'm not sure, but there were no complaints from them!
We checked into the Mimosa Hotel in Sapa for $10 (discounted from $15) per night - later, again discounted to $8 per night for a 5 night stay - great value with views across the mountains and a large room and bathroom. Prices in Vietnam are very cheap if you are prepared to shop around - some hotels are highly priced but can lack the down to earth atmosphere of the smaller ones.
As it rained shortly after we arrived, we decided to spend the day walking in the town of Sapa and through the bustling markets. In the evening we met up with Debbie & Ian from Nelson in New Zealand for dinner - we first met up at Halong Bay on Monkey Island. They are avid bike riders so were giving us some encouragement to travel on a motorbike - they claim it to be one of the greatest ways to get about and see the mountains and the hill tribes. Pat hasn't ridden a motorbike in 35 years so we quickly dismissed that idea.
The women from the hill tribes dress in their traditional clothing - carry their large baskets (or babies) on their backs and offer their homemade wares for sale. They tend to follow visitors for ages asking for your name, how many children and grandchildren you have, what are their ages and whether they are boys or girls - they also want to know how old we are. Life expectancy is lower in Vietnam, so by the time people reach 60 they are looking at the end of their lives - they think it's amazing that we are in the same age group and travelling about so ably.
The following day we decided to throw caution to the wind and hire a motorbike. Pat chose a 125cc bike and we set off for the day, covering over 100 klms. Warren and Patty from Lismore also hired a bike from our Hotel, so we all set off together. We left the bikes at the top and hiked down to the Cat Cat Waterfall alongside Cat Cat village and later visited another village called Ta Van. At one point we picked up 2 young ethnic village girls of the Hmong Tribe who wanted a lift up the mountain (3 on a bike???).
When we reached the village at the top we were invited into their home to meet the family and see their home. This was a great treat - especially to meet "Mama" who is considered to be very old at 80 years of age - she made my Mum at 82 look like a youngster! It was a privilige to be welcomed into their home with its scant furnishings including a couple of small stools, a table and a sewing machine. The earthen floor in the very large kitchen came complete with a chook and 6 chickens running around! The bedrooms were upstairs in a loft area and the timber home was very cool inside out of the heat of the sun. In one corner of the kitchen was a large drum full of black dye which they use for dying the cloth they weave for their traditional clothing. We met the ladies' brother who was caring for his 3 small daughters - we presume his wife was in town selling her wares.
We took the village pathway back to the main road which was very rocky and rough in parts. The villagers and the children are very friendly - as as we rode by lots of them would wave and call "hello". After lunch in Sapa we set out to find some caves - we overshot the turnoff by about 10 klms so headed back to Sapa and experienced travelling through rain whilst on a bike! Hmmm! Stinging rain, insects and foggy glasses. Hmmm! We met up with Debbie and Ian for dinner and thanked them for encouraging us to hire a bike. It was a magnificent day - one we'll never forget.
Rain seems to have set in so it looks like we will be on foot for a couple of days. We were lucky enough to see a colourful funeral procession heading through Sapa - hundreds of people in front of and behind the deceased person - relatives of the person were all wearing white headbands.
In the evening we joined up with Ross & Sally from Townsville and Linda & Bill from Paluma - there certainly is no shortage of Aussies in Vietnam. We ordered a large Hot Pot for our table and thoroughly enjoyed the evening and the cold refreshments. Ross & Sally have also retired and like us they spend 3 months of the year travelling overseas and a couple of months touring in their caravan back home. Saturday night is the Love Market here in Sapa, so we're off tonight to check out the attractions. We booked our bus tickets to Bac Ha and hope to visit the Sunday markets when we're there.
We were approached by an elderley lady to buy her wares in Sapa - we were later told that she is very famous all over Vietnam because she is 90 years of age and has married a man of 30 years of age - apparently it was the first marriage for both.
Bac Ha's markets are very well organised - plenty of shade and places to eat and drink. I didn't like the animal markets where they were selling off animals for food - amongst the animals were about 6 beautiful little Husky puppies - they were only being inspected as food not as pets - it kind of turned my stomach a bit - I had to walk away.
Well it's still raining so we've decided to head to Lao Cai on the Vietnam/China border and cross the border today. All was going fine when Pat's Lonely Planet of China was confiscated - we tried to encourage the border guard to let us take it as we have had it on 3 previous trips into China - he said NO - PLEASE CO-OPERATION!!! Reluctantly Pat handed it over. About 100 metres away from the border we boarded a bus for the 9 hour trip to Kunming, when a young man came on board and asked if we'd like a copy of the Lonely Planet - it was the same version but a newer book for $20 so we took it. We'd be lost without our Guide Book - an essential for independent type travel.
We spent a couple of days in Kunming which is a very big city - I am very impressed with the beautiful tree lined avenues and the cleanliness of the streets - perhaps there has been a big turnaround since the Olympics. We checked into the Camellia Hotel where Pat and Kelli stayed about 12 years ago. Our morning walk in the City ended up being about 12 to 15 klms. Along the way we visited an old Palace and enjoyed listening to a group of elderley musicians playing their traditional string and flute instruments - their Conductor was also an elderley gentleman.
We decided to take the train to Dali, which ended up being an 8 hour trip in a hard seat train. In our compartment there were 5 people sitting on the two lower bunks. The trip was pretty uncomfortable and following on from our big day of walking I was feeling pretty wrecked. A lady directed us to a lovely hotel just outside the main gate of the Ancient Walled City of Dali - we hit the hay at 9 pm and didn't get up until about 8 am - I guess it was a kind of jetlag.
We have noticed lots of construction here in Yunnan Province, namely freeways, new fast train rail lines, bridges, high rise residential buildings and generally lots of construction - we can't see that the GFC has affected this part of China - perhaps China also had a stimulus package programme. Travelling through rice paddies the fields are full of workers - ploughing and planting and all are working up to their knees in water. The countryside is covered in rice paddies with rice and vegetables of all varieties being grown.
Dali at an altitude of 1,900 metres is a beautiful old City with a range of mountains as a backdrop and it has been built alongside Lake Erhai Hu. This ancient city in Yunnan Province is located at the foothills of Tibet. The buildings are traditional old style Chinese with pictures etched into the walls - depicting the scenery and lifestyles. The town has a series of channels winding their way through the cobblestone streets - these once supplied the city's drinking water.
Our advance booking at The Little Hanoi Hotel which included an airport pickup eliminated being hassled at the airport by the hoardes with "Please come to my Hotel" - it was especially welcome after 19 hours of travelling.
Heading into Hanoi on the freeway I was very quickly reminded we were actually in Vietnam - we passed a farmer on his scooter which had a .5 square metre wire cage loaded up with about 7 live piglets - all jammed in and hanging out through the wire in every which way. It was only a few minutes further on when we passed a scooter with a sole driver who was transporting two queen size mattresses which met at the top above his head! What a hoot!
The Little Hanoi Hotel is in the French Quarter of Hanoi, close by to most places. Our accommodation at $28 US per night for a double deluxe room includes breakfast each morning and complimentary airport/train transfers. Our room is large with a massive king size bed and this little hotel is as clean as a whistle. The staff are very friendly, attentive and helpful.
The best way to see a place such as Hanoi's Old Quarter is to set out on foot - so off we went. Close by Hoan Kiem Lake is the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre which puts on a fantastic show. This form of puppetry originated in North Vietnam, is over 1,000 years old and is enjoyed by all. The puppets are mounted on long sticks with the operators working from behind curtains in feet deep water. This form of entertainment had its origins in the paddy fields. The show is comprised not only of puppetry but also of music, drumming and beautiful singing. Our dinner in the evening at our hotel was wonderful Vietnamese cuisine. I'll give the strong coffee a miss but I am enjoying the Vietnamese tea. Apparently the terminology "Dog Lover" takes on a whole new meaning in North Vietnam - so we'll steer clear of dark meat and choose chicken!
The following day we set off on a long walk to visit Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, his vestige and home on stilts which are all located within the Presidential Palace area. Ho Chi Minh, the man, affectionately known as Uncle Ho is revered by his people and was known for his simple style of living, gentleness and the dedication he had to his nation and people.
We bused to Halong City and were then taken out to our Junk "Poseidon" for 2 days of cruising in Halong Bay. Vietnam is well known for it's beautiful area of Halong Bay which is comprised of more than 3,000 islands in the Gulf of Tonkin. The limestone pinnacles of the islands jut out of the sea and the scenery is spectacular. The food onboard our Junk was fantastic and we thoroughly enjoyed the activities of kayaking and caving. Our three day trip has been organised by our hotel and so far so good, it has been great. In the morning we visited Cat Ba National Park where Pat joined a group for a walk and climbed 300 stairs (steep and dangerous) to reach the lookout which was used during the war. We had an overnight stay on Cat Ba Island, visited Monkey Island and spent a couple of hours lazing on the white sandy beach while the monkeys showed off in the trees behind us. Back on board the Poseidon we had a delicious seafood lunch before heading back to Hanoi. We were very warmly welcomed back to the Little Hanoi Hotel by Lily and the evening staff and were handed the keys to our lovely room 201.
Ninh Binh is approximately 90 klms south of Hanoi - here we visited the ancient city of Hoa Lu which was the original ancient capital back in the 10th century. There are very few ancient ruins in Vietnam, said to be a result of bombings during the "American" war. Pat chose to take a 12 klm bicycle ride from Hoa Lu to Tam Coc - I chose the air conditioned van due to the 40 degree heat. The surrounding countryside is just what Vietnam is depicted as - lush brilliant green rice paddies, water buffalo and their handlers in conical hats working in the fields. These conical hats (which are brilliant for cool and shade) are worn by just about everyone - even me.
Tam Coc is known as The Halong Bay of the Rice Paddies as this area has the same limestone rock formations as Halong Bay. We climbed onto a little row boat to see the Ngo Dong River wind its way through the paddie fields. Mostly girls row these boats and they alternate between the use of their hands and feet for rowing - quite fascinating to watch. They also push the paddles when rowing as compared to us - we pull the paddles when rowing. We rowed 3 klm upstream and crossed under 3 grottos (keep your head low). On the return journey Pat took over the main paddles and had a row for about one kilometre - our guide enjoyed the little bit of relaxation on the 6 klm round trip. We helped row from our seats with shorter paddles - sore shoulders next day served as a reminder.
