My Travels

Despite grim reminders of a gruesome past (the shrine at right contains thousands of skulls and bones retrieved from the Killing Fields), for most, Cambodia conjures up 'magnificence'.  The humanitarian disaster of the Khmer Rouge regime has failed to compromise the awe of Angkor, an Empire erected by Kings between the 9th and 13th centuries. With timeless grandeur,  Angkor's temples remain:  the mysterious Bayon with its huge stone faces; the Elephant Terrace; sprawling Angkor Wat and my favourite, Ta Phrom, where stonework and Fig trees have combined to create a setting eerie enough for a movie.

Frenzied Ho Chi Minh City rattles the nerves with its three million motorbikes; an early escape is called for. The Mekong Delta down south offers a tapestry of sights of life on the waterways or there’s a visit to the village of Cu Chi famous for its tunnels occupied by the Viet Cong.  Here Yours truly takes on the challenge and emerges having crawled through miniscule black passageways at a depth of eight metres! 

The ancient trading port of Hoi An lures the traveller with its quaint oriental buildings now home to cottage crafts like lantern-making and further north, Hanoi impresses.  It’s a city with Parisian grace, spacious parks and an unusual theatrical experience: Water Puppets.  Still further north near the Chinese border, the highlands of Sapa are home to a diverse mix of ethnic groups such as the Red Dzao and Black Dzao (seen here) and there’s no better way of ending a visit to Vietnam than taking an overnight cruise on a Junk in spectacular Ha Long Bay.

Peru offers more than Machu Picchu alone.  Archaeol-ogical sites abound including pre-Inca pyramids outside Lima. South, at Nazca, take a flight over the enigmatic Nazca Lines followed by a visit to Chauchilla cemetery where Inca mummies rest in desert tombs.  Enjoy the beautiful colonial architecture of Arequipa and Cusco and a side trip to Colca Canyon through llama country where local attire is unique. And then there's Puno, Lake Titicaca, those amazing reed islands and the shy veiled ladies of Amantani Island ... and much more. A three-week adventure tour of Peru did not disappoint!

Before heading off to Buenos Aires, Iguaçu Falls and Rio de Janeiro, I spent a week in Ecuador for the prime purpose of visiting the Galapagos Islands, home to the Giant Galapagos Tortoise.  These volcanic islands support thousands of sea lions, abundant birdlife - some quirky species, too! - and grotesque and gaudy iguanas.  Not a cheap destination but worth every cent.  With no history of slaughter or exploitation by man, these trusting creatures provide a very personal and unique wildlife encounter.

Europe is never high on my list of destinations with its hordes of tourists and an unforgiving exchange rate but a winter cruise along the Danube did sound charming.  With a few of Eastern Europe's capitals thrown in, it became a gem of a journey.  Budapest, oft referred to as the 'Paris of the East' provided a dramatic starting point followed by quaint and quirky Bratislava, Slovakia's small and utterly adorable 'big city'.  In classical Vienna, the home of strings and sopranos, we began our journey along the water, taking in such treasures as Melk Abbey, Grein, Salzburg and the medieval settlements of Passau, Regensburg and Nuremberg. Thick gloves and woolly hats  made perfect souvenirs from the Christmas Market stalls while roasted chestnuts and Gluhwein warded off the bitter cold.  Finally, we travelled overland to Prague, perhaps the most stunning of all the cities and in true winter fashion, it snowed.

I could easily empathize with  Dian Fossey's fascination and love for her Mountain Gorillas when I came within six feet of Agashya, the Silverback during an unforgettable tracking experience in the virgin jungles of Rwanda. Just look at his expression as he peels bamboo!

One of the females came so close, I could have touched her but was not allowed to. Her longing look said it all: "Please come and play, won't you?"   She did not see me as a threat nor I her. 

Rwanda offered the ultimate Gorilla viewing experience. Uganda was rewarding too but its sightings were more distant.  Kibale Forest in Uganda was the prime location for spotting hundreds of noisy, hyperactive Chimpanzees.  And from Kampala, I took a boat across Lake Victoria to Ngamba Island, now a sanctuary for orphaned chimps.

The Longsheng area of Southern China is home to some of China's fascinating minority groups. The Yao women are famous for never cutting their hair. From Longsheng, we travelled to Yangshuo where we cycled amidst the striking limestone pinnacles of Guilin.  A 3-day cruise on the Yangtze River through the mighty locks of the Three Gorges Project Hydroelectric Dam brought its own unique day trips to the Stone Pagoda and into a tributary, the Shennong Stream.  We visited Xi'an of Terracotta Warriors' fame and finally Beijing, taking in Tiananmen Square and the expansive Forbidden Palace.  A brilliant finale was hiking a remote and only partially restored section of the Great Wall for 12 kms from Jinshanling then returning to Beijing to watch, in amazement, the Chinese Acrobats.

I returned to New Zealand in December with younger son, Mark, to attempt the famous Milford Track.  We were in good spirits at the start.  Alas, no one has control over the area's unpredictable weather. It changed dramatically for us at the Summit on Day 3 and  we arrived at Dumpling Hut absolutely sodden. 

