Initially I wanted to spend a few days on each of the islands, I thought like Greece we would be able to get ferries from one island to the next, but that is not the case. There are very few ferries between islands. We then looked at flying from one island to the next and that was a nightmare as each time you wanted to travel to a different island you had to fly back to the main land, to either, Panama, or Miami in the end it all got to hard and expensive. We found a cruise that was going to 14 of the islands so we decided to join this cruise. I have mentioned before that I am not a fan of cruising but for places like the Caribbean, the Antarctica and the Artic circle they are a great way of getting to places that are hard to get to. I also think smaller cruise ships are much better. Our ship had 2,000 passengers on it, which is a lot, but compared to some of the ships now that carry over 7,000 passengers ours was small. These are the island we visited.
Starting in Dominican Republic, Catalina, Curacao, Aruba, Bonaire, Grenada Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, St Lucia, Dominica, St John’s Antigua and Barbuda, St Kitts and Nevis, St Martin, British Virgin Island Tortola.
Day 1 We boarded our cruise ship in La Romana Dominican Republic. As with all cruises it takes a few hours to settle in. Getting on the cruise was no problem, for the first time we decided to book a room that did not have a balcony. The cruise is for 14 days, each day we arrive at a new island/country we knew we would not be spending too much time in our room, so we thought we would keep costs down. The room was just a bit smaller than balcony room; it did have a good size window, so it was nice and bright, and had lots of storage. That is the good thing about the cabs on Cruise ships they make great use of every bit of space in the cabins. We departed at 8.30pm we spent the afternoon getting to know what was on the ship and were everything was. We had dinner at Crossings Restaurant, it is a Casual Contemporary restaurant, the food and service were very nice. At 9pm there was a comedy show, the comedian was Dean Edwards he was very funny and based his jokes on everyday life experiences that the audience could relate to. I love this type of comedy, he did not have to be rude, vulgar, or use bad language to be funny. Overall a great first day.
Day 2 we arrived at Catalina Island at 7am. Catalina is known for its gorgeous white sand beaches surrounded by tropical palm trees; you cannot stay on Catalina as it is a nature reserve. We would have liked to scuba dived here but there is no scuba shop on the island. We did enjoy the beach for a few hours but then it got too hot, so we got back on the ship, had a nana nap then went to the gym before we had a late dinner at the Cagney’s Steak house (well I had Australia lamb and M had steak it was a very good meal. (it was part of the specialty dinning package)
Day 3 we arrived at Willemstad the capital of Curacao a Dutch Caribbean Island at 11am. It gave me time to take advantage of the gym, as I had eaten so much the night before I needed to move. The gym is very well equipped, and it was good to see I was not the only one there. After that we had a leisurely breakfast and by then it was time to disembark. Curacao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea that forms a constituent country of the kingdom of the Netherlands. It was the capital of the Netherlands Antilles prior to its dissolution in 2010. We parked in St Anna Bay, an inlet that leads into a large natural harbour called the Schottegat our ship came through the floating Queen Emma Bridge it is a pedestrian pontoon bridge that opens as needed to let ships pass through to St. Anna Bay. Our first impressions of Curacao were one of surprise. It reminded us of Amsterdam. Along the banks of the harbour there are some very beautiful colourful buildings. The people in Curacao speak Dutch and the pastel-coloured colonial architecture Definity has a Dutch influence. Our first stop was to the city centre, we walked across the floating Queen Emma Bridge, it felt like we were still on the ship as the floating bridge swayed a bit under our feet. We walked along the waterfront, visited the Israel Emanuel Synagogue (the oldest one in the Americans) and strolled around the vibrant Pietermaai district. To me it is like the Netherlands meets Jamacia or something in between. The Dutch building and language but the upbeat music playing everywhere, the restaurants serve dishes influenced by the island’s mostly Dutch but also afro Caribbean cuisines. By the water is the 19th-century Rif Fort, they have carefully built café, restaurants, and a few shops, in and around it, but it has not damaged what was once there. This is a great way to keep a building alive. So many times, we do not make use of these amazing buildings. If we can pay homage to the old and tastefully add in the new, then we keep the building alive. The people are very friendly, and not once were we pressured into buying anything or to go into any restaurant which was a pleasant change. Overall, we really enjoyed our day in Curacao.
Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean it is tropical and mostly flat with mountains in the southeast. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and Atlantic Ocean meet.
Cuba Flag
Cuba was a place we looked forward to going to, we had heard so much about it. We decided to fly into Santiago de Cuba and then travel up to Havana. Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city in Cuba. It lies in the south-eastern area of the island. We could not find much accommodation on Airbnb so we booked a five star hotel. Our first impression was good, as the pool area was very nice. (note there is a difference between a 5 star hotel in Australia than a 5 star in Cuba). It was not long before we realised that there was a shortage of food, almost every item we asked for in the hotel restaurant they did not have. We found out from the locals that there is a constant, food, gas and money shortage. There was no supermarkets as there is no food to put in them. There are a few small shops that had a few items like biscuits and tins of peas. I feel very sorry for the locals as finding food is a constant struggle for them.
On our first day here we did a walk to The Parque Cespedes this is the heart of Santiago de Cuba and the central point from which to explore the rest of the city people of all ages meet here and all kinds of initiatives are performed, like cultural, social and musicians often gather here to play.
Across from the park is the oldest house in Santiago de Cuba (Casa de Diego Velázquez) It was built during the 16th century for the first governor, Diego Velazquez. It is constructed and decorated in Moorish style around a courtyard, designed with traditional carved screens that allow in, both light and air. We stopped at the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption, it is the fourth temple that has risen in the city since the 16th century. This construction and those that followed would suffer numerous attacks, fires, earthquakes, hurricanes and pirate looting that would cause the need to rebuild the church three times. We decided to go to the shopping district “Enramadas” whatever the time of day you will see crowds going to and from, mind you there was very little in the shops so I am not sure why.
We had been told that there would be lots of old cars in Cuba and this is correct, some of them are beautiful but some of them are very rustic. We decided to do a tour in one of these old cars and drove around some of the highlighted areas in Santiago de Cuba. The car we got was a red 1946 Chevrolet. It was lovely, although we did miss the air conditioning as it was a very hot and humid day, everything has it pros and cons.
On our tour we stopped at Castillo del Morro San Pedro de la Roca Castle, a multi-level stone fortress built into a rocky promontory (El Morro) at the south-eastern end of the island of Cuba, has guarded the entrance to Santiago de Cuba Bay since 1638. This exceptional fortress and its associated defensive works were constructed in response to the aggressive commercial and political rivalries that menaced the Caribbean during the 17th and 18th centuries. Our last stop was to visit a rum factory were we had a nice refreshing drink. You can do a 30min tour here. The locals believe that the longer its aged the smoother it gets. Just like most red wines.
We wanted to take the 16 hour train trip form Santiago de Cuba to the Capital Havana we love a train trip, we could not book it before we arrived in Cuba but when we got there were told it would not be possible as all the locals had booked the tickets. We then tried to get a flight again this was not possible as all the seats where booked. In the end we got a bus that took 17 and a half hours, not the longest bus trip we have taken but it is definitely up there.
We arrived in Havana around 10am, The bus dropped us off at Plaza the Cathedral, it is beautiful, it was so quite at 10am. Havana did have a food shortage but it did not seem to be as bad as Santiago de Cuba. The restaurants did have a lot more variety. We stayed at the Innside plaza Cathedral, it was in a great local and again it is suppose to be a 5 star Hotel but as I have mentioned before 5 star can mean something different in each country.
On our first walk through the city centre I was very impressed I thought Havana must have been an amazing place at one stage, with its beautiful old buildings Forts, Castles, Churches and old cars. Shame you can see the wear and tear and the lack of maintenance on some of these beautiful buildings. It looked like some of the them were being restored, but a lot of the work seems to be on hold for whatever reason. Once you come off the main streets you can see the poverty, the crumbling houses, tin shacks, old wooden houses that are falling down, again governments not caring about their people. Everyday at least half a dozen people asked us out straight for money (one lady we tried to help out, we gave her some Cuban pesos but she said she would prefer American dollars !!!!), as with a lot of the Caribbean islands some people will try to rip you off, not all, but some, so be careful.
We decided to do a hop on hop off bus trip, this was a great way to see a lot of Havana. Some of the highlights were The Malecon, Plaza de Revolution, Cemetery Colon, Copacabana, National Hotel, National Aquarium, Park Central, Capitol, Cuban Missile Crisis Memorial, US Embassy.
We took a ferry across to the Morro Castle or (Castle of the Three Magi Kings), named after the three biblical Magi, is a fortress guarding the entrance to the Havana harbour, we also visited Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña (Fort of Saint Charles), is an 18th-century fortress complex, the third-largest in the Americas, located on the elevated eastern side of the harbour entrance in Havana, Cuba. We also visited The Christ of Havana is a large sculpture representing Jesus of Nazareth, on a hilltop overlooking the bay in Havana, Cuba. It is the work of the Cuban sculptor Jilma Madera, who won the commission for it in 1953. It was a very interesting day, these three places are definitely work a visit.
Morro Castle Fortaleza de San Carlos de la CabañaThe Christ of Havana
As we wandered through the streets of Havana we came across some very interesting Artwork.
M used to smoke cigars although it has been about 10 years since he had one but he was looking forward to doing the Cuban Cigar Factory Tour, his favourite cigar is a Romeo and Juliet number 2. We did not realise that the same factory will make lots of different types of Cigars, one person might be making Romeo and Juliet and the person beside them might be making a Cohiba. Not everyone is cut out for this work, each person gets months of training, if a person is not cut for this work it shows very quickly. When qualified each person has a quota of cigars they need to make each day, so if it takes them 5 hours or 7 hours they stay until they are finished. It is a hard job on your hands and most people can only do this job for about 10 to 15 years. Their work goes through a quality assurance testing team. The technique seems to be how tightly you roll or wrap the cigar. It was a very interesting process to watch. Our tour guide was a real character so it was lots of fun. M loved it and he certainly enjoyed a cigar at the end.
Finally what can I say about the Cars in Cuba Wow !!!!
We did have one stand out restaurant in Havana, it is called Bone ‘ma 62 the food is very good, coffee and cake not bad either.