On our return journey to Hanoi we had 3 retirees from Melbourne sitting in the front row of seats behind the driver - they kept us entertained with their commentary on the magnificent and experienced driving skills of our driver. I find it better to sit behind and not look at how they overtake a vehicle with 3 vehicles coming at us from the opposite direction ... yes we definitely are in Vietnam!
Back at the Little Hanoi Hotel we were given fresh towels for showers before they organised our taxi to the train station for our overnight journey on the "Orient Express" to Sapa. Our 4 berth cabin was very comfortable, however, very early in the evening a young man joined his lady friend in the top bunk - making our cabin a 5 berth instead. How the hell they squeezed 2 people into that bunk I'm not sure, but there were no complaints from them!
We checked into the Mimosa Hotel in Sapa for $10 (discounted from $15) per night - later, again discounted to $8 per night for a 5 night stay - great value with views across the mountains and a large room and bathroom. Prices in Vietnam are very cheap if you are prepared to shop around - some hotels are highly priced but can lack the down to earth atmosphere of the smaller ones.
As it rained shortly after we arrived, we decided to spend the day walking in the town of Sapa and through the bustling markets. In the evening we met up with Debbie & Ian from Nelson in New Zealand for dinner - we first met up at Halong Bay on Monkey Island. They are avid bike riders so were giving us some encouragement to travel on a motorbike - they claim it to be one of the greatest ways to get about and see the mountains and the hill tribes. Pat hasn't ridden a motorbike in 35 years so we quickly dismissed that idea.
The women from the hill tribes dress in their traditional clothing - carry their large baskets (or babies) on their backs and offer their homemade wares for sale. They tend to follow visitors for ages asking for your name, how many children and grandchildren you have, what are their ages and whether they are boys or girls - they also want to know how old we are. Life expectancy is lower in Vietnam, so by the time people reach 60 they are looking at the end of their lives - they think it's amazing that we are in the same age group and travelling about so ably.
The following day we decided to throw caution to the wind and hire a motorbike. Pat chose a 125cc bike and we set off for the day, covering over 100 klms. Warren and Patty from Lismore also hired a bike from our Hotel, so we all set off together. We left the bikes at the top and hiked down to the Cat Cat Waterfall alongside Cat Cat village and later visited another village called Ta Van. At one point we picked up 2 young ethnic village girls of the Hmong Tribe who wanted a lift up the mountain (3 on a bike???).
When we reached the village at the top we were invited into their home to meet the family and see their home. This was a great treat - especially to meet "Mama" who is considered to be very old at 80 years of age - she made my Mum at 82 look like a youngster! It was a privilige to be welcomed into their home with its scant furnishings including a couple of small stools, a table and a sewing machine. The earthen floor in the very large kitchen came complete with a chook and 6 chickens running around! The bedrooms were upstairs in a loft area and the timber home was very cool inside out of the heat of the sun. In one corner of the kitchen was a large drum full of black dye which they use for dying the cloth they weave for their traditional clothing. We met the ladies' brother who was caring for his 3 small daughters - we presume his wife was in town selling her wares.
We took the village pathway back to the main road which was very rocky and rough in parts. The villagers and the children are very friendly - as as we rode by lots of them would wave and call "hello". After lunch in Sapa we set out to find some caves - we overshot the turnoff by about 10 klms so headed back to Sapa and experienced travelling through rain whilst on a bike! Hmmm! Stinging rain, insects and foggy glasses. Hmmm! We met up with Debbie and Ian for dinner and thanked them for encouraging us to hire a bike. It was a magnificent day - one we'll never forget.
Rain seems to have set in so it looks like we will be on foot for a couple of days. We were lucky enough to see a colourful funeral procession heading through Sapa - hundreds of people in front of and behind the deceased person - relatives of the person were all wearing white headbands.
In the evening we joined up with Ross & Sally from Townsville and Linda & Bill from Paluma - there certainly is no shortage of Aussies in Vietnam. We ordered a large Hot Pot for our table and thoroughly enjoyed the evening and the cold refreshments. Ross & Sally have also retired and like us they spend 3 months of the year travelling overseas and a couple of months touring in their caravan back home. Saturday night is the Love Market here in Sapa, so we're off tonight to check out the attractions. We booked our bus tickets to Bac Ha and hope to visit the Sunday markets when we're there.
We were approached by an elderley lady to buy her wares in Sapa - we were later told that she is very famous all over Vietnam because she is 90 years of age and has married a man of 30 years of age - apparently it was the first marriage for both.
Bac Ha's markets are very well organised - plenty of shade and places to eat and drink. I didn't like the animal markets where they were selling off animals for food - amongst the animals were about 6 beautiful little Husky puppies - they were only being inspected as food not as pets - it kind of turned my stomach a bit - I had to walk away.
Well it's still raining so we've decided to head to Lao Cai on the Vietnam/China border and cross the border today. All was going fine when Pat's Lonely Planet of China was confiscated - we tried to encourage the border guard to let us take it as we have had it on 3 previous trips into China - he said NO - PLEASE CO-OPERATION!!! Reluctantly Pat handed it over. About 100 metres away from the border we boarded a bus for the 9 hour trip to Kunming, when a young man came on board and asked if we'd like a copy of the Lonely Planet - it was the same version but a newer book for $20 so we took it. We'd be lost without our Guide Book - an essential for independent type travel.
We spent a couple of days in Kunming which is a very big city - I am very impressed with the beautiful tree lined avenues and the cleanliness of the streets - perhaps there has been a big turnaround since the Olympics. We checked into the Camellia Hotel where Pat and Kelli stayed about 12 years ago. Our morning walk in the City ended up being about 12 to 15 klms. Along the way we visited an old Palace and enjoyed listening to a group of elderley musicians playing their traditional string and flute instruments - their Conductor was also an elderley gentleman.
We decided to take the train to Dali, which ended up being an 8 hour trip in a hard seat train. In our compartment there were 5 people sitting on the two lower bunks. The trip was pretty uncomfortable and following on from our big day of walking I was feeling pretty wrecked. A lady directed us to a lovely hotel just outside the main gate of the Ancient Walled City of Dali - we hit the hay at 9 pm and didn't get up until about 8 am - I guess it was a kind of jetlag.
We have noticed lots of construction here in Yunnan Province, namely freeways, new fast train rail lines, bridges, high rise residential buildings and generally lots of construction - we can't see that the GFC has affected this part of China - perhaps China also had a stimulus package programme. Travelling through rice paddies the fields are full of workers - ploughing and planting and all are working up to their knees in water. The countryside is covered in rice paddies with rice and vegetables of all varieties being grown.
Dali at an altitude of 1,900 metres is a beautiful old City with a range of mountains as a backdrop and it has been built alongside Lake Erhai Hu. This ancient city in Yunnan Province is located at the foothills of Tibet. The buildings are traditional old style Chinese with pictures etched into the walls - depicting the scenery and lifestyles. The town has a series of channels winding their way through the cobblestone streets - these once supplied the city's drinking water.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
8/4/09 Egypt to Jordan - Dahab to Petra
At the end of the day's tour in Aswan, our guide dropped us off at our cruise ship, the Sheraton Anton in time for lunch. Another amazing place to see is Abu Simbal which is a 600 klm round trip south from Aswan - but due to the extremely high temperatures we decided to give that one a miss for now - perhaps another time in cooler weather.
The ship departed in the early afternoon and we began a relaxing two day cruise northward on the Nile, visiting the villages of Kom Ombo and Edfu along the way. The ship went down through one set of locks at Esna on the Nile. It appears to be cheaper to buy a ticket at the ship or from an Egyptian agent than to purchase it from the home country. We heard many people saying it was 4 times the price to book from their home country, so many felt it was excellent value. We were upgraded to a suite on the 4th deck so we were very happy also. The current season is extremely hot and perhaps that is one of the reasons why tourist numbers are very low here at the present time.
Pat enjoyed lazing in the sun on the top deck whilst yours truly sat enjoying the open air from under shade covers. The top deck is a wonderful place to relax with many lounges, tables, chairs, palm trees and a great swimming pool. It's great just lazing away the time watching the river and the date palms on the banks of the Nile slip by. The banks are very fertile and seem to be full of crops and people working the fields. On the cruise we met a very nice Korean couple, Hankeon and Seunghee, both from Seoul. After breakfast, on the morning of our arrival in Luxor, our group was picked up by a guide and we headed out for an exciting day of exploring.
The Valley of the Kings - visiting this dry, barren limestone valley and hearing about the Kings who were buried here, the processes involved and the finding of the burial sites will give me some interesting reading in the future. I have only ever had a basic knowledge of Egyptian history and I have now found it to be fascinating to say the least.
When a King's Coronation takes place, commencement on the stone work of his burial chamber begins - so therefore the longer the King's life, the bigger the tomb and the more antechambers will be incorporated. When the King dies, there are just 70 days available for final preparation to take place, in which the body is mummified and his final chamber room for burial is made ready.
King Tutankharum's tomb was very small because he had lived a short life and died suddenly at age 19 - his was the first tomb discovered and was actually found by accident. When the archeologists were scratching around back in the 1920's a jug of water fell from a donkey - the water ran out of the jug but disappeared - this is where they they then began to excavate and ultimately found the tomb - the first of 63 tombs which have been found to date in the Valley of the Kings. At this valley we visited 3 King's tombs.
Al-Deir Al-Bahari Temple - another wonderful site to visit. Built by Egypt's only and very controversial female ruler. It is a grand tiered structure built into the side of a mountain and graced by huge statues.
The Valley of the Queens - here we visited 2 substantial tombs. This valley is by no means on the same grand scale as the Kings' valley and many tombs have been simply dug downwards into a shaft-like structure. The tomb of Queen Nefatari is supposed to be the best in the whole of Egypt, but the Government decided to close it to the public. You can however visit, if you pay the entrance fee of 20,000 Egyptian pounds.
Karnack Temple - another fascinating site and a very impressive area incorporating one section alone with 134 huge columns of stone.
We strolled down through the streets of Luxor in the evening - enjoying the street scenes, the people and those wonderful food smells. Due to the extreme heat during the day people seem to spend more time inside and after sundown they are able to get out and about in the cooler temperatures of the evening. At our Hotel we decided to check out the view so went to the rooftop restaurant and enjoyed the view and a cold beer and glass of wine. By the way, the aroma in Egyptian spice shops here is great.
