normabyrne – Page 2 – beyondthenorm

South Korea

Korea is 1,200 kilometres long peninsula located in the easternmost part of the Asian continent. The country is split into South and North Korea, currently you can only visit South Korea, but in the minds of most of its citizens, it remains a single nation that cannot be divided. As South Korea is a peninsula, the country offers miles and miles of beautiful coast and stunning beaches. Korea also has a lot of beautiful islands, the most popular and largest one being Jeju Island. We have not heard much about South Korea so we were very excited to see what was in store for us.

We travelled from Sydney to Seoul with Qantas, we decided to stay in Seoul for a week, as it looked like there was lots to do and see there. We stayed in an Airbnb in the Myeong-dong area near the Myeong-dong Cathedral. The Myeong-dong Cathedral is very nice Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception is its patron Saint. It was the very first place the Catholic community was formed. There is a Crypt, a Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes and a beautiful statue of Our Lady. It was a great place to stay as it was close to lots of restaurants, shops and public transport.

One thing to keep in mind when staying in Seoul is that the apartments are very small, although our apartment was very nice it was the size of one of our bedrooms in Sydney and that included, living room, Kitchen, dinning room, bathroom and bedroom. Not complaining as it was all part of the experience. The street food in the Myeong-dong shopping area is next level. I do not normally eat street food as I have a very sensitive stomach, but the food prep and cleanliness of the stalls where top notch. Deep fried crumbed prawns and squid, deserts to die for and huge roasted marshmallows. There is also the famous Olive Young store which stands as the foremost health and beauty retailer in South Korea. This shop was always packed with people. They sell creams in this shop for almost anything you can think of.

We went to Deoksugung Palace one of the top 5 palaces in Seoul. Deoksugung is a walled compound of palaces in Seoul that was inhabited by members of Korea’s royal family during the Joseon monarchy until the annexation of Korea by Japan in 1910. There are some great buildings in the Palace and the gardens are beautiful.

We did a tour to Lake Majang Suspension Bridge and the DMZ. The suspension bridge is the longest suspension bridge in the country, 220 meters long and ten meters high. The area is very beautiful, there are lovely picnic areas and trail walks.

On our way to the DMZ we stopped at the Freedom Bridge, It was named Freedom Bridge because 12,733 Korean War prisoners returned home for freedom through this bridge in 1953. It also has symbolic significance of return to freedom. It is a representative heritage of the Korean War.

Martin was very keen to visit the DMZ. It is a very interesting place. A bit if history. On July 27, 1953, the Korean War ended with a cease-fire. The Northern and Southern Limit Lines were created as each side moved their troops back 2km from the Military Demarcation Line. The lines reach 248 km in length . At the present time, an area within 2 km in both the north and south side is designated as the DMZ . Excluding the DMZ, the overall area is considered to be the most heavily militarized region in the world. There is a lookout area called the Dora Observatory that shows you the DMZ and across to North Korea, they provide binoculars so you can see Tongil-chon Freedom Village/Unification Village it is the only place inhabited by South Korean civilians inside the heavily armed Demilitarized Zone that separates the South from North Korea. For decades, a village of 188 people has enjoyed perks that few others in South Korea have, with its men exempted from mandatory military service and its 46 households getting special tax cuts. These are the rewards for carving out a life in what has been called the scariest place on Earth.

Paju DMZ is at a crossroad where the clear water of Imjingang River connects between South and North Korea. It is remembered as a site of the painful and tragic national division of the Korean Peninsula.

Next up was a tour of the Third Invasion Tunnel. Between the 1960s-1980s, North Korea dug tunnels under the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in an attempt to conduct a surprise invasion of South Korea from underground. October 17, 1978 the 3rd tunnel was discovered, The tunnel was located 2 kilometres from the United Nations Forces Forward Base, which supported the Military Armistice Commission it was the closest tunnel to Seoul out of all the North Korean tunnels in history. The tunnel spans over 1635m in length, 2m in width, and 2m in height. It is estimated that approximately 30,000 soldiers could move through the tunnel per hour. Now it is a tourist attraction for South Korea, I think they enjoy the fact that they now make money from it. It is definitely worth a trip down through the tunnel. Amazing excavation as no machinery would have been used for fear of making noise and the tunnel being discovered. You are not allowed to take photos in the Tunnel. Overall a very interesting day.