Besides the constant battle the locals have with the government in regards to food, gas and money we did enjoy our time here in Cuba and think everyone should visit at least once in their life time.
From Cuba we flew to Nassau the Capital of the Bahama. The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean. Nassau is the hub for commerce, education, law, administration, and media in The Bahamas, and it’s also a central point that provides access to most of the country’s other islands.
Flag of Bahamas
We were excited to visit the Bahamas as we had heard a lot about them. We had an Airbnb that was very nice. The weather was a lot cooler than we expected, the locals said this was not normal for December. Our first day we went to the centre of Nassau. There were 5 huge cruise ships in seemingly this is normal for the Bahamas. So you can image what the centre of town was like, packed with people off the cruise ships. The Centre of Nassau seems to cater just for these cruise ships, the shops are full of the same tourist tat, plus one jewellery store after another. The town centre looks tired and tacky.
There are a few tourist things to do close to the city centre so we decided to get going. The Queen’s Staircase is a walkway of 66 steps it was carved out of solid limestone rock by 600 slaves between 1793 and 1794 to create an escape route from the fort above and is a major landmark of Nassau. It was only decades later that the impressive staircase was then named in honor of the over 60-year reign of Queen Victoria, “who had signed a declaration to abolish slavery on her ascension to the throne in 1837.” Today, the Queen’s Staircase still acts as a passageway to Fort Fincastle. We also saw the Water Tower at 126 ft, this tower is the highest point in Nassau, providing spectacular views of the island.
Fort Fincastle is a fort located in the city of Nassau on the island of New Providence in The Bahamas. It was built to provide protection to Nassau. The fort, which is shaped like a paddle steamer, was built in 1793 by Lord Dunmore to protect Nassau from pirates.
The other 2 items on our list was the Straw Markets and an Art Museum. The Straw markets are full of stalls with Tourist tat and the Art Museum was close until further notice.
The area we stayed in was very, with some very nice homes, but as with a lot of these islands there are bars on all the windows and lots of security guards. There are lots of all inclusive resorts on the Bahamas and unless you are staying in the resorts you cannot enter, not even to have dinner in the restaurants. There was one exception to this rule the Baha Mar resort, they have a casino and some very expensive shops and restaurants that you can visit. Also when you go for a walk there are high walls that surround the all inclusive resorts that hiding views of the ocean. We did pass a very nice Nativity Scene as it was the week before Christmas.
We thought there had to be more to this island so we hired a car for a few days. The island is about 5 time smaller than Ireland so we knew we would be able to circumnavigate the island. On our trip we did see some nice local villages and small beaches, also an area that the rich and famous live Albany, Along with golfers, like Tiger woods Albany has many singers and actors, including: Justin Timberlake, Will Smith, and Kate Hudson. As you can image we did not get near their homes. But otherwise there was no more to the island.
Look I am glad we visited but we will be not rushing back here.
Next stop Dominican Republic our flight went from Nassau Bahamas to Turks and Caicos, we then had another flight to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of Hispaniola, part of the Great Antilles archipelago between the Caribbean region and the North Atlantic Ocean. It is bordered by Haiti on the east and consists primarily of rugged mountains with fertile valleys.
Flag of the Dominican Republic
We are going to spend a month in the Dominican republic. We had wanted to visit all the Caribbean island and countries but unlike Greece it is not as easy as getting on a ferry from one island to the next. To get from one island to another you have to fly back to either Miami or Panama. This would have been a very costly exercise, and as some of the islands are small we did not want to spend that amount of money. M found a cruise online that will take us to a new island every day for 14 days. I may have mentioned before I am not a lover of cruising, I dislike the way in places like the Bahamas and Barcelona you can have 5 huge cruise ships ( holding up to 5,000 people on each ship) invade either a small island or a City. Anyway this ship is not that large, it is so hard to get to these islands I have given in and agreed to take this cruise. Therefore we decide to stay in Dominican Republic for a relaxing month before the cruise. We have hired a car and will take a week in each of the following towns/city. Punta Cana, Samana, Puerto Plata, Bayahibe, and after the cruise 4 nights in Santa Domingo.
Punta Cana we stayed here for 2 weeks as it was over Christmas and the New Year. Punta Cana is a holiday area with lots of all inclusive resorts, but not as many as the Bahamas, it has lots of nice bars and restaurants. We stayed in a really nice Airbnb, that has a beautiful pool area. Besides beach days, relaxing by the pool eating and drinking we did very little but relaxed in Punta Cana. Our favourite Coffee place was Dalias and our favourite restaurant was SPG Punta Cana
It was a lovely drive from Punta Cana to Samana it is 309 klms .
Samaná is a town that overlooks Samaná Bay, which plays host to thousands of humpback whales during winter’s mating season. The town’s waterfront promenade, the Malecón, has restaurants and bars. In the bay, Cayo Levantado is a tiny island known for its palm-lined beaches, also in the bay is Bannister island named after Joseph Bannister an English pirate who operated in the Caribbean during the Golden Age of Piracy. He is best known for defeating two Royal Navy warships.
We had a beautiful view across the Samana Bay from our Airbnb. We did a beautiful walk out to Cayo Levantado, there is a bridge that has been built just for people to walk across, you cannot drive on this bridge. There are beautiful view of the bay and the beaches around the bay.
We decided to do a hike out to La Boca Del Diablo Mouth of the Devil‘ is an impressive vent or blowhole, where waves rush up a natural channel and blast out of a hole in the rocks. Car or motorcycle is the best way to get here – look for an unmarked dirt road 7km south of town and about 100m beyond the well-marked turnoff to Playa Rincón. When the water flows through channel it makes a very loud noise. After this we drove to the very top of the Dominican Republic to visit the beautiful beach of Las Galeras. It is definitely worth a visit.
Another day we did a hike to Salto El Limon it is about 18klm from Samana . The hike can be walked or done on horseback, and it normally takes between 30 and 40 minutes, we walked as it follows a charming landscape surrounded by coconut trees that become more dense when you are about to reach the Salto/Water fall. You do not have to take a horses, so do not let anyone tell you otherwise. There is a small fee to enter, note the walk can be a bit slippery when wet and there are a number of rocks to climb over, and 2 small rivers to walk through. The hike was fine, but you have to be careful. There are actually 2 water falls one large and one small, it was great to be able to swim in the falls the water was cold but very refreshing. It is just beautiful here, we were delighted we did not skip this.
Samana is a lovely spot, and there is not as many tourist as Punta Cana. From Samana we drove to Puerto Plata we drove through lots of small towns.
Puerto Plata is the birthplace of tourism in the Dominican Republic. Its has spectacular, sprawling landscape combines sea, mountains, lush valleys, rivers, and a multitude of beaches. Its fertile soil grows cacao and coffee trees, while underneath, rests the world’s clearest amber. The town centre is very nice and has some old colonial buildings.
We decided to stay at a golf resort with the hope of having a game, we have not played golf since we started our trip. Our Airbnb and the resort was very nice. We did looked at playing golf in the Bahamas but in the Americas it seems that golf is only for the rich it is so expensive. In Australia it is a lot more affordable. The 9 holes we did play in Puerto Plata was very nice but it cost us, $50 usd each, to borrow the clubs it was 15usd each, the cart was 15usd and you had to hire one. You also had to have a caddy which cost 14usd and you also had to give him a tip 10 usd. We had to buy balls and tee’s 10 usds. Plus taxes of 18% So a total of 212 usd around 325 aud. And this was the cheapest we have seen. But a good game was had.
We enjoy the experience of a cable car ride up to Mt Isabel. , a 793-meter high mountain within the city. On the top of the mountain, there is a fortress monument, a statue of “Christ the Redeemer” (similar to the one in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), and botanical gardens. When you get to the top there are breath-taking views of the Atlantic Ocean, mountains and Puerto Plata, while also enjoying refreshing breezes and the beautiful surrounding of tropical gardens. Mt. Isabel de Torres has been declared a protected Nature Reserve due to the great variety of wildlife and flora. It truly is a beautiful spot.
We visited Fortaleza San Felipe which is a historic Spanish fortress located in the province of Puerto Plata. Also known as El Morro de San Felipe, it was used to protect the City of Puerto Plata from foreign invaders, pirates, and privateers. The Fortaleza San Felipe was used as a prison multiple times throughout its history, including during the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo. It was where President Pedro Santana jailed one of the Dominican Republic’s founding fathers, Juan Pablo Duarte. Puerto Plata Lighthouse stands alongside the sixteenth-century city walls, illustrating the maritime and fortification history of the island.
Our favourite coffee place in Puerto Plata, Lis and Liz. It is so nicely decorated, they also do afternoon Tea with all the trimmings. Our favourite restaurant was Ristorante Passatore Puerto Plata great Italian food.
We drove from Puerto Plata to Bayahibe
Bayahibe is a resort town on the Caribbean coast of the Dominican Republic. It’s known for its sandy beaches and dive sites. Our accommodation in Bayahibe was very nice. There are lots of restaurants and shops to visit. It is a really nice place for a relaxing holiday.
We decided to go out scuba diving. We did 2 dives off the coast of Bayahibe the first one was Catalina Garden we dived 10meters for about 45 min. It is a shallow Caribbean reef with very good visibility. Here we saw coral and marine sponges, as well as typical Caribbean marine life.
The second dive was Atlantic Princess Wreck the dive to 17meters for about 50 min. The Atlantic Princess, which ran around Bayahibe in the past was getting ready to be intentionally sunk and turned into an artificial reef for scuba divers. On 15 August 2008 during Tropical Storm Fay big waves took it to the beach beside Dreams La Romana Resort. May 6 2009 exactly, the boat disappeared by itself, unfortunately in a shallow location, many experts say that a surge from any major storm will probably destroy it. But for now there is a new wreck that can be enjoyed by all divers. On our way back from this dive we say a dugong, we had never seen a dugong before when diving so it was very exciting for us. He seemed very relaxed and was munching away on seaweed and coral. He was bigger than me but seemed like a big cute softy.
Our last place to stop in Dominican Republic was Santo Domingo. Santo Domingo is the historical capital city of the Dominican Republic and is both the largest and the oldest European settlement in the Americas. It wears its significant age as a badge of honour, with the Colonial Zone having earned UNESCO World Heritage status. It is a very pleasant city and the local town square is very pleasant to sit and have a coffee or Dinner. We were delighted we had stopped for a few days.