The following morning we were well organised and headed out of town to the bus stop for the 8:30am departure for Hurghada on the Red Sea - or so we thought. The large air conditioned bus was delayed - then it was broken down - then of course, it wasn't even going to arrive. We were assured another bus would be here soon. The bus finally left at 11am - a big clapped out heap of junk - no air conditioning - but anyway, we were on our way. Those of us waiting for the bus chatted amoungst ourselves - Japanese, Italian, French and Australian - it certainly helps pass the time.
We had a very long, hot bus trip across the arid land and through the wild scraggy mountains to the Red Sea, arriving after 5pm. We teamed up with the little French family Vincent and Stephanie with their two children, Pierre 7 and Adele 4 as we were all heading to the same destination. We stayed the night at a "very basic" hotel at the port of Sigala as we had decided to take the 4am fast ferry across the Red Sea to Sharm El-Sheikh on the Sinai Peninsula. Pat thought it would be best to catch the ferry, otherwise we could be waiting a long time for it to open up like it did for Moses. The crossing was very rough and many people on board were seasick. The ferry was travelling at 50 km/hr but they decided to go "slowly slowly" to 37 km/hr which made the trip more comfortable. The usual 1.5 hr crossing became a 2.75 hr crossing!
At Sharm El-Sheikh Pat negotiated a good price for a mini van so we headed north up the Peninsula to Dahab on the coast. What a relief - great sea breezes and a very enjoyable little hamlet. We checked into a little Bedoin Village called 7th Heaven and decided to stay put for a few days to enjoy the coastal location and perhaps the opportunity to sample some local seafood.
At lunch time we strolled along the waterfront and were lured into a little restaurant with the sea lapping the sides of the dirt floor - here we sat down for a very enjoyable lunch of grilled calamari and vegetables with all the trimmings - what a wonderful spread. Our lunch was topped off with tasty cold watermelon and Bedoin tea. Absolutely delectible.
We gave Kelli and Sonya a call - it was great to hear their voices. Kelli knew exactly where we were, as she had been here on her backpacking trip 10 years ago - she said these are the restaurants where the best food is determined by the most number of cats! Yes, the place has a big population of cats roaming around. One actually grabbed Pat's leg and scratched him while we were having lunch!
Pat was keen to visit Mt Sinai and St Catherine's Monastery, where Moses is reputed to have received the 2 tablets of stone, containing the 10 Commandments. The trip was to be 12 hours from 11pm and returning the following morning at 11am. I chose the alternate option and enjoyed a great night's sleep! I am currently sitting in the same restaurant enjoying the sea breeze, the view and breakfast - it has given me a great opportunity to write my Blog.
Well Pat returned from his expedition looking a bit tired, stiff and sore but with some wonderful photographs of his trip. Pat's trip incorporated a 7 klm trek up the mountain on a camel and the last 750 steps on foot and returning all the way back down on foot. To quote the Lonely Planet:
Rising up out of the desert and jutting above the other peaks surrounding St Catherine's Monastery is the towering 2,285 metre Mt Sinai. Although some archaeologists and historians dispute Mt Sinai's biblical claim to fame, it is revered by Christians, Muslims and Jews, all of whom believe that God delivered his Ten Commandments to Moses at the summit. The mountain is beautiful and at the summit it offers a taste of the serenity and magnificence of southern Sinai's high mountain region.
There are two well defined routes - the camel trail and the Steps of Repentance - that meet about 300 metres below the summit at a plateau, where everyone must take a steep series of 750 rocky and uneven steps to the top. Most people make the climb in the predawn hours to take in the magnificence of the sun rising over the surrounding peaks, and then arrive back at the base when the Monastery opens for visitors.
This was the trip that Pat took - he couldn't wait get into a shower and have a much needed sleep. On reflection, I think I chose the better option. I am currently sitting in the same restaurant enjoying the sea breeze, the view and breakfast - it has given me a great opportunity to write my Blog.
That evening we had dinner at the 7th Heaven Restaurant with Vincent & Stephanie, Pierre and Adele the French family we had met a few days earlier. They are partners in a vineyard in France so it was very interesting to hear how a vineyard is looked after and ultimately the wine prepared for sale. We have been invited to visit the vineyard so we'll look forward to doing that on our next visit to France.
We left Dahab the following morning with an Aussie Tour Group as we were offered a lift to Nuweiba further up the coast with them. Nuweiba is the ferry port from which we departed Egypt for Aqaba, Jordan. The process of buying the ferry ticket in Nuweiba; going through security; sitting and then lining up for a bus to the ferry; boarding the ferry and then finally cruising across the sea to Jordan was not carried out at any shattering speed - I guess there's just no rush when you're leaving Egypt! We finally arrived in Aqaba at about 5pm so decided to stay a night before heading north.
Jordan feels so much better to be travelling in than Egypt - the people are more laid back - they're not so much in your face and we've noticed the streets are cleaner. Jordanians are passionate about their Royal Family and love King Abdullah, the son of King Hussein. People love to talk about the good deeds their King carries out on a regular basis - from travelling around the country to visit the people, sitting down and sharing a meal with the Bedoins to building homes for the poor.
There are some ruins from an early medieval port city in Aqaba called Ayla, so we decided to visit as our little granddaughter has the same name.
We packed up early in the morning, negotiated a deal with a taxi driver and headed north to Wadi Rum. Wadi Rum is a protected area and is considered to have some of the most extraordinary desert scenery in the world. Our 4WD driver was called Eed and he was 16 years of age - a little younger than we're used to, but nevertheless he handled the Toyota well and he certainly loved his job.
(In 1916, the Arabs with the assistance of T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) launched the Arab Revolt and helped the British drive the Turks from the region.)
This is the region where the Arab revolt took place and was also the location for scenes from the movie, Lawrence of Arabia. Eed took delight in showing us the highlights of Wadi Rum, especially Khazali Canyon which is a deep narrow gorge and home to many early inscriptions in the rock.
When we left the Protected Area, a taxi driver made us a a good offer to take us to Petra, our next destination. Along the way he stopped and bought us a cup of tea and refreshment - quite a bit different to the taxi drivers in Egypt! Mini buses are available for transport between many of the towns and cities here, but they wait until they have a full bus before leaving - so if time is not an issue then buses are very cheap to get around. Taxis are everywhere and they also offer reasonable fares.
Petra is a very special place and Jordan's most visited tourism spot - it has been a Cultural World Heritage site since 1985. We visited both at night and during the day. To quote the Lonely Planet:
Hewn from towering rock walls, the imposing facades of the great temples and tombs of Petra are an enduring testament to the grandeur of the Nabatean vision. The Nabateans - Arabs who controlled the frankincense trade routes of the region in pre-Roman times - chose as their city a hidden valley concealed from the outside world and transformed it into one of the Middle East's most memorable sites.
The ship departed in the early afternoon and we began a relaxing two day cruise northward on the Nile, visiting the villages of Kom Ombo and Edfu along the way. The ship went down through one set of locks at Esna on the Nile. It appears to be cheaper to buy a ticket at the ship or from an Egyptian agent than to purchase it from the home country. We heard many people saying it was 4 times the price to book from their home country, so many felt it was excellent value. We were upgraded to a suite on the 4th deck so we were very happy also. The current season is extremely hot and perhaps that is one of the reasons why tourist numbers are very low here at the present time.
Pat enjoyed lazing in the sun on the top deck whilst yours truly sat enjoying the open air from under shade covers. The top deck is a wonderful place to relax with many lounges, tables, chairs, palm trees and a great swimming pool. It's great just lazing away the time watching the river and the date palms on the banks of the Nile slip by. The banks are very fertile and seem to be full of crops and people working the fields. On the cruise we met a very nice Korean couple, Hankeon and Seunghee, both from Seoul. After breakfast, on the morning of our arrival in Luxor, our group was picked up by a guide and we headed out for an exciting day of exploring.
The Valley of the Kings - visiting this dry, barren limestone valley and hearing about the Kings who were buried here, the processes involved and the finding of the burial sites will give me some interesting reading in the future. I have only ever had a basic knowledge of Egyptian history and I have now found it to be fascinating to say the least.
When a King's Coronation takes place, commencement on the stone work of his burial chamber begins - so therefore the longer the King's life, the bigger the tomb and the more antechambers will be incorporated. When the King dies, there are just 70 days available for final preparation to take place, in which the body is mummified and his final chamber room for burial is made ready.
King Tutankharum's tomb was very small because he had lived a short life and died suddenly at age 19 - his was the first tomb discovered and was actually found by accident. When the archeologists were scratching around back in the 1920's a jug of water fell from a donkey - the water ran out of the jug but disappeared - this is where they they then began to excavate and ultimately found the tomb - the first of 63 tombs which have been found to date in the Valley of the Kings. At this valley we visited 3 King's tombs.
Al-Deir Al-Bahari Temple - another wonderful site to visit. Built by Egypt's only and very controversial female ruler. It is a grand tiered structure built into the side of a mountain and graced by huge statues.
The Valley of the Queens - here we visited 2 substantial tombs. This valley is by no means on the same grand scale as the Kings' valley and many tombs have been simply dug downwards into a shaft-like structure. The tomb of Queen Nefatari is supposed to be the best in the whole of Egypt, but the Government decided to close it to the public. You can however visit, if you pay the entrance fee of 20,000 Egyptian pounds.
Karnack Temple - another fascinating site and a very impressive area incorporating one section alone with 134 huge columns of stone.
We strolled down through the streets of Luxor in the evening - enjoying the street scenes, the people and those wonderful food smells. Due to the extreme heat during the day people seem to spend more time inside and after sundown they are able to get out and about in the cooler temperatures of the evening. At our Hotel we decided to check out the view so went to the rooftop restaurant and enjoyed the view and a cold beer and glass of wine. By the way, the aroma in Egyptian spice shops here is great.
The following morning we were well organised and headed out of town to the bus stop for the 8:30am departure for Hurghada on the Red Sea - or so we thought. The large air conditioned bus was delayed - then it was broken down - then of course, it wasn't even going to arrive. We were assured another bus would be here soon. The bus finally left at 11am - a big clapped out heap of junk - no air conditioning - but anyway, we were on our way. Those of us waiting for the bus chatted amoungst ourselves - Japanese, Italian, French and Australian - it certainly helps pass the time.