Some of the other things we did while in Seoul was to visit one of the traditional villages. Bukchon Hanok Village you can simply walk around the village and look at the beautiful homes, people still do live there, while other places became stores, cafes and galleries. The art work is very impressive, we did buy some small pencil drawings from a very talented artist. You can also rent Hanboks, the Korean traditional clothes, and take some pictures which can be fun. , This traditional village offers a glimpse into the city’s rich cultural heritage.

Another very interesting place to visit is the Namsangol Traditional Garden

At the Namsangol Traditional Garden, native plants and grasses were planted, and terrain built to enable the natural flow of water to establish the picturesque landscape of ancient times at Namsan. It was a famous summer vacation spot during Joseon Dynasty. It is known for its five hanoks (traditional Korean houses) from Joseon Dynasty that were located in various parts of the city until the City of Seoul moved and restored them here. Besides the five heritage hanoks, there are café, souvenir shop, beautiful gardens, pavilions, pond, performance arts stage (Gukakdang) and a time capsule plaza. While there a class was in session were children where having a lesson in manners and etiquette.

To get a feel for the size of Seoul we took a trip to the YTN Seoul Tower and commonly known as Namsan Tower or Seoul Tower, is a communication and observation tower located on Namsan Mountain in central Seoul, South Korea. The views are just amazing here from here. Interesting fact, SK is 1.6 times the size of Ireland but SK has a population of just under 52 million Ireland has a population of just over 5 million. Even though there is a lot of people it never felt over crowded or noisy.

Seoul is a fantastic place with lots to see and do. Such a wonderful place to visit.

Our next stop in South Korea was Jeju island. Jeju Island is South Korea’s largest island, covering an area of 1,833.2 km², which is 1.83% of the total area of the country. It has a mild subtropical climate and a massive national park that preserves the island’s most important (and revered) geological formation. Jeju island reminded us of the country side in Ireland with low lying stone walls to segregate and protect crops from the strong winds, The walls in Jeju are called Doldam which represents the cultural heritage of the Jeju people, who pioneered the harsh volcanic island with wisdom and insights. Jeju has beautiful beaches with torquise water, is located in a place where warm ocean currents from the tropical south meet cool currents from the north, resulting in a unique and prolific underwater ecosystem, it was low season when we visited so it was not very busy.

Do not leave Jeju until you visit the Yeomiji Botanical gardens, they are the major player of five official South Korean botanical gardens and arboreta. Not only do they claim to be the best botanical garden in all of Asia but they are the largest in the world. they are just beautiful. They exchange seeds with 180 botanical gardens in 130 countries. They are just beautiful, you could easily spend all day here or 2 days.

The main building is the centre hall, it has an observation tower and five adjoining greenhouses that accommodate 6 indoor gardens: the fruit garden, the flower garden, the aquatic garden, the cactus garden, the jungle garden, the tropical garden. Outside there are a number of gardens The Perennial Garden , The Japanese gardens, The Korean Garden, The Italian Garden, The French Garden and The Hydrangea Walk. It was fantastic, if I lived on Jeju I would visit often.

We took a trip across Saeyeongyo Bridge, This bridge connects Seogwipo Port and Saeseom Island. It was designed to look like a Teu, a traditional flat wooden boat of Jeju Island. It was a beautiful day so the views from the bridge are wonderful. We also stopped at the Cheonjiyeon water falls.

Another very interesting place we visited while on Jeju was Love Land it is described as “a place where love oriented art and eroticism meet” It plays sex education films and has 140 sculptures of humans in various sex positions. As the park is themed around sex, do not visit with children or parents if you get embarrassed by this type of exhibition. These are some of the more tame sculptures. I think the South Koreans are a lot more liberal than most when it comes to sex. Good on them.

We did the Eoseungsaengak Trail is one of the Hallasan hiking trails and can be accessed from the Erimok Visitor Center. The trail is very well maintained and mostly consists of stairs. It is home to a variety of animals and wildflowers. There are a lot of stairs, and it does get your heart rate going but The views from the top are fantastic and make it worth while.

Jeju is famous for its local black-pork, barbecued horse meat, and fresh seafood. We tried the local black-pork and it was delicious. The hot pot and Barbecues are very good in South Korea and very reasonable priced. But no I like horses to much to eat them. So we did not have that cuisine.

