Sports+Travel Hong Kong 2017 Issue 49

2017 Free

ISSUE 49

Culture Issue

Tasmania | Mediterranean | Canada

Š Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service

2017 ISSUE 49

© Ken Berg

06 Tribes Temples and Truce

THAILAND’S KANCHANABURI PROVINCE

08 Cultural Compilation 12

CHRISTMAS ISLAND & COCOS KEELING ISLAND

LISBON TO EVORA

REGULARS

Eco Tasmania

05

Publisher's Note

10

Gear Guide

ISLANDS OF THE MED

14

Travel Tips

Brewed with History

25

Travel News

30

Events

GREEN TOURS IN TASMANIA

15 Sun, Sea and History 18

26 Of Coconuts and Crabs

NAGANO'S SAKE CULTURE

20 The Slithering Ground

MANITOBA’S SPRING SNAKES

22 Melting Pot

SARAWAK’S TRIBES & CULTURES

OUR TEAM PUBLISHER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF CREATIVE DIRECTOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER FINANCE & ADMIN MARKETING & ADVERTISING DIGITAL MARKETING & OPERATIONS

Sports and Travel Limited publisher@sportsandtravel.com.hk Aaron K. Stewart astewart@sportsandtravel.com.hk Lynn Ooi Marilyn Wong mwong@sportsandtravel.com.hk Hylda Low hlow@sportsandtravel.com.hk

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Jesse Ting jting@sportsandtravel.com.hk

CONTRIBUTORS

SPECIAL THANKS

Jethro Wegener Ken Berg Linda Cash Wilson Low

A2A Safaris Kiroro Resort Sarawak Tourism Board Taiwan Tourism Bureau Hong Kong Office Visit Svalbard

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Publisher's Note

05

Dear Fellow Travellers, In this Culture Issue we start with Thailand’s Kanchanaburi province, famous for its WW2 Death Railway. The area is also home to hill tribes and a dearth of national parks where you can go canyoning, hiking or swimming.

Further afield, we drop in on Portugal’s Lisbon, home to Roman and Moorish ruins, and grand plazas lined with sun-drenched cafes; nearby is Evora, one of Portugal’s most beautifully preserved medieval towns, with winding lanes and elaborate medieval architecture.

Tasmania’s lush bushwalks are always a reason to visit, with an abundant 1.4 million hectares of national parks to explore, or for something that will get your adrenaline going, rafting down the 125km Franklin River is always an exhilarating change of pace.

We share a snapshot of 3 islands with different personalities in the Mediterranean. There’s Malta, with its ochre-hued capital of Valetta; Cyprus, home to Byzantine churches and Roman amphitheatres; and finally Corsica, birthplace of Napoleon.

Sake is Japan’s national drink, and a great place to sample the tipple is in Nagano, home to some of the oldest breweries. From the castle town of Matsumoto to the Edo-period town of Obuse, explore some of the prefecture’s highlights while you sample their brews.

If you’re in Canada’s Winnepeg in spring, check out the Narcisse dens, where you can watch tens of thousands of garter snakes emerge from their dens to partake in a mass orgy.

Sarawak is home to many indigenous tribes that form a colourful backdrop to this Malaysian state. It also boasts plenty of caving and hiking opportunities in Mulu caves.

When in Christmas Island, check out its wildlife: it is bird watching season soon, and you can pepper it with awesome diving year round. Its closest Aussie neighbour, Cocos (Keeling) Island is even more remote, and consists of sea-level sand bars. Here, one can relax, try kite surfing, or head underwater to check out its mantas.

Until then, Happy Trails!

Sports+Travel Ltd

THAILAND’S KANCHANABURI PROVINCE From the urban sprawl of Bangkok, to white sandy beaches and clear blue seas in the south, many of Thailand’s major destinations like Krabi, Phuket and Samui, will already be extremely familiar to regional travellers. Then there’s Kanchanaburi, a province that is well worth a visit for its rich culture, intriguing war history, and natural beauty.

Located about 120km north of Bangkok, it is home to numerous national parks, massive caves, rivers, waterfalls and temples. However, the big draw for tourists is the area’s WWII history, which includes the infamous Death Railway and the Bridge on the River Kwai.

HISTORY

WWII Events For WWII history buffs, the province provides plenty of attractions. The most famous perhaps is the arched railway bridge that spans across the Kwai Yai River, which was immortalised in the 1957 film Bridge over the River Kwai, and still stands to this day. It was part of the Death Railway which was built between 1942 and 1943 by the Japanese during WWII, using POW and slave labour, as a 415km-long supply chain for their army between Thailand and Myanmar. It is estimated that over 100,000 workers have died from disease and exhaustion.

Today, visitors can take a train trip – as part of the State Railway of Thailand – along the Death Railway from Bangkok from Noktok Station (weekends and public holidays), or simply walk across the bridge.

Every year, the River Kwai Bridge Festival is organised to mark the Allied bombing of the bridge on November 28, 1944, with a spectacular light and sound show.

Besides the train ride in Kanchanaburi, you can visit the Thailand Burma Railway Centre, a museum dedicated to WWII POWs or the JEATH War Museum.

Tribes and Culture The province of Kanchanaburi is home to several hill tribes who have settled in the area for thousands of years. Among the tribes that call the area home are the Karen and the Mon people, the population of which spread out to neighbouring Myanmar.

Perhaps the most distinctive are the Karen people, who are known for wearing stacks of neck rings to give them the appearance

of having long, graceful necks. The Mon tribe’s women are known for their colourful, beaded costumes; there is a Mon Tribal Village which is set up for visitors to experience its dances and cuisine.

For travellers who want to immerse themselves in their culture, homestays with both the Karen and the Mon can be arranged.

The home stay will be in one of the homes in a rustic village surrounded by lush green jungle and farmland.

Accommodation will be basic (think bamboo houses on stilts), but includes homemade meals. It’s a great opportunity to learn how these tribes live off the land, experience their fascinating customs and even a wedding if you’re lucky. Depending on the operator you choose, there are also opportunities for jungle trekking, rafting, or elephant encounters.

Temples and Ruins There are also a host of monuments and temples to visit, some of which are close to the town. These include the magnificent cave temples of Wat Tham Mungkornthong and Wat Tham Khao Pun (famous for an incredible performance of a nun floating on the surface of a deep pool), as well as Wat Tham Phu Wa, which is known for its meditation courses.

The huge Prasat Muang Singh Historical Park, not far from the city centre, features Khmer ruins that were estimated to be built between 857 and 1157. The main remaining structure is Prasat Mueang Sing (Tower of the City of Lions), framed by city walls.

Another popular site is the Three Pagodas Pass – named after the 3 small, crum-

ADVENTURES IN NATIONAL PARKS

Kanchanaburi is home to five national parks that play host to an incredible range of landscapes.

The Erawan National Park has one of the best known natural attractions in the area – the seven-tiered Erawan Falls, with its clear, blue water surrounded by lush greenery and limestone formations. Visitors can also explore the Pra That Cave with its cavernous chambers and ancient stalagmites and stalactites. Wildlife in the park includes elephants, gibbons and the odd King Cobra.

Sri Nakarin National Park is known for its relaxing natural hot springs and the picturesque Huay Mae Khamin Waterfalls. The park is the origin of the Kwae Yai River and plays host to an incredible array of wildlife, including civets, bats, and rare leopards and slow lorises.

was part of the Death Railway during WWII. Today, the pass links Sangkhlaburi (Thailand) to Payathonsu in Myanmar’s Kayin State, a region that is home to several hill tribes.