We had a very long, hot bus trip across the arid land and through the wild scraggy mountains to the Red Sea, arriving after 5pm. We teamed up with the little French family Vincent and Stephanie with their two children, Pierre 7 and Adele 4 as we were all heading to the same destination. We stayed the night at a "very basic" hotel at the port of Sigala as we had decided to take the 4am fast ferry across the Red Sea to Sharm El-Sheikh on the Sinai Peninsula. Pat thought it would be best to catch the ferry, otherwise we could be waiting a long time for it to open up like it did for Moses. The crossing was very rough and many people on board were seasick. The ferry was travelling at 50 km/hr but they decided to go "slowly slowly" to 37 km/hr which made the trip more comfortable. The usual 1.5 hr crossing became a 2.75 hr crossing!
At Sharm El-Sheikh Pat negotiated a good price for a mini van so we headed north up the Peninsula to Dahab on the coast. What a relief - great sea breezes and a very enjoyable little hamlet. We checked into a little Bedoin Village called 7th Heaven and decided to stay put for a few days to enjoy the coastal location and perhaps the opportunity to sample some local seafood.
At lunch time we strolled along the waterfront and were lured into a little restaurant with the sea lapping the sides of the dirt floor - here we sat down for a very enjoyable lunch of grilled calamari and vegetables with all the trimmings - what a wonderful spread. Our lunch was topped off with tasty cold watermelon and Bedoin tea. Absolutely delectible.
We gave Kelli and Sonya a call - it was great to hear their voices. Kelli knew exactly where we were, as she had been here on her backpacking trip 10 years ago - she said these are the restaurants where the best food is determined by the most number of cats! Yes, the place has a big population of cats roaming around. One actually grabbed Pat's leg and scratched him while we were having lunch!
Pat was keen to visit Mt Sinai and St Catherine's Monastery, where Moses is reputed to have received the 2 tablets of stone, containing the 10 Commandments. The trip was to be 12 hours from 11pm and returning the following morning at 11am. I chose the alternate option and enjoyed a great night's sleep! I am currently sitting in the same restaurant enjoying the sea breeze, the view and breakfast - it has given me a great opportunity to write my Blog.
Well Pat returned from his expedition looking a bit tired, stiff and sore but with some wonderful photographs of his trip. Pat's trip incorporated a 7 klm trek up the mountain on a camel and the last 750 steps on foot and returning all the way back down on foot. To quote the Lonely Planet:
Rising up out of the desert and jutting above the other peaks surrounding St Catherine's Monastery is the towering 2,285 metre Mt Sinai. Although some archaeologists and historians dispute Mt Sinai's biblical claim to fame, it is revered by Christians, Muslims and Jews, all of whom believe that God delivered his Ten Commandments to Moses at the summit. The mountain is beautiful and at the summit it offers a taste of the serenity and magnificence of southern Sinai's high mountain region.
There are two well defined routes - the camel trail and the Steps of Repentance - that meet about 300 metres below the summit at a plateau, where everyone must take a steep series of 750 rocky and uneven steps to the top. Most people make the climb in the predawn hours to take in the magnificence of the sun rising over the surrounding peaks, and then arrive back at the base when the Monastery opens for visitors.
This was the trip that Pat took - he couldn't wait get into a shower and have a much needed sleep. On reflection, I think I chose the better option. I am currently sitting in the same restaurant enjoying the sea breeze, the view and breakfast - it has given me a great opportunity to write my Blog.
That evening we had dinner at the 7th Heaven Restaurant with Vincent & Stephanie, Pierre and Adele the French family we had met a few days earlier. They are partners in a vineyard in France so it was very interesting to hear how a vineyard is looked after and ultimately the wine prepared for sale. We have been invited to visit the vineyard so we'll look forward to doing that on our next visit to France.
We left Dahab the following morning with an Aussie Tour Group as we were offered a lift to Nuweiba further up the coast with them. Nuweiba is the ferry port from which we departed Egypt for Aqaba, Jordan. The process of buying the ferry ticket in Nuweiba; going through security; sitting and then lining up for a bus to the ferry; boarding the ferry and then finally cruising across the sea to Jordan was not carried out at any shattering speed - I guess there's just no rush when you're leaving Egypt! We finally arrived in Aqaba at about 5pm so decided to stay a night before heading north.
Jordan feels so much better to be travelling in than Egypt - the people are more laid back - they're not so much in your face and we've noticed the streets are cleaner. Jordanians are passionate about their Royal Family and love King Abdullah, the son of King Hussein. People love to talk about the good deeds their King carries out on a regular basis - from travelling around the country to visit the people, sitting down and sharing a meal with the Bedoins to building homes for the poor.
There are some ruins from an early medieval port city in Aqaba called Ayla, so we decided to visit as our little granddaughter has the same name.
We packed up early in the morning, negotiated a deal with a taxi driver and headed north to Wadi Rum. Wadi Rum is a protected area and is considered to have some of the most extraordinary desert scenery in the world. Our 4WD driver was called Eed and he was 16 years of age - a little younger than we're used to, but nevertheless he handled the Toyota well and he certainly loved his job.
(In 1916, the Arabs with the assistance of T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) launched the Arab Revolt and helped the British drive the Turks from the region.)
This is the region where the Arab revolt took place and was also the location for scenes from the movie, Lawrence of Arabia. Eed took delight in showing us the highlights of Wadi Rum, especially Khazali Canyon which is a deep narrow gorge and home to many early inscriptions in the rock.
When we left the Protected Area, a taxi driver made us a a good offer to take us to Petra, our next destination. Along the way he stopped and bought us a cup of tea and refreshment - quite a bit different to the taxi drivers in Egypt! Mini buses are available for transport between many of the towns and cities here, but they wait until they have a full bus before leaving - so if time is not an issue then buses are very cheap to get around. Taxis are everywhere and they also offer reasonable fares.
Petra is a very special place and Jordan's most visited tourism spot - it has been a Cultural World Heritage site since 1985. We visited both at night and during the day. To quote the Lonely Planet:
Hewn from towering rock walls, the imposing facades of the great temples and tombs of Petra are an enduring testament to the grandeur of the Nabatean vision. The Nabateans - Arabs who controlled the frankincense trade routes of the region in pre-Roman times - chose as their city a hidden valley concealed from the outside world and transformed it into one of the Middle East's most memorable sites.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
La Vrine, France to Switzerland, Germany and Austria
We headed out of La Vrine in France and crossed the border into Switzerland. As we crossed the border we were greeted with one of our magical memories of Switzerland - the sight of cows grazing in the lush green paddocks and the clanging of the bells hanging around their necks - each farm has its own bell and individual sound. It's great to be so welcomed back to this beautiful country.
Our Swiss friends Marianne and Raymond, rescued us in 2006 when our Toyota 4WD lost a wheel in the mountainous countryside of Tibet. It was great to be able to meet up with them again at their home in Bussigny. They invited us to stay at their Chalet in the Swiss Alps, so we made some quick changes to our itinerary and made plans to meet them there the following Saturday.
Interlaken is a beautiful part of Switzerland and we enjoyed driving in the mountains and around the lake over the next couple of days. The weather was quite cool and we had rain each day, however it did not spoil it for us. We decided against the trip to the top of Jungfrau on the gondola because of the fog and poor visibility. Pat headed up to the Town Square to watch the World Cup game of Switzerland against Spain on the big screen. The atmosphere was pretty amazing and even more amazing when Switzerland actually won the match.
Our journey continued onto the Lotschberg tunnel in Switzerland where we drove our car straight onto a railway carriage to travel the tunnel through the mountain. We then followed the valley along to the village of Tasch where we stayed for the night. From Tasch it is a 10 minute train trip to Zermatt at the foothills of the Matterhorn, fortunately we were able to leave our car at the hotel in Tasch for the next 24 hours.
We arrived at the Helvetica Hotel in Zermatt and took our bags straight to our room - 84 steps up from the street! Our room was on the top floor with a wonderful view through to the mountains. We then walked through the village to the encased chair lift where we took off up the mountain to commence our 40 minute ascent to the Little Matterhorn. Further up the mountain we changed to another enclosed chair lift and yet further up again we climbed aboard a gondola designed to carry 8,000 plus kilograms. The gondola ascended to the lookout at the Little Matterhorn where we sat in the sun and snow for one hour, waiting for the cloud and fog to lift so we could get a clear view of the Matterhorn - Europe's highest peak. There was a real league of nations on the lookout - Australians, New Zealanders, Americans, Koreans, Italians, English and Scottish - it was a great atmosphere as we all chatted and waited for the cloud to lift. The air was thinner at the top, so we had to walk slowly and reserve our oxygen. We had full mobile phone coverage so gave PJ and Kelli a call from the top of Europe!
Back in Zermatt that evening, we enjoyed a traditional Swiss meal and music by a Swiss quartet. After 4 trips in our hotel up and down our 84 stairs on our first day in Zermatt we were ready to call it a night. The next day we took the train back to Tasch, picked up our car and headed for Marianne and Raymond's chalet in the Alps.
Our day's journey took us through Sion, Nendaz, Bramois, Nax and onto the Village of Mase. Marianne's directions were spot on, so we had no difficulty in finding Marianne and Raymond. The view from the Chalet is out of this world - across the valley and the wildflowers to villages high up in the mountains. In the evening we had a traditional Swiss meal called Raclette with wines from this wine growing area of Valais, to match each course! Oo-la-la! C'est bon! Tonight was a special evening as we raised our glasses and toasted Marianne and Raymond and helped them celebrate their 29th Wedding Anniversary - a great occasion.
The weather had become quite cold during the evening and we awoke to see fresh snow on the mountain tops surrounding the chalet! Brrrr - it's the first time we've experienced snow in the summer time! Raymond took us out for a drive to the village of Evelene where we walked around the streets and enjoyed the scenery. In the afternoon we learned how to play the game called Rummikub - we thoroughly enjoyed the game and will try to buy it on our trip home. Tonight's meal was something I have never eaten before - horse! It was very tender and very nice. Horse is a very common meat here and particularly in eastern Europe.
