Travel

Fiji: A taste of tropical paradise, 2001

Posted by chrissyjbrown on March 31, 2008
Posted in: Around the world trip. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 12 Comments

Life is easy

Imagine it now…

Lying in a hammock with the late afternoon sun casting coconut palm shadows over where white sandy beaches meet pristine water with a spectrum of reds and oranges alighting the clear blue skies with awesome sunsets…

Well folks that’s where I’ve been.

After flying from the cooler climes of Auckland to Fiji,  I spent a day on the mainland in the grotty town of Nandi before experiencing my first ever flight aboard a seaplane in search of a paradise island.  I sat next to the pilot, riding shotgun, in the 6 seater low flying vessel. The views were spectacular, abundant corral reef arranged in an array of colours of the sea, crystal clear turquoise waters through to deep blues.  Out of the water emerge volcanic islands with idylic white sanded beaches.  The movies ‘Castaway’, ‘Blue Lagoon’ and ‘Robinson Crusoe’ all filmed on various islands here.

View from seaplane

Loving the seaplane!

I land down onto the island of Nacula, part of the Yasawa group. Luckily this island has not yet appeared in the Lonely Planet thus tourism is pretty low key here and it’s negative effects on the land and locals have not yet reared their ugly heads.  Staying in Bures (grass huts), no mod cons and limited electricity – just the good old simple life.

The bure, just a hop and skip away from the sea!

Lots of relaxing, snorkelling around the Blue Lagoon, walking and spending time in the local village.  I made friends with a couple of the local families and get invited to Sunday lunch at both houses.  Not wanting to be rude I accept both offers – a bit of a struggle but I managed.

The locals

I also had the experience of trying kava, the local drink.  Kava looks disgusting and guess what?  It tastes disgusting too!  But I think the reason it is drank is more for its narcotic effects rather than the taste.  Anyway, it’s not really my cup of kava but the locals seem to love it.

This is Kava – never again!

It has to be said that the Fijian people are one of the friendliest races I have come across.  Yep, even friendlier than Kiwi’s, if that’s possible.

Now back on the mainland staying by the beach brushing up on the tan after losing it in NZ.  One more day here then off to try my hand at hula dancin’ in the land of Honolulu.  I will be transported back in time as my flight arrives the day before I depart.  All too complicated for me.

Oh, and for all those altruistic types that like to do their bit for charity, I have set up my own charity. It’s the CBIGF – “The Chrissy Brown International Globetrotting Fund”, donations graciously appreciated! 😉 No, I haven’t quite got to that stage yet but Canada and the US are on the way and money is running low.  Good job I only have 8 weeks left really!

‘til next time…

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Western Australia: March/April 2005

Posted by chrissyjbrown on October 7, 2006
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Western Australia – my kind of place

Another epic!  Believe it or not some people like to read them or at least they tell me they do!  Yep, mad I know but sending it to all so you have the option.  For those that delete now I’m back this Sunday, back at work Monday – Gutted!

It just keeps getting better!  Western Australia (WA) – the biggest state covering 1/3 of Australia’s landmass yet only holding 1/10 of the population, 2/3 of which live in Perth and the surrounds.  All facts and figures until you travel a big chunk of the 5000km coastline and realization dawns of how impossible it is to comprehend the size and emptiness of WA.  It really is the remote wild west in parts and I have been witness to some of the most awesome spots of sheer beauty in the world which more than made up for the fact I was sitting on a small coach with a load of fellow backpackers!

Despite the fact I’m like a duck to water when it comes to the world of backpacking, I was not looking forward to the whole ‘tour’ experience.  My ideal mode of travel would have been on a motorbike or in a 4wd with a friend however I’m yet to make my fortune to allow such extravagancies!  Determined to sit on the bus and be absorbed by my own little world and having minimal contact with fellow passengers I score a great seat at the front thus a great view.  However, within the first minute my plan rapidly erodes as I become the tour guide and DJ all in one and everyone knows my name!  How did that happen?  Ummm…let me see…the cunning driver, preoccupied with finding his way as it was his first day on the job, bribed me with a 4ltr cask of cheap and nasty wine to read the commentary in his tour guide as we went along.  I don’t even like cask wine but somehow I reasoned with myself that wine is wine (I was so wrong!).   So much for my anonymity everyone kept asking me questions after that assuming I was a fountain of knowledge!  I soon caved in and became my usual social self and made lots of new friends.The 10 days spent traveling up the coast was one of the best trips I’ve done and no way can mere words describe the grandness and the natural beauty of the diverse region therefore, you will be pleased to hear, I’m not even going to attempt to.  Additionally, I am minded of the length of my last email so am trying to keep this one brief (Yeah, fat chance that will happen!).  Instead I will list the highlights:The sunsets – every night on the West coast varying from soft pastel hues to bright red, vivid orange, purples etc. A great way to end the day!

Awesome sunsets

The stars – southern hemisphere skies are superb, especially when your in the outback where there’s not a lot of lighting.

Driving through miles and miles and miles and miles and miles and miles of nothingness, long straight roads where only occasionally you may pass a car or truck, the further north you go the redder and more barren the land becomes.  I just love the feeling of space and quite often it could be 2-300km between road houses, let alone small towns!  So remote – Bliss!

The WA outback

Kangaroos – everywhere!  After about 4pm they are out in full force and seem to enjoy playing the game of chicken and quite often ending up as road kill!  At one campsite a lady had a couple of Joey’s whose mothers had become road kill.  I attempted to steal the cutie but didn’t get away with it!

They are everywhere

The Pinnicles Desert situated in the Nambung National park – a unique natural attraction of thousands of phallic shaped limestone mounds standing upright in the sand, some measuring a few meters for as far as the eye can see.  Very bizarre!

After the Pinicles we stopped for lunch on a beach in the middle of nowhere and I wonder off and find a jetty where I venture to the end of it, lay down and was so relaxed I fell asleep, on awaking I realise I’m supposed to have met back at the bus half an hour earlier and when I got there everyone is on the bus waiting for me!  Ooops!

Kalbari Gorges – magnificent and the bright red limestone rocks reminded me a lot of Kings Canyon near Uluru.  We climbed down and up one gorge, scrambling up and down massive rocks.  I even did a bit of abseiling and was brave (or stupid) enough to do an abseil face first!!!  Very scary when the rock is a flat face and all there is is down!!! But alas I live to tell the tale.  Unfortunately, my photos did not!

