Amazing

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Amazing Adventures Inspirational ideas for the discerning traveller


Dear Fellow Travellers To celebrate turning fifty years of age a few years ago, I embarked on a rather ambitious and adventurous challenge. This journey was to change my entire perspective on all my future holiday plans. Since my expedition to Nepal and having climbed to Annapurna Base Camp, I found myself no longer content to lie on a sun lounger. Forget the beach, dining in a la carte restaurants in luxury hotels, and having a butler unpack my suitcase. This experience made me realise that I wanted to be a traveller not a tourist.

Following my latest voyage, which was to South America in February this year and my subsequent daily ‘Blog’, it was considered by my team that I should share my stories with you. Once I gave the idea some thought, it became the basis for this newsletter and I do hope that you enjoy reading all about my experiences.

I hope that it will prove to be of both informative and interesting, but that it will also be a source of inspiration, along with providing various tips and ’do’s and don’t’s’.

Since this very special trip four years ago, I have embarked upon some very exciting journeys. During each trip, at the end of every day, I sit and write down my most memorable experiences, simply because I know I will never remember everything upon my return. As technology has advanced, it has become easier to share this editorial by uploading my daily unedited synopsis to my ’Blog’ pages on the internet, making it easily accessible by all. I actually gain great enjoyment by taking an hour or so daily reflecting upon my experiences and recounting them.

There are many things that I have learned first-hand which I am keen to pass on to any prospective traveller that perhaps I wish I had known before I had departed. The following couple of quotes that I came across brought a smile to my face as ‘techniques’ that I am still trying to learn to live by.

“When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money”. Susan Heller

“Anyone who needs more than one suitcase is a tourist, not a traveller” Ira Levin Whilst I can now manage (just) without my hairdryer, I really do struggle to keep within the baggage allowance!

Bridget “I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list” Susan Sontag


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Nepal Himalayan Trek - My Personal Challenge

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Excerpts from my personal challenge taken to commemorate my turning 50 years of age and the trip which changed all holidays taken from there on in!

We meet the guide, Mangal and the porter, Urba. The porter is so tiny - he has got two full bags to carry, so I hope he is up to it!

The descent into Kathmandu is impressive. The snow topped mountains are poking though the white clouds, and the lower green foothills are looking bigger the lower we get. To start with it looks as if we are just going to land in the middle of the mountains, then we go through some cloud and emerge to see a massive sprawl of town all ahead of us. Kathmandu is in the middle of a valley, with mountains all the way round. Magnificent.

We first have to get a taxi to Naya Pul. I see a lovely white people carrier parked outside and I think that is perfect. Then I see a man strapping our bags to the top of a beat up tiny Suzuki 800 car – ha! All five of us have to fit in here (this is the non air conditioned vehicle that was mentioned on the itinerary) so they put Paul in the front as he is the biggest. I squash in the back with Mangal and Urba – who promptly goes to sleep. Must be conserving his energy!

Once through customs it is an absolute bun fight! Our driver and guide couldn’t be more helpful or pleasant and we are greeted with beautiful garlands of flowers to wear around our necks. The sun goes down around 5:30pm, and by 6pm it is pitch black. The temperature is very pleasant; around 23 degrees during the day, but drops to around 15 degrees or less as soon as the sun goes down. The hotel appears at the end of a tatty road (they are all tatty really) and surrounded by crumbling shops and restaurants. The hotel itself looks out of place, as it really is a lovely building. Our first day, we make our way to Swayambhunath, or the Monkey Temple. This is a large Hindu Temple with a Buddhist section – apparently 90% of Nepalese are Hindu, with the other 10% being made up of Buddhists, Moslems and Christians, but all of whom live, work and play together ver y p e a c e f u l l y. Some lessons to be learned here I think! We then go on to Patan, a suburb of Kathmandu over the other side of the river. This again is absolutely heaving with people – but the sights and sounds are amazing. Upon return to our hotel, we meet the manager of Nepal Sanctuary Treks, the trekking company TransIndus have used, for a briefing. It seems we can stop where we like on the trek, so if we go too fast (!) or too slow we can just stop and sleep at any place on the way. They also give us two duffel type bags to hold our kit. It is all very positive here – we shouldn’t have any trouble reaching the top at all! Before starting our trek we had decided to have a couple of nights at Tiger Tops, a lodge located on the edge of Chitwan National Park. The six hour journey turns out to be nine hours, and the last 30km of road gets worse. We make it just! The final part of the journey consists of a bus, a boat, a jeep, another boat, another jeep and then a walk. Talk about being in the middle of nowhere. On the way a rhino crosses the road, and we see a monkey and a few deer. We are greeted with iced tea and cake, and sit on the balcony overlooking the grass plains with the Annapurna Mountain Range in the background. We enjoy early morning elephant rides searching for tigers and rhinos. After having arrived into Pokhara late last night, we are up at 7am to have breakfast, and then meet the guide at 8.30am.

The journey is about one and a half hours – we go way up into the hills, and I am thinking this is great, the more up in the car the less up on the legs! But then we go down and down and down ..... bugger!! Naya Pul is heaving with people both starting and finishing a trek. This is the main starting point for Poon Hill, which is where we are heading first. This puts about three days onto the Annapurna Sanctuary Trek, but apparently the sunrise at Poon Hill is worth it. Let’s hope so! We get going around 11.00am by going down – I don’t like this. What goes down must come back up! We cross a rope bridge and a wobbly iron bridge over the river, and then after about half an hour it is announced that we are stopping for lunch. Oh well, not so bad after all! Lunch over, and we start the trek again. The sun is so hot and there is hardly any shade on this part. Then the ’up’ starts. This was meant to be an easy day, but I am soon flagging. Memories of sitting at my desk thinking I have no time for the gym today come flooding back. I knew that Stairmaster would have helped! The stone steps just kept going on and on. “ Just take it slow”, says Mangal, looking at his watch. I bet he hasn’t had a pair like us before! Tomorrow there are 4500 steps to Gorepani – I don’t think I am ready for this! This bit of the trek is nothing like I had anticipated.


