08 August 2018

Namaste! A couple of years ago I went back to one of my favourite countries – Nepal – to see first-hand how the country was doing after the devastating earthquake in April 2015. The main thing to project to everyone is Nepal is back in business! The trekking routes have been quieter this season, but all the trails have been inspected by outside experts and found to be unaffected apart from the Langtang area which was in the epicentre of the earthquake. I would encourage clients to visit Nepal now. My trip started by flying to Kathmandu via Delhi with Jet Airways. We were lucky enough to be upgraded to business class which was superb as it was a night flight. Very comfy flat beds – so good that I missed all the excellent meals whilst in a deep slumber and before we knew it – we were in the airport collecting our bags and getting our first sight of chaotic Kathmandu. Intrepid Travel were our kind hosts on this educational tour for travel consultants and they had a fantastic location for their hotel – Kathmandu Guest House – right in the heart of the city’s famous Thamel district. The garden was particularly good to relax in after the journey and a welcome serene space away from the hustle and bustle of the streets outside. I was enthralled to learn this famous guest house was the starting point for many mountaineers in the past – including the UK’s very own Chris Bonington. Thamel was as industrious as ever with people trying to sell their wares (50p woollen hats anyone) and with the same magical bookshops I remember visiting in my youth as well all the cafes and restaurants offering excellent coffee, lassi yoghurt drinks and Tibetan/Chinese dumplings. Oh, and great slabs of carrot cake for all those would be hikers! I was in heaven. The next morning heralded a tour around Kathmandu. The name means City of Wooden Temples – all intricately carved by master craftsmen in their day. Some of the tourist sights are naturally being re-built after the earthquake and some of them will be ready for the next trekking season in the autumn. Other sights, for example many of the damaged monuments in Durbar Square, will be carefully re-constructed brick by brick and may take many more years to re-construct but there is still plenty to see that survived the tremors. I was pleased to find that the main sights still had the same atmosphere especially in Boudhanath, a revered Buddhist pilgrimage site, where the monks were still turning their prayer wheels and chanting whilst walking clockwise round the biggest stupa in the world with its myriad of fluttering prayer flags. The next day we had an early start for our flight to Pokhara and we had glorious views of the mighty Himalayas peeking through the clouds. Quite magical. Our guide Satya named every single peak he could see on the plane and told us how high each one was. We then drove on the new road to Milanchowk where we started our short trek to Hyanjakot. The stunning scenery of verdant stepped hillsides and our meetings with friendly locals will be with us for a long time to come. One of the locals we met claimed to be over 90 years old, but he was so fit from all that daily hill-walking albeit with a good stout stick. The traditional villages we passed through were in the Annapurna foothills and on a good day you have panoramic views of Machapuchare – the Fish Tail Mountain – from certain hilltops. This particular mountain is sacred to the locals and no one is allowed to climb this peak. We lodged in a very ethnic homestay and the locals put on a splendid Nepalese evening of music and dance. Just what the doctor ordered after all that walking and most of us still all had the energy to join in with the festivities after a couple of cool beers. In the morning we sampled a traditional Nepalese breakfast and said our farewells to the family who hosted us before heading down the hillside through forested tracks on a different path to our bus. We then spent the rest of the day in Pokhara which is in a glorious location with the mountains surrounding the huge Phewa lake. I was determined to make the most of my time here and encouraged my buddies to sample the fantastic work of the ‘Seeing Hands’ team whom are all blind but have been trained by a UK charity to practice amazing massage on our weary limbs. Finally, we took our leave and travelled south alongside the Dudh Kosi river to Chitwan National Park in the lowlands of Nepal. Here we had a lovely comfortable chalet in the grounds of Hotel Royal Park. Another early start meant we got to see the best of the wildlife on our jeep safari. The guides were superb in their ability to spot kingfishers, hooded vultures, eagles, elephants, water buffalo, spotted deer, grey langur monkeys, wild boar and a sloth bear amongst others. The park also boasts leopards and the elusive Royal Bengal Tigers. We did see tracks that a tiger had made an hour before we got there. The excitement of numerous endangered one horn rhinos was so great that I got to get a selfie with my face and his cheeks from the safety of the vehicle! After lunch we spent a couple of hours floating down the Rapti river in a dugout wooden canoe to see and spot the myriad birdlife, huge mugger crocodiles and unique long nosed gharial crocodiles which only eat fish (apparently). One of the mugger crocs just lay like a statue on the bank with its jaw open (to keep itself cool) as we passed quietly by trying not to make a sound. We rounded off our Chitwan experience with a night of Nepali songs and dancing with a rather good impersonation of a peacock thrown in. Our incredible guide Satya who led our Nepal trip with Intrepid wrote to us afterwards and said how we had helped some of the Nepali people who had been directly affected by the earthquake, losing their families in some cases and their homes in others. It was great to feel we had made a small difference to their livelihoods. Small group tourism is an excellent way to raise the standard of living as many more Nepali people are benefited by this type of ‘grass-roots’ travel where local guides are employed, and visitors stay in locally-owned guest-houses. The warmth of this country is so infectious, and it is indeed one of my favourites. I will be back!