From here we flew back to Panama via Bogota in Columbia. We spent 6 weeks in Dominican Republic and really enjoyed it. It was much better than some of the Caribbean Islands.
Honduras is a Central American country with the Caribbean Sea coastlines to the north. We decided to first stop at Copan the town, is located close to the Guatemalan border, and is a gateway for tourists traveling.
Flag of Honduras
The town of Copán is charming with paved cobblestones streets lined with white adobe buildings with red-tiled roofs. It has a lovely town square with a friendly local population, some good hotels and restaurants. Many people come here just to see the famous nearby Maya ruins, but with plenty of other attractions in the town and nearby, there’s reason enough to linger
There were 3 things we wanted to see in the Copan Area, the first one was the Macaw Mountain Bird Park “They are a bird rescue, rehabilitation and release center. Located on ten acres of forested terrain in a stream-fed valley, their multifaceted eco-tourism project is only 10 minutes away by vehicle from the central square of Copán Town. We got a tuk-tuk (Three-wheeled mini-taxis) To the Macaw Mountain Bird Park and got true immersion into the richness of Honduran bird diversity while wandering through the wonderful botanical garden filled with native plants and towering hardwood trees. One of my favourite birds are Owls so I was delighted that they had a few different types here. The have a great number of beautiful birds. The cost of entry is very reasonable and definitely worth a visit.
Below are a list of just a few.
Barn-owl. Tyto Alba.
Black Mandible Toucan. Ramphastos ambiguus.
Black-crowned Night-heron. Nycticorax nycticorax.
Blue-and-yellow Macaw. Ara ararauna.
Collared Aracari. Pteroglossus torquatus.
Crested Caracara. Caracara cheriway.
Double-striped Thick-knee. Burhinus bistriatus.
Emerald Toucanet. Aulacorhynchus prasinus.
The second place we wanted to visit was Copan Ruins, they are not far from town so we caught a Tuk-Tuk . It was not expensive to visit just a few dollars. Copan Ruins are the very impressive archaeological remains of the ancient Mayan civilization in western Honduras Central America. The Copán ruins house a UN World Heritage site and are renowned for the hieroglyphic staircase, stellae, temples, altars, and museum, they are considered by many as one of the most spectacular cities of the ancient Maya civilization. It is a large area and you could easily spend a morning or afternoon here. The hieroglyphic staircase was one of the best we have seen.
The last place we wanted to visit was the Luna Jaguar hot springs. They are Mayan-themed eco spa surrounded by trees & offering thermal baths, cold baths, massages & more. They are located about an hour from the town square of Copan and you need a 4wheel drive to get there. We got a tour guide to drive us there and back it is a tough drive with lots of pot holes. It only opens at 2pm but does stay open until 7pm.
This ‘Maya theme’ venue, with natural streams of hot and cold water, has 13 strategic spots along the trails aiming to replicate the Maya rulers and elite health–rituals performed in ancient times, within a perfectly blended natural environment. They say the thirteen numbers on the symbolic wave represent the energy of the universe. It is an amazing place the grounds are very nicely kept, with a variety of treatments and pools. The higher you went on the property the hotter the water got. The steam from the water was great for opening your pores, the Temperature of the water was between 30 and 45 Degrees, with the hottest being 90 degrees which of course no one is allowed near. You could also walk through the circular shaped pedicure pond, where you step on polished stones in alternating hot and cold water. All very good for circulation and relaxing. ideal for late afternoon after a busy and active day. My only complaint was that I could have stayed longer.
After 4 days at Copan we headed to San Pedro Sula it was a 5 hour trip in a shuttle bus. San Pedro Sula is a city in the Sula Valley of northern Honduras. It’s known as one of the country’s main transport hubs. It was raining when we got here and continued to rain the whole time we were here, and very heavy rain at that. To be honest this was the only place we did not feel very safe, it was okay during the day but we were told by the hotel staff not to go out at night. So we only stayed a few days. We did visit the San Pedro Sula Anthropology and History Museum it has exhibits on the region’s past, from pre-Columbian times to the present. It is very well put together.
From San Pedro Sula we flew to Belize City.
Belize City, it was an interesting journey from Honduras to Belize ,besides a light aircraft fun flight I did when I was nineteen, I had never been on an aircraft that was this small, there was seats for 10 passengers, the Captain and his wingman. The windows on the small aircraft are bigger than a normal plane so it was great to be able to take photo’s. Belize is a port city in the Central American. It’s divided into north and south sides by Haulover Creek, which opens into the Caribbean Sea. The manually operated 1920s Swing Bridge, a busy crossing point, links the two.
Flag of Belize
Belize City is the commercial center of the country. The largest hotels are found here, with conference facilities and professional services, as well as restaurants, bars, nightlife. Belize’s has a cruise passenger terminal. We had a few nights here one thing we wanted to do was Cave tubing but because we had a lot of rain the water was to high to do this. Our Airbnb was nice so it was good to sit back and relax for a few days.
Our real plan for visiting Belize was to venture out to the islands, we had booked a week on Caye Caulker. Caye Caulkeris a small island, and a prime stop for travellers looking to “go slow” and enjoy a relaxed vibe. There are no cars on the island which was a nice change, residence travel around in golf carts or bikes. We took a small boat from Belize City to Caye Caulker, it took about 40min. We booked a wonderful little cottage through Airbnb that was linked to a resort. We could use all the resort amenities but still have our own cottage, to cook meals if we preferred. The island is great, It has lots of small restaurants shops and bars. It was great to be able to do a yoga class every morning. I had forgotten how much I missed my yoga and Pilates.
The island is divided by a narrow channel called the Split, where there’s a bar and a sandy beach. To the south is the island’s only settlement, known as Caye Caulker Village. The north of the island is home to dense mangrove forest and diverse birdlife, protected by a forest reserve. The Caye Caulker Marine Reserve has dive sites on the Belize Barrier Reef.
One of M’s bucket lists items was to dive the famous blue hole, Located roughly 100km off the coast of Belize we booked a day of diving with Frenchies Dive Shop, it included 3 dives, transport and all equipment. We set off at 5.30am our first dive was at the blue hole and it took about 2 hours to get out to it, It was a rough trip out so I was glad we had gone with Frenchies as it has a larger boat.
I was pleasantly surprised to be able to see the outline of the blue hole as I was not sure this would be visible. Our first divethe Blue Hole was to 31 meters for about 25min, it was great, the walls of the blue hole are almost perfectly vertical and fairly smooth, except at a few points where there are large ledges and overhangs. we saw lots of fish, reef sharks and some beautiful coral on the way down, the water is just so blue and the further you go down the darker it gets. Our second divewas at Half moon key for me this was a better dive, Below the surface, there is a gentle slope that gradually leads up to a drop off at around 13 M. The drop off is bordered by a crust of reef that forms a beautiful wall scattered with hidden tunnels, yellow and neon blue sponges, black and lilac sea fans and giant barrel sponges. We dived to around 18m for 59 min.
We then stopped for lunch at Half Moon Key. The crew prepared lunch it consisted of rice, chicken in a Caribbean curry, plantains, and of course the most important Marie Sharpe hot sauce M loves this sauce. It was also a good to catch-up with the other divers. It was a beautiful spot for Lunch
Our last dive of the day was Long Caye Aquarium from the min we dived into the water we were surrounded by schools of bermuda chubs, sergeant majors, creole wrasse, and the odd shark. It was a great relaxing dive with beautiful fish life and coral. The dive was 15meters for 50min. The trip back to Caye Caulker was a long one so it was good to have a few drinks on the way back. Overall it was a great day and M could tick another bucket list item off. We do not have an dive camera so no photos of under water. It is like another world down there and in some ways I like to keep it that way by not bring any gadgets with us we can just focus on being in the moment.
We hired bikes and cycled as far as we could up along the coast to the north part of the island, there are a number of new constructions happening here but from what we heard from a few expats nothing happens fast on Caye Caulker. We fit right in and were able to enjoy Caye Caulker beautiful natural setting, fresh lobster, warm sea breezes, fantastic bars and supremely casual vibe. One of the restaurants that stood out on Caye Caulker for us was Reina’s, the best coffee in town was at the Caye Cafe they also do amazing pancakes. We had a wonderful time on Caye Caulker.
From Caye Caulker we took another ferry to San Pedro on Ambergris Caye. Ambergris Caye is Belize largest island and a popular destination. It is 25 miles long and about a mile across at its widest point. San Pedro its main town is located in the southern part of the island and has an airport and the largest concentration of shops, hotels and restaurants.
We hired a golf buggy on the island and travel the length and breath of the island, we did find secret beach it is at least a 40 minute ride from the San Pedro town center, and the road has a lot of pot holes.
There is an amazing art and craft gallery Belizean Arts it featuring local Caribbean paintings, art, sculptors, jewellery & more, there are some amazing craft work done with small sea shells that are just beautiful, I would have bought a piece or two but with all the travelling we are doing I know they would have been damaged. It is defiantly worth a visit.
From Belize we took a flight to Jamaica. Not as easy as it sounds the most straight forward trip was to fly to Toronto in Canada, have a night there and then the next morning fly to Kingston airport in Jamaica
Jamaica, a Caribbean Island nation, with lush mountains, rainforests and reef-lined beaches. Many of its all-inclusive resorts are clustered in Montego Bay. Negril is known for its diving and snorkelling sites. Jamaica is famed as the birthplace of reggae music, and its capital Kingston is home to the Bob Marley Museum, dedicated to the famous singer.
We decided to hire a car for our 13 days in Jamaica as we wanted to see as much of the island of Jamaica as possible. We drove from Kingston to Negril it was a lovely drive except for the pot holes when going through towns. We based ourselves in Negril for 5 days as there was several things we wanted to explore in and around this area. Negril is a town in western Jamaica. It’s known for its sandy beaches on shallow bays with calm, turquoise waters. Seven Mile Beach, overlooking Long Bay, is lined with bars, restaurants and resorts. Long Bay opens onto a lagoon protected by coral reefs and is a snorkelling and scuba-diving destination
Our first stop was the YS falls. The falls are about an hours drive from Negril, the road is full of pot holes but we made it and it was so worth the drive. YS Falls is a seven-tiered waterfall, which cascades into natural pools for swimming, complemented by a natural pool. The extensive lawns are perfect for family picnics or a day out. These are complemented by natural pools which are fed by underground and above ground springs for a refreshing swim. A full day here was great.