Nepal Himalayan Trek - My Personal Challenge Then we go down, before going back up again. It would have been so much easier on the legs if they put a bridge across from one village to the next!! We follow the river for most of the way and stop for a swig of Coke every so often. It is really hard work in this heat. I stop to talk to a few English trekkers who are on the last leg – another good excuse to stop! Urba is so quick – he has strapped both of our bags together and is carrying them via a big bandage around his head. He and Mangal are both walking with us, although Urba usually goes ahead and then is sitting waiting for us to catch up. So small, and yet so much strength! At around 4.00pm, Mangal says that the village ahead is where we are staying for the night – Hallelujah! The village is called Tirkhedunga, and is around 1540 metres high. We get a room at the Chandra Guest House – a wooden construction that is three storeys high, and we are on the third floor. There is a toilet at the end of the hall, but only a hole in the floor. I wonder if I will be used to the toilet facilities by the end of the trek? There are also hot showers here – but not exactly what I expected. A pipe is fixed to the wall with a head on it – that is the shower. The floor gets soaked, and there are only a couple of nails to hang your clothes on. But the water is hot, and it is better than nothing. Then it’s off to bed – it’s 7pm – we have a long day tomorrow! We have a 6am wake up call, to be ready to leave straight after breakfast. It looks a strenuous day today, and I think Mangal is not taking any chances that we will still be on the trail after it gets dark! We set off at 7.30am for the trek to Ghorepani. The first half an hour or so is mainly downhill – oh dear! Our net gain in height today should be about 1500 metres, but that doesn’t take into consideration any downs and then back ups. After crossing a couple of iron bridges, we then start the uphill – and it goes on and on and on. The rock steps go on forever. It should take six hours to get to Ghorepani, but I have a feeling it is going to be a bit more than that! We stop for five minute rest breaks every now and then – and boy, do I wish I had been to the gym! Lunch is at 11.30, and we stock up on vegetable fried rice and pasta. It is the most beautiful spot, overlooking the valley and snow covered ‘fishtail’ mountain in the background. Glorious. Off we go again, and this afternoon seems to go on forever. I do not think I have ever felt so tired or pushed my body so

Page 2 of 3 far physically. The steep rock steps take hours. Six hours come and go – and still no sign of Ghorepani. Mangal takes pity on me and offers to carry my backpack – I think the real reason is that he wants to get to where we are going before the sun goes down! We get to Ghorepani – and then he tells us there is a lower Ghorepani and an upper Ghorepani – and guess where we are staying? You’re right, upper! Another twenty minutes when I thought we were almost there! It has taken nine and a half hours from when we set off! We stay in the Sunny Hotel (!), with a European toilet right outside the door, and it even has a flush on it. We feel spoiled rotten! The showers are rubbish but they are hot. The weather here as soon as the sun has gone down is absolutely freezing. A really early start today – wake up call at 4.15am to start the trek to Poon Hill at 4.45am. Poon Hill is supposed to have the most amazing sunrise. We walk directly up for one and a half hours, step after step after step – supposedly it was meant to be 45 minutes. We had to go by torch light, and it was really difficult, as the mountain is really hard to navigate in the dark. By the time we reached the top it was light, and the sky was full of clouds, so no amazing sunrise for us today! The panoramic view from here is something else – if the sun had come up behind those mountains I think it would have definitely been a wow moment. But it didn’t, so we then have to walk all the way down again. Quicker than going up but still hard on the legs after the long day yesterday. Breakfast is served when we get back, and then it is time to pack and start the trek for real for today. I am so tired, I cannot even manage to get my sleeping bag in its travelling bag. We set off at 8.30am, and have a two hour upward start. Who chose this holiday? Mangal is very kind, and carries my backpack for most of the trip. That camera is really heavy – as well as the two litres of water that is in the Camelbak. The walk this morning is through forests – again, nothing as I had imagined. Lunch is a welcome break. The trek from there is mostly downhill, which sounds better, but is just as hard on different muscles. We go through a village called Banthati, and we stop for a cup of tea. We have to move out of the way pretty quickly for a couple of herds of goats that come charging down the track. On the way to market in Pokhara apparently. That’s a long way to take about fifty goats – I wonder where they sleep? We eventually get to Tadapani 12 hours after we started this morning. And I thought yesterday was a hard day! They say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger – I am still in two minds as to which way this is going to go!


Nepal Himalayan Trek - My Personal Challenge A leisurely start to the day today – a wake up call at 6.30am. We are going to Chomrong today which is timetabled at five hours. The first part of the trek is amazing – all through forests and not too steep down. Streams have logs laid across from one side to the other. No health and safety here! One of the stops advertises that this is the last place we can buy bottled water as they do not allow any plastic bottles in the Annapurna Conservation Area. When we reach the bottom of the forest, there is a river that is between the two mountains. We cross the river on a really wobbly long wooden bridge. When we get to the other side, the bad news is that we now have to go up! We stop tonight in the Panorama Guest House in Chomrong. We have the same type of room that we have had every day, but there is a European toilet. Excellent. Amazing how that can make me so happy, if you could see it! One’s expectations have been rather dramatically lowered I fear! I have a shower and wash my hair for the first time since we started the trek. I put on my pyjamas, get my hairdryer, and dry my hair in the dining hall – the only place where there is a plug. Mad dogs and Englishmen!

The next morning, the sun is really hot – I have never sweated so much in my life! The good news is that I have had to borrow a belt from Paul to keep my trousers up – result! We are having a shorter day today and only going as far as Sinuwa. We decide to have an afternoon nap but are woken by the most torrential downpour ever. What a good thing we are having an afternoon off! The weather really does not improve at all this afternoon. The clouds come down, and we are sitting in the middle of them and can’t see a thing. Hope it improves tomorrow. Those on the way down have said that it has been snowing at Annapurna Base Camp for the last few days. It is a fairly mild start today – the sun is out, it is a lovely day, and we don’t have ten million steps to go up to start with. Most of the trek is through forest again, but the peaks of the Annapurna range are getting closer and closer. The trail today is very narrow in places – nothing between you and a very nasty fall a long way down the mountain. We also have to cross a couple of rivers that have the now usual log to walk over.

Page 3 of 3 One of them is especially long, and especially wobbly, with especially large rocks and raging water underneath! But we all make it across safely. I wonder if anyone doesn’t? The next day, after a two hours trek, we arrive in Dovan – that is it for today The last few days leading up to ABC are going to be shorter days, as it is recommended that once over 3000 metres you don’t go over 500 metres per day. As this is going to be the last stop where there is a shower (from here on apparently you get a bucket of hot water), I decide to partake.

"The journey not the arrival matters” T.S Eliot The next day we walk through a valley of two mountains and the sun has not yet reached inside. When there is no sun, it is really cold but when the sun comes out, it is really hot. We make it to Himalaya in two and a half hours and from here we start climbing up quite steeply, and don’t stop until we reach Deurali. The rocks are getting bigger, and the waterfalls/streams are getting harder to cross. It is a real struggle the next morning - going up to Machhapuchre Base Camp is up all the way as soon as we leave the village, and the gradient is very hard. It is really cold again first thing, but we can see the sun and just have to wait for it to get into the valley. When the sun does hit, the temperature goes up immediately. We make it to MBC by 11.00am – three hours. The sun is out, and it is shining on the snow on the top of the mountains. There is hardly any vegetation now, so we are officially in the Himalayas. Not sure when this actually happened, but good enough for me. We sit in the sun for a couple of hours, until the sun disappears behind a mountain. Time to put on several layers, hats, coats, gloves - Paul has even put his shorts on over his trousers. Good job nobody knows us! The place here is deserted and we are the only ones staying at the Ganga View Lodge at MBC - 3700 metres up. One more day to go up, to Annapurna Base Camp, the goal! The higher we go, the less oxygen there is in the air and the harder it is to breathe. The trail is not so steep but my legs feel like a mixture of jelly and lead. It is the most weird feeling and I just cannot go anything other than slow. As we go up, the view of the mountains is spectacular. We follow the trail so that we are, in effect, going into the middle of a bowl of mountains. The sun rises from behind and just brings them to life. The views here are like nothing we have encountered before. On none of the other days have we witnessed a spectacle like this. To prove it is so cold, many of the streams we pass are frozen over, and when the sun hits the ice you hear it cracking like a gun. Finally we see the sign to welcome us to Annapurna Base Camp 4130 metres with a little phrase in the corner “You made it!”. It actually brings tears to my eyes, quickly wiped away before anyone can see! Mission accomplished!