Shark bay world heritage region – I don’t need to explain why I wasn’t too keen on swimming here.  At one lookout, at least 100m up, we look around the bay and the water is so clear we spot many sharks in the water. We later went to Shell beach which as the name describes is made up totally of tiny shells.  The beach is idyllic looking, literally blinding white while the sea turquoise and very clear and while lying in the water someone in our group spotted a reef shark not too far away!  Hardly the size of Jaws or worth worrying about but still I don’t like the thought of sharing the water with sharks.

Shell Beach – Blinding!

Monkey Mia – no monkeys but plenty of dolphins that swim up to the shore and come within a few inches of you!  Truly magical!  Altogether 10 dolphins were there at the same time.

Monkey Mia – no monkey’s to be seen!

Coral bay – so nice here I stop off for a couple of days.  Ningaloo reef is only 10ft from the shore and in my books is a much better reef than the Great Barrier.  I contemplated going on a trip where you go out to sea and snorkel with whale sharks – they are huge some reaching 8 meters, however it was over 150 quid and I ended up getting a quad bike and sped around the dunes and went snorkeling from deserted beaches further north seeing some amazing underwater life.  Massive stingrays, turtles and a large variety of tropical fish.  Sunsets were spent on the beach having a few drinks with my newly found friends.

Coral Bay – loving the reef

Karijini National Park – yet more stunning gorges, but they differed to Kalbarri.  Again climbing up and down, under and over rocks to get to beautiful pools with waterfalls where you can dive in for a refreshing swim – only mind the pythons!  I spotted quite a big one in one gorge and my fear of snakes after seeing one got in the way of me fully relaxing in the pool!  Especially after Carl the driver said last time he was there a massive one was swimming around! Thanks Carl.

Karijini National Park

80 mile beach – self explanatory, white sands, pale blue sea, very wild, very long! Love it!

80 Mile Beach – Yes please!

Broome – did I mention the temperature has been steadily increasing on the journey up the coast starting around 28 degrees and now reaching over 40 degrees and quite humid!  A big night on the beers was had the night before I left and I nearly died struggling in that heat with a banging hangover and no air conditioning!  You jump into the pool or sea expecting relief only to find the water is bloody hot!  The cold water in the shower is hot!  You just can’t win!  Unfortunately, cold beer is one of the few things that’s cold and refreshing so it all ended in tears.  Broome is surprisingly small and it was quite bizarre when I left the hostel for the airport – a journey on foot of about 5 mins.  It’s literally right in town.

A typical Broom sunset

An uneventful flight later I’m back in Perth for some relief from the heat and am welcomed back in the land of luxury at my friends house.  The next day was spent doing as little as possible until the evening when we set off for our trip down South.  Before exiting Perth we go to Kings Park to eat our takeaway Thai’s.  4km sq of parkland high up on the western edge of the city overlooking the lit up city and Swan river which is more the size of a very large estury, a very nice spot with great views.

View of Perth from Kings Park

We then head for my friends beach house about 90 km out of Perth near to a holiday spot called Mandurrah.  I’m up at the crack of dawn on the beach to see the sun rise.  Despite now being on the West coast I still enjoy the light reflecting off the clouds and take in the sound of the ocean crashing into shore.  Not a bad way to wake up and gather ones thoughts.  About 150 photos later I go back to the house for breakfast which started healthy but soon deteriorated into eating Lamingtons with cream and Mum’s home made cake which became our staple diet – my friends insisted we were on holiday thus had to eat junk and lots of!

After breakfast we take the boat down to the water for our trip around the estury and in and around the housing estate where magnificent large houses have the water as their back yard complete with nice boats and moorings!  This seriously is a nice lifestyle to have.  Not only that but dolphins I’m told quite often are sighted swimming around and I was not disappointed when we spotted two which we followed around for a bit before stopping off at a park where we had a good old Australian Barbie and some of my new fave beer to wash it down.  Pure Blonde is the latest attempt from Carlton & United Beverages to crack the so-called “health-conscious” beer drinkers’ market. (Notice I didn’t say “female beer drinkers”, although that’s presumably the main target for this “low-carb” brew.) With 20 percent less carbohydrates than standard, full-strength beer, Pure Blonde promises to keep you slimmer (apparently) without wimping out completely and drinking light beer.  Not only that but it tastes great and still maintains a good % alcohol content. Well I’m sold by the idea!

Mundurah Marina

Back on the boat and I’m put in charge and drive it all the way home – so much fun – I want one!  We later leave the beach house to head further south to another beach house at Eagle Bay in the Margaret River region, famed for it’s wines but there’s also some pretty awesome surf beaches and coast line.  On arrival we make it down to the beach for the sunset with fine Margaret river wine (no more cask wine for me), cheese and biscuits – how refined I’ve become!  The next day we attack a fair few of the abundance of wineries for free wine tastings, we are obviously selective and visit the best.  Lunchtime is spent at the brewery to break up the wine drinking by sampling beer!

Vineyards galore at Margaret River 🙂
G’day Bruce!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The countryside down south is far removed in many ways from up north.  The climate is much cooler and if you take away the orange soil, kangaroos hopping around, beautiful coastlines, vinyards and karri trees, you would not be mocked for comparing it to the countryside to England.

On our way back to Perth, we stop for a stroll along the Busselton Jetty.  Claimed to be the longest jetty in the southern hemisphere and at 2km long I am not about to argue with that.  Such a picturesque place and there’s even an aquarium at the end of the slender jetty.

The day after returning to Perth we take a trip out to Rottnest Island, roughly a half hour fast ferry ride.  Only workers there are allowed to live on the island and visitors are forbidden from using cars thus cycling is the mode of transport.  What a great day cycling around the coastline and inland to the salt pools and old colonial buildings and barracks as this island was once home to the army.  Snorkelling here was great and at one site I felt I was in the middle of a giant fishbowl with fish all around. I’m not about to say how stunning the beaches were and how clear and a gorgeous colour the sea was for fear of repetition but I never cease to appreciate such things.   The day passed far too quickly and I could have easily stayed in one of the holiday homes for a long time however the sights of Perth were calling!