08 August 2018

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to spend a fabulous six days exploring Russia on an educational trip with Cox and Kings. If I’m honest – before I went on this tour – my imagination was rife with recurring thoughts of the KGB, food queues and spies standing on street corners following the group with their dour expressions. How wrong I was! The new Russia crammed full of the most breath-taking gold domed architecture alongside modern skyscrapers, monoliths and sculpture – it must be one of Europe’s jewels. It’s not to be missed and our tour guides were so friendly and knowledgeable! Our tour encompassed the lively capital Moscow, before continuing north by train through the countryside to the jewel in Russia’s imperial crown – St Petersburg. Our first morning tour of Red Square included the magical iconic coloured and twisted multi-domed St Basil’s cathedral set at one end, Lenin’s mausoleum alongside the high Kremlin wall and the famous GUM department store flank all four sides of the square. GUM in previous eras had food queues stretching out into the square. These days GUM is synonymous with wealth with its curved glass ceiling and bridges criss-crossing the space and queues for all the right reasons i.e. Beluga caviar, top shelf vodka and fancy shoes! My hands were firmly in my pockets and resisted everything but a coffee! We then enjoyed a tour of the Kremlin complex – inside the huge walls – where time has stood still. It was one of those moments when you just had to pinch yourself to know you were actually inside one of the most notorious strongholds of all time. Being frisked by a good looking Russian in his uniform was an added bonus. It may come as a surprise that the Kremlin’s chief glories are actually golden domed cathedrals. I was also surprised to find out that all the famous bands who have played in Moscow like the Rolling Stones and Madonna played inside the Kremlin in the concert hall. We were so lucky in choosing a Saturday to visit as we were treated to the first Kremlin parade of the season – uniformed bands, elegant soldiers on horses and goose-stepping guards with rifles. Afterwards a tour of the Kremlin’s Armoury museum was fascinating with a collection of gold horse carriages and many Faberge eggs. Sumptuous dining experiences abound in the many top hotels and restaurants in the city. One of my favourites was the Ritz for lunch in a glass terraced restaurant with delicious food and views of Moscow before being whisked off to the underground which is like no other. Forty-four of the stations have been declared architectural monuments with their detailed sculptures, paintings, chandeliers, marble and exquisite opulent design. Whisked onto the late afternoon train the group left their guide and sped through the countryside which still had some snow in amongst all the rural houses up to St Petersburg. The train was surprisingly civilized. Four and a half hours later – we set foot into a city dubbed the `Venice of the North’ with its palace lined waterways and the relics of tsarist days are virtually intact. St Petersburg is so far north – you get really long days in the summer when the sun does not set hence the term ‘White Nights’ in June and July and short days in the winter when everyone keeps warm by going to the world class ballet or opera at the Marinsky theatre. Our first morning took us to some of the churches and cathedrals including the Peter and Paul fortress – the oldest building in the city with their opulent painted frescoes, baroque interior and tombs of all Russia’s pre-revolutionary leaders. The next day we toured the Winter Palace, now the Hermitage museum which is Russia’s best gallery of world art and one of the most prominent art museums in the world. One of my top tips is to visit the Grand Hotel Europe in the evening. We had one of our most memorable meals with an orchestra on the stage in a theatre setting lined with opera boxes overhanging the restaurant and waiters buzzing about in their penguin suits. An evening not to be missed. Every Friday they have a Tsaichovsky evening with ballet dancers from the Marinsky who dance for this sumptuous hotel. They also put on a jazz evening every Saturday. I would highly recommend just visiting this hotel and going in any of the bars which all had wonderful atmosphere. A lot of the rich and famous have crossed its doors including Leonardo di Caprio and Pavarotti and we visited the bedroom complete with grand piano! Our last day meant we travelled to the Tsar’s village on the outskirts of St Petersburg, Catherine Palace was the summer palace of the Russian Tsars. The amount of wealth and grandeur here is astonishing and this is where Russia’s leaders entertain the visitors from other countries. One room was entirely coated in gold and one room in amber with so many frescoes on the ceiling it was astounding. Russia was indeed a surprising, sumptuous, vibrant country which overtook my expectations tenfold.