There is a Mon village that is linked to Sangkhlaburi via the iconic Mon Bridge, the longest wooden bridge in Thailand. bling stupas at the site – which marks the Thai-Myanmar border. Located 4-5 hours from Kanchanaburi town, this was a stop on one of the early trade routes during the Ayutthaya period (14th-18th centuries), and

While foreign travellers can visit the pass on the Thailand side, currently only Thai nationals are allowed day-trips across the border to Myanmar.

One of the best places for a jungle trek are the narrow mountain trails at Thong Pha Phum National Park, with its serrated peaks bordering Myanmar. This ‘Land of Fog and Freezing Rainforest’ is most known for its treetop accommodations that are up to 10m high, which make for ideal places to spot wildlife like palm civets, serow and muntjacs.

Lam Khlong Ngu National Park is a great place for caving, as the river flows through an intricate limestone cave system that requires trekking, climbing, crossing fast-flowing streams and jumping off waterfalls into deep pools to traverse.

The terrain surrounding the city also makes it an ideal place to go mountain biking – quite a few tour companies offer biking tours – as well as kayaking or whitewater rafting through the jungle in the rivers of the north.

GETTING THERE

Kanchanaburi town is 128kms from Bangkok, and is accessible by regular buses and trains (which brings you to the Death Railway), both taking about 2-3 hours. To get around Kanchanaburi town, you can opt to ride around in songthaews (converted pickups), or rent a bicycle, as the town is a little too spread out to explore on foot.

For more on Kanchanaburi, visit Tourism Thailand’s site: www.tourismthailand.org.

LISBON TO EVORA TEXT BY Jethro Wegener

While long popular with European travellers, among Asians, Portugal is often one of the continent’s least known destinations. The country boasts pristine sandy beaches, a rugged coastline and architecturally significant cities, all combined with great food, wine, a rich history and traditional culture that includes everything from Roman ruins to Renaissance palaces, medieval castles and cobblestone villages.

Mountains make up much of Portugal’s northern border with Spain, and are typically dotted with historic hilltop towns, making the region ideal for trekking, mountain biking and kayaking (in season). Further south, the land changes to rolling hills and vast plains in Alentejo, with ancient stone villages spread across the region. While on the coast, Portugal’s great seafaring history is on display in the antique grandeur of its key cities, Lisbon and Porto.

LISBON

Portugal’s capital city, Lisbon, is mainland Europe’s westernmost metropolis. Spread over a range of hills north of the Tagus River, Lisbon has an impressive mix of old, and often surprisingly modern architecture.

The oldest neighbourhoods boast stepped alleys that date back to Moorish times, lined with pastel-coloured houses. Simply wander around, and you’ll find stunning vantage points everywhere, with incredible views of the city and river.

The city centre, which dates back to the 18th century, has black and white cobblestone sidewalks that border wide boulevards. Century-old trams rattle along busy streets and up steep hills, past ancient churches, quaint restaurants and fountains, giving you a sense of having stepped back in time. While certain parts of the city have given way to modernity, most of the city retains its old-world charm, like the Baixa district, a place where age-old herbalists, haberdashers

and tailors still ply their trade in the streets of the city centre.

Art is on display everywhere in the old city, in the form of azulejos, Portugal’s signature painted blue tiles. Adorning the outsides of buildings and walls, they form an artistic street art legacy all their own, in areas like Baixa and Praça dos Restauradores.

Set atop Lisbon’s highest hill, the Moorishera Alfama neighbourhood, with its amber walls and dusty lanes circling the medieval Castelo de São Jorge, towers over the town below. The city’s best-preserved ancient neighbourhood, it escaped the great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755 that leveled much of the city. Today Alfama is the spiritual home of fado - Portugal’s unique, melancholic style of folk singing.

The city is also a haven for nightlife; head down to the bar-filled, cobbled lanes of Bairro Alto, where live music filters out of the bars.

EVORA

Located 130km east of Lisbon is the historic walled city of Evora, one of the country’s most beautifully preserved towns. Rising out of the plains of the Alto Alentejo region, this is the ideal place to experience a rich mix of ancient cultures.

The ancient city had already been settled by the Celts, Romans, Visigoths and Moors, before the Portuguese gained control, with Roman ruins, standing right next to churches, convents and the grand palaces of Portuguese kings.

The Temple of Diana, an ancient Roman temple dating back to the 2nd century, is perhaps one of the city’s most famous landmarks. One of the best preserved

monuments in the region, it is raised on a 3m-high stone platform, with 14 of the original columns still standing.

While Evora’s main square, Praça do Giraldo, was an execution ground during the Inquisition, it is now filled with cafes serving local specialties including Alentejo’s renowned local wines, all with views of historic sites, including a 1571 fountain at the Renaissance Santo Antão Church, and the old Jesuit University, founded in 1559.

A particular highlight is the famous Igreja de São Francisco. Completed in 1510, this imposing Gothic church is said to house the remains of famed playwright, Gil Vicente. However, it is most famous for the bodies that aren’t buried. The bones and skulls of over 5,000 people cover the walls in the church’s Chapel of Bones, making for an impressive, if macabre experience, accentuated by a sign which reads ‘We bones that are here, await yours’.

Picnics can be had at the public gardens near the church, which are home to the 16th century Dom Manuel Palace. This ancient structure was built in the Gothic, Manueline, neo-Moorish, and Renaissance styles, and was where Vasco de Gama received his commission, before going on to pioneer the sea route to India.

Just outside the city walls are the towering ruins of the Agua de Prata Acqueduct, along with Ermita de São Brás shrine.

Resembling a medieval castle with its

battlements and gargoyles, it’s actually a fortified church built by King João II following an outbreak of plague.

Another interesting site is the Portuguese Stonehenge – the Almendres Cromlech.

Regarded as the most important megalithic site in Iberia, it’s a huge oval of almost 100 granite monoliths, engraved with ancient

markings, which belong to Portugal’s early, pre-Christian past.

A great way to see Evora and also get some exercise is on a bicycle tour. Various companies offer historical bike tours that take you through the picturesque oak forests, across quiet trails and past many of Evora’s most famous sites.

GEAR GUIDE

ALPHA - LENYO ALPHA

Convertible? Café? Lake? The Lenyo makes a great impression everywhere and relies on tried and tested ALPINA quality. Strongly mirrored, impact- and scratchresistant Ceramic lenses offer protection against UV and infrared radiation. The rubberised arms aren’t only part of the design, but increase wearing comfort and prevent slipping.

LENYO

ARCTERYX – NORVAN VT SHOE A high-performance trail running shoe with enhanced climbing and scrambling capabilities, the Norvan VT delivers excellent traction and support on unpredictable terrain. The adjustable 360° support system instantly switches from a higher volume run mode to a precisefitting climb mode. Fixed Adaptive Fit Technology wraps the foot and seals out debris, and the custom Vibram® sole combines a sticky Idrogrip forefoot for traction on slickrock and wet trails with a Megagrip compound for durability.

Arcteryx Norvan VT Shoe

GREGORY – MAVEN 55 A heavy pack saps your energy and steals the fun out of long weekends in the backcountry. But when you’re packing up camp and hitting the trail in the morning, slinging the Maven 55 over your shoulders is a totally new and excellent experience, thanks to its lightweight design, extensive feature list, and ventilated Aerolon suspension.

Gregory Maven 55

STRETCH RAIN FULL ZIP PANTS These rain pants feature STRETCH DRY-TEC™, our proprietary waterproof breathable fabric with amazing stretch, throughout.

