Alpine Hiking Mt Rigi

10/05/201731/05/2017

Switzerland offers many walking adventures, many accessible from trains, furniculars, cables and car.

Today we set off for a short 3 hours walk along Mt Rigi.

There is a car park at the bottom and three options for getting to the start of many walks. You can walk the entire way but you would need a day. The first part is very step. We choose to take the furnicular which is around 30 Swiss Francs return.

At the top you can switch off your mind and just follow the track. This is the start to many tracks but the main one is easy to follow and will take you to the summit of Mt Rigi.

The Swiss Alps start declaring themselves early on and are nothing short of breath-taking. It is hard to get one’s mind around the fact that the ones in front are 2000+ metres and the ones in the back ground are 4000 + plus. You really feel on top of the world, mingling with the clouds and gods.

There are plenty of things to see and do along the way. Cafes serving hot tea, wine, food are littered along the walking track.

Cows are taken to the hills in the summer and we are there on the last day they will inhabit the slopes until next summer. We are fortunate to witness the rounding up of the cows, with their big ding-dong, jingle bells as they are mustered to lower pasteurlands.

I love seeing this side of the world… traditional farming techniques that have worked for years and honoured season after season. It works, so why change it? And as my friend says, happy cows = happy milk.

The last part of the walk to the summit is step but very manageable with chairs scattered along the path to the top.

You can catch a train if you wish – the old carriages – some built in 1880 are reliable and comfortable.

At the top there are two dining options – a self serve buffet, or a sit down a la carte restaurant. Depending on the clouds, you will either get the most amazing pan views of the alps and valleys, or fluffy white clouds.

We opted for the self serve buffet and wine, then the train back to the starting point.

The train ride down is excellent and there are many opportunities to take photos of the lush forest. Towards the end there is a lovely waterfall on the right hand side of the train. If you have longer, you can walk down instead of catching the train.

We met a lady on the train who had done 58 walks in 4 months, so there are not shortage of walks not scenery. Have some fun, take a warm jacket and good walking shoes (sneakers are fine) and enjoy the magnificent views from the top of the world.

Hollgrotten Caves

10/05/201710/05/2017

Not far from Zurich in Switzerland are some pretty caves. Very family friendly this easy day trip is worthy of a visit.

Hollgrotten Caves are worth the trip!

I am staying in Baar, which is 30 minutes by train from Zurich. My friend has leant me his bike so for me, this is the best way to get there. Other options are by car. Or to walk from Zug would be about 3km.

By bicycle, you can follow the river along the picturesque forest floor.

Greens, moss, trickling water make this surreal trip so magical.

I pause regularly to suck in the smells of the forest and hear the sounds. With so much deforestation ocurring and global warming heating the planet making many parts arid and desert like, it is comforting to know that well preserved in Switzerland as some lush forests.

Once you get to the car park of the grounds, there is a beautiful restaurant and bar. There are many places for children to explore and I find my little child bubbling with excitement.

A short walk from the restaurant and you will find the ticket box. The cost is 12 Euro and includes a self guided walk.

It is a short cave system but perfect for a family and for people who might be anxious about going into the Earth’s belly.

I am excited!

The caves are illuminated with different coloured lights and the piece de resistance is the middle cave which includes alight show and soft accompanying music.

It doesn’t take long to go through the caves but I relish the experience and take my time. Meditating while there as no one else came through while I was there. Truly a special moment.

A day in Vanuatu

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I love Vanuatu – a collection of islands in the South Pacific with some of the friendliest people in the world. I have been traveling to Vanuatu for years as it is close to Australia (under 3 hours from Brisbane) and many cruise liners stop into Port Vila.

On this trip we arrive by our cruise liner, Pacific Dawn with P & O.

Ship wrecks in Port Vila from cyclone Pam

Vanuatu was hit by a ferocious storm and cyclone in May 2015 , cyclone Pam, that pretty much decimated the villages and much of the town. 11 people died but apparently the damage was horrendous and many businesses have failed to re-establish.

I did experience a shift in the locals compared to previous years – maybe it’s money, or maybe it’s the desperation since the cyclone. Many locals, ne-vanuatu, see the ocean liners as exploiting their natural resources, taking money for pre-arranged tours on board and not filtering it back through to the locals. And they see all tourists as rich and may try to rip you off. This has become more of an issue and even 18 months ago we had an unsavory experience with our taxi driver.

We were stopped by two locals in town to be told how we should organised our tours directly with the locals and not through the cruise ship. I understand their concerns and do agree but negotiate with everyone!

We organised a kayaking experience before leaving Australia. But it was expensive even though not booked through the cruise.

For $70 per person and $10 park entry fee, we had a pick up in town and drive to a river where we went for a kayak. I love paddling and wanted the kids to have an encounter with nature and to see the lush side of Vanuatu.