Experience the highlights of Nepal, starting with stunning Palaces and the Buddhist Pagodas and Stupas of the Kathmandu Valley. Visit Pokhara, in the lap of the Annapurna mountain range, for majestic views and lakeside walks for a couple of nights, with an opportunity to take a once in a lifetime flight past the world’s highest peak, Mt Everest. Experience a safari in the jungles and tall grasslands of Chitwan National Park, home to the one-horned rhinoceros, sloth bear, deer, tiger and over 400 species of birds.

TransIndus are committed to quality and passionate about their destinations. They will work together with you to plan and operate your perfect tour, until after you return home from what they are confident will be a trip of a lifetime.


Australia - Northern Territory Bamurru - Wild Bush Luxury A short excerpt from my Australian trip taken in 2012 From Darwin the flight took us up and over the Adelaide River – and with the low tide the shapes of crocodiles could be seen. The journey took about half an hour landing on the short gravel airstrip, in what looked like the middle of nowhere. The white Bamurru vehicle was there to meet us to take us the twenty minute trip to Bamurru Plains. The whole area was just alive with wildlife. Bamurru Plains is an eco lodge that has solar power, and everything is done with as little harm to the environment as possible. After a drink and cold towels, we were taken to our “room”.

Page 1 of 2 crab and prawn fishcake with salad, duck, and followed by a crumble and ice cream, all very well presented. After a lovely evening, we wound up our torch and made our way back to our cabin. It was now pitch dark, but the stars were so bright, the Southern Cross could be seen clearly as well as millions of others. Why is it that the stars here seem so different to ours back home? The wake up call at 7am was by a chap knocking on the door saying “breakfast”. There are no phones, no TVs nothing except the bed and a chair in the room. We awoke to our own exclusive live “wide screen” and the viewing was that of the wetlands and animals – an entire herd of buffalo, right outside the door, with wallabies hopping past in 3D!

The airboats departed at around 8.00am for the first trip out. Ear defenders were given to wear as, with the fan on full, it was really noisy. Three of the sides have nothing but one-way mesh, and we looked over onto the wetlands – full of buffalo, birds, wallabies and goodness knows what else. The sun was on its way down - what a sight! This is the view that costs all the money!

Meandering downstream, the amount of birds and the different varieties was amazing. No need to do any spotting they were everywhere. Eagles up in the trees, kingfishers, heron and jesus birds (they walk on water). The shower was wound around a tree, and there was a branch to hang our towels on. The bed looked out to the wetlands, and there was a fan overhead, if we felt it was needed. No door locks – only nine of these cabins here. There were wind-up torches that were needed to take us to the main lodge at night – just in case there were buffalo in our path! What were we to do with our torch I wondered – shine the light in their eyes or hit them on the head with it? The showers were surprisingly good – really hot and very powerful. The only thing is, we could hear things walking about outside – and they sounded really big! The main lodge offered canapés on the deck to watch the last of the sun going down. See – it is civilised! Dinner was ready – with a total of ten guests and the guide eating tonight. It was a fantastic meal – there was an open bar, and would you believe that in the middle of the Australian outback they even had Campari! The three course meal was worthy of any high class restaurant. Deep fried mud

After “driving” for about a couple of hours, we parked up in a forest of trees that looked as though we had arrived at Middle Earth. It is billed as “Kingfisher Café”. And here we enjoyed tea and cakes – well, what else in the middle of the Mary River Wetlands?


Australia - Northern Territory Returning to the lodge at around 11.30am provided just enough time to relax before lunch was served on the deck prawn risotto, and more freshly baked bread. Then the home made vanilla gelato. Perfect. A really lazy afternoon, by the pool and in the cabin, just animal and bird watching. The afternoon safari left at approximately 4.30pm. As we parked by a billabong, literally hundreds of wallabies could be found bouncing about. We returned to camp just before the sun went down – and it was beautiful once again. They have such stunning sunsets here! Every night.

There is so much wildlife just a few metres from the cabin – it is hard to put into words what it is like to wake up and see these sights and hear these sounds. Just makes you want to stay in bed and just look and do nothing more! No chance of that if you want breakfast though.

Page 2 of 2 Here you can just imagine all the roots being pulled up and the trees walking, just like in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Spooky. We made our way back towards the lodge and we were told that it is always highly likely to spy a crocodile on the other side of a mud bank. Today we enjoyed a really good view of him sunning himself on the bank, before he slid back into the water and effortlessly swam away. After returning to the lodge, there was to be a little interval before lunch was served on the deck again. Another couple of hours to while away, before we enjoyed the afternoon’s tour.

More new species of bird, including the blue kookaburra, before visiting a large billabong that doesn’t dry out at all in the dry season. More crocodiles to be seen here. Back to the lodge for canapés whilst watching the sun go down – delightful! We saw one of the White Bellied Sea Eagles – the largest bird of prey in Australia – which was quite magnificent.

This morning brought a further air boat ride and again, birds everywhere. There were huge flocks of geese on the plains - hundreds of them the closer you got. The Magpie Geese are the ones that do all the honking. A few birds of prey were soaring high in the sky. Our stop for morning tea was at another café this morning - Darter Pond. It looked very much like yesterday’s, with the water like glass and showing a perfect picture in the water of the trees above.

Then a further couple of birds of prey – this time a Brown Falcon and a Whistling Kite. On the way back to the lodge another Jabiru was spotted taking off with her wingspan in all its glory – the females have yellow eyes, and the males have black eyes so can be fairly easy to identify once you know what you are looking for. After lunch it was time to pack up and set off for the journey back to civilisation. Here at Bamarru, the expression of ‘holiday of a lifetime’ is most apt. Bamarru represents only a very small part of my overall Australia trip and I would be happy to share my other experiences or this aspect in greater detail. Please feel free to contact me any time.