These pants aren’t restrictive, letting you move smoothly and with ease. Traditional rainwear lacks the smoothness of movement you need when engaging in intense physical activity -- now that’s never an issue. A clean, non-bunching silhouette and fully-opening sides, among other features, bring a wide range of functionality. *Fully opens at cuffs.

STRETCH RAIN FULL ZIP PANTS

SALOMON – S-LAB ULTRA 8

Platypus – Dual Lock Soft Bottle

Ditch the idea of a bag. Minimalist, balanced, super efficient,the SLAB Sense Ultra 8 is the ultimate gear stowing solution,designed for and by top athletes for long distances in tough conditions. It’s fun to reinvent the rules. All your vital kit sits tight and close, right where you need it. Wear it, forget you’re wearing it, and give the run your all.

Salomon S-Lab Ultra 8

11

PLATYPUS – DUAL LOCK SOFT BOTTLE

New flexible water bottle with dual-locking cap.

Our newest innovation, the DuoLock™ SoftBottle™ flexible water bottle features a ground breaking dual-locking cap for double the leak protection. This flexible bottle is easy to fill and carry, making it great for day hikes or any adventure.

SALOMON – SOFT SHELL CAP

The Softshell Cap sheds water like a tropical bird, and breathes when you work up a sweat, with laser cut holes for ventilation.

Weather protection Mountains dish out weather as randomly as a lunch counter lady. Luckily, the softshell fabric of this cap sheds wind and moisture, without overheating.

Breathability Keep a cool head when weather starts to get nasty, the breathable softshell fabric lets excess heat escape.

THERMAREST – NEROAIR® ALL SEASON™

Exceptionally compact, light and rugged four-season mattress with ultra-fast inflation/deflation. All Season inflates up to three times faster and deflates instantly.

Multiple layers of ThermaCapture™ technology make it one of our warmest and most versatile NeoAir® mattresses.

Stretch comfort Lightweight and stretch, the softshell fabric stays comfortable, kilometre after kilometre.

Salomon– Soft Shell Cap

Thermarest – NeroAir® All Season™

© Tourism Tasmania

© Tourism Tasmania

In the 1980s, when much of the world was consumed by a fascination with shoulder pads and Duran Duran, Tasmanians came up with Australia’s first ever Green Party. In 1982, some of its foundation members helped successfully lobby for Tasmania’s wilderness to be World Heritage-listed. The Tasmanian WHA includes four contiguous national parks and covers almost 1.4 million hectares or, incredibly, some 20% of the island.

© Tourism Tasmania

Twenty six years on from the WHA listing, Tasmanians still take all their wild greenery seriously. There are 17 World Heritage Areas in Australia, but perhaps none influence a state’s psyche as much as it does for Tasmanians. And yet, access to some of the very best parts of the Tasmanian wilderness doesn’t require any great odyssey. Tasmania’s astoundingly diverse wilderness is incredibly accessible. Not surprisingly, there all sorts of ways to take an eco-trip through Tasmania.

TEXT BY Greg Clarke IMAGES BY Tourism Tasmania

GREEN TOURS IN TASMANIA OVERLAND TRACK The 65km Overland Track is Tasmania’s most acclaimed hiking trail. It is etched from a staggeringly diverse wilderness and weaves through an ancient jigsaw of lakes, craggy dolerite peaks, buttongrass plains, rainforest and waterfalls. In a considerable bonus, some of the wildlife can be as prolific as the mostly unreconstructed surrounds.

The walk begins at the northern edge of the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, part of the WHA. The name of the park takes its lead from Cradle Mountain and the first few hours of this alpine adventure tracks up to a plateau right beside it.

Cradle Mountain and nearby Dove Lake are Tasmanian icons – but that’s not all; you only have to boot it along a fraction of the track before entering a gallery of other master-pieces by Mother Nature. Sitting by one of the many tarns glazed with reflections of the surrounding wilderness,

walking through relic Gondwanan forests of myrtle and sassafras trees and an encounter with a fretless wombat can rival the icons.

This well-maintained trail is visited by thousands of people every year. Some walkers choose a fully-guided group hike while others trek solo. There are free public huts along the track with basic sleeping platforms. As it’s only about 9km between huts on most days, there are several options for a detour off the main track.

There is, for example, a trail to the top of Mount Ossa (1,617m), the highest mountain in Tasmania.

Allowing for a few side trips, the Overland Track (www.overlandtrack.com.au) typically takes 6 days to complete. On your last day on the trail, you can opt to take a ferry to Cynthia Bay, part of Lake St Clair, and the official end of the track. Given that the WHA stretches some 160km to the southern tip of Tasmania, you could keep going and lose yourself for a month or so.

© Tourism Tasmania

Tasmania isn’t just for explorers. If you don’t feel like going it alone and being self-sufficient, much of Tassie’s wilds can be discovered in a style that would even suit Russian oligarchs. A number of companies operate walking tours that combine mostly unreconstructed wilds and Tasmania’s increasingly lauded fresh produce. Oysters fatter than an unexercised dog, cheeses that are never wrapped in plastic and local wines are often on the gourmet-walk menu.

Guests on the 4-day Freycinet Experience Walk (www.freycinet.com.au) explore the incredible coast around the Freycinet Peninsula. The hiking comes with sustainable comforts, spending 3 nights at The Friendly Beaches Lodge (an award-winner from the Royal Australian

Institute of Architecture for its sustainable design), constructed entirely from Tasmanian plantation hardwood and rests lightly within the delicate coastal bushland along Friendly Beaches and is not connected to town's water or electricity grid.

Maria Island sits off the east coast of the Tasmanian mainland. The entire island is national park, meaning that there is no access for private vehicles. This is good news for not just walkers, but also Forester kangaroos and wombats, which are seen readily during the day. Elsewhere about Darlington and fields clipped like golf green, Cape Barren Geese sit on nests, unperturbed about approaching strangers.

Maria (the ‘i’ is pronounced like the ‘i’ in island) is often referred to as a type of

© Tourism Tasmania

Noah’s Ark. The geese and the kangaroos were sent to the island, a national park since 1972, to breed insurance populations. The island is also a stronghold for other birds, including the forty-spotted pardalote.

The four-day Maria Island Walk is an award-winning, fully-guided walk. Gourmet foods with fresh, local provenance and fine wines feature as much as the unspoilt wilds. This family-owned venture was a finalist in the Best Eco/Wilderness Adventure in 2004/06.

Australia

GOURMET HIKES

13

The Walk (www.mariaislandwalk.com.au) provides easy adventure with 2 guides and a maximum of 8 guests, and accommodation is in private beachfront standing camps but the final night is spent in the heritage-listed, colonial-era house (solar panels provide power and are discretely hidden).

RAFTING THE FRANKLIN The Franklin River has a mythical status in Australia and flows 125km through the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park. Damming it was once proposed and the fight over retaining its wild state fomented the Green Party. With its emotive and unreconstructed wilds, the river has been a muse for photographers and writers from around the world.

The best time to raft the Franklin is between December and March when the weather is relatively stable, though southwest Tasmania is renowned for its wild weather. But rafting the Franklin comes with another warning: stories of personal epiphanies while rafting the Franklin are not uncommon.

Visit www.discovertasmania.com for more information on Tasmania.

WILDLIFE CRUISE The 3-hour Tasman Island Cruises tour (www.tasmancruises.com.au) leaves from Pirates Bay, an easy one hour drive southeast of Hobart. It gets you up close to sea caves, Tasman Island and wildlife including seals, albatross, dolphins and sometimes whales.

Tasman Island Cruises and sister tour Bruny Island Charters (www.brunycharters.com.au) have helped to establish the Tasmanian Coast Conservation Fund to provide support to the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service, which manages Tasmania’s national parks and marine.