08 August 2018

G’day. This was my first trip to Australia and it is fair to say I was really impressed with what this great ‘up beat’ country had to offer. As an Australian specialist who has been organising holidays to this part of the world forever - this was a great hands-on experience. Sydney was our first port of call – with its spectacular natural harbour. Seeing the iconic sails of the Opera House and taking a tour inside was inspiring especially as we got a preview of the ballet that was on the same day. Walking through the Royal Botanical Gardens was one of the most magical spots away from the vibrant throb of the city. With 30 hectares of rainforest walks, wishing trees, Orchard butterflies as big as your hand and the sound of kookaburras calling to each other – this really was a beautiful park and judging by the amount of people and weddings throughout its setting – it looks as if the rest of Sydney was enjoying it as well. On the second day we visited the picturesque Blue Mountains which was my sort of place – full of fresh air, awesome canyons and valley floors covered in lush eucalyptus trees. Our guide was wonderful – informative but in a laid-back way. We had our first encounters with Australian wildlife at Featherdale Wildlife Park where we were the first visitors so able to feed kangaroos, wallabies and see a group of koalas who were cute. We then climbed the Great Dividing Range and viewed the Three Sisters rock formation in amongst the vast canyons as well as a cable car down to the rainforest and a ride on the world’s steepest railway back up the canyon – not for the fainthearted! Up at 5am as our body clocks had not quite adjusted yet – just in time for an early flight to Cairns. Queensland is the only place on earth where two World Heritage listed sites meet – the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest. Indeed, the rainforest here is assessed to be older than the Amazon! Our hosted dinner was at the splendid Rydges hotel where the accommodation and food were great. The highlight of our trip was a Quicksilver tour to the Barrier Reef. Top tip – the best location for setting out for the Barrier Reef would be Port Douglas, Palm Cove or Cape Tribulation. We departed early from Cairns by coach, so we could get to the high-speed catamaran for a full day cruise. The trip was really calm for those of us who were worried about sailing and there were plenty of natural remedies available on board if it was still a problem. This was what we had all been waiting for. We travelled in comfort to the renowned Agincourt Reef on the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef. Quicksilver has facilities to enable both swimmers and non-swimmers to experience this stunning reef world. If you don’t fancy getting your toes wet there is a semi-submersible, an underwater observatory or a scenic helicopter ride or just sitting having lunch and taking in the view from the platform is a treat in itself. For the adventurous minded – snorkelling, diving or walking down a platform for an Oceanwalker helmet dive was on offer. Marine biologists were resident on board the platform so if you wanted in depth guidance on what you were seeing underwater – they would accompany you which was brilliant. Some of the divers spotted a turtle and dolphin and we saw a very large fish lurking on the bottom of the reef – but it was not a shark! What a fabulous day we all had – with the added bonus of a short trip in the helicopter to give us all huge grins when we made our way back onboard our trusty catamaran. The day ended with a few drinks out on deck to catch the last of the sun and watch the wide sweeping panoramas whizz by whilst recounting our adventures. What an incredible day! Our last day was again one of my favourites as we ventured deeper into the Daintree rainforest to an area called Mossman Gorge. This was an authentic aboriginal experience as the group met a couple of indigenous people who performed a ritual fire lighting which we had to circle to make friends with the spirits before we entered the forest. Our guide was brilliant, and he demonstrated traditional plant use e.g. making soap in one of the cool streams, how to identify bush tucker sources, and provided us with an enchanting narrative of the rainforest and his special relationship within this tropical environment. After our walk along easy graded tracks, he made tea and gave us damper bread with some of the locally gathered honey. What a treat. We then stopped off for lunch at Silky Oaks Lodge which is one of the best spas in Australia. The gorgeous setting in the rainforest with all the houses on stilts and the restaurant overlooking the river. This was one of the best barramundi we were lucky enough to sample and it really was a special location for anyone thinking of a honeymoon. But it got better – as we moved to our next overnight stay at Thala Lodge near Port Douglas – overlooking the Coral sea again in the rainforest setting. Empty beaches and turquoise water – as well as stilted hideaways in the rainforest made this night really magical. Thala had its own resident naturalist where you could enjoy complimentary nature tours to explore and understand all the colourful birds, butterflies, reptiles and astonishing vegetation. What a great trip!