We said goodbye to Marianne and Raymond in the lovely village of Mase and headed through the beautiful Swiss Alps and many mountain passes before arriving in the famous city of St Moritz. We crossed over many passes including Julier Pass at a height of 2,284 metres. Crossing the border into one little corner of Austria we stayed in a lovely little village called Landeck. Our journey took us through West Tirol into Germany to the magnificent and truly beautiful Neuschwanstein, otherwise called Ludwig's Castle in south western Germany.
The castle was fantastic and the tour very interesting - this is yet another story for me to follow up on when we get home. King Ludwig was a very interesting character however he was an accomplished swimmer but drowned with his Doctor in the lake, when he was in his early 40's. The castle was then left unfinished. Fussen is a quaint little village nearby and is the beginning of the Romantische Strasse or the Romantic Road which we followed north in Germany. In the village of Landsberg we headed to a traditional Bavarian restaurant and were served the biggest meal I've ever seen! Our dinner was a huge joint of pork served with knodel, a traditional type of dumpling.
The towns and villages along the Romantic Road are so traditional and interesting - we stopped in Augsburg and shopped for some traditional German clothes - we decided to get ready for Dingo Beach's Oktoberfest celebrations on October 1st. We travelled onto Nordlingen and checked into a great 600 year old hotel. The floorboards creaked a bit - but it was very well kept.
We travelled further north to Wurzburg and stayed in the beautiful city of Bamberg with it's fantastic Old City. This area of Germany is also known as the Beer Road - so Pat thought that would be the obvious road choice to follow. Bamberg has many private breweries and we visited the oldest and most famous brewery in the Old City called Schlenkerla. We sampled four types of beer - light, white, lager and black smoked! Once again we booked into a 600 year old Hotel - these buildings are great - although I did notice the floor in this one was on a bit of a slope!
Pottenstein and Gossweinstein are beautiful little villages, with the latter having a magnificent Basilica which was well worth a visit. Heading south once again through Germany towards Austria we travelled through some beautiful scenic areas with green rolling hills. The town of Regan has a Guesthouse and Resort which is home to a famous German horse and wagon team, seen at all major functions including the Munich Beer Festival. It looks very impressive with the wagon loaded with huge beer barrels and being pulled by a team of eight horses. We checked into the Guesthouse and were served a fantastic four course dinner at a cost of 8 Euros each - unbelievable!
Southern Tirol in Austria is just soooo beautiful. We travelled past a lake and through the town of Zell am See to a little village called Lengdorf. Here we met up with Reiner, Fred and Ulla whom we originally met back home at Dingo Beach. They were spending some time with their friends Sepp and Ina who also invited us along to their holiday house in Lengdorf. This is one serious holiday home - it has 3 floors with a kitchen and bathroom on each floor; a cellar; a barbeque in the garden and about 12 bicycles in the shed! Sepp told me this house will sleep about 20 people in beds and after that it's swags and sleeping bags on the floor! The most they have ever had was 35 people in the kitchen at the same time.
We all walked out for dinner in the evening to a restaurant about two kilometres away. The village is in a valley, flanked on both sides by beautiful green rolling hills and mountains. The food was great and the walk back home was very enjoyable. This evening there were many spot fires on the mountain sides - this is the time (after the winter) to burn fires as a celebration to St Johann - one such fire high up on the mountain was in the shape of the alpine flower The Edelweiss. Wunderbah!
Reiner drives a 2009 Porsche GT2 - 540 hp with a maximum speed of 336 k/ph - it goes from 0 to 100 k/ph in 3.6 seconds!!!! Pretty impressive! Pat and I both shared the day travelling with Reiner - the remainder of the group travelled in Sepp's normal car! The Porsche certainly is a speed machine! As there is no speed limit on the Autobahn it is possible to drive a car at whatever speed you like. Reiner said he has actually taken the Porsche up to 310 k/ph!!! That's a serious speed! This day we didn't travel on any Autobahns - thankfully! Today's scenery was glorious - travelling to Mayhofen, Hintertux Glacier and Lanersbach.
The following day we visited the highest peaks in Austria including Grossglockner in Hohe Tauern National Park. As we drove through the mountains we came upon perhaps more than 5,000 people walking - they were all on a pilgrimage and attended open air Mass high up in the mountains. At home in the early evening we set off on a bicycle ride along the waterway close to Sepp and Ina's home at Lengdorf, Neidersill. We had a wonderful visit in Southern Tirol and would certainly love to return on another trip.
Further north in Austria, we visited the lovely city of Steyr where Finnigan's diesel motors were made. We toured the Steyr facility with Hubert - he then took us out to a restaurant on the river for a traditional Austrian lunch. We were now Hamburg bound and headed back into Germany through Nurnberg and Bamberg, staying the night at Pfarrweisach in an old Guest House, once again about 400 years old. The amazing thing about this guest house is that it has been in the same family over all these years. The lady who currently runs it moved in with her husband when she was 18 years of age and she is now 62 years of age.
We set off early the next morning and headed through Fulda, Gottingen and Hannover into Hamburg. It was great to see Heine and Sieglinde again and to meet their daughter Steffi. Heine grew up with my Uncle Joe (Sepp) in Austria - they were next door neighbours. The last time we were in Austria, Heine took us walking in the mountains - a wonderful experience and memory for us both. Steffi has an apartment in the same complex as her parents, so it is great for them that they have a daughter living close by. We spent the next few days with Steffi in her lovely apartment.
Heine and Sieglinde took us to the old Hanseatic city of Lubeck. We toured the Cathedral and took the lift to the top of the Cathedral tower which gave a great view over the whole city. At the entrance to the Old City there are two round towers - one of which is on a very noticeable lean - but then I guess we all lean a bit as we get older! After having a good walk in the Old City, we had a lovely lunch in the City Square.
That afternoon, Pat and I visited an amazing elderly lady, 94 years of age in the City of Hamburg - she is our friend Otmar's Mother. She lives by herself in an apartment on the 4th floor of her building. Otmar has always told us his Mum lives on the 4th floor and walks up and down the stairs herself. When I was going up to her apartment I purposely counted the steps and stairs - 84 in all! She is 94 years of age and walks up and down as many as five or six times a day!! Now that is what I call amazing - she said when her younger relatives come to visit they always complain about the stairs! I guess this is part of how and why she has kept so well and fit for all these years. We spent a lovely couple of hours with her - she wouldn't let me clean up after our afternoon tea - she said she wants to be able to look at her table and see that she has had visitors after we have gone! What an inspirational lady.
We bought a train pass and travelled into Hamburg's Maritime Museum for the day. The Museum was 10 floors high and we managed to spend many hours checking out all the floors. Pat wanted to do some research to find out more information about an old Hamburg ferry named Elisa which was bombed in Hamburg harbour during the war. An elderly gentleman from Bundaberg who was once a skipper on the ferry managed to salvage the steering wheel which he later gave to Pat. The old gentleman has now passed away and the steering wheel has pride of place in Pat's bar. We weren't able to find out any more information, however the Museum staff will contact Pat with any information they may be able to research for him.
Heine took us to the beautiful area of Blakenese along the River Elbe in Hamburg. They took us out for afternoon tea to the Saegbiel Hotel, overlooking the river, where he and Sieglinde had their Wedding 40 years ago. The waiter told us he has worked there for 50 years - so we think he was probably there at the time of their Wedding reception 40 years ago. Imagine working as a waiter at the same place for 50 years! Hopefully he did receive some recognition for his many years of service. We said goodbye to Heine, Sieglinde and Steffi and look forward to Steffi's next visit to Australia sometime down the track.
The European leg of our holiday was nearing an end so we headed south from Hamburg through Bremen, Reine, Essen and Olpe to the little village of Marienheide in another beautiful and scenic area of Germany. We spent a couple of days with Annette, Harald and their 4 year old son, Ole - all of whom we met in South Australia last year while we were travelling with our caravan. Their little Yorkshire Terrier Morris was also lovely company - I think we have a soft spot for Yorkies! We visited some great caves in the area and enjoyed a very traditional pancake lunch in a restaurant Pfannkuchenhaus.
In the evening we walked about 3 to 4 kilometres to a beautiful old Castle which is now a Police Training Venue, enjoyed a good German beer and then headed off for the walk back to the village. It was great walking along the country lanes and through the woods and fields. Harald's parents live alongside their home, so at dinner time it's a trip out to the veggie patch to choose the vegetables for the salad - beats a trip to the supermarket!
We visited the city of Koln and the beautiful old Cathedral then headed through Aachan in Germany, Maastricht in the Netherlands (home of Andre Rieu) and onto Liege in Belgium. In a short period of time we had driven in three countries. We followed the river for most of the day and stayed in a beautiful old Villa on the River just south of Namur in Belgium. In the evening we went for a walk along the banks of the river before dinner. The Tour de France would commence the following day and would be coming through this area so there are many visitors to the area.
Our journey into Paris took us through the lovely Champagne Valley of France, where we visited the ancient wine cellars of Pannier wines. These cellars were amazing as they were dug out by hand over one thousand years ago and digging was carried out over a period of 300 years. The caves were originally dug out to provide the rock to build the village nearby - it was in later years it then became the wine cellars. We checked into the Ibis Hotel at Charles De Gaulle Airport, unpacked our bags and the car to prepare for our flight to Bangkok the following day.
Our Swiss friends Marianne and Raymond, rescued us in 2006 when our Toyota 4WD lost a wheel in the mountainous countryside of Tibet. It was great to be able to meet up with them again at their home in Bussigny. They invited us to stay at their Chalet in the Swiss Alps, so we made some quick changes to our itinerary and made plans to meet them there the following Saturday.
Interlaken is a beautiful part of Switzerland and we enjoyed driving in the mountains and around the lake over the next couple of days. The weather was quite cool and we had rain each day, however it did not spoil it for us. We decided against the trip to the top of Jungfrau on the gondola because of the fog and poor visibility. Pat headed up to the Town Square to watch the World Cup game of Switzerland against Spain on the big screen. The atmosphere was pretty amazing and even more amazing when Switzerland actually won the match.
Our journey continued onto the Lotschberg tunnel in Switzerland where we drove our car straight onto a railway carriage to travel the tunnel through the mountain. We then followed the valley along to the village of Tasch where we stayed for the night. From Tasch it is a 10 minute train trip to Zermatt at the foothills of the Matterhorn, fortunately we were able to leave our car at the hotel in Tasch for the next 24 hours.