We where so happy we had added Jeju to our itinerary as it was so worth the trip. From here we flew to Busan

Busan has the largest seaport in South Korea, the city has abundant seafood and traditional street markets where you can enjoy fresh and delectable dishes. Busan was my least favorite place in South Korea, It is full of tourist and reminded me of the Gold Coast in Australia lots of high-rise buildings it also looked a bit run down.

We stayed very close to Haeundae Beach as it was a few days before the 4th of May and Star wars is very popular in South Korea they where getting ready for the celebrations (May the 4th be with you) On Haeundae Beach they where doing sand sculptures and I thought this one was particularly good.

One of the places we did visit that was impressive was Haedong Yonggungsa Buddhist Temple it is situated on the coast of the north-eastern portion of Busan. This was a rare find along the shore line as most temples in Korea are located in the mountains. It has something for everyone.

A row of zodiac animals greet visitors at the temple entrance

A towering 7-story pagoda, at the base of which sits a car wheel shrine, where people can pray to avoid car accidents.

Stone stairs (of which there are 108, an auspicious number in Buddhism) descend into a small bamboo forest and are lined with stone lanterns and other carvings, including a fat Podae-hwasang (an incarnation of Mireuk-bul, the Future Buddha), whose belly you can rub.

One of the five Buddhas for Academic Achievement

Golden Jijang Bosal statue on the sunrise platform

The main temple area is dominated by the Daeungjeon Main Hall

An oversized golden statue of Podae-hwasang, the Future Buddha

Gwanseeum-bosal, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, to whom the temple is dedicated

Designated spot for taking selfies with the Future Buddha

Although it is impressive it had so many visitors it did not feel as respectful as I thought it should. But it is definitely worth a visit.

Our Final stop in South Korea was Sokcho-si. We hired a car and drove here, we stayed in a very nice Guest house in Goseong it was right beside a beautiful beach. Our main reason for stopping here was to visit Seoraksan National Park it was 30min from our accommodation. We were lucky to get the last of the cherry blossoms.

Seoraksan National Park. Is a UNESCO Biosphere Protection site since 1982. it covers an area of 163.6 square meters. It has breathtaking landscapes, including rocky mountains, lush forests, and crystal-clear streams. It ‘has Korea’s third largest mountain and has a variety of hiking trails, most of which take only a few hours to complete. They are very well sign posted and although some of them are challenging the panoramic views at the top make it so wort the trip.

If trudging up hills on foot isn’t quite your cup of tea, you can head up the mountain and take in some breathtaking views on the Seoraksan cable car. The car goes all the way up to Gwongeumseong Fortess , a ruined stone fort perched at the top of Seoraksan Mountain.

We love getting out and about in nature, doing trail walking, and hiking, and there is no better place to do it than Seoraksan National Park.

We just loved our time in South Korea what an amazing place, so much to do and see and such wonderful people.

Cruising the Caribbean Islands

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.

Our Itinerary was : 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 and back to the Dominican Republic.

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 dive 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 19^th-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.

Day 4 We arrived in Oranjestad, Aruba at 8am. I was too tried to go to the gym, so we slept in until 9.30am had breakfast and set out for the day.

Aruba was formerly a part of the Netherlands Antilles. In 1986 it became a separate self-governing part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Although Aruba is officially a territory of the Netherlands, it’s a melting pot of nearly 100 nationalities and has two main languages, Dutch, and Papiamento (you’ll hear “Bon Bini!” a lot, which means welcome), but we noticed English is also widely spoken. As both Curacao and Aruba are both owned by the Dutch, I thought they would be similar, but I felt Aruba is less like the Dutch than Curacao and this shows with the architecture and food. Aruba like Curacao is very well setup for Tourist especially the cruise ships, it has a nice tram that takes you to the center of town, and also lots of local buses ready to take passages from the boat to the beaches.

We took the tram to the centre of town, there is lots of high-end shopping here, and some local markets after an hour of shopping M had enough, and we walked another 5min to Fort Zoutman a historical museum which is the oldest buildings in Aruba. It is not a very large museum, but you do get an idea of what life was like in those early days. The Straw hats industry was a big part of Aruba export in very hard economic times. The hats were exported to New York, Paris, London, Hamburg, and Vienna. But with World War 2 and competition by manufacturers this put an abrupt end to these hats by the late 1930s. We were able to climb the 83 steps to the bell tower in the Fort which had a great view across Aruba. We also walked 15min to Surfside beach as it was close to the ship. We had a wonderful day on Aruba.