“I didn’t know that the world could be so mind-blowingly beautiful” Justina Chen


South America - Argentina, Chile and Brazil I have included just the highlights and recommendations of my month long trip to South America taken earlier this year, as it was almost impossible to keep to only three pages! However my full Blog can be found on our website. Our British Airways flight to Rio de Janeiro seemed to pass very quickly and it didn’t feel long before we made the descent. The connecting flight to Buenos Aires with Aerolineas Argentinas was also fairly efficient although the carousel for the luggage here was something else. It couldn’t have gone any slower if someone was winding it up from outside! But our bags duly arrived, and off we went. Let the holiday begin! A full day walking tour of Buenos Aires is something I highly recommend. We visited all the main attractions and places of interest such as the “Pink House” which is a bit like the White House in the USA, but the president doesn’t actually live here. This was made famous by Eva Peron; where she and her husband made many of their speeches. The changing of the guard took place whilst we were there and the new guards come marching in with tourists scattering to either side of them. If one of the tourists doesn’t notice them coming, or gets in their way, they just march on the spot until the way is clear! Amusing to watch! We stopped for a coffee and croissant in a typical café and were told that ours was the exact table that the Pope used to sit at every day to have a coffee before he went to the Cathedral where he was Archbishop before he moved to the Vatican! We walked around the square in front of the Pink House. This is where protests about various things happen just about every day. There is a permanent protest about the Malvinas (Falklands) and a police presence all around. But everything was peaceful, and apparently usually is quite amusing. We used the underground - the British designed it, the Irish built it and it is very cheap (about 25p, much cheaper than the London version) - experiencing the city as both a tourist and a local. We had walked around eight miles during the day and not once did we feel threatened or intimidated, although we had been warned not to show any jewellery or phones. Just sensible precautions in a place where pickpockets and thieves operate - as in most large cities. We saw a Dinner and Tango Show which was very pleasant. Would I have wanted to leave Buenos Aires without seeing a tango show? Definitely not. It had to be done. Despite all the drivers thinking they are F e r n a n d o Alonso, we safely made our way back to the airport for our onward flight to Trelew.

Page 1 of 3 We arrived in a beautifully clean and tidy little airport and within ten minutes had collected our bags, before making our way the 40 kilometres to Puerto Madryn. The weather is again glorious – around 25 degrees. We ventured into town for dinner that night, eating at Ambigo where the food was good. Including all the drinks, it came to 330 pesos – around £22. Very good value for money. And the taxi fare back was just 35 pesos - £2. This country is certainly good value for money! We visited Punta Tombo, the largest Megallanic Penguin colony in the world. On the way along the paths, it was simply littered with penguins. They arrive back to the colony in September or October time from warmer waters and make their way back to usually the same nest they had vacated the previous summer. The eggs are laid which will hatch after forty or so days. The chicks feed from their parents until February when they will make their way to the sea and that will be the last they see of them. Our next stay was at the Estancia Rincon Chico, a working sheep ranch with just eight rooms for guests and it was a wonderful place! Very rustic and electricity only on between 7pm and 11pm - but who needs electricity? Lovely homecooked food by the owner and what a view! A beautiful expanse of nothing but peaceful nothingness. This is my sort of holiday! The reason you come to Estancia Rincon Chico is to see the elephant seals. The beaches are full of elephant seals at various times of the year. Even David Attenborough has been here to film documentaries on the animals. We get our own personal guide with a Land Rover. We go so far and then walk. We rounded the corner onto the beach to see at least thirty males laying there. We sat on the beach and shuffled forward as close as we dared (behind the guide). Absolutely amazing! How surreal it felt to be sitting so close to the biggest, fattest elephant seals that I have ever seen - two males having a face-off, one male pushing the other into the sea – and all of this less than fifteen feet away. What an experience!


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Its sister property Awasi Atacama is a luxurious boutique hotel in the oasis town of San Pedro de Atacama, it has just 8 spacious cottages, each with private patios, solariums, outdoor showers, beautiful wooden floors, fine linen sheets and traditional alpaca blankets. The hotel was built using local materials and has a lovely bar and restaurant area, comfortably furnished with huge sofas. Each room is assigned a private guide and a comfortable and modern 4WD vehicle to embark on unforgettable excursions.

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South America - Argentina, Chile and Brazil Our next stop was El Calafate which has a very alpine feel – many of the shops and restaurants are chalet style, and the whole feel of this town is après ski. From here we entered the National Park about 50 kilometres out, which is where the Perito Mereno glacier is. We snaked our way upwards, stopping at a look out on the way. We could see the lake and the massive glacier that looked as though it had fallen between the mountains and had just come to a full stop at the bottom. The wall of ice was around 60 metres high, with a further 100 metres below the surface of the lake. Very impressive.

Page 2 of 3 There was so much water coming down – it was really full today. The sun must be melting the snow on the lower mountains. The sun was shining on the spray, and in several places you could see a rainbow. Another beautiful spot. So many places, and hardly any other people. So very peaceful. We were driving from here, and came to Laguna Amarga – and there in the d i s t a n c e around the corner was a flock of flamingos that I had to photograph. Our time at Awassi has really been a fantastic experience – and having your own driver and guide you can do what you want, when you want, and change your mind if you so choose. All too soon we departed Awassi and set off for Punta Arenas. We had flown up the spine of Chile with some good views of the Andes. Now we were in the northern desert region, with nothing but sand for miles and miles.

Once at the actual glacier, we had four hours here – and initially I thought at the time quite a long time. Every now and then you could hear a crack like a whip, and then a sound like rolling thunder. We then realised what it was. When little parts of the ice break off the main glacier it makes a cracking sound, and then when it hits the water it is like thunder. It was amazing to watch. What fantastic photos – I have a feeling I may be looking at next years Travel Stop Christmas Card! Pieces were continually breaking – you just had to be looking in the right direction, because once you heard the noise it had already happened. It was another glorious day. Who would think you could be stood next to so much ice wearing at t-shirt! Then there was an almighty roar. From the little snowball like size bits of ice that were coming from the top just in front of us, the whole sheer face of the glacier came crashing down. What a spectacular sight! Our next destination is Torres del Paine in Chile, and our drive included a spectacular view of the Andes. After a while, with the most glorious view of the mountains to our left, I could see some cabin-like properties up ahead. This was Awasi – the extravagance of this trip—and WOW! They are all separate cabins, none overlooking the others. The view is magnificent – the last time we had a view like this was in the Himalayas. This p l a c e i s something else and from here we plan to do some trekking to the Torres del Paine towers. Our route whilst trekking was really like being back in the Himalayas. Great big rocks to get up, tree roots to contend with, and a never ending upward slope. Later we came to a lovely waterfall – Cascada Paine.

We set off for the hour or so car journey to the Explora Hotel. The landscape was amazing. We went over mountains, past desert, past rock formations to a little town that looked as if it had come straight out of a spaghetti western. We turned into the hotel, and drove around the stables and onto a little courtyard at the front. We were met and taken in to get the keys to the room – it looked like the High Chaparral ranch from the TV programme. Soon we had signed up for a six kilometre hike to the L u n a Valley. A tough day, but enjoyed by all and w i t h fabulous scenery. There is a giant telescope and observatory on the hotel site, and we saw a blazing star, the nebulas around Orion’s belt, the moons and the bands around Jupiter and all the craters on the moon. What an end to a day! A further couple of hikes rounded off our stay here and all too soon we were leaving the Explora in San Pedro de Atacama. Soon we are on a bus Salta, climbing up through Andes. The roads twisted and turned, and the scenery just got more and more amazing. There were birds flying along the side of the bus, and llamas and donkeys on the sides of the mountains. Then came the cacti and I have never seen anything like it! They were growing on the sides of the mountains and were in excess of ten feet high. A few to start with, and then the mountains were covered with them. We then went past the salt flats. It was as if the ground was completely covered with snow – really thick. I will have to look on the packet where my salt comes from next time I buy some! From Salta we flew to Iguazu. Over the Iguazu River, one side is Argentina, the other is Brazil. We soon made our way to the Hotel Das Cataratas in front of the falls.