Along the banks were children playing, shy this visit but caught up in their own little worlds of play and creativity. Some mums were washing clothes and chatting happily with other women, locals loafily walking around and no stress anywhere.

After kayaking the kids had a swing on a rope into the river and for a space in time were just kids having a ball.

After a fresh coconut collected by one of the guys who climbed a near by coconut tree, we extended our tour to stop by the turtle farm at Crystal Blue Lagoon.

The turtle experience was one of the most remarkable animal encounters I have every had. I am not sure if it’s because I have been drawing turtles lately and at the moment have 4 hanging on my walls, or if I have some connection with them. I have always loved them and yesterday I got to try out my turtle whispering talents.

The mum, whose name is Juliet, is 140 years old is pictured above!

I loved lying and talking with her. I think she is missing the open sea but is happy non the less as she gets lots of attention and fresh papaya.

The sanctuary offers a $20 BBQ lunch (which is very average if you arrive late but good if you are there as it is being cooked) and that price includes the turtle experiences.

The children can pick up little turtles, see a coconut crab, see some wild boars in a pen (this captured my son’s imagination the most) and try to spot the flat head shark (muliwong) that lives in the enclosure.

I am glad I swam with the turtles before being told about the shark. It seemed quite harmless but it caught MY imgaination when it surfaced and submerged doing that shark fin thing they do. I highly recommend this whole experience.

A taxi from town should only set you back $40-50 and will wait for you while you go into the sanctuary.

The Cascade Waterfalls are beautiful tropical experience only twenty minutes from town. We visited there last time and the kids wanted to go back again but because of low waterfalls, there was not water in teh falls. It’s really sad and the locals are blaming it on el nino – because the shelves in teh natural wonder need flushing (and that is not happening at the moment), algae is building up in the rock pools.

Everyone will know whether the falls are running or not (I can only imagine this is a short lived thing) and should be a place you visit. The rainforest surrounding the falls are devine and you will often encounter the local singers along the way, which sound superb.

These pictures are from our last visit there and it is truly beautiful when the water is running. Oh yes, this is something you can do alone – you don’t need a tour as such, and again it should cost approximately $30 for a taxi to take you and wait while you spend an hour or two doing your thing. Take your time, set your own pace and check out some of the many walking tracks around the falls – they lead to villages and all sorts of surprises.

Five things to do on Lifou Island, New Caledonia

06/08/2016

If you are heading to Lifou Island here are some great ideas to do that are kid friendly.

For the second time the children and I are ferried across from our floating hotel (the P & O Cruise Ship, the Pacific Dawn) to the one of the islands that belong to the Loyalty Islands, in New Caledonian, called Lifou.

Lifou is part of Micronesia and the islanders are knowns as Kanaks, with the main language spoken being French.

Most people understand English but there is something sexy, something adventourous and something special about speaking French in the South Pacific.

Seeking connection with nature and some underwater experiences we discovered the following and would recommend the following with your day ashore:

Five things to do on Lifou:

Snorkel at Jinek Bay

Jinek bay is a marine reserve a twenty minute walk from where the cruise ship anchors and comes a shore. We purchased our pass on board for $20 per operson or you can buy them there for $10. Apparently the numbers are capped each day but I didn’t really see evidence of that in the bay and the guy taking people’s money seemed happy to give coloured wrist bands to who ever came along.

2. Hire a stand up paddle board

Stand up paddling in Jinek Bay - — Stand up paddling in Jinek Bay –

Stand up paddling or SUP is a fun easy water activity. I SUP at home for exercise and at $10 an hour it was too good to pass up. Skimming over the beautiful azure waters was breath-taking and there were plenty of moments to reflect on an often manic life back “home.”

The only thing I would caution on SUP if you haven;t done it before is falling off over the coral. You can weave your way through the coral but if you are not great and confident on the board, try to paddle through the sandy, areas so if you do fall off you don’t velcro yourself to a coral shelf.

3. Drink a coconut

drinking out of young coconuts at Jinek Bay, Lifou

Coconuts grow in abundance on the Pacific Islands and offer incredible nutrients. The juice was once used as a blood volume expander and they can be really good for hang-overs. I just love the fact you can climb a tree and lop open a self made drink that is refreshing and nutritious. The locals use papaya stems as straws as they hollow and non toxic. A must!

4. Visit the church

Built in 1895 the church is a beautiful piece of achitecture from yesteryear and is a landmark you can see pulling in and out of the harbour. There are actually a couple of churches on the island, with one up on the right of Easo Bay (where the ferry docks) and is only a modest 30 minute walk past the turn off to Jinek Bay, or the other one on the way into town, also a 30 minute walk.

As with all churches around the world, you can walk through, marvel at the stained glass windows and climb to the nook where the church bell is rung. I like this little church, it is a bit run down but colourful and happy.