Our next stop was The Blue Hole Mineral Spring it is a picturesque mineral springs with a deep swimming cave. It sits 24 feet below the ground in a cavernous opening completely encased by Karst limestone. The natural mineral water in the spring is 35 feet deep; However, the edges of the spring are shallow for guests to stand or sit down. There is a ladder you can take into the swimming cave or if you are brave enough you can jump. M of course had to jump in, I on the other hand was happy to use the ladder provided. The water is so refreshing, clean and crystal clear. There is also a pool and bar to relax afterwards. It was $20 dollars each, but lots of fun, glad we visited.
Don’t leave Negril without visiting Ricks Café . It’s predominantly a bar/restaurant, but in a vast open space, all overlooking a cliff face and open inlet from the ocean. It is a wonderful place to sip delicious cocktails and dig into some jerk chicken and fresh seafood overlooking stunning views. They also have cliff jumping here, there are 3 jumps you can do here. The lowest ledge is about 8 feet above the water while the highest is 40 feet. While we were there, we seen a daring local put on a show as he climbed to the highest possible point and jump, he did 3 jumps in total. M of course did the 25 foot dive. I was taking the photo’s. The DJ keeps the stereo blasting to make sure everyone has an amazing time. Since Rick’s Cafe is close to Jamaica’s westernmost point, watching the sunset here is a truly amazing experience.
We moved on from Negril to Montego Bay, the capital of Saint James Parish on Jamaica’s north coast, is a major cruise ship port with numerous beach resorts and golf courses outside its commercial core. Popular beaches include Doctor’s Cave Beach and Walter Fletcher Beach, home to an amusement park. There’s also snorkelling and diving at coral reefs in the protected waters of Montego Bay Marine Park we just spent a day here, it can be very busy and it is very commercialised.
From Montego we drove to the Ocho Rios it is a port town on the north coast of Jamaica. A former fishing village, it’s now a resort with a cruise ship harbour and a busy bay beach that’s lined with hotels. The surrounding parish of Saint Ann is home to rainforest, rivers and waterfalls. Dunn’s River Falls is a terraced, 180m mountain waterfall with lagoon pools, surrounded by trees, it is just beautiful.
As it was M birthday we stayed in one of the nicest hotels ever. Jamaica Inn is on a white-sandy beach overlooking the Caribbean Sea, this upscale resort dating from the 1950s is 2.3 km from Green Grotto Caves and 7 km from Dunn’s River Falls. The airy suites feature British Colonial details, and come with furnished balconies or verandas with sea views. We stayed in a one bedroom balcony room. It was like we had stepped back in time. The service was top notch. Nothing was too much trouble we had complimentary Cocktails at lunch time and afternoon tea on the veranda very posh altogether. The view from our room was just stunning. There are also 1-3-bedroom cottages that feature separate living rooms; some include private pools. They had a yoga class every second morning and also a gym.
There are 2 restaurants on site, A refined restaurant is set on a terrace with sea views. Other amenities include an outdoor pool, and a posh spa. Children age 10 and over are welcome. Among the notable people who have stayed at the Jamaica Inn, are Marilyn Monroe, Sir Winston Churchill, Iain Fleming (the writer of James Bonds Stories) three of the bond movies where set in Jamaica. We would come back to Jamaica for this hotel alone.
After our wonderful stay in the Jamaica Inn we travelled to our last destination Kingston the capital of Jamaica. We stayed in a nice neighbourhood St Andrews Parish from here we went to the Bob Marley Museum which is housed in the reggae singer’s former home. It was very interesting and lots of fun.
One of Jamaica’s most celebrated historic landmarks, the Devon House Mansion is the architectural dream of Jamaica’s first black millionaire, George Stiebel. He gained his wealth from gold mining in South America., Stiebel constructed this elaborate homes during the late 19th.
There are amazing Trees in Jamaica that we could really do with in Australia as they give so much protection from the Sun. I asked the Gardener the name of the Trees and he said they are a type of Almond Tree. I will have to check if we can get these trees in Australia when we get back. Although the ganga was supposed to be banded in 2017 it is still aplenty. We were offered it at least 5 times a day.
We really enjoyed Jamaica it has so much natural beauty, we just hope it does not become completely full of closed all inclusive huge resorts.
We took a plane from Kingston, Jamaica to Santiago de Cuba.
Costa Rica is a rugged, rain forested Central American country with coastlines on the Caribbean and Pacific. Costa Rica is known for its beaches, volcanoes, and biodiversity. The Capital of Cost Rica is San Jose.
Costa Rica Flag
San Jose is just another city, we did spend a few days here but then moved onto La Fortuna.
San Jose
La Fortuna is a small town in Costa Rica, northwest of the capital. We loved La Fortuna, the town itself has a lovely garden square at the Centre, it has lots of great restaurants and coffee shops around it. It is a lovely spot for family and friends to catch-up.
We hired a car from San Jose and drove to La Fortuna our accommodation was not in walking distance of the town so this worked out very well, also if you would prefer to do tours by yourself a car is great to have in La Fortuna.
Our accommodation was great with its own private pool, this was great to have after a long day of hiking. The host was great and organised our White water rafting adventure and got us a 10% discount.
It is so tropical here the flora and fauna is amazing. Here you will find Arenal Volcano National Park, comprising of 2 volcanoes. The Arenal Volcano is still active and laced with lava flows. Hot springs dot the foot of the volcano, on the thermal Tabacón River. Dormant Chato Volcano has a crater lake and rainforest trails leading to La Fortuna Waterfall, with its natural pool. The national park is so worth a visit, not only the Volcanoes and waterfalls but for the wild life we seen lots of beautiful birds, spider monkeys, coatimundi and Sloths, the animal life is amazing but you do have to be quiet, they are also very good at camouflaging themselves into their surrounding’s. We did a number of hikes here, they are very well marked.
We did a great white water rafting tour with Arenal Rafting Company, they picked us up from our Airbnb, gave us all the gear we needed, explained very carefully what we needed to do, to keep safe, it also included a great meal at the end, and they dropped us back to the Airbnb. It cost us $60 usd which included a 10% discount. A fantastic day had by all.
Our favourite place for Breakfast in La Fortuna was Restaurant La Parada, for coffee it was Chocolate Fusion and for Dinner Anch’io an Italian restaurant.
We dropped the car to Liberia. Then caught a shuttle bus to San Juan Del Sur in Nicaragua. The trip took about 5hours we had a boarder crossing which was not too bad.
Nicaragua, set between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, is a Central American nation known for its dramatic terrain of lakes, volcanoes and beaches.
NICARAGUA FLAG
San Juan Del Sur is a small town on Nicaragua’s southwest coast. It’s known for a string of Pacific beaches, such as Maderas Beach, with its strong-breaking waves, it is very popular with Surfers.
We stopped here for 3 days, it has a nice beach which is overlooked by Christ of the Mercy statue. Our B&B was interesting as it was part of a restaurant, it was very handy if we were hungry. It faced the beach which was very nice as it had a nice breeze that flowed through our room. The pancakes for breakfast are delicious.
We hired a quad bike for the time we were there, it was great fun. We visited most of the beaches along the coast line and drove on a number of the beaches. It was a great spot for a few days of relaxing and fun.
We got a shuttle from San Juan Del Sur to Grande, the trip took about 4 hours.
Granada Nicaragua is a Nicaraguan city on the shores of Lake Nicaragua. Though Granada remains Nicaragua’s sixth largest city, it is widely known for preserving some of the finest colonial architecture in the country. Central Park, is the city’s main plaza, here sits Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral originally dating back to 1583. The plaza is a beautiful area where the locals hold events and markets.
Our Airbnb was great, it had a pool in the middle of the lounge room and it was a 3min walk to the Plaza. We found the people of Granada very helpful, friendly, pleasant and genuine.
One of the things to do is a carriage tour in the colonial centre. We went through several streets, monuments and building, like the iconic Cathedral, San Francisco church and museum, Guadalupe Church, Grave yard, and the oldest home in Granada . It was great way to get your bearings, it very informative and lots of fun. If you decided to take one of these tours and you do not speak Spanish, make sure your guide can speak English or your naïve language.
We did 2 tours in Granada, we always try to book tours with local tour groups as this way the money stays in the community. The First was Masaya Volcano. It is active and is located in the Masaya Volcano National Park just 20 minutes from Managua. This volcano is very accessible, we went by car and walked a 100 meters to its crater. The view is amazing! Its crater 500 meters wide and 200 meters deep. The crater shows columns of gases and there are active fumaroles worth seeing. There are also great views from here. This is the second active volcano we have been on and this one is worth seeing.
The second tour we went on was out to the The islet they are a group of 365 small islands scattered about the Asese peninsula on the
The second tour we went on was out to the The islet they are a group of 365 small islands scattered about the Asese peninsula on the Cocibolca lake. The islets are of volcanic origin, they were formed when the Mombacho volcano blew much of its cone into the lake thousands of years ago, thereby creating the archipelago. Some of theses Islands are owned by the very rich in Nicaragua and Mexico, the ex president owns one of them. There is also a spider monkey island and a forth that was use to protect the main land. Other islands accommodate hotels or luxurious houses (some of them can be rented). There are also uninhabited islets with only palm trees or small amounts of vegetation growing on them. There are also a lot of fishing done around the islets.
Our favourite restaurants. Breakfast was Kathy’s Waffle House, for Lunch and coffee we liked was the Garden Café and for Dinner it was Pita Pita, great service and food here. We also love the art work here in Granada and bought some artwork from a Local Artist ( get name of artist and add here)
If you are looking for a good Massage in Granada you cannot go pass Bienestar Natural Spa https://g.co/kgs/kZiLo I did a package that included, a full body massage, exfoliation, and a facial it cost 50 USD and it was the best massage I have ever had. I was there for 2 hours and it was heaven. Jenneth is amazing and very professional.
Overall we had a wonderful time in Granada and would recommend Granada as a great tourist stop off.