On Day 4, we watched our backpacks fly off in a cargo net hooked onto a chopper's belly then we ourselves were evacuated to the other side of the swollen Arthur River. No, we weren't taken out of the Park!  Instead, we had to endure three hours of drudgery, hiking in unremitting rain, ducking under waterfalls and sloshing through water up to our knees - an unpleasant and memorable experience.  Next day, we were bobbing about in sea kayaks on a wet and wild Milford Sound.

What better way to explore this paradise than on board a Cruise Ship.  A friend and I set sail in September for New Caledonia calling at Poum, Noumea, Lifou and the Isle of Pines.  I've never had such a relaxing and fun holiday! P&O's 'Pacific Sky' lies moored off Divine Island (right).

My first ever visit to the African continent was in 2003 where, apart from discovering Egypt, I took in a two-week safari of Kenya and Tanzania following a quick trip to Zimbabwe and the famed Victoria Falls. Why hadn't I come here sooner?  What an incredible part of the world.   A safari is anything but relaxing in the heat, with the dust and on  badly rutted and corrugated roads but it is also the very essence of adventure. Vast savannahs teamed with extraordinary wild life; we watched with bated breath while a leopard stalked and killed its prey; we spied a cheetah on a mound, tensed and ready for the chase; two buffalos were in a head-lock and noisy hippos thrashed about in the river.  In both Kenya and Tanzania, we visited the dung-hut villages of the Maasai and learned the mysterious ways of a proud people.

From Egypt to Greece.  When people mention Greece, they think of Athens and the Acropolis.  But mainland Greece is full of treasures such as the Corinth Canal, the archaeological site of Mycenae, the amphitheatre of Epidavros, Olympia and mountainous Delphi. The most spectacular sight, however, was the amazing Byzantine Monasteries of Meteora perched atop striking stone pinnacles.  No visit to Greece is complete without a little island hopping.  We sampled Paros and Naxos as well as the acclaimed Mykonos and Santorini before returning to our special spot in Athens, the Plaka.

Egypt is undoubtedly the Greatest Archaeological Site in the world and a 'must-see' for everyone.  Its endless treasures begin at the Cairo Museum with its relics and mummies.  They end in the south at Abu Simbel, a temple built by Ramses II, the famous pharaoh whose enormous statue is pictured above. We rode donkeys from the Nile to visit the tombs in the Valley of the Kings - a novel experience!

There is no doubt in my mind that Norway is one of the most beautiful countries in the world.  It is simply picture-perfect.  It is also one of the most expensive.  By train and coach, I travelled from Stockholm to Trondheim and from there worked my way down the coast to Bergen, making sure I took excursions into the pristine valleys and along the fjords where pretty hamlets tumbled down to the water's edge. I adored Bergen steeped in Hansas history, its fish market and nearby home of Edvard Grieg and Oslo with its Kon-Tiki and Viking museums and world famous Holmenkollen Ski Jump.

Stockholm is often referred to as the 'Venice of the North'.  Treasures abound in this Scandinavian capital including Gamla Stan, the old quarter with its cobbled streets and tall ochre-coloured buildings.  Palaces, statues, fountains and stately waterside buildings line an impressive waterway that opens into the vast Stockholm Archipelago.  Then add numerous museums, of which the most famous would be the Vasa Museum housing a galleon from 1628.  She was raised from the seabed in 1961 and restored to perfection - she's a beauty!  In southern Sweden, the area of Skaane, previously a part of Denmark, is home to some very Danish towns and castles (below).

Not too many adventurers make it to Greenland, the land of ice, but the extra effort and cost from Denmark was well worth it.  A fascinating people who spend half of every year in darkness so that it was nothing strange to see someone up on scaffolding painting his house at 2 o'clock in the morning during my summer visit.  The sun did not set.  I will never forget cruising around the base of icebergs in the ice fjord at midnight drinking champagne!

Next stop - Copenhagen. Due to my Danish ancestry, I have a special affinity for this country. This was my second trip to Denmark for the purpose of taking photographs to include in my Family History Book resulting in five years of genealogical research. The book is now in several repositories in Denmark. An unexpected outcome of my research was finding living relatives, very distant cousins, descended from my Great Great Grandfather's sister (pictured here).

I then flew from Calgary to Las Vegas where I bonded with my hire car, slowly.   We teetered nervously out of LV into the most rugged and alien landscape I have ever seen .. Cowboys and Indians were everywhere!  Starting from Kanab, we - my Chrysler Neon and I - visited Zion NP, Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon (North rim), Lake Powell, Grand Canyon (South rim), Monument Valley, Sedona, Death Valley and Yosemite NP.  A flight was the only way to truly appreciate the Grand Canyon.  After a week alone in the low and high deserts, my soul was uplifted by the sight of Yosemite, green and gushing.  How people tolerate living in Nevada, I will never know!