South America - Argentina, Chile and Brazil The next morning we joined our pre-booked tour for the Argentine side of the Falls. In the daylight, we could see both ways up the river. On the right hand side we could see to Paraguay. The Brazilian side of the bridge had the colours of the Brazilian flag along the side, and after the middle it changed to the colours of the Argentinean flag. The first stop was a fall called The Devils Throat – so named because it makes a throaty noise.

It is the biggest of all of the falls. The walk to get there, along metal walkways, is about a kilometre and a half long. As we near the actual falls you can hear the water thundering down into the river below. Deafening! The walkways at the end are pretty crowded, and everyone coming back is soaked. We continue our walk to the Adam & Eve falls and the Bossetti falls. It is all on metal walkways and is really easy to see all of the falls. The views are spectacular – with a lovely rainbow at the base of the Bossetti. One of the benefits of staying at the Hotel Das Cataratas is that they offer a complimentary guided tour of the Brazil side of the falls before the park opens. The Argentine side of the falls is far bigger, far more spectacular, but you can only see the full extent of the falls from the Brazilian side. The Argentines have the show, but the Brazilians have the view. If you only have one day here, then I think the Brazilian side would be the way to go. If you had two, like us, do the Argentine side first and then the Brazilian side. And if you can, stay at the Das Cataratas to enjoy the falls virtually on your own. You can walk as soon as it is light – another benefit only applicable here – until it is dark. I also would recommend a helicopter trip over the falls to see them from another perspective—it really was superb!

Page 3 of 3 Next stop is Rio. We check into the Copacabana Palace. Magical from the outside and magical from the inside, but full of so many people! We got up early to do the Corcovado Tour to Christ the Redeemer. We walked along Copacabana Beach to Praca do Lido just in time to buy a ticket (51 reais, about £15 each which includes the entry ticket and return transport) and left on the first van at 8.00am. It took about 45 minutes to get to the top of the mountain, where we then took the elevator to the bottom of the statue. It was an absolutely glorious day, with a clear blue sky. It was amazing – and what a feat of engineering! His middle finger on his right hand still needed a little patching up from a lightening strike. The views over the city of Rio were spectacular – the flight path was actually below our view point, and we could see p l a n e s landing from above. The beach was packed when we got back, miles and miles of beautiful sandy beach, with miles and miles of people on it. This afternoon I went on a “Favela Tour” – a tour of one of the shanty towns. Instead of going in a car and just looking, I booked a walking tour of the biggest favela in South America, which houses around 300,000 people. Along with a few other people, we started by getting on a bus - the way that the people who live here travel. The bus was full but it stopped probably ten more times and picked up more people. But everyone seemed so friendly. As I left, Paul seemed to think that was the last he is going to see of me! The bus took us to the top of the favela – it is a huge area that occupies the whole of a hillside. The noise and the traffic constant. With one main street, seven not main streets and about 500 alleyways. The houses are built into the hillside, and don’t look too steady, but some have been here for over one hundred years apparently. Building regulations?? I don’t think so. In actual fact, this is a bit like the Vatican City with a law all of its own. Originally illegal housing, but the government couldn’t get rid of the people. They moved them on, but they just kept coming back. In the end, they let them stay. As it was a Saturday night, barbeques were on the streets – and music! Everywhere. The noise won’t stop until about 6.00am tomorrow morning. We had dinner at a restaurant in the favela, and I sent Paul a quick text just to let him know I was still alive and not to cash in my life insurance yet! Today was our last full day in Rio and we booked a tour with ‘Eat Rio’. This was a walking tour, tasting typical Brazilian food. And what a super tour, meeting local people and trying food that we would not have known to order. A really good idea. All too soon, we were making our way back to the airport for our flight home. We were both very sad to be leaving. It has been a wonderful adventure!


Jordan - Petra, Wadi Rum Desert and The Dead Sea As we had not obtained our visa in advance, when we arrived at Queen Alia Airport we had to queue to get them. If you get one in advance it is more money, more forms and more photos so ‘swings and roundabouts really’. The good part was at least that our luggage had arrived by the time we got through. Once our luggage had been scanned, we met our driver, Mohamad, and set off for the Marriott in Amman. After a thirty minute drive, we arrived at the huge barriers at the entrance to the Marriott, where we had to have the car inspected. The boot had to be popped and inspected, and we were all visually inspected before we were let in. The barriers were then lowered into the ground. Overkill or safety? We then had to go through scanners like at the airport, and all the baggage had to be scanned before we were let into the lobby. On our first morning, we drove for an hour and a half north to the start of the Al Ayoin trail - a six hour trek with a local guide. It was a beautiful green, flower-filled walk. At one part, we passed through a “City of Caves”, where people had lived in caves in the past, and then had been entombed in them. This trail is only a small part of a track that leads from Iraq, through Turkey, Israel, Palestine and on to Egypt. We walked for about three hours, through villages and visiting a Calligraphy House and Soap House, both projects that had been set up to help the locals with employment. We had a card made with our names in Arabic and the date, as it is our 30th Wedding Anniversary. Aaahh! We went on to a local house for lunch, and there met a 120 year old woman, later reduced to 105. Her daughter was 45, so I should imagine there was still some room for error! But, they said she was the oldest person in the area – she certainly looked it! We left again, and started the walk, when our guide, Mohamad, said we were going to a high point where you could see Israel, the Mosque in Jerusalem and the West Bank. I could feel a hill coming on! This second part of the walk was rather more demanding than the first. At one point, sitting on a rock, Paul commented that if his legs could communicate they would be asking if we were back in Nepal! After a steep stretch, I wondered how much longer we would have to go. Just as we reached the top, Mohamad was there with the car. Ha! That’s the sort of trekking I can deal with! We then drove to the point where the Prophet Elijah was said to have been born. This was where you could see across to Israel, but as the sun was going down it made it very hazy to see across. You could just make out a range of hills, Israel being in front of them, and the hills being the West Bank. There was an old ruined church on the spot, and further up another church ruins with mosaics. A tree was full of rags – you could put a piece of cloth on it and ask God (or whoever) for whatever your h e a r t desired.

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Next day we did a tour of Amman and Jerash. Our guide was so full of knowledge, it was hard to take it all in. Upon arriving in Jerash, the first structure that you come across is Hadrian’s gate. It took a couple of hours to walk around the whole city. There was a temple dedicated to Artemis, and one to Hercules. Everything had been excavated and restored according to the writings of the Romans and the Byzantines when they built the city. After the Amman tour we started our journey to Petra via various stops on the way. The first stop was Mount Nebo, the spot where Moses saw the promised land and later, aged 120, he died. Seems that a few people around here get to 120!