We arrived at the Helvetica Hotel in Zermatt and took our bags straight to our room - 84 steps up from the street! Our room was on the top floor with a wonderful view through to the mountains. We then walked through the village to the encased chair lift where we took off up the mountain to commence our 40 minute ascent to the Little Matterhorn. Further up the mountain we changed to another enclosed chair lift and yet further up again we climbed aboard a gondola designed to carry 8,000 plus kilograms. The gondola ascended to the lookout at the Little Matterhorn where we sat in the sun and snow for one hour, waiting for the cloud and fog to lift so we could get a clear view of the Matterhorn - Europe's highest peak. There was a real league of nations on the lookout - Australians, New Zealanders, Americans, Koreans, Italians, English and Scottish - it was a great atmosphere as we all chatted and waited for the cloud to lift. The air was thinner at the top, so we had to walk slowly and reserve our oxygen. We had full mobile phone coverage so gave PJ and Kelli a call from the top of Europe!
Back in Zermatt that evening, we enjoyed a traditional Swiss meal and music by a Swiss quartet. After 4 trips in our hotel up and down our 84 stairs on our first day in Zermatt we were ready to call it a night. The next day we took the train back to Tasch, picked up our car and headed for Marianne and Raymond's chalet in the Alps.
Our day's journey took us through Sion, Nendaz, Bramois, Nax and onto the Village of Mase. Marianne's directions were spot on, so we had no difficulty in finding Marianne and Raymond. The view from the Chalet is out of this world - across the valley and the wildflowers to villages high up in the mountains. In the evening we had a traditional Swiss meal called Raclette with wines from this wine growing area of Valais, to match each course! Oo-la-la! C'est bon! Tonight was a special evening as we raised our glasses and toasted Marianne and Raymond and helped them celebrate their 29th Wedding Anniversary - a great occasion.
The weather had become quite cold during the evening and we awoke to see fresh snow on the mountain tops surrounding the chalet! Brrrr - it's the first time we've experienced snow in the summer time! Raymond took us out for a drive to the village of Evelene where we walked around the streets and enjoyed the scenery. In the afternoon we learned how to play the game called Rummikub - we thoroughly enjoyed the game and will try to buy it on our trip home. Tonight's meal was something I have never eaten before - horse! It was very tender and very nice. Horse is a very common meat here and particularly in eastern Europe.
We said goodbye to Marianne and Raymond in the lovely village of Mase and headed through the beautiful Swiss Alps and many mountain passes before arriving in the famous city of St Moritz. We crossed over many passes including Julier Pass at a height of 2,284 metres. Crossing the border into one little corner of Austria we stayed in a lovely little village called Landeck. Our journey took us through West Tirol into Germany to the magnificent and truly beautiful Neuschwanstein, otherwise called Ludwig's Castle in south western Germany.
The castle was fantastic and the tour very interesting - this is yet another story for me to follow up on when we get home. King Ludwig was a very interesting character however he was an accomplished swimmer but drowned with his Doctor in the lake, when he was in his early 40's. The castle was then left unfinished. Fussen is a quaint little village nearby and is the beginning of the Romantische Strasse or the Romantic Road which we followed north in Germany. In the village of Landsberg we headed to a traditional Bavarian restaurant and were served the biggest meal I've ever seen! Our dinner was a huge joint of pork served with knodel, a traditional type of dumpling.
The towns and villages along the Romantic Road are so traditional and interesting - we stopped in Augsburg and shopped for some traditional German clothes - we decided to get ready for Dingo Beach's Oktoberfest celebrations on October 1st. We travelled onto Nordlingen and checked into a great 600 year old hotel. The floorboards creaked a bit - but it was very well kept.
We travelled further north to Wurzburg and stayed in the beautiful city of Bamberg with it's fantastic Old City. This area of Germany is also known as the Beer Road - so Pat thought that would be the obvious road choice to follow. Bamberg has many private breweries and we visited the oldest and most famous brewery in the Old City called Schlenkerla. We sampled four types of beer - light, white, lager and black smoked! Once again we booked into a 600 year old Hotel - these buildings are great - although I did notice the floor in this one was on a bit of a slope!
Pottenstein and Gossweinstein are beautiful little villages, with the latter having a magnificent Basilica which was well worth a visit. Heading south once again through Germany towards Austria we travelled through some beautiful scenic areas with green rolling hills. The town of Regan has a Guesthouse and Resort which is home to a famous German horse and wagon team, seen at all major functions including the Munich Beer Festival. It looks very impressive with the wagon loaded with huge beer barrels and being pulled by a team of eight horses. We checked into the Guesthouse and were served a fantastic four course dinner at a cost of 8 Euros each - unbelievable!
Southern Tirol in Austria is just soooo beautiful. We travelled past a lake and through the town of Zell am See to a little village called Lengdorf. Here we met up with Reiner, Fred and Ulla whom we originally met back home at Dingo Beach. They were spending some time with their friends Sepp and Ina who also invited us along to their holiday house in Lengdorf. This is one serious holiday home - it has 3 floors with a kitchen and bathroom on each floor; a cellar; a barbeque in the garden and about 12 bicycles in the shed! Sepp told me this house will sleep about 20 people in beds and after that it's swags and sleeping bags on the floor! The most they have ever had was 35 people in the kitchen at the same time.
We all walked out for dinner in the evening to a restaurant about two kilometres away. The village is in a valley, flanked on both sides by beautiful green rolling hills and mountains. The food was great and the walk back home was very enjoyable. This evening there were many spot fires on the mountain sides - this is the time (after the winter) to burn fires as a celebration to St Johann - one such fire high up on the mountain was in the shape of the alpine flower The Edelweiss. Wunderbah!
Reiner drives a 2009 Porsche GT2 - 540 hp with a maximum speed of 336 k/ph - it goes from 0 to 100 k/ph in 3.6 seconds!!!! Pretty impressive! Pat and I both shared the day travelling with Reiner - the remainder of the group travelled in Sepp's normal car! The Porsche certainly is a speed machine! As there is no speed limit on the Autobahn it is possible to drive a car at whatever speed you like. Reiner said he has actually taken the Porsche up to 310 k/ph!!! That's a serious speed! This day we didn't travel on any Autobahns - thankfully! Today's scenery was glorious - travelling to Mayhofen, Hintertux Glacier and Lanersbach.
The following day we visited the highest peaks in Austria including Grossglockner in Hohe Tauern National Park. As we drove through the mountains we came upon perhaps more than 5,000 people walking - they were all on a pilgrimage and attended open air Mass high up in the mountains. At home in the early evening we set off on a bicycle ride along the waterway close to Sepp and Ina's home at Lengdorf, Neidersill. We had a wonderful visit in Southern Tirol and would certainly love to return on another trip.
Further north in Austria, we visited the lovely city of Steyr where Finnigan's diesel motors were made. We toured the Steyr facility with Hubert - he then took us out to a restaurant on the river for a traditional Austrian lunch. We were now Hamburg bound and headed back into Germany through Nurnberg and Bamberg, staying the night at Pfarrweisach in an old Guest House, once again about 400 years old. The amazing thing about this guest house is that it has been in the same family over all these years. The lady who currently runs it moved in with her husband when she was 18 years of age and she is now 62 years of age.
We set off early the next morning and headed through Fulda, Gottingen and Hannover into Hamburg. It was great to see Heine and Sieglinde again and to meet their daughter Steffi. Heine grew up with my Uncle Joe (Sepp) in Austria - they were next door neighbours. The last time we were in Austria, Heine took us walking in the mountains - a wonderful experience and memory for us both. Steffi has an apartment in the same complex as her parents, so it is great for them that they have a daughter living close by. We spent the next few days with Steffi in her lovely apartment.
Heine and Sieglinde took us to the old Hanseatic city of Lubeck. We toured the Cathedral and took the lift to the top of the Cathedral tower which gave a great view over the whole city. At the entrance to the Old City there are two round towers - one of which is on a very noticeable lean - but then I guess we all lean a bit as we get older! After having a good walk in the Old City, we had a lovely lunch in the City Square.
That afternoon, Pat and I visited an amazing elderly lady, 94 years of age in the City of Hamburg - she is our friend Otmar's Mother. She lives by herself in an apartment on the 4th floor of her building. Otmar has always told us his Mum lives on the 4th floor and walks up and down the stairs herself. When I was going up to her apartment I purposely counted the steps and stairs - 84 in all! She is 94 years of age and walks up and down as many as five or six times a day!! Now that is what I call amazing - she said when her younger relatives come to visit they always complain about the stairs! I guess this is part of how and why she has kept so well and fit for all these years. We spent a lovely couple of hours with her - she wouldn't let me clean up after our afternoon tea - she said she wants to be able to look at her table and see that she has had visitors after we have gone! What an inspirational lady.
We bought a train pass and travelled into Hamburg's Maritime Museum for the day. The Museum was 10 floors high and we managed to spend many hours checking out all the floors. Pat wanted to do some research to find out more information about an old Hamburg ferry named Elisa which was bombed in Hamburg harbour during the war. An elderly gentleman from Bundaberg who was once a skipper on the ferry managed to salvage the steering wheel which he later gave to Pat. The old gentleman has now passed away and the steering wheel has pride of place in Pat's bar. We weren't able to find out any more information, however the Museum staff will contact Pat with any information they may be able to research for him.
Heine took us to the beautiful area of Blakenese along the River Elbe in Hamburg. They took us out for afternoon tea to the Saegbiel Hotel, overlooking the river, where he and Sieglinde had their Wedding 40 years ago. The waiter told us he has worked there for 50 years - so we think he was probably there at the time of their Wedding reception 40 years ago. Imagine working as a waiter at the same place for 50 years! Hopefully he did receive some recognition for his many years of service. We said goodbye to Heine, Sieglinde and Steffi and look forward to Steffi's next visit to Australia sometime down the track.
The European leg of our holiday was nearing an end so we headed south from Hamburg through Bremen, Reine, Essen and Olpe to the little village of Marienheide in another beautiful and scenic area of Germany. We spent a couple of days with Annette, Harald and their 4 year old son, Ole - all of whom we met in South Australia last year while we were travelling with our caravan. Their little Yorkshire Terrier Morris was also lovely company - I think we have a soft spot for Yorkies! We visited some great caves in the area and enjoyed a very traditional pancake lunch in a restaurant Pfannkuchenhaus.