Cycling around Rottnest Island

Next day I’m taken to a couple of pubs in Cottlesoe beach and onto Fremantle which is a great place to eat fish and seafood!  Unreal!  I was also taken to Little Creatures, a brewery kind of pub thing by the water, I loved it there so much I even bought the t-shirt!  Yesterday, we went into the city and surrounds and did Kings Park by day which is a completely different experience to night.

 

Little Creatures Brewery, Freemantle – Tres cool!

Today I will probably head into the city again for a touch of window shopping as there’s no way I could possibly fit anymore stuff into my bags and then to the beach for my last chance of rays!  I keep telling the girls they have to start taking me to horrible places so I won’t mind going home so much but they told me the only horrible place they could think of was the airport and they would take me there Tomorrow!

Thus, alas the day is looming closer and tomorrow will be my last supper (in Australia for now!) before I board that big bird in the sky for the mammoth journey home.  That’s if I am allowed on the plane as the girls have planned a big day out for me, starting off at the Vic pub for drinks and lunch, then to an Aussie rules football game, one of the girls knows a few of the Carlton players so we’re invited to some party thing, then they want to show me a few more pubs before rocking up at the airport at 11pm!  Well, I’ve got to make the most of my last moments.  Besides, I should have drunk myself sober by then hopefully!  Then back to reality for me!  It’s a cruel world at times.

Zimbabwe to Capetown on an Overland Truck: February 2003

Posted by chrissyjbrown on October 7, 2006
Posted in: Travel. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

 

Yep, I’m still alive and well in Zimbabwe and for those wondering I’ve seen no sign of political unrest.  I think people here are more concerned with the rapidly deteriorating economy that has resulted in food and fuel shortages and insane inflation.  Queues for bread, milk, etc are a common sight and then rationed when you finally reach the end of it!  A four hour queue for petrol (if you can find it) is the norm and things are getting quite desperate for many.  This is the story for many and it makes me feel uncomfortable when I have not gone hungry but landed into the lap of luxury.

fueltotal

I have been staying with a really lovely Zimbabwean family who have adopted me and can’t do enough for me.  I have been living the life of a queen with a plate sized steak for breakfast! The neighbourhood they live in resembles Beverly Hills, very nice indeed and their large house is complete with maid and gardener.  I made the mistake of thinking the dogs were pets and went to stroke one but soon realised after he took a chunk out of my leg that they are in fact guard dogs!  I even have  my own personal chauffeur called William at my disposal to take me where my heart desires – which was straight to the poorer area’s of town to see how the majority live.

After Fedelis, the head of the family who works for Barclays Bank sorted me out with some black market money (an exchange rate of $1000 Zim dollars to $1 US, compared to a bank rate of $50 Zim to $1 US), I hit the streets of Harare with his daughter Vari to hunt out some bargains.  It wasn’t long before I got back into the swing of bartering and was procuring some heafty discounts, paying 40%  of the asking price.  The locals were asking Vari where I had learnt to bargain so well and were impressed.  I then got a bit of a guilt complex, realising that these people depend on tourism which is sparse at the moment and needed the money to buy food so got far too carried away trying to give everyone a bit of business at fairer prices and ended up adding an extra 17KG to my already heavy load!  I could open a shop with the amount of stuff I have bought and this is just the start of my trip!

A day of shopping and touring the local attractions such as the Balancing Rocks was followed by a day out of town at a game park and what a great day it was.  I was the only tourist there which, while fantastic for me, was quite bad for the tourism trade.  Due to the troubles in Zimbabwe tourists have been warned to stay away – obviously that doesn’t stop me though.  We managed to get up close to many wild animals that you could only see in Zoo’s in the UK.  Such a wide assortment. My finger was a bit too trigger happy and I was shooting film like it was going out of fashion.  Opening my window to get a better shot was probably not the brightest of idea’s but actually getting out of the truck was pure stupid but I got some great photos!  While at the park I met Tommy the 300 year old massive tortoise with a sign on his back that read: ‘Please do not sit on me or kick me’ – Poor sod!  He took quite a shine to me and I’ve never seen one as huge of him move quite so fast!  I also got to play with lion cubs who’s claws are decidedly sharper than the average domestic feline.  Funny how something that looks so cute can hurt someone so much!

Balancing-Rocks-Zimbabwe

While I was in Harare I was shown around the main sites of the town including Bob’s residence (Mugabe) and Zanu HQ.  I won’t tell you that I took a picture with my SLR camera and big zoom lens, unaware I had a fake press pass in my filofax which was in my bag (I had this made for about 50p when in Thailand as thought I could blag my way into gigs for free!  While fake it looked pretty genuine and in view of the fact British journo’s are currently banned from the country, it’s probably not the smartest of moves!).   I kept abreast of the news and current affairs which not suprisingly were heavily concentrated around politics.  It was very interesting to say the least to see how the news here paints a completely different picture to the situation painted in the press back home.  Apparantly, Tony Blair is heading the opposition MDC party and is attempting to revert Zimbabwe back to British rule!  Don’t you just love propaganda.  My view is that Blair is probably not interested in helping the African nations as England has already raped these countries of their natural resources and is more interested in the oil producing nations as that’s where the money is at. That is just my sceptical opinion and I am not an expert in these matters so I should probably keep my unfounded views to myself.

zanupf hq

During my stay with the Mubaiwa family, I was introduced to traditional Zimbabwean fayre of Sudza, a chicken dish and a dish resembling spinich that’s mixed with peanut butter.  This is all eaten with the hands.  I have also learnt of a new way to drink red wine by adding coke.  At first I was horrified at the idea of watering down good wine but not shy of trying out new things I took a massive swig and it seemed to go down fine.  Fedelis tried to convince me that the drink has portuguese origins but I was dubious and thought that he’d been pre-warned about me and  vino thus it was a ploy to water it down!

sudza

This morning I bid my farewells to my new found family and their lovely home and boarded a plane for Vic Falls to slum it.  Harare was hot but Vic Falls on arrival was swealtering, well at least for the first hour before the heavens decided to open, and open they did.  Rain fell heavily from the sky, and fell and fell and is still falling – It’s like being in England!  Now, I know it’s monsoon season and rain is much needed but it’s interfering with my plans to get a tan!