“A traveller without observation is a bird without wings.” – Moslih Eddin Saadi Our next stop was Madaba, where we went into a Greek Orthodox Church with fantastic mosaics on the wall and floor. We then went on to Karak and Shoubak Castle before continuing. This morning we had our first tour of Petra. The gates to the site are about a ten minute drive from the hotel and then it is 1km walk to the entrance to the siq. The siq is just under a mile long, and the cliffs soar to over 80 metres high on both sides. It is absolutely phenomenal to walk through here – and to imagine that years ago it was on the main camel caravan route. At the end of the siq is the Treasury, one of the most famous sights of Petra. It r e a l l y i s unbelievable how the Nabatean people carved it out of solid rock. The whole site is over 46 square kilometres, so it is absolutely huge. There was a large theatre, carved out of the rock, and seating over 3000 people.


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This tour highlights the rich cultural heritage and stunning landscapes of Jordan. The journey takes in the fantastically well-preserved classical city of Jerash, the biblical site of Mount Nebo, and Petra, the rock city lost to the world for a millennium and recently classified as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. The shifting sands of Wadi Rum and the curative waters of the Dead Sea complete your exploration of this country. • Features 5-star accommodation throughout • 3 nights and 2 full days to explore Petra • Tour the remote ruins at Al Beidha (Little Petra) • Enjoy a traditional home cooked meal in Madaba • Enjoy the majesty of Petra by candlelight one evening

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Jordan - Petra, Wadi Rum Desert and The Dead Sea When we got to the end of the guided tour, we were at the bottom of the route to the Monastery. To get to this, there is over 800 steps. It was worth it because when we turned the corner at the top, the Monastery came into full view – wow! I actually think this is more spectacular than the Treasury.

It is far bigger, and more of a yellow colour than the pink of the Treasury. Words cannot really express the wonder of how this could really have been carved out of solid rock. At the front of the Monastery, there are a couple more higher points. The path takes us up and the view is spectacular over the Great Rift Valley, unbelievable but also very tiring, as the sun is relentless and there is not a cloud in the sky and nowhere to get into the shade. Later that evening we had our Petra by Candlelight tour. Candles light the way through the Siq and in front of the Treasury. We sat on benches whilst someone played very haunting music on a mandolin type instrument, and then a flute.

“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.” James Michener The next day we had to commence the journey to Wadi Rum Desert. From here we went to the Bedouin camp. We went into the communal tent area, and were given Bedouin coffee – it didn’t taste like coffee at all. More like a cup of cardamom. Good job it was only a small cup, as we were told that it was not good manners not to drink it. I don’t think Paul heard that bit, because he took one taste and gave his back. I told Ali it was delicious – so he asked if I would like another. Lying doesn’t pay off!

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Dinner was a typical Jordanian meal of salads, rice and chicken. Very filling and edible. After dinner a fire was lit outside, and we laid on mattresses around the fire looking up into the clear sky and the huge array of stars. Unreal – looking at stars in the middle of the desert. We retired to our tent to close up for the night and had a huge beetle hanging on to the side wall – lovely, we have to share! Breakfast was called at 7.00am this morning, and was a simple meal of cold meats, eggs and bread. We made the half an hour journey back to the village. When I asked what the village of around two thousand people did for employment, Mohamad said “Tourism” with a smile. Not really, he said, Sm uggling! Apparently there is no real border between Jordan and Saudi Arabia in the Wadi Rum, so it is fairly easy to send alcohol, drugs and arms to Saudi and get high tech gear back. The camels are taught to go solo, so if any of them are stopped noone takes ownership of them and no-one gets caught. Next stop, the Marriott Resort at Dead Sea, and this is where we had to say goodbye to Mohamed. He was an excellent driver and guide. We are given a lovely room overlooking the pool and sea, with an absolutely huge balcony with lovely wicker furniture on. It is a beautiful afternoon, so relaxation all the way! Next day we decided to go and have a float in the Dead Sea. We had to put on plastic shoes first, as the ocean floor was very stony and sharp. There was a large tub of mud – to be spread liberally all over your body – dredged from the bottom of the sea and meant to have special qualities. Paul wasn’t having any of that – so whilst I slapped it on all over he had a quick dip in and out. I then had to wait twenty minutes whilst I dried – and then it was time to go in and wash it off. Not a pretty sight! Unfortunately, David Bailey was there to capture the moment! At least I participated!! For many people Jordan begins and ends with the magical ancient Nabataean city of Petra. And it's true, Petra is without doubt one of the Middle East's most spectacular, unmissable sights, battling it out with Machu Picchu or Angkor Wat for the title of the world's most dramatic 'lost city'. Yet there is also so much more to see in Jordan.


Experience the Northern Lights with Hurtigruten The Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, are an unrivalled natural phenomenon. Occurring only in the Arctic Circle and in winter, the lights are a magical and moving experience that everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime. Throughout the winter months there are many exciting excursions to fill the days, including dog sledding, snowmobiling and a visit to the North Cape.


Northern Lights Hurtigruten Cruise - North Norway Our departure to Tromso with Scandinavian Airlines was an early one from Heathrow, with a connection in Oslo. Upon arrival in Tromso, the Hurtigruten representative pointed us to the bus, which was virtually outside the front door. Our luggage was loaded and it was a very quick fifteen minutes to the quay— we had actually arrived before the ship! The coach stopped right on the quayside, and the luggage was unloaded ready for the arrival of the MS Kong Harald. She came in exactly on time. The cabins are really very basic. They have a single bed, with a sofa that pulls out as another be d, a s m al l wardrobe, and that’s about it. There are no TVs. The shower is good, but the hairdryer is one of those long tubular versions that spits out hot air very slowly, but makes the part you hold boiling hot! The toiletries consist of liquid soap on the wall, and a shower gel/ shampoo combination in the shower cubicle. Basic but functional, and not to be compared with other ocean cruising vessels. The fairly basic information meeting included a mention of where to find life jackets in an emergency and where to hop on the lifeboats. I can’t say that this was the usual start of cruise lifeboat drill – but this is not a usual cruise! The one chap in ‘Tours’ seems to have charge of all that happens onboard. We were informed that if you want to be woken if the Northern Lights are spotted during the night, you can press P1 on your telephone and an announcement will be beamed to your cabin. All things have been thought of! Our dinner would be at 8.30pm and whilst there are two sittings for dinner, there is no option to choose beforehand which one you prefer. Dinner is a set menu of three courses. Tonight is leek and potato soup, cod loins with tomato pesto and cabbage and spring onion with tinned potatoes; peanut brownie to finish. No choice – but chips were forthcoming if asked for! The portions are quite small, but as we seemed to be the last table to get served, and they had some left, we were offered a second plate. The first course did not arrive until 9pm, a good half an hour after we had been seated – as I said, this is not a usual cruise. It was all good though! The coffee and tea was served in the bar - one cup being complimentary. This was accompanied by a duo singing and playing keyboard – with a couple trying to dance but as the boat was rocking rather badly, so was their dancing! Breakfast is a buffet selection of some normal, but some very strange, food. There was a small selection of hot food, consisting of hard and soft boiled eggs, small frankfurtertype sausages, and two meatball-looking foods that I could not identify. A selection of several cheeses, cold meats and fresh bread and rolls, together with cereals and a few pieces of cut up fruit, made up the rest. It is served between 7am to 10am, and is a sit-where-you-please affair. It is quite sufficient, and will probably mean I don’t put on the regulatory pound a day! We dock at Honningsvag at 10.45am, where there is a tour to the North Cape. We decide to walk around the town – it is a lovely little town with a museum that depicts 1945 when