A proportion of every ticket sold is donated to the fund.

Nicholas Shakespeare, an English author so enamoured of Tasmania that he lives part of the year on the island, wrote of the Franklin River: ‘One of the last wilderness areas on Earth and until you've walked earth that other homo sapiens haven’t trodden, you don’t know what you’re missing. I spent six days drifting downstream past ancient Huon pines that were alive when Christ was crucified. There is a rhythm between complete calm where the river is carrying you along – when cliff faces, trees and the sky are reflected in the water – and the rapids, when your life flashes past you. It was an extraordinary experience’.

It doesn’t take that long to get a new perspective on life: typically rafting expeditions last from 8-14 days. A number of companies operate river expeditions.

OUTDOOR

If you’re the type of traveller who needs images or videos to accompany every single minute of your adventure, then here are some alternative options for those who don’t want the hassle of lugging their DSLRs with the accompanying lenses. Not only do they take up space and weight, they also damage easily. Here are some alternative photo/video taking cameras you can pack on your next trip:

ACTION CAMS

Everyone is familiar with GoPro, the industry leader when it comes to tough cameras you can mount on your helmet/ bike/chest/car and film every moment of your adventure.

reach.

Sony’s 4K Action Cam gives you the option to add a live view wristband remote for when you’re mounting the camera out of

Even on a budget, there are alternatives, although film quality may not be great especially in low light.

The GoPro Hero 4 is also used by many professional filmmakers. However, plenty of alternative action cams are also available, each with their different selling points. What they do have in common are resistance to water, shock and dust, and the unfortunate battery life of under 3 hours.

For better quality images, the Nikon 1 range has interchangeable lenses so you can customise your shots according to the condition.

PHONES

While our smartphones these days have a multitude of functions, including GPS, cameras and a capacity for tons of apps, they are sometimes more fragile than a biscuit. However, with the profusion of HTC’s Re is a periscope-shaped gizmo that has image stabilisation and up to 128GB storage, while Sony’s HDR-AS20 is marketed as a cheaper cousin to the 4K, and has built-in Wifi.

Both the TomTom Bandit and Garmin Virb have GPS functions to make it possible

TOUGH CAMS

For those who want to preview all their shots in full colour, a tough cam may be a better option, and a bonus is that they have better battery life when in phototaking mode. All of these feature rugged

tough cases out there, you have plenty of options to keep your phone safe and take great outdoor photos or videos.

A number of cases these days are both waterproof and shockproof, with additional pro lens attachments (flat, wide, super

for automatically geotagging locations, while motion sensors track your actions; the Garmin is waterproof without an extra casing. casings and are shockproof, freezeproof, dustproof, and waterproof (some up to 15m).

The Panasonic Lumix FT5 comes with built-in GPS for geotagging, while the Olympus Stylus TG-4 features built-in Wifi for easy sharing of images.

wide, telephoto and macro) and optional mounts. These include Optrix with its easy-to-fit housing and optional iPhone remote, as well as Hitcase which has a ShockWave seal to enhance audio quality.

Mediterranean

15 As a region, the Mediterranean has played a vastly important role in world history. Having seen the rise (and fall) of everyone from the early Greeks and Romans, to the Crusaders, Ottomans and Venetians, it’s no coincidence that many of its most tranquil tourism destinations today actually have long, storied pasts.

Corsica

Malta

MALTA Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum Situated in an unassuming hillside above Valetta, the stunning 6,000 year old Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum was hidden from the world until being accidentally discovered in 1902.

Owing to its millennia of history, tiny Malta boasts 3 major UNESCO sites: its Renaissance-era capital, Valetta, the ancient Hypogeum of Saflieni, and its 6,000 year old monolithic temples.

The hypogeum (“underground chamber”) may have been an ancient sanctuary for Malta’s earliest inhabitants, before becoming a burial chamber around 4,000BC. Estimated to be at least 6,000 years old, it was built using only basic bone and stone tools, carved to resemble the aboveground monolithic temples.

Monoliths of Malta Spread across the neighbouring islands of Malta and Gozo, the 7 individual monolithic temples were constructed over 1,000 years and are some of the oldest stone structures on earth.

Masterpiece of Neolithic-era craftsmanship, they are adorned with extensive carvings on interlocking walls supporting huge crossbeams that are marvels of early engineering. Previously neglected, since their UNESCO inscription in 1980 substantial conservation efforts have made them some of modern Europe’s most significant ancient sites.

Today, the Hypogeum is one of the world’s best-preserved Neolithic sites, yielding up artifacts of immeasurable value, including the famed “Sleeping Lady” statue.

The City of Valetta Founded by the Phoenecians around 800BC, Malta’s capital Valetta has seen

every major Mediterranean civilization since. Home to 320 historic monuments, Valetta owes its huge cache of exquisite Renaissance architecture to the Knights of St. John, who rebuilt the city following the Siege of Malta in 1565.

Conceived on a single, uniform grid by the most famous architects of the era, Valetta’s compact design integrates a vast array of religious, municipal and military structures into an area that’s a fifth the size of Singapore’s CBD. While many individual homes are themselves monuments, some of Valetta’s most significant public sites include the Palace of the Grand Master, the churches of Our Lady of Victory and St. Catherine, and the vast Manoel Theatre.

CYPRUS Thanks to its strategic position in the eastern Mediterranean, the island of Cyprus has been a meeting place for all the great cultures of antiquity for millennia, leaving it with a wealth of historic sites.

Paphos Dating from Cyprus’s ancient Mycenaean era, the UNESCO-listed ruins of Paphos are a sprawling, open air museum.

Situated on Cyprus’s southwest coast, “Old Paphos” was dedicated to the cult of Aphrodite, centred on “Aphrodite’s Rock”, the mythical birthplace of the goddess.

The sprawling site encompasses Nea Paphos (Aphrodite’s Sacred City) and the necropolis of Tafoi ton Vasileon (“Tombs of the Kings”), and includes amphitheatres, palaces and tombs, comprising one of the most extensive ancient sites in the world.

Built in stages from 1,200BC, Paphos encompasses the Mycenaean, GrecoRoman and medieval Byzantine periods.

Cited by scholars to be among the most beautiful mosaics in the world, Paphos’s most significant structure is the House of Dionysos (ca. 300AD), which has over 500sq.m. of vibrant mosaics depicting daily life alongside mythological scenes. Other sites include the vast Villa of Theseus, with over 100 rooms, and frescoes depicting Achilles and the Minotaur, alongside ruins of the Byzantineera Castle of Forty Columns.

Choirokoitia (Khirokitia) Located inland from the famous beaches of Larnaka, the abandoned village of Choirokoitia dates back nearly 9,000

years, and is now regarded as one of the most important archeological sites in the Mediterranean.

Choirokoitia‘s well-preserved hilltop ruins were originally part of ancient mud brick fortifications, enclosing homes and burial pits. While excavations are still in their infancy, a vast number of tools, carved idols and funerary goods are shedding entirely new light on early civilization in the region, which as UNESCO states, “has few known parallels”.

Painted Churches in the Troodos Region The soaring Troodos Mountains in central Cyprus are home to the island’s most historic churches.

Dating from the 11th century, Troodos’s 10 UNESCO-listed “painted churches” range from small village chapels like St. Nicholas of the Roof in Kakopetria, to the comparatively vast Monastery of St. John Lampadistis, and exemplify the classical Byzantine iconographic art style with their exquisitely detailed murals.

Depicting scenes from the life of Christ and various saints, the paintings juxtapose the exquisite skill and grand style of the artwork, against the oftenhumble architecture of the churches themselves.