From Granada we got a shuttle to Managua city, the capital of Nicaragua, from here we got a second Shuttle to San Salvador the Capital El Salvador. To get to El Salvador by land from Nicaragua you have to go through Honduras, therefore you will have to go through 4 boarder, One out of Nicaragua, One in and out of Honduras and then one into El Salvador. The boarder crossings can be very slow sometimes.
El Salvador is the smallest country in Central America, This mountainous country is bordered by the Pacific Ocean, Guatemala and Honduras. Known as the Land of Volcanoes, El Salvador has frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity. It is the only country in Central America that does not have a coastline on the Caribbean Sea. We decided to stay in Santa Ana as this was closer to all we wanted to do, also San Salvador although nice it is just another city.
EL SALVADOR FLAG
Santa Ana is a very nice town, it has a garden in the centre which is always a hive of activity, it has one of the nicest Cathedral we have seen.
Santa Ana Cathedral and an interesting pet belonging to a local.
We took a trip out to Lake Coatepeque which is of volcanic origin, it is located 18 kilometres south of the city of Santa Ana. It has an altitude of 745 meters above sea level, an area of 25.3 square kilometres, and a depth of 115 meters. This lake is 50,000 years old, and was created after an eruption that left a huge gap of more than 20 kilometres radius and about two kilometres deep, then began a long process of capturing rainy and underground waters to become a lake. It is a beautiful spot. Where you can swim or have a drink and gaze out across the very still blue lake. We also did a trip out to the Tazumal Mayan ancient ruins which offers a glimpse into a settlement history that extends back to the Early Pre Classic (1000-800 B.C.). It is not a huge area but still worth visiting.
We did a hike to Santa Ana Volcano At 2,381 metres above sea level, it is the highest volcano in the country & the most active, this volcano features hiking, scenic views & a crater lake. It is located immediately west of Coatepeque Caldera. We were keen to see this one as we had not seen one with a lake in it, I thought because there is a lake in it, it would not be active but it is the most active. You have to take a guide to climb to the edge of the Volcano, the climb itself was moderate, but it will all depend on your fitness level. I would suggest hiking poles, more for coming down than going up. But it is so worth it, unlike Australia, occupational health and safety has not taken over , and we could go right to the edge. The views are amazing and the colour of the lake is beautiful. The photos do not do it justice.
We took a chicken bus to the
We took a chicken bus to the outskirts of Santa Ana, to the Salto de Malacatiupán, the hot waterfalls of El Salvador. Due to the vast number of volcanos in the country, El Salvador is home to a lot of thermal activity. The earth beneath its surface is a hot and active place therefore creating hot water falls. They truly are hot likely very different from anything you’re used to. Rather than a series of calm, relaxing pools, the water here flows down a stream and cascades brilliantly over several cliffs, depending on the amount of water you do have to be careful, it was very nice to experience more natural hot springs. The bus we got was number 210, it took about an hour, but I love the chicken buses as there is always so much happening on them, from people selling pain medication to nuts and cakes, and all the children coming and going to school all in their spotless white shirts.
Our Favourite Restaurant in Santa Ana was Simmer Down, the pizzas are great, and the best coffee I had was in a bank Banco Hipotecario, go figure. We had another unexpected wonderful time in El Salvador. We had a very early start at 4am we took a shuttle bus from Santa Ana to Antigua Guatemala, it was suppose to take 5hours but took 7 hours because of the boarder crossings. Leaving El Salvador and entering Guatemala. We also had an interesting security stop.
Guatemala, a Central American country south of Mexico, is home to volcanoes, rainforests and ancient Mayan sites. We decided to stay in Antigua it is a small beautiful city surrounded by volcanoes it is in southern Guatemala.
Guatemalan Flag
Antigua has lots of beautiful Spanish colonial buildings, many of which have been restored. It is surrounded by 4 volcanos Agua, Fuego, Acatenango and Pacaya so it is very beautiful.
You cannot climb Agua as it is sacred to the locals and Fuego is very active. You can climb Acatenango and Pacaya. We decided to climb Pacaya as we wanted to see the lava flow from the last eruption in 2021. It did not disappoint. it is about a 6 klm loop trail, generally considered a challenging route, it takes an average of 2 h 34 min to complete. This is a very popular area for birding, hiking, and horseback riding, so you ‘may meet other people while exploring. It is still and active volcano and the last eruption was in 2021 when the lava flow descended the volcano between El Patrocinio and San José el Rodeo. In the case of the latter, the lava advanced within two and a half blocks of the outermost homes. It was frightening to see how close the lava had got to this village. Our guide brought a few bags of marshmallows with him and we roasted marshmallows on the heat from the lava rocks. I was a great day.
We visited the amazing Santo Domingo Church and Monastery Its history can be traced back to 1538 when the Dominicans arrived in Guatemala. It is currently a hotel and has six permanent museums and two art galleries with temporary exhibits. the Pre-Columbian Art and Modern Glass shows one of the permanent exhibit of Pre-Hispanic objects in clay and stone, which are complemented with similar objects in contemporary glass. Both collections show that through the years, men have been inspired by the same subjects to create their own masterpieces ( Burial urns, Animals, Human Figures , and Jewellery) it was a great we to see the old and new together and to see how things have advanced so much. There is also a silver Museum and a Pharmacy Museum. The grounds are amazing, there are ruins of the old Church but they have been very clever, although they have not restored the Old Church they have incorporated some amazing canopies to allow the church to be used for mass and weddings. It is just beautiful as it brings the outside into the church, as a rule I never take photos in any churches as respect, but I had to take one of this one. If you visit Antigua please go and see this place it is a place where art, beauty and shape Transend in time.
Antigua has several roof top bars and as you can imagine the views are amazing as the town is surrounded by 4 Volcanoes. One roof top bars that is great is an cosy Irish pub called the The Snug Antigua (it has great food, lovely Irish breakfast with a big mug of Tea (Martin was in heaven) they also have great live music, there is always something happening here a great spot, lots of fun and a wonderful owner Rory who loves his job and makes everyone feel so welcome. Be sure to drop in sand say hi.
THE SNUG ANTIGUA GUATAMALA
The other thing that blew us away was the MacDonald’s I have never seen such a big and beautiful building and garden that MacDonald’s is in, it even displays great art works from local artists. Our Airbnb was great it was just outside town, it had a lovely pool within beautiful gardens.
Our AIRBNB and MacDonald’s
Antigua has a lovely climate, about 24 degrees all year round and very little humidity. We loved our time here. So put it on your bucket list.
It was a long trip from Kosovo to Panama City. We flew from Kosovo to Turkey and then from Turkey to Panama. We had no idea what to expect. I had booked an Airbnb in the old part of Panama City, Casco Viejo it is the historic district. It was designated a World Heritage Site in 1997. It is a very trendy neighbourhood, with a mix of old Spanish colonial and neoclassical architecture. Some buildings are completely restored and are beautiful but others are left to crumble and fall apart. If they restore the whole area as they have started to do it will be an amazing place. So much potential. The business and financial district is very spread out so we could not get a real sense of the City area.
PANAMA FLAG
Our Airbnb was very nice it had a roof top pool, which was very much needed as the humidity was very high. Casco Viejo has some wonderful roof top bars with amazing views across the canal. Food was good and their coffee not too bad, they do tend to cater for the Americans, this I can understand as most of the visitors are Americans. One of the main reasons for us going to Panama was to see the workings of the Panama Canal, but because of our own lack of organization we did not realise that a trip on the cancel with an English tour guide only happens on the third Saturday of every month. We had just missed one, not to worry we will be flying out of Panama next February at the end of our Central American trip and have booked in to do the Canal then.
Panama Canal: It is now February 2024 and we are back in Panama to complete a tour that will do the entirety of the Panama Canal. From the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. It was a full day tour aboard a small vessel to travel through all three sets of locks that make up the canal. Voyage on Gatun Lake and the Chagres River. We learned about the history and construction of the canal from our guide while we travelled along. As you can see by the facts below, it was not smooth sailing, it is now over 120 years old and still going strong. Back then they were forward thinkers, not like today !!!!
Interesting Facts about the Canal.
1513, Vasco Nunez de Balboa, Spanish conqueror, explorer, and governor crossed the Central American Isthmus and discovered that only a small portion of land divided the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. From Santa María la Antigua del Darién on the Atlantic coast of Panama to San Miguel on the Pacific coast there were only 40 miles (65 km), but he abandoned the idea.
In 1533, Gaspar de Espinosa suggested excavating to build a canal, from Panama City in the Pacific Ocean to Cruces, next to el río Chagres (Chagres river), but he died before the project could be started.
Carlos I de España (Charles I of Spain), emitted a decree in 1534, long after de Balboa’s death, ordering the Panama governor to make a map following the Chagres river, but when he finished with his task, he saw that the task of building the Panama canal was impossible
The French started to build the Canal Ferdinand de Lesseps, who had built the Suez Canal in 1869, presented a project to build the Panama canal after rejecting the proposition of building an unleveled canal in Panama, he decided to build the canal uniting la bahía de Limón (Lemon Bay) and la bahía de Panamá (Panama Bay.) On February 14th, 1880, de Lesseps had a final report that said that the building of the canal was going to take 8 years. This was not acceptable and on May 15th 1889 they finally stopped trying to build the Panama canal, after de Lesseps’ company had gone bankrupt three months earlier.
In 1902, the American government bought the Panama Canal from the French for 40,000,000 USD and held its rights, and the 10 mi (16 km) surrounding the area up until December 31st, 1999
On January 22nd 1903, John M. Hay, the U.S. Secretary of State at the time, signed a treaty with Tomás Herrán y Mosquera, a Colombian diplomat. Less than 2 months later, on March 14th, 1903, the U.S. Senate ratified the treaty, but the Colombian Senate did not. Theodore Roosevelt, the U.S. president at the time, helped and supported Panamanians to organize a revolution to separate from La Gran Colombia and on November 3rd, 1903, Panama became an independent country and they allowed the U.S. government to build the canal on their territory.
One of the saddest facts about the building of the Panama canal was that almost 25,000 people died trying to build it. Around 20,000 workers died during the French projects because of Panama’s hot weather, and heavy rainfalls. Malaria and la fiebre amarilla (yellow fever) were the protagonists taking the Antillian workers’ lives. Probably, though, there were many more, because the French only counted the deaths that occurred in the hospital. In the 9 years (1903-1914) that it took the U.S. government to build the Panama canal, 5,600 people dies 650 of them Americans —died because of diseases and accidents. The American government employed over 56,000 people, coming from the Antilles (mostly Barbados), Italy, China, Greece, and 8,000 from Spain, specifically from Galicia.