Day 5 We arrived at Bonaire, St George at 6am, I was up early and went to the gym, we had breakfast in the main dinning room rather than the buffet, I am not a fan of buffets as I feel you spend the whole time getting up and down to get food and it disrupts the meal and conversation. We got off the ship around 10am. Bonaire is the last of the three Dutch owned islands. They call the the ABC. Aruba, Curacao, and Bonaire. Out of the 3 Netherland Antilles I think Bonaire was my Favorite, more people spoke Dutch and the architecture and food was very similar to Amsterdam. There are a lot of young Dutch people working here in trendy coffee shops and on the market stalls, they had some very nice quality arts and crafts not the usual tat that we had seen on most of the islands. Bonaire is known for its production of Salt. For 3 centuries this island culture and prosperity is dependent upon this important spice. Bonaire like Aruba, and Curacao have beautiful beaches and the water is clear and so blue. I love going for a swim to cool down, but I find in the Caribbean and in most of Central America the water is warm, so you do not get that nice refreshing feeling. Most people love this, but I prefer colder water, maybe the fact that I grew up in Ireland has something to do with this, even though Australia is a very warm country the water is always cool so I cannot complain. Another wonderful day Bonaire is worth a stop.

Day 6 We arrived in Grenada at 11am this was great as I was able to sleep in and get to the gym. Grenada was once owned by the English but in 1974 Grenada got its independence. This year they are celebrating their 50 years of Independence. Most of the people speak English. Grenada is known for its spices, so it is sometimes called the spice island.

We decided to do a tour to the following places. Annandale Waterfall and Forest Park. The waterfall is 30 Feet tall and is surrounded by lush green vegetation. As the water was nice and cold, I went for a swim it was so refreshing. We stopped at a spice market. It was very interesting to see all the different spices and coco in their natural nuts and seeds. Nutmeg is one of the country’s major exports, you will also find Cinnamon, Ginger, Cloves, Allspice, Bay leaves and turmeric. We continued to Fort Fredrick, this Fort has never fired a shot in anger. It was built by the French who had wrested the island from the English in 1779. The French realised they had little protection, so their first act was to build a service of forts. 4 years later the treaty of Versailles gave the island back to England and the English completed what the French started. The views from the fort are amazing. Our final stop was at Morne Rouge (BBC Beach) this half mile white sandy beach is in the south of the island; it is a crescent shape very safe for families with young children and the waves are not strong. Overall, it was a great day on Grenada.

Day 7. Trinidad and Tobago South-eastern West indies, Scarborough the capital of Tobago we arrive at 8am. They speak English and French.

We decided to hike to the King George Fort heritage Park. It was all up hill to the Fort but worth the hike. It was built in the 1770s. It was named after British King George the III. Located on the top of Scarborough hill provided this fort with an advantage of views across the island. The Fort has many interesting structures the officers mess, powder magazine, barracks, bell tank and light house. There was also a hospital for the troops stationed there. The fort is surrounded by beautiful park lands that have some of wonderful trees and plants. The views from the fort are wonderful and the cool breeze was very welcomed as it was a very hot humid day. We saw a lovely small blue bird in the car park fighting his reflection in the car mirror. As it was Sunday there were very few shops opened in the main town, mind you the centre of town was very run down.

Day 8: Bridgetown Barbados, Language spoken is English. Barbados is an eastern Caribbean Island and an independent British Commonwealth nation. Besides the beaches there is not much to see here. Browne’s and Pebbles Beach like on all the Caribbean islands are beautiful. We had a wonder around town, the so-called Pelican Craft Centre was closed. We did visit St Michael Cathedral, but it is in bad need of a renovation. This nicest building on the island was the parliament house. Besides the beaches Barbados was very disappointing like a lot of these islands everything look tired; at one stage it looks like they did have some nice buildings but most of them are in dis-repair.

Day 9: Castries, St Lucia, West Indies. Language spoken is English and French Creole. We walked to Walcott Square the nicest part of the town centre. It has some nice trees and plants and a nice water fountain. There are 2 statues of 2 Noble Prize winners Derek Walcott for Literature and William Arthur Lewis for Economics. Across from the square is the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, it is the largest church in the Caribbean. It is very nice; It would have been very impressive when it was first built. We walked along the Castries Markets, there is a lot if tourist Tat for sale. There are four beaches here Vigie Beach, La Toc Beach, Reduit Beach and Marigot Bay which is famous for the Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed there.