Created over centuries, later murals seamlessly incorporate both classical “Eastern” (Byzantine), and later Italian Renaissance techniques.

Thanks to their remote location, the churches of Troodos survived the island’s various upheavals over the centuries, as well as the large-scale looting of religious artwork in northern Cyprus since the Turkish invasion in 1974.

Mediterranean

17 CORSICA Corsica was once an epicenter of exploration and conquest, under native sons like Napoleon, and, as many Corsicans claim, Christopher Colombus. Corsica’s culture is a mélange of French and Italian (thanks to its Genoese past), alongside aspects of Africa – as seen on its “Moor’s head” flag.

Much of inland Corsica is mountainous; it’s home to Europe’s toughest hiking route, the 15-day GR20.

Corte Located in the mountains, the historic town of Corte oozes traditional charm. The one-time capital of the former Corsican Republic, in many ways Corte seems frozen in time, from its towering 15th century citadel (known as “The Eagle’s Nest”), to its winding, narrow streets.

The substantial student body of Corte’s historic University of Corsica Pasquale Paoli gives the town a vibrant nightlife and café culture, in addition to the bustling outdoor scene, centred on stunning Restonica Valley (where the GR20 hiking route runs), making Corte a magnet for hikers and mountaineers.

Bastia Situated at the foot of Cap Corse, the geographic finger that juts from the tip of

the island, Bastia is where Corsica’s high peaks tumble down to the sea.

city’s picturesque citadel, guarding the entrance to Marina di Cardo.

Centred on its historic harbour, Bastia is divided into “old” and “new”, namely the districts of Terra Vecchia and Terra Nova, although even new is relative in the 15th century neighbourhood surrounding the

Meanwhile, along the city’s undulating waterfront, the narrow alleys of the medieval Terra Vecchia give Bastia a lived-in feel that makes it both historic, but present.

Ajaccio By comparison to Bastia, Ajaccio’s sun-kissed coast emanates classic Mediterranean glamour. Birthplace of Napoleon, its brightly painted houses give it a historic charm.

The city’s most famous son still looms large, from Napoleon Bonaparte Airport, to Maison Bonaparte (his childhood home), to grand statues like the one donned in imperial Roman garb flanked by lions on the palm-lined Place du Maréchal-Joffre.

While yachts and traditional fishing boats moor along its waterfront, the mountains of Ajaccio’s backcountry are where things get interesting, where you can go kayaking in spring and mountain biking in summer.

The landlocked prefecture of Nagano is set amidst some breathtaking mountain ranges. These mighty ridges are so imposing, both physically and culturally, that they tend to overshadow another one of Nagano’s important features: abundant, high-quality water.

Water flows through all parts of the prefecture, whether in the form of natural mountain springs, snaking streams, or hot springs in towns.

Abundant water, quality rice, and a pristine brewing environment have combined to make Nagano a great sake producer throughout history.

But Nagano is more than just sake: it’s home to sacred mountains, ancient cities, quaint hamlets, and soothing onsen. Every season has its highlights – skiing in the winter, cherry blossoms in the spring, festivals in the summer, and autumn foliage.

NAGANO SAKE

The prefecture is home to 72 sake breweries, the second largest number in Japan after Niigata, brewing many labels of internationally acclaimed sake.

What makes Nagano’s sakes distinctive, aside from their brews, is their rich cultural history. For instance, Shusen Kurano, the prefecture’s oldest brewery, was founded in 1540 – Takeda Shingen, a famous Sengoku-period warrior, sipped sake here during one of his many battles.

Another brewery, Masuichi-Ichimura, founded in 1755, is known for hosting Katsushika Hokusai, Japan’s best-known ukiyo-e artist, who produced some great works in Obuse.

The town of Suwa is home to no less than 5 established sake breweries that line a 400m stretch of historic road. Among these is Miyasaka Brewery, established in 1662, is housed in an elegant Edo-period shop where visitors can sample their sake and other local produce.

While tasting is free at all breweries, a small fee gets you a souvenir ochoko (sake cup) from each brewery, and a sake tasting flight at Miyasaka.

Every year in March, the 5 sake brewers organise the Nomi Aruki, a sake drinking festival where one ticket (¥3,000) gets you free-flow sake, snacks and entertainment.

SAKE APPRECIATION

Those who have only come across clear, colourless sake – the most widely marketed form – may be surprised that sake can take on many other colours (milky white, pale yellow, and amber) and textures (thick, fizzy, light). These days, you can also find new variations, including low-alcohol, and ‘sparkling’ sake.

The flavour of sake differs drastically from one brew to another, according from the differences between rice and yeast varieties, water characteristics, as well as brewing and bottling processes.

Age is the first thing you should pick up on, when reading a sake label. Freshly brewed sake is naturally fizzy, and has a slightly fruity odour, while aged sake acquires a gorgeous amber tint, and smoother, longer-lasting flavours.

Another two technical factors worth noticing are the degree of rice milling (often

noted as percentages on the bottle) and level of alcohol added. Premium sake is often labelled “ginjo” (60%) or “daiginjo” (under 50%), meaning that it was made with highly polished rice; technically, the smaller the percentage – meaning a higher polish – the cleaner the taste (and the higher the price tag).

If your sake is made without additional alcohol, you will see the term “junmai”,

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literally meaning “pure rice”, and you can generally expect a fuller taste.

But adding alcohol doesn’t necessarily mean it’s masking an inferior sake – most times, it makes the sake smoother to drink.

Health Benefits?

Many Japanese people believe that sake has an anti-aging effect, thanks to its rich amino- and kojic acid content. Japanese researchers have found that sake may increase good cholesterol levels, and is much less acidic than wine. Studies have also shown that peptides extracted from sake can reduce hypertension.

Benefits also come from the filtration leftovers; called sake kasu, it’s full of amino acids and vitamins, and is sometimes served as a drink or cooked in meals.

Sampling Sake Much like wine, defining a good sake doesn’t necessarily boil down to price – the best way to find a preferred flavour is to go on sake-tasting trips. Plenty of small-scale breweries have shops that sell their variety of brews, with most offering free tasting.

Some sake breweries also produce craft beer, like Tamamura Honten which brews their Shiga Kogen beer with home-grown hops and rice.

ICONS OF NAGANO

Nagano is one of Japan’s landlocked prefectures, and has a rich cultural history acquired over the centuries.

rice, etc. Visitors can explore the private gardens of some residents and restaurants under the town’s “My Garden” programme.

Matsumoto Castle, for instance, passed through many hands after it was first built in 1504. It was constructed with a triple moat, a fortified five-tiered donjon, a turret, and low ceilings and steep stairs to slow down intruders. Today, the castle is a symbol of Matsumoto City, and is a popular place for locals to enjoy cherry blossom festivals in spring.

To the north of the prefecture lies Jigokudani (Hell Valley), famous for its hot spring-loving population of Japanese Macaques. Today, the 200 primates of Jigokudani Wild Monkey Park spend each winter bathing and socialising in their very own onsen – serving as a remarkable example of non-human culture.

The small Edo-period town of Obuse is also rich in heritage, with its variety of museums, narrow lanes lined with Edo-period houses, and a prestigious sake brewery.

The town is also known for its chestnuts and its related products like ice cream,

Nagano is also home to some of the most unique onsen towns. Bessho Onsen, one of Japan’s oldest, is packed full of designated “national treasures” and historic shrines. The famous Nozawa Onsen has been around since the 8th century, and its 13 public bathhouses (free for overnight

guests) range from modern to ancient, like the magnificent wooden temple-style Oyu bathhouse. The latter is also one of Nagano’s best ski resorts.