In the evening we walked about 3 to 4 kilometres to a beautiful old Castle which is now a Police Training Venue, enjoyed a good German beer and then headed off for the walk back to the village. It was great walking along the country lanes and through the woods and fields. Harald's parents live alongside their home, so at dinner time it's a trip out to the veggie patch to choose the vegetables for the salad - beats a trip to the supermarket!
We visited the city of Koln and the beautiful old Cathedral then headed through Aachan in Germany, Maastricht in the Netherlands (home of Andre Rieu) and onto Liege in Belgium. In a short period of time we had driven in three countries. We followed the river for most of the day and stayed in a beautiful old Villa on the River just south of Namur in Belgium. In the evening we went for a walk along the banks of the river before dinner. The Tour de France would commence the following day and would be coming through this area so there are many visitors to the area.
Our journey into Paris took us through the lovely Champagne Valley of France, where we visited the ancient wine cellars of Pannier wines. These cellars were amazing as they were dug out by hand over one thousand years ago and digging was carried out over a period of 300 years. The caves were originally dug out to provide the rock to build the village nearby - it was in later years it then became the wine cellars. We checked into the Ibis Hotel at Charles De Gaulle Airport, unpacked our bags and the car to prepare for our flight to Bangkok the following day.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Le Havre, France to the Switzerland Border
Le Havre lies at the mouth of the River Seine and is the gateway to Paris and northern France. We travelled through the countryside up the coast to the beautiful little seaside townships of Etretat and FeCamp. Breathtaking cliffs grace the coastline and it is easy to understand why so many famous artists came to this area to paint their interpretations of this magnificent scenery. One such famous artist who frequented this area was Claude Monet a young native of Le Havre.
FeCamp is the largest cod fishing port in France and is famous for its magnificent Abbey, which has been restored and rebuilt several times. FeCamp Abbey is also the home of the world famous Benedictine liquer.
There is a world of history here in Europe compared to our relatively short history in Australia of just over 200 years. The Normans from Scandanavia first raided the northern coast, then decided to stay as settlers. Norman French was a strong influence on the formation of the English language, which I guess would explain why we have many words that look similar to the French version.
William the Conqueror set out from Normandy to invade England in 1066. Normandy was also the site of the D Day invasion of Hitler's Europe in 1944. Visitors today would never know that Normandy took more physical damage during World War II than any other region, as the cities have all been restored and rebuilt.
We travelled the coast to Dieppe where surprisingly we found a Ivoirier - a Craftsman who carves pieces of art from ivory - it was different to hear his side of the story as opposed to thinking about the poor animals being mercilessly killed and butchered for their ivory tusks.
In the afternoon we left Dieppe and headed south for the little village of Ferrieres Haut Clocher where we spent the next three days with Vincent, Stephanie, Pierre and Adele, the French family we met in Egypt just last year. Vincent is a part owner in a Vineyard and we were welcomed with the tastiest wines I have had for some time. Over the next few evenings we tried Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Red wine, Cider and the spirit of Calvados. The most amazing thing for me was that I did not have one headache from drinking the wine - which was very welcomed.
Vincent drew up itineraries for us to follow each day - set us up with maps and off we would go. With Vincent's guidance we visited great places that we would not otherwise have known to visit. La Bouille on the Seine is a very quaint little village where Pat was able to have a leather belt made while he waited. We visited the beautiful abbey of St Martin de Bosherville before heading into the city of Rouen.
Rouen is truly an amazing medieval city to visit and is the city where St Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in the Old Market Place. We walked the city area for several hours checking out the many medieval streets and visited many sites including: The Church of Saint Joan of Arc, the Church of Saint Maclou and the Atrium of St Maclou which was a hospice where lepers went to die. We visited the Gothic Notre Dame Cathedral which was commenced in the 12th century on the foundations of a 4th century basilica and an 11th century Romanesque edifice. We also saw the beautiful Great Clock of Rouen which was fully restored in 2006.
We drove along the banks of the River Seine which winds its way through the picturesque countryside and then headed up into the hills to visit a beautiful place called Les Andeleys. Monet's Garden in Giverny is also a beautiful place but unfortunately it rained the whole time we were there so we did not get to do the full tour of the gardens - we had to settle for the short tour.
The city of Honfleur is a gorgeous city in Normandy where we visited the striking old timber Church of Saint Catherine, which has two parallel naves and a vaulted roof. A visit to Normandy would not be complete without a visit to the amazing Bayeux Tapestry. It depicts the history of William, Duke of Normandy's conquest of England in 1066 on an almost 70 metre length of linen cloth. This 11th century production depicts more than 600 embroidered people, 200 horses, about 40 ships and hundreds of animals and mythological figures. It was made at a time when most people could not read or write - so it tells the story in pictures - in embroidery.
As we travelled along the Normandy coast we visited the many locations of the D Day Landing Beaches, including Sword, Juno, Gold and Omaha. It was here at these landing beaches on June 6th 1944 that the courage and sacrifice of war servicemen and women brought freedom back to the European continent. It is a very thought provoking trip and particularly the visit to the American War Cemetery where over 10,000 servicemen are buried.
Further along the coast of Normandy is the magnificent Abbey of Mount St Michael which is a marvel of medieval architecture. All the rooms related to monastic life and are stacked one on top of the other around the top of what was once a rock. According to the legend, after the appearance of the Archangel Saint Michael, the monastery grew - the construction was carried out from the 10th to the 15th centuries on several floors around the Abbey - truly an amazing place to visit. The spire of the Abbey crowned with a statue of the archangel reaches skyward from atop the Abbey and can be seen in the countryside for miles. We checked into La Vieille Auberge Hotel right inside the fortress and really enjoyed our visit - our room had a balcony with views out across the bay. The tide was amazing to watch - incidentally, twice a month during the spring tides, the flood tide registers the biggest tides in Europe.
We travelled from the City of Blois in the magnificent Loire Valley onto Chambord Chateau - the biggest chateau from the Renaissance time. The Chambord Estate is the largest enclosed park throughout the world with an area of 5,440 hectares and its size is equivalent to the inner city of Paris. Francois 1st chose Chambord in order to satisfy his passion for hunting. We toured the gardens and checked out the furnished apartments, the panoramic views from the roof terraces and the outstanding double revolution staircase, a range of tapestries and works of art from the Renaissance.
We crossed the River Loire at La Charite sur Loire and headed for The Domaine Du Puits De Compostelle the home of Emmanuel - Vincent's close friend and owner of the Vineyard from where the beautiful wines we had been partaking of, had come. Emmanuel showed us around and we sat down to try some more wines - of course we bought some bottles for the trip!
About 40 klms north of the Vineyard here in the Burgandy area of France is the beautiful little village of Vezelay. We walked up the narrow winding street of the village to the Basilica of Saint Madeleine - at the time Benediction was underway - the singing and the sound of the organ was glorious. Vezelay has become one of the most important holy places of the Christian world and a departure point for the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.
This particular evening in the Burgandy area we stayed in a little village Arnay Le Duc - the full French menu and wine list in the restaurant was amazing. We sat down to a candlelight dinner, complete with fresh flowers on the table. Our meal was amazing - truly French and truly traditional - right down to the waitresses in traditional French folk costume. Tonight for dinner Pat chose Escargots while I settled for the Beef Bourgogne to be in keeping with the atmosphere!
We visited the city of Beaune famous for its undergound wine caves and the Hospice de Beaune Hotel Dieu. These buildings built in 1443 have been perfectly preserved from the Middle Ages and were built by the Duke of Burgundy. In the wake of the 100 year war Beaune was suffering from poverty and famine. Three quarters of the town's inhabitants had no supplies so with a plan to redeem the situation, The Duke and his wife, Guigone de Salins decided to found a Hospice for the poor. They endowed it with an annual income from a saltworks and with its own resources from the vineyards went ahead and engaged a large number of artists in its decoration. The Hotel Dieu, or Hospital with its gothic facades is today considered a jewel of medieval architecture. The multicoloured roof tiles are thought to have originated in central Europe - from whichever angle they are viewed they take on yet another pattern - truly wonderful.
What an interesting place. From the Middle Ages to the 20th century countless sick were taken in and cared for in several of the large rooms by the Sisters of the Hospices de Beaune. The Hotel Dieu rapidly gained a great reputation amongst the poor, nobles and middle class alike. It was subsequently enlarged with donations from the latter and embellished with new rooms and works of art, thus becoming a true "Palace for the Poor".
We drove around the grape growing areas north of Beaune in this beautiful Loue Valley, to the old Citadel city of Ornans. Just inside the border we stayed at the little village of La Vrine at La Ferme Hotel where we had the pleasure of meeting the friendliest Hotelier on the planet! Thank you Nadine for all your help and for a great visit!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Banjul, The Gambia to Le Havre, France
One evening after dinner onboard The Beautiful White Lady (as our Captain calls his ship) we headed to the Tahitian Lounge for a 50's and 60's night of music and dancing. It was a fun night with Brenda and Darrell being chosen as finalists in a Twisting Competition - once that dance floor was under Darrell's feet it was hard to get him off! They were in a dance-off with 5 other couples - they all won a bottle of Champagne for their great efforts - while we were all kept wonderfully entertained - it was a hoot!
Banjul, The Gambia - The Gambia flourished as a trans-Saharan trade route for ivory, gold and slaves until the 16th century. The Gambia was made famous in the 1970's as the birthplace of Kunta Kinte, the main character of the saga series Roots. Banjul, the capital, is situated on an island and is located near the mouth of the Gambia River. James Island was used to hold slaves for several weeks before they were shipped to other West African ports to be sold - it's dungeon still remains intact. Thankfully the slave trade was officially abolished in 1807, although it took several years after that date for it to be completely wiped out.
We set off on foot heading to the Albert Market, but due to being harrassed by too many young Africans we returned to the ship and took the bus to and from the Market. The market was a very busy place - full of batiks, wood carvings, fabrics and silver jewellery. I stopped to chat with some of the locals - one lovely young man told me he lives on The Smiling Coast and that when he speaks with visitors he must be Soft like a banana and not Hard like a coconut!
Dakar, Senegal - Senegal's history has been turbulent - contact with the West destroyed the coastal kingdoms of West Africa as English, French and Dutch adventurers vied for control of the slave trade in the 16th century. Control of Senegal passed to the French, who made Dakar the centre of their West African colonial empire.
