Cape Town: Trip 1

   1. WEST COAST NATIONAL PARK & PATERNOSTER   

A few days of relaxation following weeks of working around the flat renovations saw us hire a car for three days and head north out of Cape Town. Destination Paternoster, a lovely coastal town, all white washed buildings and beach decorated homes with a wide beautiful sandy coastline that disappeared off into the distance. Throw in a great place to stay and some nice restaurants - one right by the beach, another overlooking the town and yet another full of quirky bits of junk called 'Junk & Disorderly' (South Africa enjoys a play on words as a business title) and the recipe for relaxation was complete.

A total blackout on our last night, minutes before President Zuma was about to come on TV and give his resignation speech, was both poetic and rewarding, as we got to see a starry night sky that was just incredible.  

Stopping off at the West Coast National Park on the drive back south was quiet and unhurried, rather like the tortoise that crossed the road right in front of our car, presumably to get to the other side ! The beautiful lagoon with milky waters was nice and warm, a welcome change from the Atlantic ocean elsewhere. 

Our final overnight stop was in Darling at another great B&B run by Pat and Bobby, full of warm hospitality and conversation. Visited the brewery but not the Evita se Perron performance at the old train station (another day perhaps - with Darling only a hour outside Cape Town). 

All the above are Paternoster photos.






Below is a shot taken in the West Coast National Park.

Cape Town: Visiting 2

   2. TWO WEEK HOLIDAY with friends   

Arriving at the end of February into Cape Town's drought and mounting water restrictions, Gill & Steve stayed with us for two weeks and embarked on an itinerary that made full use of their first time in South Africa... 








(Left) Water restriction guidelines for your 50 litres per day allowance.

Two weeks rolled by as follows (deep breath): Hout Bay orientation & drinks at Dunes, coastal drive to Simon's Town & Boulders beach, Cape Point, Robben Island, Stellenbosch & Franschhoek, cycle to the waterfront & walk back to Camps Bay, Seal island, Kirstenbosch gardens, Cecelia Forest hike, Table Mountain, Betty's Bay & Pringle Bay coast drive, Llandudno beach, Constantia vineyard and the Bo-Kaap Malay Quarter in Cape Town. Plus various braais (BBQ), dinners, drinks, cappuccinos, meeting friends and family (not to mention the coincidence of inadvertently running into tennis friends from England, Bob & Di, on more than one occasion) along with many wildlife encounters to talk about and document. (See story of derring-do on our Tales blog) !

Windswept and sand blasted at Boulders Beach

During this time seeing snowy pictures of London were a marked contrast to the warm sunny days of 24°c - 25°c temperatures in Cape Town and the sea breezes of Hout Bay. 

Another glass of something?  Don't mind if I do ! 

Camps Bay and the Twelve Apostles leading to Hout Bay in the distance

(Also see: Gallery)

Cape Town: Trip 3

   3. ARNISTON & MONTAGU   

Hmmm Cheapie !

We had planned (and saved) our final month in Cape Town for a drive east to the Garden Route. Unfortunately due to both of us getting sick for almost a week, the lost time meant we revised our ambitions to a shorter journey in the time remaining. An additional factor was our slightly dodgy Renta Cheapie hire car, that was a bit too 'on the cheap' and didn't instill confidence in making a long 800 kilometer round trip. 

Setting off along the coast road (False Bay to Gordon's Bay and Pringle Bay) that we had done with Gill & Steve was just as enjoyable and spectacular. Lunch at Pringle before staying with Ally & Kurt in Onrus for a few nights, where a pub quiz led to Dom Pedros (ice cream whisky desert) and a chance to catch up on life in good company.

Travelling east on towards Arniston to spend some lovely days in an old fisherman's cottage, actually in Kassiesbaai, the authentic and working part of the town. Meeting the locals and being shown around by Sushi and Kaela (two dogs) every time we ventured out, plus the lapa (outhouse) of the cottage had views of the Indian Ocean just meters away (picture above), making a great end to any day. 

At the end of Africa

A drive to Cape Agullus (Southernmost point of mainland Africa) was a day out that included the lighthouse and shipwreck museums when it rained in the afternoon. 