5. Grotto and villiage experience

You can do many tours (organised on board the boat) or simply by walking into town. Most activities will cost $20 and will include a mini van driving you to a spot. Last visit we did the blue grotto cave experience. It was great for the kids as they were shown how to hunt for food, make bows and arrows, and see how the locals exist. Most still hunt for their food and frown their own crops.

There are plenty of other touristy things to do such as braiding your hair, getting a massage, buying pearl necklaces etc. The locals will do a traditional dance as the cruise leaves wishing you well and hoping to see you again.

Snorkeling and swimming anywhere on the island is stunning but as with most parts of the world the colour from the coral has been bleached away. The fish are still incredible and you will usually see a turtle and the water is a stunning tourquise blue.

Negotiate away on the advertised price but be respectful.

I was embarrassed to hear so many people from the cruise not use basic manners such as please and thank-you, it’s really not that hard. Merci Lifou!

Canyoning in the hinterland

09/02/201609/02/2016

It’s late winter and we are after a new challenge.

My friend, a professional abseilor suggests some canyoning. Perfect I say!

We struggle to find places to freelance abseil but stumble across a little known place on the way to Springbrook. It called Back Creek Gorge at Beechmont (Killarney Glen) and you will have to google to find it but we did, so no doubt you will too.

We were expecting an abseil into a single pond but what we discovered was way more incredible!

The Back Creek Gorge is a a six hour adventure traveling down loads of water falls, all with varying challenges and degrees of difficulty. Even with my still broken toes, I have a ball.

Absailing Gold Coast — Abseiling Gold Coast

The only way out, as night falls, is straight up through the bush. Starting to realise that our food rations might get put to the test, and an overnight stay in the wilderness is on the cards, we both forge on. Up, scratched and out.

I have a ball and would do this type of adventure again and again. BUT I would suggest only going with an experienced abseilor. You needed to know your knots and not lose your cool. Not for the faint-hearted.

Pokhara – Nature and Adventure

30/01/201630/01/2016

It had been 3 nights in the himalayan hills and I was covered with dirt. BIG amounts of dirt. NO shower for 3 days, working with soil and concrete, sleeping in a tent and even experiencing my first earth quake! Fortunately only a 4.5 and no damage.

Fast forward an 8 hour very bumpy 4 WD trip into Pokhara and I feel like I have landed in an oasis.

Pokhara is a beautiful city boasting a beautiful lake called Phewa Lake.

Pokhara Temple tress — Temple Tree Pokhara

Checking in to the hotel Temple Tree, feels like a surreal dream and then I spot my bath in my room. Squeals of delight and I didn’t realise how much I was missing the luxuries of home…hot water, big fluffy bed and free wifi!

My appreciation for life’s luxuries sky rocket.

This town is pretty awesome. It oozes with natural beauty and is a hub for action & adventure. The Annapurna range can be seen first thing in the morning – they don’t go anywhere but a fog consumes them as the day goes on.

I am craving a day off though and spend Sunday checking out Devi’s Waterfalls and caves. Remarkable and worth a visit if you are in town.

After that, back to base, a few mo-mos to tie me over for a lazy lunch at Mike’s Restaurant which is on the lake. The food is awesome and it ticks a few boxes… great margaritas, views, good food and a chance to do some painting which I have been missing.

Lakeside Pokhara – Mikes restaurant and doing some art

A late afternoon visit to Tal Barahi Temple, to make a blessing, then off to a bar lakeside for Sheisha and a Chillian sav blanc. The Busy Bee Cafe captures my attention and is a great meeting place for travellers. It’s here I learn about walking up to the Peace Pagoda and score a live band playing Cold Play Nepalese style.

After a big sleep I fulfil an urge which is to parachute, but this time is paragliding. After a panic attack some 16 years ago, I have been too scared to do parachuting but this seemed safer – or something. Anyway we go, and it is a hoot. Everything you would expect gliding like a bird through the Himalayas.

Slightly motion sick at the bottom, I am determined not to let it mess my day.

I am determined to climb up to see the pagoda and hire a kayak (costs 800 rupee) for the afternoon. It’s very dodgy but somehow I don’t capsize and find my way to the other side!

The trek to the top doesn’t take 2-3 hours only 30 minutes up and another 30 mins back down. It’s a great walk and just what I needed. The pagoda is ok… it’s closed today but the views are worth going for.

Everything else is accessible from here – white water rafting, trekking, ultra light flying, jungle experiences and more. I love the lake side vibe, the diverse food and great bars and am definitely coming back again.

My friend runs a tour company in Kathmandu and can help you arrange your flights and adventures and is good to go through as he gets great rates. His name is Shree and this is his company.

Five things to do on Lifou:

Snorkel at Jinek Bay

2. Hire a stand up paddle board

3. Drink a coconut

4. Visit the church

5. Grotto and villiage experience