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the Germans came through on their way back from Russia, and burned the whole town to the ground except for the church. The lady tour guide at the museum was born south of here, and her father was one of the founding members that built the town back up. We then walked from there to the church, which is the same today as it was then. We passed a school having break time – all the children were out in the playground with sledges and having a really good time – England and health and safety come to mind. Our schools don’t even open when there is this much snow on the ground, let alone letting the children play in it! Those that did the North Cape excursion said it was fabulous – really worth going. The coaches were preceded by a snow plough to get them through. A fisherman was brought onboard via a pilot boat, at around 5.30pm, with two buckets of live King Crabs . He brought them out on the deck, where everyone could hold them, or touch them. One of the females had loads of eggs – caviar – so he handed the crab round and you could take some to taste. Paul said it tasted like grit so I declined – I hope he picked from the right end!! Dinner tonight was a buffet. Fish was again the main ingredient - crab, lobs ter, trout, halibut - beautiful. There was also soup (fish!), a selection of salad and cold meats, as well as beef and re in d e er. T he puddings were a choice of crème caramel, raspberry mousse or an ice cream cake, with cheese and biscuits to finish. The crossing at this point got very rough – not that it had been smooth before! Next morning we dock at Kirkenes and take a tour to the Snow Hotel. This is the first point of the trip where the ship has actually passed floating pieces of ice – this is apparently because we have now left the Gulf Stream that keeps the sea warm, and are heading downwards and eastwards where it is colder. It is now only 30km from the Russian Border.


Northern Lights Hurtigruten Cruise - North Norway The journey to the Snow Hotel is only about ten minutes. The hotel is made every November, and lasts until about May. It is 2100 Norwegian Krone per room per night – around £250. There are twenty rooms, all with different carvings in the snow on the walls, and different headboards all carved out of ice. They do give you a sleeping bag – and suggest you sleep naked to get the best nights sleep! It is an amazing structure – it is made by blowing up a huge balloon, packing snow round the outside, and then letting the air out of the balloon. In a nutshell that is it! There is also a Sami Wigwam with a blazing fire and traditional cooking implements, and a restaurant where we are served hot cloudberry juice and a reindeer sausage. One nice, one not! The ship sails again and we go back through the floating ice. It is bitterly cold up here, -15 degrees, so a hot latte it is indoors! This is the start of the Southbound Voyage and the end of the Northbound Voyage, so we have lost some passengers and gained others. Dinner tonight is parsnip and f enne l s ou p, grilled char (fish) with asparagus and potatoes, followed by a mousse on an almond base. Again, there was some left so we wer e offered another portion. T h e t w o entertainers in the bar were there again – so we all decided to get up and show the rest how it is done – or not, as the case may be! The weather is absolutely awful outside – the snow is coming down in buckets, and it is blowing a gale. No chance of Northern Lights tonight. Breakfast was a much easier affair this morning as there are now not as many passengers as before. The morning is spectacular – beautiful blue clear skies. We all have our fingers crossed that it lasts through the night. We dock at Hammerfest at 11.15 am. We are here for one and a half hours, so decide to explore a little. There is a zig zag path at the back of the town that goes up to the top of the mountain, and has spectacular views over the town and harbour. It is covered with snow and ice, but several are starting the climb, so we do too. It was worth it. The view was lovely – the clear blue sky, the dark blue water and the snow covered mountains are a delight to the eye. The trip back down was also a lot quicker than going up! The ship sails on time, as it has after every stop. The fjords we travel down today are particularly scenic – or maybe it is because the weather is so clear and sunny. There is a panoramic lounge at the front of the ship on deck seven - a lovely peaceful place to sit and watch the world go by. At 6.45pm we get the announcement – Northern Lights are to be seen off the back of the ship. One minute later we are out the back looking at one of the most spectacular phenomena I have ever seen. The swirls in the sky, and the changing shapes are bewitching. There are bright bits and

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swirls that seem to be hanging from a washing line, and then move and change before your eyes. They last about thirty minutes or so, and are every bit as good as anticipated. A fitting end to our cruise. Next morning we had until 10am to get breakfast and check

out of our overnight hotel in Tromso. We were collected by coach and taken to the Dog Sledding Centre – about thirty minutes from the hotel. It was out in the wilds – and looked a really good place to have it. There must have been over 100 dogs all in o uts i de kennels. After getting suited up with thermal suits, boots and gloves, we were taken into a wig wam for coffee and chocolate cake – very civilised! After this, we were led to the sleds and all loaded in – and away we went. There were about twelve sleds in the convoy, and we went through woods and up and down and around. It was not exactly smooth – especially over the very large pot holes there appeared to be – but it was a fantastic experience. So much better than it looked at Kirkenes. We were on the sleds for around 35 minutes, and then taken back to the centre. They had puppies that were only two weeks old – cute! We had to pass on the reindeer stew, as our flight was at 2pm – and we didn’t leave here until 12.50pm. No problem, as it was only about fifteen minutes from the airport. It was all self service check in, with no opportunity to change the seats it had allocated. Not a real problem, as both flights were quite short. We were fifteen minutes late taking off from Tromso, but with an hour and a half to transfer in Oslo we still had plenty of time. The bags this time were tagged all the way through to Heathrow, with no need to collect them. The next flight took off on time, and by 6.30pm we were back in Heathrow. A fabulous experience - one I can thoroughly recommend.


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Canada - Vancouver, Knight Inlet Lodge, Whales and Bears My first night was spent at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel, Vancouver, superbly located with an amazing view over Coal Harbour and Stanley Park. The coffee maker made good coffee and the room had the most comfortable bed in the world! A sightseeing tour of the highlights of Vancouver took us down Robson Street, one of the main shopping streets, and then out across the bridge and past Stanley Park to the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. We spent an hour or so here doing the cliff - , treehouse walks and going across the suspension bridge. Those that were glad to get to the other side had a nasty shock when they realised that they had to do it all again to get back to the bus! We were informed that totem poles aren’t actually totem poles though. Totem is not an Indian word. They call them house poles, or story poles etc. Doesn’t quite have the same ring to it. From here we went to Granville Island and had an Edible Canada and Public Market Tour. The market was huge, and we tasted odd little things as we went. From here, we took the Aquabus to Yaletown. A lovely little boat that takes a maximum of 12 passengers, and is part of the public transport system of Vancouver. It has around six stops at various parts of the city, and operates from early morning to late night. We stopped in Gastown, where the famous steam clock plays a tune every fifteen minutes, and the gas lights are reminiscent of 19th century London. We then went over to the Vancouver Lookout, where we had great 360 degree views of the city. It gave an overview of the whole city, and everything sort of fell into place. Great views of the city, the harbour and the mountains beyond. Next day was beautiful – the sun was shining, and already the temperature allowed the coats to come off. The bus was scheduled to leave the terminal at 09.45am, and would be the same one that goes all the way across to Victoria. It was about an hour to get to Tsawwassen, which was where the ferry was leaving from to go over to Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island. This really is a good service. It is a beautiful crossing. In the south, you can see the snow capped Mount Baker in the USA – in fact the border between Canada and the USA is not far from here at all. Soon we were ready for our whale watching tour. We were advised to take hats and scarves for this trip, but looking at the weather I thought better of it and only took a fleece. The shuttle took us to the Orca Spirit Adventures boat in the inner harbour. As soon as we rounded the harbour wall we picked up speed. Then it gets cold - and that was when I realised why everyone else has coats hats and gloves. Oh well – I have far more natural insulation than they do. We headed left