I am now sat awaiting the arrival of the truck which will be my home for the next 3 weeks and on board should be my kiwi friend who is unaware I am here to meet her – poor girl!  So I guess the night ahead will consist of sampling lots of the local beers and catching up.  In fact the bus has just got in which is great timing so it’s time for you to wake up now ‘cos I’m outta here.

Nepal: September 2000

Posted by chrissyjbrown on October 7, 2006
Posted in: Travel. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

 

Dunbar Square
Whitewater rafting camp
Dunbar Square
Paddy Fields
Pokara lake
Pokara Lake
Whitewater rafting
Whitewater rafting
Nepalese Bus
Pokhara
Chitwan Elephant Safari
Chitwan National Park

We hit Nepal nearly 3 weeks ago and words cannot describe how beautiful it is.  The scenery is amazing, big lush green paddy fields, big green hills with massive snow capped mountains in the background that look surprisingly near.  I really like the Nepalese people too. It is definitely my most favourite place so far….

Our first stop was in a village just outside Chitwan National Park.  Chitwan is in the Terair region of Nepal.  It’s sub-tropical forest with rice paddies and numerous rivers.  Scattered around are mud huts and bright coloured sari’s.  So green and sparsely populated.  After India it is just what we needed.

While here we did the customary elephant safari to see the rhino’s.  Was a bit disappointed not to have seen the tigers and freshwater dolphins – other residents of the park.  I also went down the river in a canoe in search of crocodiles, stopping off at an elephant breeding center to play with the cute baby elephant.

From Chitwan we headed to Pokara where we stayed by a massive lake.  Pokara was great and very hard to leave.  Well apart from the rain.  When I say rain I am not talking of your average occasional shower as experienced in the UK.  This is full blown monsoon rain – once it starts it doesn’t stop.  The skies open with a vengeance and after 20 mins the road transforms into a river complete with rapids!  Quite amusing at first but can become a bit tedious.  However, the monsoon season is coming to an end so there has been less rain everyday.

While in Pokara I went on a 4 day white water rafting expedition down the Kali Gandaki River (4hrs west of Pokara) and had the most fantastic time.  Far superior to any white knuckle ride I’ve ever been on and I can’t wait to come back one day and do a longer trip.
After a days rafting we’d set up camp on a beach and consume lots of rum punch.  The others on the trip were a good laugh as well as the Nepalese guides.

I am now in Kathmandu after quite a long bus journey and have just been round Dunbar Square.  Not long left now in Nepal before we leave for Bangkok tomorrow.

prayer flag.jpg

I’m falling asleep at the keyboard so guess it’s time to finish and go and take a nap – such a hard life!

 

India: August 2000

Posted by chrissyjbrown on October 7, 2006
Posted in: Around the world trip, Travel. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
Photography by Marco Martinelli contacts: lightopinion@gmail.com website: http://www.light-opinion.com

Back on the road again – well more potholes and puddles than actual road!  Makes journeys in the rickshaw’s quite interesting anyway.

auto rickshaw

Arrived safely into Delhi and was very shocked by the lack of people attacking us for taxi’s etc.  In fact we have not been hassled at all yet which is very surprising as we do sort of stick out like sore thumbs! Been getting some good bargains though.

Also the monsoon rain is quite disappointing as it has been lighter than the rain we’ve been having in the UK (didn’t need to have packed my waterproof outfit after all!)  Tomorrow we are going to do Delhi – opted for the easy option of a tour (8hours tour for the equivalent of 1 British pound) so we can get it all over with in a day and then move out of the hustle and bustle of the city on down to jodhpur in the Rajastan region.

delhi

Thought I’d found a bargain with this email cafe – 20p an hour, only I didn’t realise that it takes 5 minutes to perform each task!  It took me 30 mins to read 2 emails.

Anyway off for an early night as up bright and early tomorrow.

 

 

Still alive despite the many collisions with rickshaws, bikes and cattle that densely pack the streets. After doing Delhi in a couple of days we headed for the pink city of Jaipur where all the buildings were more a pale orange colour rather than pink.

37_jaipur_hawa-mahal

jaipur-pink-city-palace

We arrived on Krishna’s birthday (a hindu god) so a big festival with floats lined the streets – sort of like the Notting Hill festival but not quite.  kristnas bday.jpg

From Jaipur we boarded our first train to Jaisalmer – the journey being an experience in itself!  indian trainEveryone’s very friendly and you end up knowing the life story of all your fellow passengers.

 

 

 

jaisalmer-india

The hotel in Jaisalmer was a bargain at 5 rupees a night (equivalent to 7p!).  Admittedly that was to sleep under the stars on the roof but their deluxe rooms were only 70p.  Here we traipsed around the alleyways in the fort and even got invited into an Indian family’s home.

 

camel safari

The next day we departed on a 2 day camel safari in the desert.  This turned into a bit of an adventure when the heavens opened up – the monsoon we had heard about hit us at full force and didn’t we know it!  the desert now resembled more of a marsh and we were wading through knee high water dragging the camels behind   as apparently they don’t like water.  After a couple of hours the rain stopped and we hit the soggy sand dunes where we camped under the stars after watching a beautiful sunset. camel dunes It took a while to relax enough to go to sleep after one of our guides found and killed a dangerous snake in front of us – Nice!  2 days on a camel has left us with John Wayne swaggers.

 

 

jodpurFrom Jaisalmer we took a train to Jodhpur, known as the blue city which you instantly know why.  While here we visited yet another impressive fort.

 

 

 

Today we took another bus to Udipur which is a very relaxing place and have found a great hotel with the back garden being a lake.  In the middle of the lake is a palace where we will treat ourselves to dinner tomorrow night.

A lot of mileage has already been covered and we have met loads of people.  I  have also sat through a 3 hour Hindi film at apparently the best cinema in India (the
same cannot be said for the toilets there though).

Cheers to all those who have emailed.  I will be replying in the next few days now we are stationary.

 

I think the last time I wrote I was in Udipur where we ended up staying quite a few days buying lots of stuff that I don’t actually need and have no room for!  Also visited all the usual tourist sites including Monsoon Palace for sunset high up in the mountains.  While there we treated ourselves to dinner at India’s equivalent to the Ritz, ‘The Lake Palace’ – funnily enough it is a palace situated in the middle of a lake.  It was a bit too posh for my liking with one meal using up nearly a weeks food budget!  As for the price of beer, they add on 70% tax on an already largely inflated cost – outrageous behaviour!  I am now back on my Thali’s at 20 rupees (about 30p). Thali’s are meals that consist of about 3 dishes and come with rice, chapatti & curd – very tasty.