Waving the empty sandy beaches goodbye, we headed inland to the mountains of the Boland. Margaret had been telling me about Montagu, Robertson and McGregor for years and we found another nice place to stay in Montagu with a great view, a pool, sundeck and a five minute walk into this historic and peaceful town on the Western Cape's scenic Route 62.

Surrounded by lots of nice walks we met people over drinks and at the weekend morning market and ate some memorable food, though finding the famous 'bird tree' proved a memory can fade and a town can change over the years if you leave it too long. 

Driving to one of the many attractive wineries was not to be missed, and we walked around most of McGregor later that same day. Overnight in Robertson before taking the scenic route home, driving via Ceres and narrow passes and one mountain range after another.

Van Loveren wine tasting - and why not - cheers !

Western Cape - Gallery

  SCENIC VIEWS  

From our balcony - sky, sunset, mist.

Misty Cliffs - near Scarborough, Cape peninsula

Buffels Bay, nr. Cape point

Hout Bay from friends place at Ruyteplaats

  SIGNS OF THE TIMES  

(Left) Actual sign in Cape Town. And (right) wall hanging for purchase.

(Left) Day Care Centre at Waterfront. (Right) beer label reads 'Don't drink and walk on the road. You may be killed' !!!

  FLOWERS  

  BIRDS AT THE BEACH  

Penguins at Boulders Beach

Hout Bay

Oystercatcher - Pringle Bay

Another bird at the beach

  EVENTS  

Cape Argus Cycle race, passing the end of our road in Hout Bay

Also a short video taken on Chapman's Peak drive as they descend into Hout Bay > www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fmo0kkWeQlQ&feature=youtu.be
plus a guide to the race for those interested > www.youtube.com/watch?v=CySc2_lQ5Bw

  US & THEM  

Nieces and nephews havin' a laugh

Beers at Dunes with Steve

Margaret and Gill at Dunes, sunglasses and cocktail happy hour

More stories and pictures to follow this... >

S.E. Asia

As this adventure was more than a holiday I'm going to try a different approach. With nearly 2,000 pictures and videos taken (plus at least 5,200km travelled) there's a lot to get through. It seemed sensible, rather than having one enormous long blog to scroll through, that this intro should provide links (click on the blue type below) to the various parts, so you can take your pick and travel at your own speed.

Part 1: Thailand (Lang Suan: Dog Sitting - Kanchanaburi - Bangkok) 
Part 2: Vietnam (Danang: Storm Damray - Ninh Binh - Hanoi - Sapa) 
Part 3: Cambodia (Siem Reap: Angkor Wat - Boat Trip - Battambang) 
The overall map above shows the parts that will become larger more informative maps when you get to that section. 

4. Photo Gallery
5. Videos & Lots of Links

1. THAILAND

A visit split in two. The Dogs and Kanchanaburi, bookended by Bangkok.

The Dogs
'Getting away from it all' could best sum up our 12 days spent minding our friend's 7 (seven) dogs in Lang Suan. We had visited previously and roughly knew what we were letting ourselves in for, but it was a very different routine. Basically getting up at 5.30am to prepare food, then walk the dogs along the beach. Back to feed them while making sure we hadn't lost anyone along the way. Repeat the process late afternoon and fall asleep by 9pm. An afternoon 'siesta' was perfectly in order, so as the dogs slept, so did we. 
The change of lifestyle also included 'going' vegetarian, drinking coconut water and having no internet for 9 days. No TV also, so no news, while the sound of mobile phones ringing was not missed at all. It wasn't all peace and quiet though, due to next door's rooster and the occasional dog barking at some passing animal plus the evenings had the full orchestra of frogs and cicadas playing in the garden. It was idyllic and the slow pace wonderful and we really enjoyed all the dogs and their funny ways and different characters.
We had taken over the minding from Birgit who had lovingly cared for them for two weeks. Housekeepers Chu and Te Win had been around to assist us also. When our friends Colin and Kyoko returned we spent four days catching up and then catching our breath as the NE winds blew in and the bay and beach became a wilder place for a time.

Beach walking: (left to right) Pink, Beer, Margaret, Gogo, Chu, Chip, Psy and Nut.