Another interesting fact about the Panama canal is how it affects the world’s commerce. It affects 6% of the world’s commerce. 90% of the world’s commerce happens by sea, and out of this, 6% of it passes through the Panama canal. The canal is responsible for 40% of the Panama’s GDP
The U.S. Invested 375,000,000 Dollars Building the Panama Canal
More Than 13,000 Ships Cross the Panama Canal Yearly. Panamanians charge a toll to each ship individually, and they collect around 2 billion USD every year. Depending on the size and cargo of the ship, it pays more or less of a toll, but larger ships have to pay around 450,000 to cross the canal. The Panamanians Expanded the Panama Canal
The Panamanians Expanded the Panama Canal
The size of a ship nowadays are huge! And they are not fit to cross the original Panama canal.
When it was first built, it was originally thought that Panamax ships could cross it. The size of the old lock system was:
1050 feet (320 m) long
110 feet (33.5 m) wide
42 feet (13 m) deep
These were the maximum measures of the antique locks in the Panama canal. In 2006, Martín Torrijos, Panama’s president presented a plan to expand the Panama canal and 77% of Panamanians were on board with the plan. On June 26th, 2016 Panamanians inaugurated the Expanded Panama Canal, giving the lock system new measurements to fit the Neo Panamax ships:
1,400 feet (427 m) long
180 feet (55 m) wide
59 feet (18 m) deep
Enjoying the Canal Tour (Amazing)
The Panama canal made everyone’s life easier, and it is a true marvel of engineering. Something you need to visit at least once in your life!
On one of our many bus trips we where told to visit Bocas Del Toro, and we are so glad we did. What a place. Bocas del Toro is a province of Panama comprising an island chain off the Caribbean coast. Isla Colón, the main island, is home to the capital.
Bocas Town, is a central hub with restaurants, shops and nightlife plus popular beaches. We booked an open water Bed and Breakfast in Saigon Bay sunsetterbnb.com It was amazing, one of the best accommodations we have ever stayed at, the hosts Sally and Mike could not have done any more for us. Besides making the accommodation super comfortable they cooked us a different beautiful breakfast every morning, they told us the best restaurants, bars, beaches, tours to go on. It is the type of accommodation that if you want to relax no problem, as it is very quiet, if you prefer a more lively scene it is just a 1 dollar trip into the centre of town. If you ever decided to go to Bocas Del Toro this accommodation is a must. See the link above for yourself .
Sunsetterbnb Accommodation
The locals travel from island to island on boats, it sure beats Traffic Jams, just the wind blowing in your hair it is a wonderful way of getting around. The locals are very friendly and really try to help when needed. It is great if you have some Spanish, sorry to say our Spanish is terrible.
There are some great bars and restaurants Most of the bars and restaurants are either on the water or have views of the water. Our favourite café for coffee and lunch was Café Del Mar, we had 2 favourite restaurants 1)El Ultimo Refugio and La Trattoria. The bars we loved were the Floating Bar (that is the correct name and yes it is a floating bar) so you need a boat to get there and Bibi’s on the beach, Bibi’s has great food and a really good band playing on a Sunday afternoon.
The Floating Bar
We had not been scuba diving for a few years so decided this was a great place to get back into it. We did 2 great dives, One was at Casablanca which had lots of beautiful fish and coral, the coral has some bleaching as does our coral in Australia. Our second dive was at Lunch box, this was a boat wreck site, amazing it was a an old catamaran that sunk, the visibility was amazing so it was great to swim through the cabin. We did the dive with Panama Dive school, they are excellent, another recommendation from our wonderful hosts Mike and Sally. We also visited the following beaches, Star fish beach and Red frog
We seen Dolphins, Sloths, some beautiful birds. The scenery overall is just breath taking. We absolutely loved Bocas Del Toro. So if you get to Central America put this on your list.
Albania is Europe’s only Muslim-majority country, it declared itself the world’s first atheist state in 1967 with the fall of communism in Albania in 1991, the practice of religion slowly increased. Also following the collapse of communism, a lack of government investment into alternative industries has left many people without jobs and pushed the younger generation to emigrate. So it was not surprising that we found a very tired looking Albania.
Lithuania is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is a member of the European Union. Lithuania regained independence in March 1990. The Capital of Lithuania is Vilnius.
Flag of Lithuania
We decided to stay in Vilnius the Capital we did not know much about Lithuania so we were pleasantly surprised at how beautiful it is, we also felt it was a place we could easily live. We stayed in a wonderful Airbnb just outside the walls of the old town, the Gate of Dawn
Vilnius’ UNESCO-listed Old Town is one of the largest and best-preserved medieval old towns in Central and Eastern Europe. Needless to say, many of the city’s most popular attractions can be found in the Old Town, which makes for an easy, pleasant walk. In fact, most of the city’s landmarks and facilities are within walking distance. It has been said that it has the best air quality and also that it is one of Europe’s greenest capitals, with 2 rivers Neris and Vilnele, great for lovers of the outdoors. The weather was cooler so it was ideal for site seeing.
Town square
I loved walking around the old town, I was blown away with how beautiful the Tenants decorated each shop both inside and out. They have great coffee shops with delicious cakes. They also have great second hand clothes stores, vintage, name brands and just your everyday clothing. It was great to see that people are recycling clothes and that others are happy to buy them. I bought a great waterproof rain jacket that fit like a glove.
Just a few of the shop front decorations
70% of Lithuania are Catholic, so there are some beautiful old churches. Just inside the Gates of Dawn the miraculous painting of the Blessed Virgin Mary, one of the most famous Renaissance paintings in Lithuania. It’s also called the Madonna of the Gates of Dawn or the Madonna of Vilnius. The legend tells that in 1702, when Vilnius was captured by the Swedish army during the Great Northern War, Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn came to her people’s rescue. At dawn, the heavy iron city gates fell, crushing and killing four Swedish soldiers
Blessed Virgin Mary at the Gates of DawnThese are the Dawn Gates and the picture of Our Lady sits behind the arch window.
We decided to do a bike tour and Bike Vinius Velotakas is a great company to use. We did the Small-Group – Bike Tour of Vilnius I would definitely recommend it, not only are the places we went to very interesting but the guides are very knowledgeable and passionate about the history of Lithuania. Lithuania has a very Tumultuous history. So many times they have been taken over and each time they came back stronger, until finally they regained their independence in march 1990. It was interesting to hear the guide say that they need more people in their country, it was very noticeable that there is very little multiculturalism in regards to people. Yet their culinary delights are from all over the world with some of the best food we have had. On the tour we stopped at the following places Bernardine Garden, Gediminas‘ Castle Tower, Vilnius Cathedral, Cathedral square, St Anne church, the old town although it was hard to cycle on the cobble streets.
The guide also brought us to some of the newer areas of Vilnius, one place I really liked was a recreational area that has something for all age groups from babies to our most mature. I think is is a lovely idea to have all activities together, therefore creating a real sense of community.
Some of the sites on our bike tour, a fantastic barber shop with Pool Table, motor bike and beer my husband spent a wonderful afternoon here.
Užupis this is a Hip, Trendy, & Quaint little Neighbourhoods On the east side of the Old Town just across the small Vilnia river, Užupis is well known as the artsy Bohemian alternative neighbourhood of Vilnius. It is a great spot to spend a few hours.
Užupis
Our next stop is Latvia we took a 4 hour bus journey from Vilnius Lithuania to Riga the capital of Latvia. We really loved Vilnius Lithuania and could certainly see ourselves living here for six months. Put it on your bucket list.
Latvia is a country on the Baltic Sea between Lithuania and Estonia. It has wide beaches and dense sprawling forests. Latvia’s capital is Riga, it has a large Central Market and a medieval Old Town. St Peter’s church and the Beautiful Freedom Monument has been Riga’s central landmark for almost a century. This 42.7 m tall granite and copper work of art is a symbol of the Latvian nation’s striving for freedom and independence. Latvia got its independence 21st of August 1991
The flag of Latvia
We did a beautiful boat tour on the Riga City Canal that continued out to the Daugava River. It was a beautiful evening, the views of the park that runs along the canal and the scenery on the Daugava River are just stunning.
We took a train trip from Riga Central to Sigulda, Sigulda is a beautiful town about an hour from Riga it is a good area if you want to do some hiking. We did a lovely hike here and stopped to visit the Sigulda Castles . The Castle grounds are beautiful, there are some very nice shops and markets here, but today we are here to see the Sigulda New Castle and the Livonian Order Sigulda Castle (the ruins of the Medieval Castle). In the castle ruins, you can walk along the ancient stone walls, climb the towers and visit open-air stage events. The view from the tower is wonderful, across the Gauja Valley. There are also some fun sculpture (a parade of Knights at the parking area)
We had another beautiful day, we took the train from Riga Centre to Jurmala Beach the weather was 25 Degrees, quite warm for Riga, but the water was freezing hence the name I suppose Baltic sea, and I like cold water !!!! but this was so cold I could not stay in for any length of time, to say it was refreshing would be an understatement. Jurmala is a beautiful area with some very nice homes.
We did a bike tour around the old city it was a great way to learn the history of Latvia, like Lithuania it has a chequered history, but it is great that they now have their independence. They say that Riga is the Northern European’s Art Nouveau Capital and this was clearly visible as we cycled around the city.
Riga had some great bars and restaurants, their food courts are next level. The Most Romantic Cafe in the Old Town with Homemade cakes, great selection of wines and delicious coffee is Parunasim kafe’teeka, Coffee was great here, just loved it. Second hand clothes shops are also fantastic in Riga, name brands and vintage clothing a plenty.
Parunasim kafe’teeka cafe, an Australian pub with a combi van in it and one of the food courts.
Riga in Latvia like Vilnius in Lithuania we could easy see ourselves living here for 6 month. You never know what the future holds !!!!
We flew to Croatia and then got a bus to Montenegro our final stop for the month of August.