From Udipur we travelled to Agra, stopping off back in Jaipur as we heard of to a cheap hotel with a pool so spent a couple of days there to cool off.  The main attraction in Agra was obviously the Taj Mahal which was truly magnificent.  We got up at the crack of dawn to get there before everyone else, only to find that everyone else had the same idea!!!  Needless to say our Princess Diana shots were more like group shots full of strangers in the background.  After the Taj, we did the Red Fort, Baby Taj and the rest of Agra.

agra

Next stop from Agra – Varanasi.  I woke up from the night train to find that some person has taken a liking to one of my bags which while solving my excess baggage problem was rather inconvenient as it was the bag with my wallet, camera (with fab Princess Diana-esqe shots of the Taj!), my favourite new blue t-shirt with camels on it that had cost me about 65p, and many other treasured items.  Surprisingly, this had not put me in the best of moods for the day and I proceeded to take out my frustrations on the rickshaw driver who would not leave us alone – no change there then!  The next few hours were spent attempting to learn Hindi so I could communicate with the local police who for some reason have no knowledge of English.  Fair enough, but strange when everyone else I have come across can.  Anyway, I had quite an amusing time with the police,organising them and trying to educate them on the health dangers of chewing tobacco, also expressing my view that it is not pleasant to see people chucking up their guts and spitting out in front of you what looks like blood every few seconds!  I don’t know maybe it’s just a personal thing?  The police just found it all very funny so maybe health promotion is not for me after all.

I do like India and the Indian people, they have a good sense of humour and I’ve been having quite a laugh with the locals.  Although I sometimes get the impression that they are humouring me and that they actually think I am quite mad.

Varanasi-GhatsBack to Varanasi – the home of the ghats (large steps) on the river Ganges.  Varanasi is considered the most religious place on earth for Hindus with thousands of pilgrims and residents on the Ghats performing their daily ritual ablutions.  You wouldn’t catch me bathing in there, especially after out dawn row boat trip where we spotted a dead body floating around – Nice!!! Quite a lucky person though as dying among the bathing Ghats of Varanasi apparently attains instant moksha (enlightenment).  Many dying people come here to spend their last days, however, most people are cremated on the burning Ghats before being scattered into the water, but if poor you don’t have the luxury of cremation.

varanasi-ww-10

rickshawWe have been getting cycle rickshaws around town but the other day I felt quite guilty after getting on one as I seemed to have picked not the healthiest of people who had very short legs.  This made it very difficult for him to reach the peddles – thus cycle. This combined with my weight…well you can imagine, bless him.  Despite the energy he was exerting, the rickshaw was still going slower than a snail so I insisted that he sat in the back while I hopped on and cycled his rickshaw bumpily along the road.  I quite enjoyed it and managed to build up quite a speed while the poor guy sat in the back in shock!

Anyway off to the tailors now to have some clothes made for about a quid an item!

That’s all for now folks, until next time.

Cxxx

PS. By the way the very short haircut I had in Delhi for 50p that has left me resembling Jack Nicholson from The Shining still refuses to grow into something that looks half decent!

 

 

Hawaii onto Canada: June/July 2001

Posted by chrissyjbrown on October 7, 2006
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 From the peace and tranquillity of Fijian island life, I leave for the high rise tourist Mecca of Waikiki, Honolulu.  Home to world renowned surf beaches.  Beach life here a complete contrast but the change was good.  In my time here I ran around exploring and attempted to tick off the main To Do list:  a hula show; a hike to the summit of Diamond head (big volcano) to get a great view of the surrounding area; a day spent at the picturesque Hanuama Bay where the best snorkeling on the island can be found (the fish here, obviously well used to the masses invading their space, allow you to get very close); the obligatory shopping trip (went a bit mad!) and being topical with the latest Hollywood blockbuster out – a trip to Pearl Harbor.  This went all a bit pear shape as I fell asleep on the bus a couple of stops before arriving there and didn’t awake until I was virtually back to the point where I got on the bus.  I decided to abandon this mission and gave it up as a bad job.  The thought of a rest on the beach and a touch of body boarding sounded a much better prospect, so I settled on buying the postcard and seeing the movie!  I am not quite so ardent with my sightseeing as at the beginning of my trip.  All in all I had a good time in Hawaii, however I was very disappointed not to have bumped into Tom Selleck although his cardboard cutout was everywhere.

I hung the Hawaiian shirt up and board the next plane which is to take me another step closer to home.  At this point I was beginning to get a bit jaded with the traveling lark, the novelty of living out of a backpack and sleeping in bed bug infested beds surrounded by a load of others had begun to wear thin and I had even started to look forward to returning to the UK and home comforts such as having a bedroom.  However, landing down and spending the last week in Canada has been a breath of fresh air and has rejuvenated the batteries.  So far I love Canada, more particularly the Rockies.

Despite not really being a city tourist person, I did find myself warming to Vancouver.  Amazingly enough the public transport here has been on strike since April 1st!!!  The taxi businesses here must be booming.  I find an alternative form of transport to explore the city and hire a mountain bike.  The city itself is quite small so it doesn’t take long to get around, I spent most the time in Stanley Park which covers quite a large area on a peninsular and is more like a forest.

After a couple of days I am itching to get out to the mountains and board a backpacker bus trip with 21 others and head for Whistler, a top N. American ski resort. Whistler resembles a town in the Alps.  Despite the blazing sun and clear blue skies there is still a lot of snow for ski-ing in the mountains.  The hostel where we stayed was set out of town in the middle of the forest on a lake, majestic snow capped mountains behind, a fantastic setting that is to become the standard scenery as I carry on around.  In fact the scenery gets even better, if that’s possible.  A couple of the crazy kids in our group braved a dip in the freezing cold water of the lake but I managed to hold back, instead getting my exercise from hiking to and around another lake.