Most people would be surprised to know that the world’s largest congregation of snakes occurs on the edge of the Canadian Prairies in Manitoba, very close to the city of Winnipeg. In fact, there are so many snakes that emerge from their dens every spring that wherever the second place location is, it likely doesn’t even come close.

The estimates are that somewhere between 50,000 to 75,000 of these serpents wake up in the Narcisse Snake Dens each spring. The area used to be the floor of an enormous ancient lake (Lake Agassiz) and when the waters receded, it left a limestone bedrock that has allowed the red sided garter snakes to survive the cold Canadian winters. The rock’s crevasses and fissures allow the snakes to crawl down inside the earth and live off their fat stores for the winters.

In the spring, they all come out.

MANITOBA’S SPRING SNAKES

TEXT AND IMAGES BY Ken Berg

SNAKE EXPERIENCE

When you first walk up to the pits, what you see looks like a massive moving carpet from a scene straight out of an Indiana Jones movie. You can hear all the snakes moving over one another from a few meters away. As you get closer, you will notice that most of them are balled up together. It is mating ball.

Males emerge first and wait for female snakes. Then several males compete by crawling over the female to mate with her.

There have been reports of as many as 1,000 males trying to mate with a single female.

The snakes engage in a two to three week frenzy of mating activity, before dispersing to nearby marshes for the summer and returning to their dens in the fall.

Male snakes get no longer than 75cm and females no longer than 90cm. The average female is noticeably larger than its male counterpart.

Despite the huge numbers of snakes, there is no reason to be afraid. The red sided garter snake is not venomous and its teeth are so small that most bites would not even break skin.

Though it is fine to pick them up, is best not to disturb the mating balls; keep handling to a minimum to lessen your impact on the animals.

Be warned that they may poop on you as a defense mechanism.

The area – together with nearby Oak Marsh – is a great place for bird-watching, as it’s situated between Lake Manitoba and Lake Winnipeg.

For more details and snake activity updates, visit www.gov.mb.ca.

NEARBY ATTRACTIONS

Oak Hammock Marsh: May is a great time time to visit the marshes, one of North

America’s birding hotspots located along the way to the snake dens from Winnipeg.

Thousands of migratory shorebirds stop over here on their way north, including sandpipers, godwits and yellowlegs; you can explore the park along 30kms of trails.

Lake Winnipeg: One of the biggest bodies of freshwater in the world, it is 436km in length and 111km across at its widest point. Though it will be too cold to swim in it in May, both the lakeside town of

21 Gimli (home to the Icelandic Festival of Manitoba) and Grand Beach Provincial Park with its warm sand beach and 12m-high sand dunes are worth exploring.

If the weather turns, you can visit Winnipeg’s indoor attractions, including the Canadian Museum of Human Rights with impactful exhibits and amazing architecture, situated at the Forks of the Red and Assiniboine rivers where there are scenic river walks; and the Winnipeg Art Gallery which houses the world’s largest collection of Inuit art.

FAST FACTS

Where: The Narcisse Snake Dens are located approximately 130km north of Manitoba’s capital, Winnipeg. All 4 dens are connected by a 3km walking trail. The dens are fenced off, but there are viewing platforms and you will still see snakes outside of the pits.

Best time to go: Usually around the second weekend in May is the peak of the season but this does vary from year to year. Snakes are rarely still in the dens

by June, and are not very active until at least mid morning. They are cold blooded

creatures, so activity will be greater on warm sunny days.

Though all but the newborn/first year snakes return in September, you will not see them in nearly as high a number since they are not mating.

What to wear: Weather in May in Manitoba is unpredictable. On May 4th, 2016 the daytime low was -2.3ºC and the following day, the daytime high was 35.2ºC. Pack for 4 seasons, and decent walking shoes. Bring food and water, as there are no concessions near the dens.

© Sarawak Tourism

Known as ‘The Land of the Hornbills’, Sarawak is Malaysia’s largest state. Heavily swathed in lush tropical rainforest, it is home to some of the world’s most diversve ecosystems, encompassing everything from coastal swamps to ancient cave systems. Coupled with a rich and thriving tribal culture, Sarawak offers plenty of opportunities for both hard adventure and cultural exploration alike.

HISTORY

Sarawak has been inhabited for over 40,000 years, with the earliest hunter gatherers (ancestors of today’s Orang Asli) living in caves and forests. Over the following centuries, the arrival of traders and migrant tribes from around the region populated the state, forming the many different tribes – like the Melanau and formerly head-hunting Iban – that we know of today.

From the 19th century, Sarawak entered a historically colourful era under the rule of the so called “White Rajahs”. Founded

by British explorer James Brooke in 1841, his descendents would continued to rule Sarawak for over a century, before eventually ceding control to England after WWII. Known then as the Kingdom of Sarawak, the Brooke family’s legacy lives on still through their many historic forts (crucial in repelling pirates and quelling warring tribes) which still survive today.

© Sarawak Tourism

SARAWAK’S TRIBES & CULTURES Although many of these sub-groups are closely related, they each have their own language, culture and lifestyle. And while many of these ancient communities face immense challenges, today tourism is providing one of the most viable ways to sustain their living culture and traditions in the face of modern development, in the form of eco-tourism, festivals and homestays.

Melanau Numbering over 130,000, the Melanau are one of Sarawak’s largest tribal communities. Considered to be among Borneo’s earliest inhabitants, they were traditionally animists, and best known for their impressive “tall houses” – fortified to protect against marauding coastal pirates.

These days, most Melanau live in cities or kampong-style villages, but continue to celebrate traditional festivals such as Pesta Kaul, held annually on the third week of April to appease the spirits and bring good fortune.

Iban Sarawak’s single-largest ethnic group at nearly 30% of the population, Iban are renowned for their excellent craft work, and their tattoos which used to be symbols of bravery among the head-hunting warriors.

You can also experience the culture of these former head-hunters first-hand by staying in one of their traditional longhouses. Most longhouse visits will include a tour of the village with the chief, traditional dances in full ceremonial dress, and a serving or two of tuak (local liquor). Despite being mostly Christian these days, Iban still celebrate traditional festivals, including Gawai Antu (Festival of the Dead), which usually occurs in June.

TRIBAL CULTURE

Sarawak has a population of over 2 million people, made up of more than 40 ethnic groups, making it Malaysia’s most culturally and ethnically diverse state.

These comprise large indigenous communities such as the Bidayuh, Bugis, Iban and Orang Ulu, as well as comparatively tiny tribes such as the Penan, some of Sarawak’s last true hunter-gatherers.

Numerous operators offer regular visits to Melanau villages and traditional home stays, concentrated along the Rajang River (near Sibu) and nearby Mukah.

While few of these massive stilt structures remain today, homestays such as Lamin Dana (in Mukah) offer opportunities to experience traditional Melanau life first-hand.

Numerous tour operators provide overnight stays in rumah panjai (traditional Iban longhouses) across the state.

CAVE ADVENTURES

From abandoned gold mines in Bau to a host of world famous caves, Sarawak is an ideal place for amateur spelunking.

Niah National Park, for instance, is where you can see traces of the earliest homo sapiens in Sarawak, who called the area home over 40,000 years ago. The caves are located in the middle of the 3,000+ hectare park, 480km east of Kuching.

Surrounded by thick jungle, the main cave is a hollow 400m sandstone shaft, and is famous for its resident colony of swiftlets, which are known for their edible nests.

Local operators provide guided tours of the caves for multi-day expeditions.

fauna, including over 1,500 flowering plant species (including the world’s largest flower, the Rafflesia), 75 species of mammals and over 200 species of birds, which can be seen year-round, such as Sarawak’s state bird, the Rhinoceros Hornbill.