Montenegro is a Balkan country with rugged mountains, medieval villages and a narrow strip of beaches along its Adriatic coastline. We stayed in Lepetane a beautiful old fishing village. It is in the Bay of Kotor, kotor resembling a fjord, it is dotted with coastal churches home to Durmitor National Park, which has bears and wolves, it encompasses limestone peaks, glacial lakes and 1,300m-deep Tara River Canyon.
Flag of Montenegro
The country is very scenic, it goes from mountain ranges to the sea with lots of the small towns clinging to edge of the coastline. Lepetane is one of these towns as i mentioned it use to be a small fishing village, and although fishing still happens here nowadays the village is best known for the ferry crossing between kamenari and lepetane. It is beautiful spot, just one small shop, a few restaurants and beautiful views out across the bay. Our Airbnb was basic but perfect for us.
We did a wonderful boat trip around the coastline. The water is so clean and clear it is the Adriatic sea so not as cold as the Baltic. The tour took us around the Bay of Kotor, the Lady of the rock, the Tivat area and the Blue Grotto.
The Legend of the Lady of the Rock was that sailors from Perast found a picture of the Virgin Mary on a rock protruding from the sea and taking it as a good sign, began laying rocks on this same spot after every successful voyage so that a church could be built on top of the rocks. The Blue Grotto is a massive rock cave with iridescent blue water popular for boat tours, kayaking & snorkelling, it is a beautiful stop for a swim and snorkel. It was very refreshing being out on the boat the Bay of Kotor is wonderful.
The hike we did was called Vrmac trail it is the long limestone mountain that divides Kotor Bay (aka Boka Bay) in Montenegro. High above the glistening waters of Kotor Bay, the highest peak along the ridge. The trail delivers panoramic views of the Dinaric Alps, Boka Bay, and the many villages that cling to its shore. We also found a small dilapidated Church.
We did a day trip to Kotor old town . The old town of Kotor has a great number of monuments of the medieval architecture: churches, cathedrals, palaces, and museums. Its beauty is complemented with the multitude of narrow streets, squares, and markets. Kotor is considered to be the best preserved medieval urban entity in the Mediterranean. The largest and the most impressive are, by all means, city bulwarks ( defensive walls)which surround the town.
We took a trip to Kamenari on the other side of the ferry crossing, if you walk along the road away from the ferry you will come to some lovely restaurants and beach clubs. The Adriatica Restaurant, Grill and Beach Club is very nice but very expensive compare to other restaurants and beach clubs. You need to walk further around the coast line and you will come to a lot more restaurants that are not half as expensive but the food is just as good. We also took a trip to Tivat which has a beautiful harbour.
We loved our time in Montenegro it is so worth a trip. Our next stop is to Albania we caught a bus from Montenegro to Albania it took about 4 hours.
Slovakia officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Slovakia got its independence on January 1, 1993, at this time Slovakia and the Czech Republic became two separate autonomous countries.
SLOVAKIAN FLAG
We had a wonderful time in Slovakia, Bratislava is the capital, it has a beautiful old town, the main square is where people gather for all sorts of events, they have local fresh produce markets on the weekend. The old town has lots of great restaurants and bars. There are some beautiful churches, the blue church was particularly nice. There is a very nice monument for all the fallen soldiers in wars gone by. We stayed about a 15min walk from the old town.
There is a wonderful transport museum with lots of beautiful old cars, scooters, motors bikes and trains. It is definitely worth a visit. It is about a 20min walk from the old town town and only costs a few Euros.
Bratislava Castle is worth a visit it sits on a steep hill named Little Carpathians which is above the Danube river. The castle was built in the 9th century. There are amazing view from the Castle walls, there is also museum that goes through the history of the Castle, they currently use the Castle for different types of events. It is only a 15min walk from the old town, the hill is quite steep but you can also get a hop on hop off small bus that will take you there.
Bratislava has a very interesting history, the audio commentary on the hop on and off bus was very informative. So worth doing. We met some friends ( Mark and Philomena from Australia) in Bratislava and had a great meal with them in Pod Kamennym Stromom restaurant in the old town. It was so good to see them. This was our favourite restaurant in Bratislava, Pod Kamennym Stromom the food was delicious and so fresh. The owner and staff where very welcoming and the garden courtyard was wonderful, I would definitely recommend. Overall Slovakia did not disappoint, put it on your list of places to visit.
Moldova sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine, Moldova emerged as an independent republic following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Moldova is one of the poorest countries in Europe, its economy relies heavily on agriculture. With the war in the Ukraine agriculture has been effected in Moldova, this seemed to be the main worry of the people in Moldova when we stopped for a visit. We flew from Bratislava to Chisinau in Moldova our nest stop.
MOLDOVAN FLAG
We decided to visit the capital of Moldova which is Chisinau we had heard that Moldova is the least visited country in Europe and if it is I do not know why. Moldova has a really nice quite relaxed feel to it. It has a beautiful park in the centre of the city Ștefan cel Mare Central Park It is the oldest park in Moldova and spans about 7 hectares (17 acres). The park boasts around 50 species of trees which range between 130 and 180 years old. This beautiful park with bronze and marble busts and fountains. There is beautiful French café just on the edge of the park, lovely to stop and have a coffee or glass of wine. It was lovely to stroll through the park in the evening time.
Inspired by the famous Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the Arc de Triumf in Chisinau was built to commemorate Russia’s victory over the Ottoman Empire, it sits just outside the Cental Park up from the Nativity Cathedral this building became one of the best examples of Russian architecture in Chisinau. It is has a magnificent dome, and six columns decorate the main entrance of the church. Every hour, you can hear the bells chime in the Bell Tower opposite the temple.
We did a tour to Milestii Mici, the largest underground wine cellar in the world, located in the commune of Milestii Mici just 18km from Chisinau, the country’s capital. The tour is very interesting with a wine tasting at the end and lunch if you would like..
Stretching for 250 km, of which only 120 km are currently in use, the Milestii Mici cellar complex is also the largest in the world. In 2007 Milestii Mici wine cellars were noted in Guinness World Records 2007 Yearbook for having the largest (2 million) wine collections in the world. You can drive a car in the tunnels although these days they just use golf buggies. It is also the perfect temperature to store wine, consistently in the mid-50s Fahrenheit 10 to 14 degrees Celsius, plus constant humidity creates ideal conditions for aging to perfection. Several famous people have there wine stored here, including This really is an amazing place, if the apocalypses ever happens I know where I will be heading to.
Moldova is very affordable, we had a beautiful meal plus a bottle of wine for about $40 Australian dollars. Martin loves his steak, and reckons this was one of the best he had. Wine Gogh was the name of the restaurant, the service was also great.
We really enjoyed our time in Moldova, it is a lovely safe city and so worth a visit. We flew from Chisinau to Bucharest in Romania our next stop.
Romania is the twelfth-largest country in Europe and the sixth-most populous member state of the European Union. Its capital and largest city is Bucharest.
FLAG OF ROMANIA
We had a 6 days in the Capital Bucharest. We stayed in the city centre and had a great view of the he artesian fountains of Unirii Square, Bucharest boasts the first smart fountains in Europe designed 100% on a computer, with a fantastic show of colour, music, and 3D projections on the water, it really was great to see. Bucharest is also famous for having one of the fastest internet connections in Europe. Bucharest, iconic landmark is the massive, Communist Parliamentary government building, which has 1,100 rooms. There is also the historic Lipscani district which is home to an energetic nightlife scene, full of restaurants and bars, it looks great at night but during the day it looks a bit tired.
Artesian fountainsCommunist Parliamentary government building
We also did a tour of Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu’s mansion it hides far more history behind its doors than first meets the eye. They lived in the lap of luxury, while the people of Romania starved. It is located on one of the wealthiest streets in the capital, which is where many of the senior communist party members lived. It is a very impressive home, and the history is very interesting, but like many governments or people in power, greed and ego takes over and they forget about the every day women and men trying to make a life for themselves and their families. Sad to hear all what went on. But on a positive note the Romanians seem to be doing a good job of getting on with their lives.
Indoor swimming pool
We had a very relaxing day at the Therme Bucuresti Located North of Bucharest, just 10 minutes away from the city, it is the largest relaxation and entertainment centre in Europe, the largest botanical garden in Romania with over 800,000 plants, includingover 1,500 palm trees, countless orchids and many other unique species. Therme Bucharest combines relaxation, preventive health, physical activity, entertainment and food in a new concept never before seen in Romania. It turns a former luxury into an accessible every day, all year-round experience for public, while improving health and the quality of life for all visitors. If you ever visit Bucharest make sure to save a day and visit the Therme Bucuresti it will not disappoint.
Therme Bucuresti
We hired a car and drove out to Brasov, It is surrounded by the Southern Carpathians and is part of the historical region of Transylvania
Brasov is a beautiful old town it is famous for its historical attractions, it is impossible to miss landmarks like the Black Church, its large open squares like the Council cobbled Square where locals and tourists alike enjoy good restaurants, bars and cafes. . It is surrounded by colourful baroque buildings and is home to the Casa Sfatului, a former town hall turned local history museum. There was a number of reasons we wanted to visit the area of Transylvania and Brasov was a great place to base ourselves.
Brasov Town Square
The first place we wanted to visit was Dracula Caste Bran Castle it was associated with the fictional vampire Count Dracula. The Romanian castle resembles Castle Dracula, as described in Bram Stokers novel Dracula (1897), in that both stand on rocky precipices and command spectacular views. But sadly Stoker, an Irish writer, is not known to have ever visited Transylvania. Moreover, (Dracula), the historical personage most closely identified with Stoker’s Dracula, never ruled Bran Castle, although some sources claim that he was held prisoner there for two months. Anyway it was great to visit, it was a bit creepy and just as we went inside, the heavens open and we had very loud thunder and lighting, then the lights went out. But we got out alive so all good. It was a very interesting tour and the history of the castle is very interesting.
Dracula Caste Bran Castle
One of the items on Martins bucket list was drive the Transfagarasan highway. Passing through some of the highest mountains in the country (Fagaras Mountains), Transfagarasan was named by Jeremy Clarkson, the famous Top Gear presenter “The Best Road in the World”.
The drive on the Transfagarasan highway is breath-taking. The winding road and the steep mountains surrounding it create an amazing scenery, very unique. The Balea Lake connects two sections of Transfagarasan. The lake is just stunning and sits beatifully at the top.