From Whistler we head east stopping off at more beautiful lakes, this time I am either brave or stupid and go for a swim myself.  I last a total of about 30 seconds which is about as long as it is possible to stay in icy cold water before getting hypothermia.  We also stop along the way to do a fair few hikes and spend a night in an old courthouse, a night camping in Valemount and a night in log cabins in Jasper National Park. In the evenings sitting around campfires ‘til the early hours with a Canadian (it’s the brand of beer) has been the thing to do here.  The days are so long here with the sun setting as late as 10.30pm.  I’ve also did a  bit of mountain biking on the tracks in the mountains which was great apart from being attacked by a million mosquito’s.

On July 1st – we celebrate!  Not only is it Canada day where carnivals, parties and fireworks line the streets but more importantly it was my birthday – 21 again!  I am with a really good group and they decorated the bus with balloons and birthday banners and they were even kind enough to make me a special birthday frock to wear for the day.

moose

My Birthday Dress!!!

A very revolting bad taste dress that they had enhanced by writing all over it, complete with a polka dot shower cap.  I was made to wear it all day thus got quite a bit of attention from the public.

kinney lake

Kinney Lake

We saw some more spectacular scenery, hiked to Kinney lake for lunch and also visited Maligne Canyon which was superb.  I also got to see my first wild bear which made my day and also got a photo of a mountie in traditional uniform.

 The day after we arrive in Banff which is a place I instantly fell in love with. I have been to quite a few places now but I must say Banff would be one of my favourites.   Set in the national forest with 360 degree mountains around you.  What’s more the surrounding area is home to some of the best lakes I’ve ever seen.  Lake Peyto being my favourite which is just the most amazing milky turquoise blue colour with Lake Louise and Lake Moraine being close competitors.  On the way to Banff we also stopped off at the Athabasca falls and for a hike up a glacier.

Banff
Walking up the mountain in Banff
Lake Louise
Athabasca falls
Athabasca falls
Lake Morrain

 It was in Banff where we celebrated my birthday night (a day late) and had a big night out on the town checking out the local bars and clubs.  All good stuff.  I depart the tour bus in Banff to spend some time here.  The weather has heated up and it gets as high as 40 degrees which happened to be the day a few of us decided to hike to the top of Sulphur Mountain, had I realised how steep it was I don’t think I would have attempted it.  It was a killer but once at the top we were rewarded by  a brilliant view and also a free ride down in the gondola.

 I have since moved on from Banff and am relaxing at my friend Lin’s house in Windermere set on a lake (not the lake District but BC in Canada).  Lin is a great tour guide and is doing a good job of showing me around, last night she took me on her friends house boat on the lake and she has more things lined up before we take off for the infamous Calgary Stampede – possibly the biggest rodeo in the world.  Apparently 10 days of partying, festivals and hard-core rodeo with good old country and western – Yeehaa cowboy bring it on!  Laren – I’ll say hi to your home town for you.

 Just under 6 weeks to go now before I hit Blighty again!

Thailand: September 2000

Posted by chrissyjbrown on October 7, 2006
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I think I was just departing Nepal when I last emailed.  From there we flew into Bangkok, knowing that red wine is expensive in Thailand I made sure I made the most of the free wine on the plane.  It was so tasty I had a whole bottle – nothing’s changed there then!

We stayed in Bangkok for nearly a week sorting out visa’s, visiting temples, going to see floating markets that were just a big tourist trap, and also paying a visit to the Bridge over River Kwai.  I think we would have enjoyed the trip a lot more had we not spent most of the previous night in a bar working through the list of cocktails!   Needless to say we spent most of the time asleep on the bus.

From Bangkok, we boarded the night bus to Champon and then straight onto a boat to Ko Tao which is just one of those run of the mill Thai exotic islands.  We headed across the island to a very quiet secluded beach (well, obviously not quiet once we landed) and checked into a straw hut on the beach then bumped straight into Anish and Simon, a couple of fellow backpackers who we met in India and then again in Bangkok.  I think they had gone there to escape us as it is not a very well known place on the island.  They made up some excuse that they had just checked out of their hut and were just on their way to meet us at the harbour – the hut they checked out of was the one we were allocated!  Luckily they had another one for rent in not as good a location so the boys had to settle for that!

Anyway, I’ve been doing loads of snorkelling – there’s just loads and loads of really good fishes here, it’s fantastic.  I’ve been in the water so much I think I’m going to sprout fins. The bay where we were staying was really nice too, very beautiful and the only mod cons were electric from 6pm -midnight.  No shops or anything -bliss!

I’m not looking very hot at the moment after deciding to sleep the last 2 nights on the beach, I now look like I have a very bad case of measles.  And yes comments about being able to play dot to dot on my face have not gone unnoticed.  But it has been worth it, waking up to beautiful sunrises on the bay.

We have now moved over to the busier part of the island so I can go diving tomorrow.  I’m very excited and have even managed to wangle some free accommodation through the dive centre.

Next we move onto Ko Pha Ngan, the next island, just in time for the full moon party which will be more funny than anything else.  Can’t see that I will be doing much moon worshiping but it will be amusing to watch others.

Diving in Koh Tao was good.  I didn’t get to see sharks or turtles as requested, however, I did swim (obliviously) right into a trigger fish despite being warned by the dive master to stay clear!  I luckily avoided the attack but then cut my foot open when jumping off the boat back at shore.  We’ve been a right pair of invalids as Lesley managed to secure a nice dog bite the previous night and has since fallen down trekking.

From Koh Tao we took a boat to the next island, Ko Pha Ngan (known as the party island) just in time to worship the moon at the full moon party.  This was all a bit disappointing as it was too cloudy to see the moon.  However, this didn’t stop people partying all night til 11am the next day.  I, getting on a bit, only managed to stay up until 1am and believe it or
not stayed relatively sober.

The next day we got a ferry and bus back to Bangkok and I managed to get my wallet stolen again – just after replacing my credit cards!  From Bangkok we took the easy travel option and flew to Chaing Mai, North Thailand.  From here we went on a 3 day trek in the wilderness staying in hill tribe villages along the way.  The 2nd day was a killer, hiking up and down mountains for 7hours – this has left me aching all over and I plan on indulging in a Thai massage.  The elephant ride on the trek was quite amusing as the elephant man resembled a character out of the TV show Monkey Magic and he was off his tree from all the opium he was smoking.  It was quite funny to watch him attempt to stay on the elephant and had a few near misses.

KONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA

On the last day of the trek we went rafting down the river on bamboo rafts which I managed to break.  The rafting was not quite as exhilarating as the rivers in Nepal but I had quite a good time having water fights with my fellow rafters.

bamboo raft

Since being back in Chaing Mai we’ve been to see some Thai boxing which isn’t really my cup of tea.  I was quite shocked to find the contestants getting younger and younger until a pair of eight year olds were up on stage beating the living daylights out of each other.

thai boxing

Today I did my good deed for the year and rented a motorbike to go to Chaing Mai prison to visit foreigners (as in not Thai nationals).  I chatted to a few prisoners.  One of which has been there for 3 years now and still hasn’t been sentenced! Disgraceful.  The Irish guy who is the suspect for that girl who recently got murdered in Chaing Mai that has had loads of news coverage was also there.  They all really appreciated me going to see them and I was
glad to be able to take some food and toiletries in for them as they get no money whatsoever and are not allowed to work there.  However, they were saying that the Thai prisoners only get 100 baht (about 1.50 pounds) for 6 months work!

Soon we will be boarded a bus for Chaing Rai, from there we may pop into Myanmar, formally known as Burma then into Laos.

South Island, New Zealand: April/May 2001

Posted by chrissyjbrown on October 7, 2006
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Everybody raves about the south island of NZ…and now I know why!
My last few days in Australia were spent where it had all started five months ago – Sydney. My third time there and I still love the place. After catching up and saying farewells to good friends (oh and having the first bath I’ve had in months while staying at the lovely Vic and Rick’s new abode), I leave on a jet plane to NZ’s capital city – Wellington.  It is known as the windy city, however, nothing quite prepared me for the icy cold gale force winds that very nearly sent me flying on exiting the airport. I was informed that a southerly had blown in, a southerly being a wind direct from the Antarctic. I didn’t really care where it was coming from, my first instinct was to jump on the first plane outta there. I must admit after ten months in hot climes, I have turned into a bit of a wimp! But no, I persevered and glad I did.
Wellington turned out to be a nice city and made even more welcoming thanks to Dawn & Craig’s hospitality. After another shopping spree to buy yet more fleeces, I board a catamaran to cross over the Cook Strait through the majestic Marlborough Sounds to the south island.

Crossing the Cook Straight

My first stop here is Nelson, the platform for the beautiful Abel Tasman National Park that hugs the north west coast. Apparently, Nelson also records the highest sunshine hours in NZ. If this is true then I’m in trouble ‘cos all it did when I was there was piss down with rain (excuse my French). With the sea kayaking trip cancelled due to rain. I brave the elements and go off tramping for the day. Great stuff!

 

 

 

What Abel Tasman looked like!

Seal Colony, Cape Fowlwind

From there I travel down the wild west coast stopping along the way at an abundance of scenic spots. Also paying a visit to the Cape Foulwind (yes it really is called that and those who have been there will know why!) where a seal colony can be found.

 

 

Land Surfing

While here I tried out a new activity. Not a clue what it is called but involves a wind sail attached to a go-cart on the beach and is a lot of fun. The wind allows you to get quite a speed up, oh and did I mention there were no brakes!!!
Also stopped briefly at Punakaiki’s famous pancake rocks.

Punakaiki Pancake Rocks

A night spent in Greymouth and the next day passing through Hokitika (known for it’s jade) and stopping briefly at the historic gold mining town of Ross to try one’s hand at gold panning, leaving there non the richer I head to Franz Josef. Absolutely freezing and guess what? Yep, raining again, meaning heli-hike’s cancelled. But I arrive just in time for half a day hiking on the infamous glacier. Such an incredible experience walking up sheer faces of ice, through ice crevices and caves, obviously with the help of ice talons on my boots. Superb and I’d definitely recommend it.

 

Franz Joseph glacier ice cave

From here the scenery just gets better and better – if that is at all possible. Lots of fantastic lakes and from now on down snow capped mountains as a backdrop, the snow has been advancing daily down the mountains getting ready for the ski-season – Bring it on! Crowded House’s song “Four seasons in one day” comes to mind when attempting to describe the weather here. Literally one minute blue skies and sun, next hailing and snowing, then gale force winds then nice again! Set on the beautiful shores of Lake Wakatipu, I arrive in the adventure capital of the world – Queenstown. Any adrenalin junkies dream destination. Every extreme activity you can think of can be done here and many more that I had never heard of. Unfortunately, my finances are not the healthiest so I had to be selective in what I did. I opt for a package consisting of a jet boat ride on the Shotover River through a canyon complete with 360-degree turns – Exhilarating and definitely a must!

Jet Boating on Shotover River

From here I get picked up by helicopter that is just the best ever form of transportation ever invented. Fantastic. A scenic flight over Queenstown before landing down on top of a mountain. It is here I experience ludging (sort of like a go-cart) down a steep track – Very good!

Ludging

 
After playing around in the snow for a bit I took the gondola back down to Queenstown to sample the local beers and check out the local lively nightlife. Today I’m having a day off in Queenstown and guess what? Yep, it’s raining! But that’s OK as it is nice and dry in the bars!
Well that’s enough travel talk for one day.

Australia: Spring 2001

Posted by chrissyjbrown on October 7, 2006
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What is the one reason Brits come to Oz? Yep, you’ve guessed it – to visit Ramsey Street, home to Neighbours (for all you non-Brits, Neighbours is an Australian soap opera that Australians love to hate!). Well, to all the neighbours fans out there (all three of you!) – I have walked up Harrold ‘Jelly Belly’ Bishops driveway and to all the other houses on Ramsey Street. You think this is exciting, well, I have also been mingling with some of the stars!

neighbours tour

Every Monday night, hundreds of crazed British backpackers cram into a pub somewhere in Melbourne where a select few of the Neighbours stars come and allow people to grab, poke and maule them for thousands of photo shoots. Such a good night and the stars were all good sports. I can now say I have rubbed sholders with the likes of Joel, Dr Karl Kennedy, Paul and Amy. I had such a good night that I’m going back next week when Harrold, Toadfish and others will be there. Oh, we also managed to come last in the quiz which I am quite proud about.