Having hatched a cunning plan to not return on the train all the way to Bangkok, but overnight in Nakhon Pathom, we arrived in the middle of some local festival (the Buddhist Phra Pathommachedi Festival) and on leaving the next day managed to jump on the wrong train. Briefly finding ourselves travelling back to Lang Suan until being advised by our fellow passengers to change at Nong Pladuk Junction to the correct train for Kanchanaburi. This diversion proved interesting as Nong Pladuk was the starting station for the Thai-Burma Railway in 1942 and was full of interesting old equipment.

Kanchanaburi

Krathongs at the ready. (Eiad, 2nd left)

Loy Krathong - festival of lights - was taking place while we were here and while rather low-key due the recent cremation of Thailand's beloved King Bhumibol we were lucky enough to be invited to join in by our guesthouse owner Eiad, who spoke perfect English having lived in Oxford for many years, and who made us our own Krathong to float on the river.

The main reason for our visit was to see the Bridge over the River Kwai, experience Hellfire Pass and ride the train from Namtok to Kanchanaburi via the Wampo Viaduct. The excellent memorial and walk through Hellfire Pass along the actual cuttings made by the POWs and Asian labourers in building the Death Railway was sobering and moving. 
The train journey was very popular and we inadvertently sat on the wrong side of the train and missed the best views. TIP: Sit on the West side is best.
Another day was spent clambering up the Erawan Falls, which rise some seven levels in spectacular fashion and are very busy on a weekend. (Entrance fee to the park was only 100 baht (£2.25), but a more blatant 300 baht for foreigners). 

The excellent Blue-Jeans band

A final evening in Kanchanaburi was had in the Blue-Jeans bar listening to a Thai band play western rock music, really rather well.




….And then


Our final days in Thailand included weather watching as news of a major storm reached us heading straight for where we were heading in Vietnam.  >>> cont. here

2. VIETNAM

We had a nice plan for Vietnam. 
All neatly mapped out from meeting my son Scott and his girlfriend Issie in Danang and spending time with them in Hoi An and Hue. Then two days before we arrived Tropical storm Damray barged in ahead of us and washed the plans away. It was apparent we were not only going to need a Plan B, but an on-going adjustment to a C, D & possibly an E.

As it turned out the first day employed all options as we saw pictures of flooded cities and splashed our way around Danang, that wasn't flooded but was pretty wet under foot.
Day two we escaped northwards rather slowly on delayed trains due to this bad weather. Just managed to see the scenic Hai Van pass, before it got dark, as the train wound around the coastline. Continuing on the (not very) 'soft sleeper' train overnight to Ninh Binh, which was thankfully dry and we settled for a few days' rest surrounded by the wonderful scenery of area. Like Halong Bay on land best describes the fantastic landscape.

The remarkable Bai Dinh temple, the climb up Hang Mua and the river trips were highlights as was our accommodation in bungalows right beside the river.
On our arrival in Hanoi, the traffic seemed more chaotic than on our previous visit 18 months ago. Getting around was a constant battle with cars, bikes and other street obstructions. The madness of the city was amusing on our first visit, now it wasn't quite so funny. So, we headed for the hills. 

Sapa
Another sleeper train 300km north to the border town of Lao Cai and a mini-bus ride up to the town of Sapa nestled beneath Vietnam's highest mountain Fansipan. A beautiful mountain village or building site? Both! But the three days of blue skies and incredible views were unforgettable, with a 13km guided trek into the valley, through three hill tribe villages and the Ham Rong Mountain Park with its overlook, not to be missed. Dancing in the town square provided some unexpected entertainment. (see video No.6 >)

Sapa Lake and highest mountain 'Fansipan' just right of centre at the top.

'Linear Hanoi'. Two city landscape views.

Back to Hanoi, travelling on the very comfortable sleeper bus, for a final few days with Scott and Issie. Our hotel choice wasn't the best, but a demonstration on how to make egg coffee at a local cafe was a bonus, as was watching the football with Scott and riding on his motorbike back to the hotel at midnight through the Hanoi traffic. 

It was now getting noticeably colder and our final adventure beckoned … as we flew to Cambodia >>>