To explore Mulu, there are plenty of guided/self-guided options for multi-day hikes, day and night walks, climbing in the famous Pinnacles, and camping trips both in the jungle and the caves themselves.

The park is fairly remote, near the border with Brunei, and serviced via daily flights from Miri or Kuching into Mulu Airport.

Despite its seclusion, visitors can find a variety of accommodation options, ranging from the Park Headquarters’ bungalows and longhouses, to the nearby Benarat Inn, and the luxurious 5-start Mulu Marriott Resort.

A range of homestays are also available just outside the park.

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Gunung Mulu National Park There’s also Gunung Mulu National Park, home to the largest limestone cave system in the world. With four main caves (Deer, Lang’s, Clearwater and Wind), as well as a host of other smaller ones, it’s a veritable smörgåsbord of spelunking options.

The park is also home to the Sarawak Chamber, the largest known cave chamber in the world, as well as The Pinnacles – a series of jagged stone needles that rise up out of the jungle like a giant’s teeth – located 900m up the side of Mount Api. The park also has a rich array of flora and

© Sarawak Tourism © Sarawak Tourism

RAINFOREST WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL

The Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) is the state’s biggest music fest,

and brings together bands and musicians from around the world, as well as indigenous performances from all over Borneo.

Over three days, attendees will be treated to musical performances, interactive educational workshops, ethno-musical lectures and even jam sessions, allowing them to learn all about the rich culture and heritage of Sarawak. Held since 1998, it is now a major global music event with over 20,000 people attending annually. This year’s RWMF will be held from 5-7 August; more details can be found on their website at www.rwmf.net.

KUCHING MARATHON

August also sees the annual Kuching Marathon. One of the newest, major runs on the regional circuit. Bringing together runners from all over world, it is an event that takes participants through the city of Kuching, highlighting its unique colonial buildings and other attractions, setting out from the historic Padang Merdeka, past the Astana and the famous cat statue.

It consists of a full marathon (42km), a half marathon (21km), and runs of 10km and 5km. Happening on 14 August this year, registration details can be found on www.marathonkuching.com.

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REE STOPOVER

Christmas and Cocos are like two distant cousins, sharing a similar origin and history, but growing up into very different characters with very different physical appearance.

Both are volcanic in origin, but whereas Christmas Island sits atop an extinct volcano, Cocos are two sand atolls and 27 coral islands arranged around a horseshoe-shaped lagoon.

Christmas Island rises up to 360m and is topped with lush green rainforest, surrounded by an inhospitable coastline of jagged rocks and cliff faces falling vertically into the ocean. A few isolated beaches, and a single cove present the only place where a boat can safely land.

CHRISTMAS ISLAND & COCOS KEELING ISLAND

By contrast, the islands around Cocos lagoon rise just 5m above sea level, and the vista in every direction is that of ‘deserted tropical paradise’: an azure ocean, lapping on coconut-fringed, white sandy beaches.

Not coincidentally, both were colonised in order to be exploited by the same family of Scots using indentured labour from Singapore and Malaysia. First in 1820, John Clunies-Ross established a coconut plantation on the Cocos Islands, and later, his grandson established Settlement on Christmas Island to exploit the timber reserves in support of the coconut plantation.

TEXT BY Deborah Dickson-Smith and Simon Mallender

CHRISTMAS ISLAND Christmas Island rises 3,000m from the sea floor of the Java Trench, 500kms to the south of Java and its Indonesian capital Jakarta. Subject to the northwest monsoon in September and October, its climate and vegetation is not dissimilar to that of Java.

The island is covered in a mix of tropical and temperate rainforest to the edge of its rocky shore, which makes it the perfect breeding place for large numbers of migratory seabirds. Each species finds their own preferred spot, whether that’s at the top of the dense canopy, or in a huddle of stones by the shoreline.

A unique part of this forest, called The Dales, where water runs continuously down three valleys, provides the perfect damp habitat for land crabs, and it is where most of the island’s millions of land crabs live.

CRABS

Christmas Island is perhaps most famous for its population of red land crabs. It’s currently estimated at 60 million and is the reason why the rainforest floor is just bare mud, completely devoid of leaf litter – the crabs eat it all. One of the many reasons © William Patino

to visit Christmas Island is to behold the amazing sight of these 60 million crustaceans collectively coming out of the forest and heading to the sea on their annual migration.

The island is in fact home to over a dozen land crab species, and its second most notorious crab, noted for its size, rather than its population, is the Robber Crab. Named for its ability to stealthily drag off and consume anything that happens to be left unattended for just a moment, it’s known elsewhere in the Pacific as the coconut crab, for its ability to climb trees and steal coconuts.

BIRDLIFE

Christmas Island also has its share of endemic as well as migratory birds. Three species of frigatebird nest on the island, with up to 50 nests in a single tree. The Christmas Island Frigate, the largest Frigatebird at up to 1m long, is endemic to the Island.

Likewise, the Abbotts Booby, the world’s rarest Booby, nests only on Christmas Island, choosing spots high up in the forest canopy. The Red Footed Booby is a colo-

nial nester, choosing trees on the shore terraces, whereas the Brown Booby nests on the ground, on what amounts to little more than a huddle of sticks and stones.

Other birds only found on Christmas Island include the Goshawk, a bird of prey found only in the forests, the Hawk-Owl, Thrush and Imperial Pigeon.

MARINE LIFE

Almost the complete coastline of Christmas has a narrow coral reef before the island’s volcanic wall plunges to unimaginable depths.

The 88 species of corals in these shallower waters, fed rich nutrients from the deepwater upwelling and the abundant sunlight, grow to sizes not often seen elsewhere.

The lack of urban run-off and human visitors ensures that they remain in absolute pristine condition.

This pristine environment is home to millions of reef dwelling fish; over 650 species have been noted, and in the deeper water, pelagics: tiger sharks, manta rays and whale sharks come very close to the shore.

Divers are able to explore the reefs around Christmas Island all year round. Wet’n’Dry Adventure’s dive boat leaves Flying Fish Cove at Settlement twice each day for a double dive. There are reefs, caverns and walls to explore, and many divers plan their trip around the Red Crab migration, as that gives the best chance of encountering the whale sharks which come to feast on the crab spawn.

RED CRAB MIGRATION

There are many natural wonders to observe on Christmas Island, the most famous being the annual Red Crab migration, when the Red Crabs, in their millions, collectively head down to their ‘local beach’ to release their eggs into the outgoing tide.

The whole event is dependent on there being enough rain to keep the crabs moist on their epic journey, and on the phase of the moon. The crabs only release their eggs just after the turn of the high tide when the moon is in its final quarter and the waves are at their lowest. This gives them the best chance of standing in the shallows on the shoreline without being washed away, and shimmying their precious payload of eggs into the out-going waters where they will be carried by the tide to spawn in the waters off Christmas Island.

females follow them shortly after. After mating in the burrow, they wait for exactly the right moment to head down the beach to the ocean.

Not surprisingly, with 60 million crabs on the move, the island’s human inhabitants are on high alert for the duration of the migration. Some roads are closed to vehicles, but on the big night itself when the crabs shake their eggs into the sea, visitors and locals alike turn out to experience the amazing event.

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Once out in the ocean, the eggs turn to larvae and then into tiny red crabs (about the size of a child’s fingernail). They are washed up on the island’s beaches 6 weeks later to make the 5km journey back into the wet interior on their own.

The migration takes place in the last quarter of the moon in either October, November or December, and the best chance of working out exactly when it will be, is by following the Parks Australia website.