08 August 2018

In September 2013 I travelled to the magnificent Mont Blanc mountain range – and trekked the ‘Tour de Mont Blanc’ with the adventure specialist – Explore Worldwide. This trek is recognized as one of the world’s classic walks through France, Switzerland and Italy and I had been itching to do this for years. Throughout its length the route provides wonderful trekking through spectacular Alpine landscapes. Our circuit took 10 days in total which included two rest days. I opted for the ‘soft’ option of staying in hotels in the valleys en route with just a couple of nights in the mountain huts. On reflection I would have been equally happy to stay in the huts all the way round as most huts were set in glorious locations – albeit you got very friendly with other trekkers in the same dormitory or room! There were many highlights – but stopping at the various huts in the morning and afternoon and sampling a delicious strong coffee or a steaming bowl of hot chocolate followed by bilberry torte seemed to lift our spirits enough to get up the next vertical incline! We had daily picnics on several of the high passes overlooking the mountain range – with French bread, a variety of cheeses and meats and sumptuous juicy peaches. Heaven! The high passes meant we had a different view of the massif every day depending on which country you were in. One of our memorable meals was at the Refuge de la Nova in Les Chapieux, France who served us a meal of pig cheeks that had been slow-roasted in the oven. The meat was so tender - delicious! The owner was particularly welcoming in this hut – in fact I was really surprised at the amazing hospitality we received in each location. No matter which country you visited, all the mountain people seemed to be friendly and accommodating. Glorious sunshine accompanied us for most of the time – but we did have the occasional dose of ‘mountain weather’ to contend with. Our fitness improved daily – although I must admit to preparing a little at home – so I could enjoy my trip a little better. En route we saw eagles, marmots, chamoix and many alpine flowers which surprised me in September. I really enjoyed my day off halfway round the trekking journey in Courmayer where we decided to rest our limbs at the popular hot spring spa at Pre St Didier. Whilst we were being pummelled by the water jets relieving our aching limbs the views of the mountain peaks on the Italian side of the range were just stunning from the outdoor pools and saunas. I could easily have stayed a couple more days to recuperate in that place! The company of my fellow trekkers was great – just a small group of like-minded people enjoying each day with a new location most nights – all with the same goal of a daily journey in a continuous circuit of the Mont Blanc range. This was a truly inspirational trip and although ‘close to home’ than other treks I’ve done it had some of the finest views I have encountered and compared favourably with my Nepalese treks. So what next? I am indeed going back for more – with my husband this time to stay in some of those stunning hut locations for our wedding anniversary next year. That is the sign – it must have been a good trip!