But getting back to what I’ve been up. Since I wrote last I was departing on The Ron of Argyll to sail around the Whitsunday islands. The weather was quite changeable which made for great sailing but not good for the snorkelling. Oh well can’t have everything great trip all the same and managed to have a laugh with the assortment of people on the boat. Also, while in Airlie I took a trip out to the infamous Great Barrier Reef to fit a dive in and to do some snorkelling. Not bad but not the best place I’ve dived, I’m getting a bit fussy now after diving at some of the top spots around the world, can’t see myself going diving off the East Anglian coast on my return.

Heading on up to Cairns various beach and scenic stops were made including a tour around a croc farm. The party town of Cairns provided the venue to catch up with and say farewell to people I’ve met throughout my East coast trip before heading further up north to the beautiful area of Cape Tribulation. It is here where rainforest meets reef and a great place for walks, croc spotting and to recharge batteries (or in my case recover from a huge hangover).

The Red Centre being the next destination. Saw some very interesting big red/orange coloured rocks, known to some as Uluru (Ayer’s rock), Kings Canyon and The Olgas. Absolutely spectacular. 18km’s walked in 2 days then a 5-day trip down to Adelaide which has been my most favourite Oz experience. Driving for hours through the red desert, nothing but nothing. You soon get an idea of just how big Australia is. Every now and again Skippy hops by or a wedge tailed eagle swoops down to scoop Skippy off the road.

 

The first night of the trip was spent in the strange underground town of Coober Pedy which is situated literally in the middle of nowhere and the small population hosts an amazing 47 different nationalities – very bizarre. The nature of the town gives some indication as to why such a diverse range of people are drawn there, the nature being an opal mining town. For $2000 aus dollars you can buy a bit of dirt and dig until you strike lucky. Mounds of sand and rubble surround the town. Houses, our hostel, churches etc are built under the ground as it is too hot above.

Heading further south the landscape gradually changes, vegetation increasing and the Flinders mountain range crops up. Lots of long exhausting walks were a shock to the system after being sat on a bus for what seems a very long time. However, things soon became easier as we entered the Barossa Valley – home to some of Australian’s fine wines. Went on a couple of wine tasting sessions – very nice too! The evening was spent in an old school, now converted to a hostel where everyone had to dress up in girl’s school uniform. The boys loved it. We also organised a good old fashioned 80’s school disco complete with school chairs lining the walls. A very funny night was had by all.

Arrived Adelaide the following morning and was in shock. After 10 months of heat, I freeze! It was so cold (only about 12 degrees) I couldn’t move. It felt like I was back in the UK. Mad to think that a few hundred km’s north there’s lovely desert heat. Oh well I’d better get used to it as I’m heading for NZ next where it will be winter with snow and all. Didn’t get up to an awful lot in Adelaide apart to stay in bed to keep warm and go shopping to buy fleece, socks and warm things.

adelaide

From Adelaide I embarked on a 4-day trip to Melbourne. More walks this time in the Grampians, a bit of rock climbing, heaps of wild koala’s here and there and other wildlife. The highlight being the Great Ocean Road and watching sunset behind the 12 apostles – beautiful!

Now in Melbourne which I like a lot, well hard not to knowing it is home to Ramsey Street – very exciting! Sort of exploring the city by aimlessly rambling around. Also catching up with my lovely Aussie friends.

From Melbourne I will do a 4 day trip back to Sydney stopping at Phillip Island (home to lots of Percy penguins, seals and other stuff), snowy mountains and Australia’s capital Canberra.

North Island, New Zealand: February 2001

Posted by chrissyjbrown on October 7, 2006
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images

At first I thought I’d boarded the wrong plane and had accidently arrived back in the UK – Masses of rolling green fields and terrain resembling the lake district only on a larger scale. However, it wasn’t long before I realised I was on the north island of New Zealand with hundreds of volcano’s (active and dormant), fantastic wild surf beaches and yes, the sun out in full force (in between the rain!).

Hiring a car, camping with the locals and staying with friends was definitely the way forward. Nice to get away from the whole backpacking crowd for a bit.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

After Kerry did an excellent job of showing me around Auckland in a couple of days and dragging me to the summit of the Rangitoto volcano, we head up to Northland to have a fantastic time catching up with the Sherriff twins, the house isolated halfway up a large hill with spectacular views of the bay. It felt like Heidi should come yodeling down the hill at any time.

From Northland to the airport to pick up my partner in crime we head to Tauranga where my adrenalin junkie friend Mike took us body boarding to refresh us at Mt. Maunganui – It certainly did the trick!

mt-maunganui-ariel

Lots of national parks, beaches, massive kauri trees, a fantastic wedding at Cape Kidnappers (not mine!), beautiful lakes, hot springs, boiling mud pools and sand dunes later, we land back at the little house on the prarie in time for a boat trip to the Poor Knights Islands to snorkel to our hearts content among a carpet of jelly fish that luckily were of the non-stinging variety!

Also in Northland we visited the Bay of Islands which provided a good base for a dive trip to the Rainbow Warrior, 30m underwater. Fantastic coral and fish with a long swim through the wreck, stopping off at an air pocket to get a lung full of the stale rusty smelling air – Nice!

rainbow_warrior

The day after was spent swimming with the dolphins only by the time I got in the water the dolphins had swam off! They had obviously been pre-warned about me!

dolphin safari

After driving nearly 2000km’s in 7 days doing all the scenic stuff, I was ready to get back on a bus in search of the adrenalin rush that NZ is famous for providing. First stop was at Waitomo where we black water rafted through a glow worm cave, very nice but not quite the thrill we were in search of. However, in Rotorua the next day we woke ourselves up by white water rafting down a grade 5 river with a 7m waterfall in the middle as the highlight!!! After this as a warm up we go straight to the airfield to put our lives in the hands of a complete stranger for a scenic flight of the surrounding area encompassing some 17 lakes. However, only paying one way we are pushed out of the plane at 12000ft, free falling for 50 seconds before the parachute hurtles you back up in the air like a reverse bungy. Loved it!!!!!! Can’t wait to do it again. What could beat that??? Ludging, that’s what! Ludging involves going down a very steep gravel hill in a 3 wheel contraption that has a breaking system that really doesn’t work very well. A very scary experience which I did not want to repeat but did! In between all this stuff we did manage a mandatory Maori cultural evening which was actually quite good. Still lots to do and see before returning to Sydney on 2nd March for Mardi gras.