The males head off first, at a steady 1km per day, to dig a burrow close to the shore about 5km from their forest home, and the

projects by attending rainforest walks, talks and seminars.

Christmas Island’s own Indian Ocean Adventures takes small group tours to explore many of the nature features of Christmas Island: the Grotto, the caves, the coastal blow holes, the remote beaches, and The Dales.

© George Fam

EXPLORING CHRISTMAS ISLAND

For bird enthusiasts, the main event on the Christmas Island calendar is Bird’n’Nature Week, timed around National Threatened Species Day. Bird scientists flock to the island around this time, and interested amateurs are able to learn about – and join in with – current

Such is the diversity of the island’s natural beauty: its wildlife, birdlife and diverse natural landscapes, that many internationally renowned photographers organise annual ‘photo safaris’ to Christmas Island.

Visitors can explore Christmas Island independently all year round. The impressive Daniel Rue Caves can be explored without a guide and are within walking distance of Settlement. The beaches and blow-holes are accessible via hire car and short walk – as are the Dales; and there are many marked walking trails through the forests.

COCOS KEELING ISLAND Christmas Island’s closest Indian Ocean neighbour, the Cocos Keeling Island, lie just 1,000km to the west, and were likewise settled to be exploited rather than admired for the tropical paradise it is now.

The Scottish Captain John Clunies-Ross converted Cocos into a coconut plantation using Malay labour, establishing his own personal fiefdom on the island, even issuing the currency, which could only be redeemed in his general store.

Strategically positioned midway between the Maldives and Australia, Cocos provided an ideal location for an early telegraph station in 1901, and as a result became the site of the Battle of Cocos, one of the first naval battles of WW1. In WW2, two

airstrips were built and Cocos became an important airbase for the re-invasion and liberation of Malaysia and Singapore.

In the 1970’s the Australian government became increasingly dissatisfied with the way the Clunies-Ross family were still running the island as a feudal ‘micronation’, and forced the sale of Cocos to the Commonwealth. The Malay community is still there today, as are the rows of coconut trees across most of the islands, but the coconuts are no longer harvested commercially, and lay rotting where they fall.

Cocos’ main business today is tourism and though home to a population of just 600 people, there’s plenty to do both on the islands and in and on the lagoon.

less than 1km wide. The best snorkelling spots are in the south, and the best beach – ‘Trannies Beach’ – is in the north.

The Cocos Birds and Beaches Tour runs at dawn and dusk, when many of the birds leave their nests to feed at sea, often making several trips if they have young chicks to feed. Over fifty species of birds live at Cocos, or stopover here to breed.

DIVING ON COCOS

ACTIVITIES AROUND THE LAGOON

The climate on Cocos is moderated by the southeast trade winds from December through to August, and this combined with accessible and shallow areas of the lagoon make it a mecca for kite-surfers. Kitesurfing lessons are available at Zephyr Tours.

A great way to explore the lagoon and some of the uninhabited islands is via motorised kayak. Conventional ‘self-powered’ kayaks and stand-up paddleboards (SUPs) are also available for hire, allowing you to explore the lagoon and islands at your own pace.

The local Cocos Islands Adventure Tours can put together a custom itinerary as well: a trip across the glassy surface of the lagoon, a trip up to the WW1 lookout point with a full historical narrative, bird watching, a leisurely drift snorkel through a reef fish-filled channel, and lunch in a deserted ‘pondok’ (or weekend shack).

Most accommodation options provide bicycles, allowing you to explore the whole of West Island which is just 10km long and

For divers, the Cocos Dive boat departs almost daily for a full day’s diving and snorkelling at a couple of the many natural spots dotted around the lagoon. Sites include the Cabbage Patch with its large goldenyellow lettuce mono-corals 6-20m across; Sandshute, where white-tipped reef sharks snooze; and Rose Wall, with its 16-35m floor-to-ceiling coral.

Thanks to man’s habit of dumping at sea, there are two other dives sites in the lagoon’s shallow waters, named Cannons and Cables. In addition to historic junk (cannons and telegraph cables), there are plenty of reef fish, including reef sharks, turtles and occasionally a manatee to be found at these sites.

The lagoon has its own wreck which is both a snorkelling and dive site, and a very special reef called Service Station, where manta rays often stop by in the afternoon to be cleaned by the local damsels. With just 9 metres to the clean, sandy seabed, the crystal clear waters provide one of the most relaxed manta cleaning station dives, accessible even to novice scuba divers.

A favourite surface interval activity for divers is a high speed drift-snorkel along The Rip – a channel between two islands, where at the right time of the tide, the water current carries snorkellers from the ocean to the Lagoon in a high speed ride over reef sharks and bumphead parrotfish grazing on the coral algae below.

Usually encountered during a day’s diving at Cocos is a pod of spinner dolphins.

Often they join the dive boat to porpoise through the bow wave, and then hang around long enough for divers to join them.

LAND BASED ACTIVITIES

The aptly named Home Island is home to the Malay Community. A land tour taking in historical and cultural sites also shares with visitors the art of coconut husking, basket weaving and coconut oil production, and concludes with a delicious meal prepared by local artisans.

No eco-trip to Cocos would be complete without a visit to the Big Barge Art Centre.

This unique art gallery is in a barge nestled in the bush, just metres from the Indian Ocean. The art here is inspired by, and made from, the flotsam and jetsam that have washed up on Coco’s distant shore.

Events Calendar

HONG KONG

If you have an event that you feel should be included on this page, please email us on events@sportsandtravel.com.hk

30 6 May

2017- Action SPRINT 12km Trail Run, Sai Kung, Hong Hong

Trail Run

13 May

Mid-Summer Race www.xterace.com/midsummerrace1.html

Run

13 May

Asia Rugby Championship, Hong Kong Vs Japan www.hkrugby.com/events/index/p2 Rugby

www.actionasiaevents.com/our-events/upcoming-events/2017sprintsaikung/overview.html

14 May Terra 22.5 & RunLightPaddle 2017 Run, Kayak terramar.hk/events/run-light-paddle-hk-island-2017/ 14 May

Hong Kong Indoor Cycling Race 2017-18 - Series 1 Cycling www.cycling.org.hk/RaceInfo.aspx?id=e2639410-5011-40e1-8cdc-633ac07476d8&i=688&d=2017-05-14

20 May The Green Race Pottinger 2017 (Run)

www.hkrunners.com/node/6436 Run

2 - 4 Jun CCB (Asia) HK International Dragon Boat Races

3 Jun

www.discoverhongkong.com/seasia/see-do/events-festivals/highlight-events/dragon-boat-carnival.jsp

Asia Rugby Championship, Hong Kong Vs South Korea

Rugby

www.hkrugby.com/events/index/p2

6 Jun

Samsung 60th FOS - Shooting Competition 2016 hkshooting.org.hk/

Shooting

10 Jun

The Green Road Race 2017 www.justrunlah.com/race/the-green-road-race-2017/

Run

11 Jun

Protrek x Bottless City Trail Race

Trail Run

www.xterace.com/protrekxbottlesscitychallengetrailrace.html

10 Jun

60TH SAMSUNG FOS-HONG KONG TRACK CYCLING RACE

Cycling

Samsung Festival of Sport - HK MTB Race

Cycling

18 Jun

www.cycling.org.hk/RaceInfo.aspx?id=b7242e31-4aae-4643-bbb8-9ed5560b38c6&i=688&d=2017-06-11

www.cycling.org.hk/RaceInfo.aspx?id=bf9b8ac0-9ce8-404b-9a1c-46875bfd77be&i=688&d=2017-06-18