Martin and I had only ever seen Bears in a Zoo, we had been told that there are bears in the Fargaras Mountains so you can image our excitement when we seen bears come out onto the highway as we drove down the other side of the highway.
Transfagarasan highwayTop of Transfagarasan highway
We also wanted to do the Seven Ladders Canyon. It is consists of a set of metal ladders and platforms cascading up through seven different waterfalls of various heights set in a narrow limestone gorge. From here you can also do zip lining, cost is so reasonable to do both of these activities you would be mad to miss out.
We will start the tour with a hike. This was leisurely stroll through the mountains, with plenty of opportunities to take in the sights and sounds of the Carpathian Mountains. Next, we moved on to the canyon crossing. This is a unique experience that you won’t find anywhere else. You will be able to cross the canyon using metallic structures, suspended hundreds of feet above the ground. This is an exciting and unique way to explore the landscape. Finally, we ended with the ziplining. The ziplines are the longest in the Romania and you will have the opportunity to fly over stunning views of the mountains and forests. It is unique because it combines the thrill of ziplining and canyon crossing with the relaxation of a hike. It is the perfect way to explore the Carpathian Mountains.
We had heard that the set for the (Wednesday Adam series) the Nevermore academy was near Brasov as it was a favourite of mine we just had to go and take a look. We were not disappointed. The scenery is just beautiful. We took a train from Brasov to Busteni a very nice little town, and could walk from there.
We had a wonderful time in Romania, there is so much to see and do, put it on your list of places to visit there is something for all the family. We took a flight from Romania to Lithuanian.
It’s April and we are ready to hit the road, last week was manic, note never leave your job and your home in the same week, far too hectic. Now that everything is sorted we are really to go.
The plan is to travel in Australia for 5 weeks, 20 years ago when we did an 18 month trip around Australia, back then we took the Ghan from Adelaide to Alice Springs so we missed out on a few places like, Broken Hill, Cobber Pedy. So let’s get this show on the road, our first stop is Dubbo
Dubbo is a city in the Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia, with an estimated population of 36,622 as at June 2014, weather this time of the year is between 20 – 25 degrees. We stayed at the Ibis Dubbo, it was basic accommodation but very clean and the staff were very friendly.
We stopped here to see the Zoo and The Dish
Dubbo Zoo, I love the Zoo here as all the animals have plenty of space in their enclosures. They also have a large savannah were a number of different animal’s co habitat together. It is a large Zoo you can cycle, drive or walk around. There is a large playground and picnic area’s plenty to keep the whole family amused.
Feeding time for the Black Rhino’s
The Graceful Giraffe
I love the Gates of the Zoo as it reminds me of the movie Jurassic Park
CSIRO’s Parkes radio telescope you may know it as the “The Dish” if you have seen the movie it is loosely based on the Parkes telescope’s role in receiving pictures from the Apollo 11 mission, the first manned Moon landing in July 1969.
Built in 1961 it is 64-m diameters parabolic dish used for radio astronomy the telescope works day and night about 85% of the time it is scheduled for observing, students can control the telescope over the internet for educational projects it receives signals from space never sends them. It is used by 300 researchers each year with 40% of these users from overseas. It takes 15min to do a 360 degrees rotation and it weight is 300 tonnes.
Did you know: NASA copied the telescope’s design for the satellite tracking dishes of its Deep Space Network.
Martin the Dish or is it Martin and the Dish ???
Broken Hill was our next stop.
Like many “outback” towns, Broken Hill was built on precious metals, having once had the world’s richest deposits of lead, zinc and silver. Although now depleted somewhat, mining still yields around two million tonnes annually. Sheep farming is now one of the principal industries in the area, Broken Hill has encouraged its widespread artistic credentials and is promoting itself as a tourism destination. Population of Broken Hill is now 18,856 it has declined over the years.
The reason I wanted to visit Broken Hill was for the art galleries, the International Sculpture Symposium, and to visit a mine, we were not disappointed.
The Highlight for me was the International Sculpture Symposium. Twelve impressive stone sculptures are situated on a hill located in The Living Desert Reserve in about 10km north of Broken Hill. The sculptures were carved in 1993 by artists from around the world, under the direction of organiser and artist Lawrence Beck. The best time for photographing sculptures is around sunset and sunrise. But really the sculptures look fantastic at that time, it is a very peaceful place and really show how amazing the Australian Desert can look and feel. The arrangement of the stones define a special flow from the Pinnacles Hills to Fred Hollows resting place in Bourke, It is said to be a Present for Fred Hollows in the Afterlife. Below are pictures of a few of my favourite ones.
Pro Hart Gallery
It was great to Visit Pro-Harts Gallery, I love that his work really portrays the Australian Landscape and the life he had in Broke hill, he was a family man and raised 5 children, he worked in the mines and said his painting kept him sane after long day’s underground. As we could not take photo’s of his pictures we took one of his hand painted cars.
Daydream Mine
Is no longer a working mine, it is situated 33km from Broken hill. The mine was discovered in 1881 and close in 1963. Silver was mined here. The couple that run the mine tours are great, Boss and Cookie have a wealth of knowledge about the mine and the surrounding area they are very down to earth and friendly, on the tour we went down —– feet it really helped understand the working conditions that the miners had, not something I could do for a living. After the tour Cookie has freshly main Devonshire tea ready for everyone, nothing like freshly made home cooked scones. This is well worth a visit.
On to Coober Pedy
Coober Pedy is situated in the Outback of South Australia, 846km north of Adelaide and 685km south of Alice Spring. Coober Pedy is the Opal Capital of the world. The first opal was discovered in 1915 Coober Pedy produces 85% of the world’s opal.
We came to Coober Pedy to see the Opal mines, underground living, and the Breakaways. Again we were not disappointed
It is fascinating to see the underground lifestyle, many of the homes, hotels, churches and restaurants are underground. Living underground means you can escape the heat in summer and the winter cool desert nights. We stayed in a great underground motel, all the rooms are underground and have on-suites it was very clean. There is also a communal kitchen that service a continental breakfast each morning. The couple that run the hotel are very friendly and extremely helpful. It is also very reasonably priced. I would definitely recommend this place.
John’s Pizza Bar and Restaurants have great pizza a great place for dinner and coffee.
We took a tour that covered, an opal mine visit, Josephine’s Gallery, Faye’s Underground home, Underground church, Golf course, dingo fence, Opal fields, Moon plans and the Breakaways. The tour was 6 hours and it was fantastic. Adam our tour guide had a lot of local knowledge, it is really worth taking one of his tours as you learn so much more.
We bought some local aboriginal art work, we thought if we are ever going to buy aboriginal artwork this was the place to do it.
Adelaide
We had a few days in Adelaide to say goodbye to my brother and his wife. We always have a great time catching up with them.
Lady Bay Resort
Lady Bay Resort is a golf resort about an hour south of Adelaide we had a week stop here, it was very relaxing, we played golf, went to some amazing unspoilt beaches like Normanville and to visit a few wineries.
The Beach at Normanville
Lady Bay resort
McLaren Vale Wine Region
We continued on to the Victorian High Country Mt Bulli
We stayed at the Sebel resort for a week, great place the apartment we got was amazing. The weather was a lot cooler here, but it was lovely to see the autumn colours. We went on lots of walks and drove up to Mt Bulli which was freezing, the wind was howling, so we did not stay to long.
The Sebel Resort
Great friends that came to visit.
Back to Sydney
It is now time to travel back to Sydney where we take a flight to Dubai.
Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and the Adriatic Sea to the southwest. It covers 20,273 square kilometres and has a population of 2.07 million. One of the former states of Yugoslavia, Slovenia is a member of the United Nations, the European Union, and of NATO.
Flag of Slovenia
We are so happy we decided to add Slovenia to our trip, Ljubljana is Slovenia’s capital and a beautiful small city, it has plenty of green spaces, including the expansive Tivoli Park. The curving Ljubljana River is lined with outdoor cafes, bars and markets, it divides the city’s old town from its commercial hub, it is a vibrant, cyclist-friendly oasis, teeming with cultural activities, culinary delights, and architectural splendour. Ljubljana Castle is a castle complex standing on Castle Hill above downtown Ljubljana. It is a key landmark of the town. Initially a defence structure and since the first half of the 14th century the seat of the lords of Carniola, today is used as a major cultural venue.
Ljubljana River
View from Ljubljana Castle Ljubljana CastleTiny wine bar in Ljubljana Town
Our Airbnb was in a great spot in the old city centre we
stayed here for 3 nights then drove out to Lake bled for 4 nights.
Lake Bled wow what a picturesque place. The main
attraction is a single island, home to Assumption of Mary Pilgrimage Church. It
has a fairy-tale feel about it. We did some great hikes here. Ojstrica
and Mala Osojnica are the hills which rise above the west shore of Lake Bled.
The hike is easy and present a delightful alternative or addition to walks
along or around the lake. You are rewarded with one of the best views of Lake
Bled, the island, castle and Karavanke mountain chain in the background.
Another day we took a small boat out to the island in the centre of the lake to
visit the church and to ring the bell. We had a very nice coffee in the
restaurant on the island. In the afternoon I went to the small beach on lake
bled and got in for a swim. Water was lovely.
View of Lake Bled from Ojstrica and Mala Osojnica
View from Ojstrica and Mala Osojnica
Very good coffee shop at Lake Bled
Another hiked that is a must is Vintgar Gorge is a
1.6-kilometer gorge in north western Slovenia in the municipalities of Gorje
and Bled, four kilometres northwest of Bled. Carved by the Radovna River, it is
the continuation of the Radovna Valley. The sheer canyon walls are 50 to 100
meters high, with a total slope measuring about 250 m. The stream has created many
erosive features such as pools and rapids, and terminates in the picturesque 13
m Šum Falls, the largest river waterfall in Slovenia, we continued the
hike from the gorge up to St Catherine Church, we had a lovely lunch here.
Vintgar Gorge
Vintgar Gorge
St Catherine Church
View from St Catherine Church
We had two wonderful meals at Sova restaurant on the
banks of lake bled, best food we have had for a while, so definitely worth a
visit.
Geographically Slovenia would be a great place to live as
it is only an hour’s drive to Italy, Croatia, Austria and Hungary. It would be
perfect to live here for six months of the year and the other six months in
Australia, how wonderful would that be.