We have been given lots of information to be very aware of our personal safety, items and money when we visit these West African ports, so prior to going ashore, we remove all items of jewellery and leave them behind in our cabin safe. In Dakar we booked a taxi for two hours and headed off to see the highlights of this major centre, the westernmost point and most strategic trading city for the west coast of Africa. Our taxi driver, a large robust man took us to the 1906 Presidential Palace and to the new impressive Milennium Door Monument built atop a mountain, where we climbed the 200 steps to the monument and enjoyed the views out over the city.
We took the ferry to Ile de Goree, a small island lying just off the coast of Dakar, which was the site of one of the first French settlements in Africa and a slave trade centre from the early 19th century. This is an island with a very tragic past - we were told that 20 million Africans were held as slaves here before being sent to other ports only to be then sold and shipped off across the Atlantic to the Americas - of that 20 million, 6 million died on the island. We visited the Maison des Esclaves (Slave House) with its famous doorway which is held today as an important monument to the inhumanity of the slave trade. We toured the various rooms where slaves were held and saw the horrific shackles and implements that were used on the slaves.
Back onboard ship, after a brisk walk from the ferry terminal, we were treated to a fantastic show The Senegal Folkloric Show by the National Ballet Linguere of Senegal. The sounds of their native drums and the rythm of the dancers is truly amazing - Africans seem to have a wild style of rythm and an ability to move their bodies like no other!
Mindelo, Cape Verde Islands - the Cape Verde Islands lie off the North African coast. The natural harbour is actually a volcanic crater, where the sea has eroded away the wall of the crater on one side, thus offering vessels calm sheltered waters in a strategic location in the Atlantic. In the early 20th century, the harbour became a coal port and shipping increased to approximately 2,000 ships per year. In 1952 the coal camps were eliminated as vessels switched from steam to diesel. In 1885 Mindelo became the home to the switching station for the first Trans-Atlantic telegraph cable.
By 1912, Mindelo had become one of the most important cable stations in the world. A major problem the residents of these islands face is the lack of water. We were also told that hurricanes are born here in this area and from here they move towards the eastern coastline of the Americas.
We walked into town and checked out the markets and town squares before stopping off in the Irish Pub for some cold drinks. The population here is a lighter colour mix between the Africans and the Portugese who first settled in the Cape Verde Islands in the 1600's. The people were very nice and it was a refreshing change to be able to walk around and feel quite safe.
Meanwhile back on board that evening, we had a special dinner planned to celebrate (in advance) Brenda & Darrell's 40th Wedding Anniversary. We headed up to the Sterling Steak House where we had the most fantastic evening, with exquisite meals and drinks. We had booked a table for four and we had no less than four waiters and a waitress looking after us for the entire evening.
Santa Cruz, Teneriffe, Spain - Tenerife is the largest island of the seven islands of the Canaries. The landscape here is dotted with volcanic cones and areas of geothermal activity. Mt Teide is an extinct volcano 12,200 feet above sea level and is the highest peak in Spanish territory. The Canary Islands are part African, part Spanish and a lot of Atlantic - they are not either one but take on elements from each - the people are not black like the Africans, however they are taller than the Spanish.
Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the island's capital where we hired a taxi and set off with Miguel to see some sights of Teneriffe. He took us uphill through some narrow winding streets to visit The Balcony House which was once the home of a wealthy family and built as the name implies, with many balconies. Locally made produce, wines, materials and traditional costumes were all displayed throughout the house. San Cristobal de la Laguna is a World Heritage Site and is the second largest city on the island. Another beautiful city, Puerto de la Cruz, has been the premier seaside resort here since the 19th century, with beautiful bays, swimming pools and lagoons along the waterfront.
Funchal, Madeira, Portugal - Madeira is an absolutely beautiful place, probably high up there on the list of places we would like to come back to visit. Funchal the capital is named after the fennel that once flowered here in profusion. The Archipelago was discovered in 1419 by Portuguese explorers venturing south in the Atlantic. Madeira lies an equal distance from Lisbon on the Portuguese mainland and from the African coast. The early settlers grew sugar cane which still continues today - it also produces excellent wines and of course the world famous Madeira Cake. Madeira's mild climate and lush valleys also make it a winter haven for European Aristocrats.
Once again our taxi driver was named Miguel and he took us to see some amazing places. We followed the winding, narrow streets uphill to visit Our Lady of Monte Church, home to the island's patron saint. From here we went over to the Monte sled ride, where we climbed into hand made wicker baskets to experience the island's thrilling "Snowless Sled Ride". We were taken on a two kilometre slide downhill - steered and guided by two traditionally dressed men the whole way down - it was a real buzz - the most amazing thing was that when we arrived at the bottom they had our photographs, which were taken just as we left on the slide, already printed and mounted in a great frame to keep as our souvenir .... hmmmm technology!
The Madeira Botanical Gardens which were established in 1960 are truly beautiful and include a bird aviary with many tropical and exotic birds. We visited the picturesque little fishing village of Camara de Lobos and then headed up to Cabo Girao for views from the world's second highest sea cliff - a 1,500 foot drop to the waves below - the City actually has plans at the moment to build a glass bottom deck out over the cliff edge!
We cruised out of Madeira in the early evening and followed the spectacular coastline for as far as possible and then headed back toward Africa, to our next stop, Casablanca.
Casablanca, Morocco - the location of the famous movie Casablanca with Humphrey Bogart and the song which includes these words: Just remember this, a kiss is just a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh - the world will always welcome lovers as time goes by! I particularly love that song as it used to be part of my Dad's repertoire! Casablanca (Spanish for white house) is Morocco's largest city and chief port.
Twelve of us got together and hired a 15 seater bus, a driver and an English speaking guide for the whole day. As we so often say, it is certainly a small world - Kay (an Aussie) organised this trip - as it turns out she is a first cousin to our next door neighbour at Dingo Beach! The Four Ambassadors from Dingo Beach spent a great day out with Kay & Fred from the Sunshine Coast; Victor & Molly from Hong Kong; Marion & Allan from Bermuda and Dora & Horst from Germany.
We travelled to Rabat, the Capital of Morocco, a city of tree lined boulevards, beautiful parks and gardens. We checked out Chellah, the site of Roman ruins and an 11th century necropolis overgrown with palms, figs and hibiscus - where every tree in sight came complete with large nests - all full of birds. A visit to the Mausoleum of Mohammed V is a must, as is a walk in the old quarter - the Kasbah. In the Kasbah they are very proud to let us know that there are Muslims, Jews and Christians all living peacifully side by side - the Muslim homes have a symbol of a Hand at their front entrance while the Jewish homes have the Star of David. The Kasbah was very interesting, with narrow passageways heading every which way past homes predominantly painted white with blue trims. Our guide, Indie, told us that a home in the Kasbah would have sold very cheaply about 12 years ago but now people they are paying up to $500,000 for them. The previous King of Morocco died 12 years ago, but it sounds as if the country has progressed very well since the King's son, who is now 43 years of age, has taken over power. He has moved the country along with the times; encouraged an education for all children at no cost and a Medical system that provides half of all medical costs for all residents.
In Casablanca we visited the Habous Quarter, home to merchants and souks, with a special visit to the olive souk where we couldn't resist buying a bag of various types and colours of olives - yummo! We also went to the world's tallest minaret at the seaside Hassan II Mosque. The Mosque can accommodate 25,000 worshippers but was not open for visitors when we were there. Our final stop in Casablanca was at Rick's Cafe made famous from the movie Casablanca.
Ceuta, Spanish Morocco - I awoke in the morning to a beautiful sight - a blazing sunrise on the Straits of Gibraltar with the Rock of Gibraltar looming in the distance. I thought about how my Mum and Dad must have felt as they sailed through this very same place on their way to a new life in Australia, way back in 1951, when I was just fifteen months old. Mum and Dad have both told me it was an amazing trip and a trip that led them to the best life they could ever have possibly imagined.
We had plenty of time ashore this day so decided to take local bus #7, at a cost of 80 cents, and head out along the beautiful coastline towards the Moroccan border. We filled out the necessary paperwork, had our passports stamped and walked across the border into Morocco. After chatting with some locals we found out that the closest city of Tetouan was a 40 klm taxi ride away so we decided to give it a miss - we then filled out more paperwork, had our passports stamped again and walked back across the border into Spain, where we once again took local bus #7 and headed back along the beautiful coastline into Ceuta. The beautiful bus trip at a cost of $1.60 made the trip well worthwhile!
The Straits of Gibraltar separate the ancient city of Ceuta from European Spain. Ceuta has an easy going charm and a cosmopolitan mix of cultures - it is also the gateway to Morocco proper. The narrow, paved avenues in Ceuta's City Centre make it a great place to browse and shop at a leisurely pace.
Cadiz, Spain - Cadiz is one of Europe's oldest continuously inhabited cities and is built on a narrow spit of land hemmed in on three sides by the sea - Cadiz forms part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. The older section of Cadiz lies within the remnants of the city walls and is commonly referred to as the Old City. We took an open top bus tour in the morning - well timed, as by lunch time a heavy sea fog had drifted in, giving poorer visibility. It was very enjoyable walking around the narrow winding alleys which connect large plazas in the City centre - by 2:00 pm shops began to close for their daily siesta time, not to open again until 5:00 pm.
Lisbon, Portugal - We have visited Lisbon previously, so took this opportunity to visit Fatima, a Catholic pilgrimage centre. Together with 3 other couples we hired a van, a driver and a guide and drove about 90 minutes to this beautiful and peaceful place - Tom & Margery from New York, Tom & Julie from California and Rick & Bella previously from the Phillipines but now from California all joined us for this wonderful day out.
Le Havre, France - We arrived in France early in the morning and walked around the city of Le Havre. A neat little train toured the sites of the city - it gave us a good view and also took us out of the rain. Le Havre was bombed and destroyed during the war, but today it is a beautiful and vibrant city. We headed back to the ship in the afternoon, said our final goodbyes to our waiters and stewards who had looked after us so well over the past month - we then headed down the gangway to our taxi. After some fantastic experiences and travelling together for the past two months, we said goodbye to Brenda and Darrell - our next get together will be at Dingo Beach.
We have hired a car for 30 days to travel in France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland - we will pick it up tomorrow morning in Le Havre.
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