In May 2003, I began my 5-month world trip commencing in Vancouver (the rhododendrons were out in Stanley Park) with the Rocky Mountaineer Rail journey to Banff.  It was snowing when I arrived and nearby Lake Louise was still frozen.  I ventured off to the Columbia Icefields. Not only was the scenery impressive, so was the abundant wildlife. Sightings included big horn sheep, elk, moose, arctic ground squirrels, a chipmunk, white-tailed deer, mule deer, a mountain goat, coyotes and, on an evening outing to Jasper's thermal springs, a black bear by the roadside with triplets!  

In February, we flew to Nadi for a short break on the Coral Coast. We stayed in a delightful bungalow park overlooking a coral reef lagoon. Landscapes were lush, seascapes were magical especially after a storm.  We visited several islands and took in a day tour to a sacred cave last used by a tribe of Cannibals. An obscure entranceway meant crawling on hands and knees under an overhang in water! We befriended our Fijian maid who invited us to her village for a meal, a lovo, where food is cooked for some time buried in the earth.  It was so juicy and tender.

 If you book a Himalayan Adventure that is rated 'easy', don't be fooled!  Each trekking adventure in Nepal is demanding; it is the degree that differs. Despite the challenge, the rewards are plentiful - it's as far removed from modern life as could be possible with stunning scenery and lovely people.  We did the Annapurna Range; more attractive than the Everest side and set out after a few days in Kathmandu. This is one of the poorest capital cities in the world. If you remove the vehicles, what is left is medieval. From Kathmandu, we travelled south to the plains of Nepal and Chitwan National Park where we spotted the one-horned rhino and endured a hair-raising moment on the back of a bathing elephant!

No, this was not Bangkok; I had been there before.  This was an unusual adventure out of Chiang Mai in the heart of remote Northern Thailand. We accessed the deeply forested region by jeep and elephant and hiked, staying overnight in different homes belonging to the Karen hill tribe. We slept on the wooden floor with their pigs and chickens beneath us. Life was simple. Our return to civilization was via bamboo raft down a local river.

Despite living next door to Ireland for many years, it wasn't until 1998 that my visit was realized - all the way from Australia!  A pretty destination comprising historic buildings, castles, lots o' colour, an eccentric culture, great music, peat bogs, stone walls and majestic cliffs.  Dublin was gorgeous too.

We flew to Auckland to board the Magic Bus. North Island began with glow-worm caves then Rotorua's geothermal activity - boiling mud, coloured pools, steaming craters and thundering geysers; past Lake Taupo and Huka Falls to rolling hills and the green meadows of Turangi beside the Tongariro River.  We did the one-day hike across volcanic Mt Tongariro - awesome.  Invited to a Maori Hangi and concert.  South Island began with a complete change of scenery as we entered the Marlborough Sound and drove to Nelson.   Westport was the start of our journey down the mysterious west coast.  Stopped to pan for gold at Ross then on to Franz Joseph - did a spot of glacier walking which is certainly not for the faint-hearted!  Arrived Queenstown; action-packed with white water rafting and the Shotover Jet speedboat ride.  Overland to Dunedin and Christchurch then north along the east coast to Kaikoura where we donned wetsuits and spent an hour snorkelling with curious fur seals.  Love NZ!

Australians love to go to Bali to shop and lie on the beach.  I decided to see if there was anything else to do! I found day excursions to temples, some with resident monkeys.  I discovered an adventure into the rain forests of the north; I joined a bicycle tour to cycle from an elevated volcanic region downhill through picturesque villages to Ubud.  And I tried my hand at WWRafting where I almost came unstuck!

Antonio - one of Bali's many persistent pedlars.

This was a stopover on a trip back to UK. Somewhere between the era of Hijackers and the new age of Terrorism, there was a tiny space of complacency. It was then that I seized the moment to shake hands with two JAL pilots in the cockpit and take this photo of a mountain range in Russia. 

Tokyo was a vast concrete conurbation, a thrilling city with its own brand of cosmopolitan magnetism. I attended a Geisha Show and the Kabuki Theatre and Tokyo's shopping was divine. But a train journey north into the Japanese Alps during January's snow-clad winter, provided a far better insight into Japan's history.  Beautiful Lake Chuzenji, ice sculptures and the magnificent Toshogu Shrine, mausoleum to the 17th century Shoguns, made Nikko an unforgettable detour. 

I was tired of the dreary weather, buses never running on time and public phone boxes, victims of vandalism.  When my landlord informed us we would have to move because he wished to redecorate the house, I decided to leave the country.  On October 9th 1973, I jumped into a car, a Peugeot 504, with two guys I barely knew and we set off from London on an adventure half-way around the world.  It certainly had its moments - being robbed in Turkey and spending time in an Afghan jail.

Here is a list of the countries we travelled through:

Belgium, Holland, Germany, Austria, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Persia (Iran), Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Malaysia.  We arrived in Australia at the beginning of January 1974.

Alas, the photos are old transparencies and as yet, I do not have the means to scan  them.