Day 10 Roseau, Dominica, it is a small compact settlement in the Saint George Parish and is surrounded by the Caribbean Sea. They export Bananas, vegetables, grapefruit, oranges, and cocoa. There are 2 waterfalls on the island Dominica Emerald Pool and the Trafalgar Falls Dominica. We had decided we had seen enough waterfalls, so we gave these 2 a miss. We thought we would explore the town Centre. We wanted to check out the Cathedral of our Lady. It was built in 1916 and the cathedral is an example of the European Influence in Dominica. We were disappointed when we got there as the Cathedral is under construction. As seen in the photo below this is all we could see of it. There is not much else to see in the town centre just a few small shops, some vegetable market stalls. The walk to and from the ship into the centre is nice, as it is along the coastline.

Day 11 St John’s Antigua and Barbuda. We arrived around 7.30am and it was a miserable day the rain was pelting the sky was dark and grey and it had dropped to about 22 degrees. Some of the shore excursions were cancelled as it would not be fun spending a day at a beach in the rain. We decided to brave it and walk into the town as I wanted to check out the local Cathedral and town. To our disappointment a lot of the shops were closed and so was the Cathedral. There was not much in the town square, so we headed to Heritage Quay as I wanted to visit a local artist shop and gallery the artist is Stephen Murphy. His shop is fantastic, it is so colourful just like his artwork and his personality. Stephen is a native Antiguan who lived and was educated in Canada, he specialises in street scenes and landscapes in such diverse areas of the globe as Toronto, New Orleans, Italy, France, Mexico, Easter Island and Antigua and Barbuda. It was great to chat with him and to see him at work, his street scenes are wonderful, we bought 3 small pieces and know when we are back in Australia, I will only have to look at his painting and I will be transported back to the Caribbean islands. So, although the day was a bit of a washout, we still had fun.

Day 12 Basseterre St Kitts and Nevis. We arrived at 8am the weather was looking a bit better no rain but grey sky. Today we did a walking tour around the Basseterre area. We started at the old treasury building National Museum, it is an impressive building from the outside, we could not go inside as the building is being renovated. We continued to the Berkeley Memorial which is the centre of Circus it features a drinking fountain as well as a four faced clock, each one faces out to one of the four streets leading to the area known as the Circus. Independence square was next, it is a square garden with a fountain and some very nice trees great shade from the sun. The square was renamed from Pall Mall Square on the 19^th of September 1983 to commemorate their independence. The stone fountain was erected to commemorate the introduction of pipe borne water from Olives into Basseterre in the 19^th Century. Across from the square is the Sir Lee Llewellyn Moore Judicial Complex and on the other side the Co Cathedral. The Cathedral is simply decorated but one of the nicest I have seen. We then went to the Victoria Monument, but it is in need of repair. The Police Headquarters is in a good sturdy looking building. We continued to the Wesley Methodist Church and St George Anglican Church. Even though some of these islands are small all religions seem to be available to the locals. Sometimes these are the best buildings on the island. Government Headquarters is also a nice building, and our final stop was the Warner Park Sports Complex home to the SKN Patriots, we were in luck as there was a cricket game in play. There are also Net Ball and Tennis courts and a Football Stadium. We really enjoyed the tour it started to rain so we got back to the ship just in time as the heavens opened.

Day 13 Phillipsburg St Marrten: Sint Maarten, part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, is a country on the southern part of a Caribbean Island owning 40% of the island the other 60% owned by the French Saint Martin. Its natural features span lagoons, beaches, and salt pans. The Dutch half offers Casinos, duty free shopping and Island culture. The French half is all subdued and sophistication. We took a tour with one of the Local women from Phillipsburg, she is a very interesting women who does a lot of work for her community. She drove us around the whole island both sides. Stopping at lots of interesting places like the famous Maho beach where we watched the planes landing, you could just about touch them while standing on the beach, also the French town of Marigot. Overall a great day and a great way to see the island in it entirety.

Day 14 British Virgin Island Tortola: Tortola is the largest of the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean. It features several white-sand beaches, including Cane Garden Bay and Smuggler’s Cove. Road Town, the capital of the British Virgin Islands, has a harbour dotted with sailing boats and is known as a yachting hub. There is also the Callwood Rum Distillery which is worth a visit.