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down to San Juan Island – which is actually part of the USA. There had been a pod of killer whales seen near here earlier in the day hunting for food. As soon as we neared the island we spotted the whales. There were around five of them, and we kept around 100 metres from the whales at all times. They didn’t seem to be bothered by the boats at all. They were just making their way up the coast, breaking the surface then disappearing for a minute or two before coming up again. They were certainly not doing anything spectacular. There was a little bit of fin slapping at one point,

and a tail fluke at another – neither of which I caught on camera. I got rather a lot of ocean pictures with just the black fins sticking out. We stayed with the pod for just over an hour, and then we left them to it and headed back to Victoria harbour. We had been out on the water just about three hours by the time we got back – slightly frozen but very happy with our find. There was hot chocolate to help thaw out, but it was such a lovely cruise back into the harbour that I went and sat out on the top again. Glutton for punishment.

“For the born traveller, travelling is a besetting vice. Like other vices, it is imperious, demanding its victim’s time, money, energy and the sacrifice of comfort” Aldous Huxley Next day we were taken to Butchart Gardens. The journey was just over half an hour, and I don’t think the driver drew breath from the start to the finish. He knew everything about everything. He told us some of the history of Victoria – much of it involving British people including Captain Cook, Queen Victoria and James Douglas, the first Governor here. He also knew the full history of the Butchart family, who were originally from Scotland. It was the son that started the gardens. We were extremely lucky to have David Clarke give us a guided tour. Originally from the UK, he actually married into the family. There was nothing he didn’t know about the history, the plants, or any bit about the gardens. I have never seen such beautiful gardens as these – even now in October they are so colourful. Then came the icing on the cake so to speak. We were invited to have High Tea in the Dining Room – this was in the original house Robert Butchart built for his family to live in whilst the gardens were in their infancy. We were then served the most delicious warm ginger scones with jam and cream. Quite a leisurely start to the day today, ready for our journey to Campbell River. As we headed out of Victoria the scenery changed into quite a mountainous one. We headed up the mountains until we got to a lookout at the top. This overlooked Victoria beyond the strip of ocean that we had just gone around. The mountain range we could see in the distance was actually in the USA and were part of the Olympic Ranges.


Canada - Vancouver, Knight Inlet Lodge, Whales and Bears We travelled for around an hour and a half, and then stopped at a local vineyard at Lake Cowichan. Averill Creek Wineries was owned and run by a Welsh Doctor. Are there are locals here?? He has thirty odd acres of vines, that they were actually going to start harvesting tomorrow. Every grape is picked by hand – there should be around sixty five tonnes of them. We had a very good explanation as why their wine is better than everyone else’s. No stomping or crushing grapes here – they all have to be treated very carefully to retain their flavour. They were all good – BC wine has a very good reputation, but they don’t make enough of it to export so it rarely goes outside of Canada. We arrived at Heron’s Landing in Campbell River for an overnight stay before moving to Knight Inlet where we are off to tomorrow. I hope the lodge is as good as the perceptions that I now have! We will see tomorrow. Heron’s Landing is the hotel used for the first night of a three night package to Knights Inlet. Because the float plane leaves early in the morning, this hotel is used to pick customers up from and take them to the float plane. It describes itself as a boutique hotel – I would call it more like a second hand shop. Whereas the hotel is clean and quite sufficient for a one nights stay, it is rather odd. The shuttle came at 8.30am to collect us, so we didn’t spend long here at all. Our luggage had to be split into two here also, as we can only take a small bag on the float plane. The main luggage is stored at the float plane terminal. There are two float planes and as there were two groups of us going to Knight Inlet today, both were being utilised. Check-in consisted of writing your name on a sheet of paper. This time last year there was a fire at the lodge, and the whole thing burned down. By the time it opened again at the beginning of June this year, they had bought another lodge from the west side of Vancouver Island and towed it around to where the old one was, and a complete new Knight Inlet was born.

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and was minding his own business eating it on a rock, when a full grown one came down, pushed him off and took his breakfast. Nothing like seniority! There were s e v e r a l waterfalls, and sheer granite s h e e t s soaring high into the sky. Parts were very much like Norwegian Fjords. After a couple of hours out on the water we made our way back to the lodge for the main show of the day – a trip out to the v i e w i n g platforms to see the Grizzlies. And there were bears in the river! Salmon are still running up the river, and it is easy food for the bears. They apparently need around 22,000 calories a day.

The journey was very smooth, and very picturesque. Apart from a few low clouds that appeared every now and then, the views were of mountains, forests and water. Very little else, and the further north we went the less we saw of any buildings. Apart from Knight Inlet, there are no other buildings anywhere near here. We did a very quick check in. We had to sign a disclaimer – not sure what it was for as I didn’t read it, but were told that it was for feeding us to the bears. Were they joking?? The rooms was fairly basic, no TVs, internet, phone signal or any other modern device, including hair driers. This was an old fishing lodge before it was towed here. Soon we were out on our first trip. All the outdoor gear is provided here. An hour’s boat ride in and around the estuary of the lodge. The boat was so comfortable – everyone had a lovely seat that did a 360 degree swivel. Fantastic for taking photos at every angle. The tide was out – low tide was at 10.00am this morning. There is so much bird life around the estuary and we first found a mating pair of bald eagles on top of an old pole sticking out of the water.

There must have been over a dozen bears on show, all of them female and their cubs – apparently the males don’t come out until all of the humans have gone. The bear viewing hours are from 8.00am until we left at 5.30pm . We got back to the lodge to have a quick change and then chose the trips we wanted to do the next day, whilst appetisers were being served.

There were also seals swimming with their heads out of the water everywhere. One juvenile eagle had caught a salmon

Bears, bears and more bears please!


Travel Stop raises money for charity Big enough to offer the world, small enough to care is our motto. We travel the world and see some glorious sites but also some sad ones. Every year we raise funds for local and worldwide charities. If you feel you can make a donation, please follow the link on our website. Thank you.

EVERY 20 SECONDS A CHILD WILL DIE BECAUSE OF UNSAFE WATER


Travel Stop is an award winning, established, independent travel agency specialising in cruises, Europe, long haul and tailor-made holidays worldwide.

Why Travel Stop? 

Independent: Not linked to any of the large travel conglomerates, so we can concentrate on finding the best holiday for you at a competitive price.

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