Overall we enjoyed the Cruise. I have mixed feelings about the Caribbean islands, some of them I loved and others not so much. But I do think this was the best way to get to see most of the islands. Has cruising gone up in my estimation 🤔 well for places like the Caribbean, the Antarctica and the Artic circle they are great, as these are 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 ours was small. We docked back at Dominican Republic. Onto our next destination.

Cuba, Bahamas, Dominican Republic

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 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 16^th 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.

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.

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.

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, Belize and Jamaica

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.

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.

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 Caulker is 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 dive the 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 dive was 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, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala

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.

San Jose is just another city, we did spend a few days here but then moved onto La Fortuna.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

Panama City, Panama Canal and Bocas Del Toro

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.

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

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 .

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.

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, North Macedonia, and Kosovo

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.

Albanian Flag

We stayed in Durrës it is a port city on the Adriatic Sea in western Albania, west of the capital, Tirana. It’s known for its huge Roman amphitheatre. This was my least favourite place on our travels so far. I think it was the rubbish the bad smells and how tired the place looks. I also got food poisoning and I was quite sick for a few days. I had a look on line to see what the problem with rubbish is in Albania as the people themselves are very clean and dress very nicely.

This is what I found. It explains that a lack of proper waste management policies in Albania is the issue, environmentalists are concerned as Albania has many rivers and the rivers have been transformed into canals that collect trash coming from far-flung villages, big cities, and all this ends up in the sea. The currents in the Adriatic Sea flow from south to north—and so flows the waste and pollutes the northern Adriatic coast. Seemingly it has ended up as far as Dubrovnik. I hope this is on the Albian governments agenda to address asap for the sake of its own people and the planet as a whole.

Durres does have a lovely town square that locals gather when it cools down in evening. This is where they hold concerts and exhibitions. We did visit the Roman amphitheatre and the Venetian Tower stands as one of the most interesting and beautiful historical defensive structures in Durrës it has been renovated and transformed into the first Albanian Heritage Interpretation Center and now offers visitors the chance to explore historical events and places through state-of-the-art digital and multimedia tools. These include VR headsets, audio guides, dome multimedia projections and other activities, which combine entertainment with a more in-depth look at the city’s ancient history.

If Albania clean up its act, then I am sure they will attract more visitors. From Albania we travelled by bus to Lake Ohrid in North Macedonia.

North Macedonia is is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the north.

Flag of North Macedonia

Our first stop was lake Ohrid we had 4 nights here, it is a beautiful part of North Macedonia. It is one of Europe’s deepest and oldest lakes, with a unique aquatic ecosystem of worldwide importance, with more than 200 endemic species. Our accommodation had views of the lake which was very nice.

We visited Saint John at Kaneo Church, it is a Macedonian Orthodox church situated on the cliff over Kaneo Beach overlooking Lake Ohrid the views are amazing from here. Our next stop was the Church of St. Sophia, The church is one of the most important monuments of North Macedonia, housing architecture and art from the Middle Ages, we then moved onto the ancient theatre, The open theatre has a perfect location: the two hills that surround it keep it protected from winds that could interfere with acoustics performances. During Roman times, the theatre was also used for gladiator fights. However, since the theatre was also a site of executions of Christians by the Romans, it rapidly turned to a highly disliked site by the locals. In fact, as a result of this dislike, the theatre was abandoned and buried by the locals after the demise of the Roman Empire. This allowed for most of the structure to be well preserved, only to be uncovered accidentally in the 1980s. lastly we stopped at the old town. It has lots of shops, restaurants, Tea houses and coffee cafes. There is a really nice cosy feel to the town. The people are very friendy.

We did a day cruise to The monastery of St. Naum on the Armada Boat The cruise to the monastery is approximately 1h20min one direction. We cruised along the east coast of Lake Ohrid which is the most beautiful part of the lake, we enjoy magnificent view of the mountain and national park Galicica. Our first stop was the museum on water “Bay of bones” which is replica of pre-historic settlement dating from the period XII-VII Century BC. At the monastery complex, we had plenty of time to visit the church of St. Naum, Naum’s Church of the Holy Archangels (AD 900) was destroyed by the Ottomans in the 15th century and reincarnated as the Church of Sveti Naum when it was rebuilt between the 16th and 17th centuries as a multidomed, Byzantine-style structure on this cliff. Surrounding the core of the complex is a tranquil garden looped by fountains, with roses and peacocks. We had a lovely lunch in one of the restaurants and enjoy some time on the beach. Orchid is really a beautiful place to visit.

Harbour at the The monastery of St. Naum

The gardens around The monastery of St. Naum

We got a bus from Lake Ohrid to the Capital of North Macedonia Skopje, it is on the banks of the Vardar River amid this mountainous country. We stayed very close to the city centre it was a great spot and very trendy. There are lots of cool Bars and cafes. One thing I can say after our visit to Macedonia Square is that the Macedonians love huge Statues, they also have some very nice sculptures.

Skopje fortress is thought to have been built during the rule of emperor Justinian I and further construction during the 10th and 11th centuries over the remains of emperor Justinian’s Byzantine fortress. There are lovely view from the fortress of the whole City, the entrance is free and from there it is a a short trip from the Old Bazaar. The Bazaar is worth a visit. Another thing we noticed is that Skopje has the best Scooters/Vespa’s I have ever seen amazing colour and very cute.

We visited Mother Teresa Memorial House a Museum in Skopje, Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu on August 26 1910 in Skopje, Macedonia, in the former Yugoslavia, she was the youngest of three children. It was very interesting to read about her life.

Matka lake and canyon is the oldest artificial lake in Macedonia, with its reservoir being built in 1938. It was created by damming the Treska River with the dam of St. Andrew and forming an artificial reservoir in the Matka Canyon. It is a beautiful place to visit you you can rent a boat, kayak, visit monasteries or go hiking. We wanted to visit the caves so took Matka Canyon boat tours that take about 2 hours in total. You will get to the entrance of the cave by boat and then it is a short walk through the caves where you can see lots of stalagmites, stalactites, dripstone pillars and deep holes. There is a walkway through the caves and some parts are colourful illuminated. We took a Kayak out for about an hour and although the water was cold it was great to be able to have a swim as it was a very hot day.

We loved Macedonia there is lots to do and see. The people are very nice and I think this is going to be a popular tourist destination. So glad we had this on our list of places to visit. As it was only a 2 hour bus journey from North Macedonia to Kosovo we headed off.

Kosovo. The Flag of Kosovo with its blue background, and six stars. The stars are officially meant to symbolize Kosovo’s six major ethnic groups: Albanians, Serbs, Bosniaks, Turks, Romani and Gorani. A landlocked country, Kosovo is bordered by Serbia, North Macedonia , Albania and Montenegro. Kosovo, is the smallest country in the Balkans.

We did not know a lot about Kosovo except that the Cranberries and Sinead O Connor had sang about the war in Kosovo. Pristina is the capital and largest city of Kosovo with over 400.000 inhabitants, making it the administrative center. The majority of the population is ethnic Albanian. It is also the university center of students from neighbouring countries as Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. We stayed very close to the city Centre, it is not a very big city but what is there is good. They have many places of worship for such a small city.

We visited the National Library in Prishtina, it was designed by Croatian architect Andrija Mutnjakovic and opened in 1982. The library, has 73 small domes. When Mutnjakovic was commissioned to design a library for the ex-Yugoslavian province, the tension between Albanian and Serbian Kosovars was already palpable. Looking for a unifying symbol, he came up with the cube and dome, common features of the Ottoman and Byzantine architectural styles that define the appearance of the region, it is an impressive building but I felt it had a brutalist appearance.

On February 17, 2008, the government of the Republic of Kosovo declared independence from Serbia and unveiled this monument. “Newborn”, a single English word in a country dominated by the Albanian language, represents the birth of a new country, its positive connotations, and the potential for a modern, democratic Kosovo. At its unveiling, it was announced that the letters would be repainted annually to celebrate another year of freedom but The monument, which has already turned into a symbol that conveys a different message every year, is coloured blue and yellow this year and contains a warning against the possible destruction of the republic.

Pristina has some very good restaurants. One of the restaurants we really enjoyed was a steak restaurant called Sarajevo. The food was very good.

We also found a Lounge called after me, the only problem was that it did not sell alcohol !!!

We had a lovely time in Kosovo. From here we flew to Panama.

Lithuania, Latvia and Montenegro

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.

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.

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 Dawn

These 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.

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

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.

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, Moldova and Romania

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.

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.

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.

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.

Communist 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

And we’re off (April 2016)

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

rhino

The Graceful Giraffe

a-giraffe

I love the Gates of the Zoo as it reminds me of the movie Jurassic Park

a-gates

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 ???

a-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.

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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.