Monnnnnths ago we spoke about climbing up Scafell Pike, the highest mountain in England, located up in the Lakes District and finally we’ve done it … well sort of. Since its such a long drive up to the Lakes District we decided to make a long weekend of it with Friday and Sunday our driving days and Saturday our climbing day.

Our first challenge was navigating our way up to the Lakes District. To be fair all Sandra and I had to do was sit in Sir Jules’ Ka, now named christened George, for five hours as Sir Jules sped his way up the motorway. Me sitting in a moving car is like a baby being rocked in its crib – the motion soon had me nodding off. Both Sandra and Sir Jules claim that I slept most of the way up to the Lakes District but I’m adamant that I remember at least half the journey! Well, maybe. We made a couple of stops at service points along the way where Einstein indulged in a bit of “ball” play in the Lucozade glass cage. I don’t quite know why she couldn’t understand why we weren’t in there as well. 🙂

Before we knew it, though I’m sure Sir Jules certainly could feel it, we were within the bounds of the Lakes district.

Can I just say that the Lakes district is beautiful. Indescribably beautiful and so peaceful.

Our next challenge was finding a town big enough to have a supermarket. We headed to Kendal and to our surprise found ourselves stuck in traffic! What the? For I’m sure nearly an hour we crawled our way into the city centre. Even today I can’t figure out where the traffic came from. So anyway, we soon stockpiled George with our all food and drinks for the weekend – I think we had enough food to feed an army but as we had no idea what kind of stores, if any, would be around our campsite we had to be prepared.

Finally, we headed off to our campsite. Boy what a drive through some very narrow and twisting roads. Luckily we arrived at the campsite with enough day light to spare for Jules to set up his tent and Sandra to set up ours! Yes I would have been more hindrance than help if I’d had anything to do with our tent. The only tent I’ve ever help set up went down at the first sight of rain! The ground didn’t make it very easy to keep the tent pegs in the ground as just below the surface was a lot of stone so I think the two of them did a good job. After that it was all about setting up our disposable BBQ and eating our marshmallows and burgers and sausages. There is nothing like enjoying a BBQ in the fresh country/mountain air!

Saturday dawned grey and wet. The rain was light so after a breakfast of wet bacon (still really tasty by the way) we were still convinced that getting to the top of Scalfell Pike was on the cards. It was a bit worrying that when we got to the carpark George was the only car in there but it was still relatively early and it was raining a little bit so maybe a few of the climbers decided to start a little later hoping for the weather to clear up. Not too long after starting up the walk we first ran into a bunch of cows and then into our first climber coming down. He had encouraging news that the Pike was still climbable though just as he said that the rain seemed to get just a bit harder and the wind blowing just a little stronger.

The walk up the mountain was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be and I found it really hard to catch my breath. I think it was the constant upwards walking without any real break (in the sense of the path flattening or even going down slightly.) Sir Jules and Einstein had a lot of patience though waiting for me to recover every few minutes. The views along the walk were AMAZING and I really did appreciate being out in the fresh air – even if it was wet and windy. As time passed more and more walkers were coming up the mountain. It was great how everyone was so friendly stopping to speak most of the time. The higher we climbed the worse the weather really got. At one stage we had to cross this stream which was so high that we had to actually walk through water – Sir Jules did try and climb over the rocks but that ended very unfortunately. Luckily he didn’t hurt himself. We made it nearly to the top and by then we were soaked (nothing we wore was waterproof despite the fact it was supposed to be – except perhaps for Einstein’s shoes!) and the wind was just whipping around like crazy so we made a decision to come down the mountain. Walking back down was much easier physically on me though it presented its own dangers with the slippery rocks and the wind threatening to literally blow me off the mountain. My poncho was almost like having my own little hang-glider. It was actually very scary at times.

After four and a half hours of walking up and down we made it back safe and sound to George. Thank goodness for heating because by then we were freezing and for me to say that you have to know it was really cold! Despite it all I’m glad we made the attempt even though we didn’t quite make it to the top – something to aim for next time I guess! We ended the day with a bit of a kip (okay … well quite a long kip) and then a nice meal at the pub accompanied by some Jenga, Dominoes and a wierd drinking game where Einstein made Sir Jules and I act out these animals. Yea – exactly. Things you do in pubs.

Sunday dawned dry if not sunny so at least this made it a little easier to pack away the tents. We’d decided before heading back to London to grab some brunch at Ambleside and check out Lake Windemere which is the largest (natural) lake in England. The drive there was just a little on the HAIRY side I think its fair to say. In addition to the fact we were running low on petrol and the roads were wet and slippery we had to go up and over a very scary pass where only Sir Jules’ driving skills and George’s big heart got us through. At one stage when some random sheep jumped in front of us Sir Jules had to slam the brakes on and we very nearly ended up going backwards down a very steep hill. Despite some very nervous moments, as I wasn’t driving, I got to admire the scenery which, as with the rest of the district, was simply gorgeous. A nice greasy English breakfast at Ambleside, scrambling around for a petrol station, a quick drive by Lake Windemere and our Lakes District was nearly over. Just the long drive back to London to negotiate. You can see from the pic to the right just how much the weekend took out of all of us .. 🙂

Overall I had a great time this weekend. Cheers to Sir Jules for driving and providing general guidance on the area and cheers to Einstein for sharing her tent with me and finding our campsite for us. Can’t wait to return and give Scalfell Pike another go … maybe when the weather is a little better perhaps.

So Jen organised a bank holiday weekend away with Road Trip Overland Tours. I’d not heard of this tour group before and I’ve only been on one other organised tour trip so I wasn’t sure what to expect. The positive aspects of this tour was the small tour size (max of 16), a local Brit guide and transport all over the place. The negative aspects were never knowing what was happening next and being dropped off in little towns unexpectedly and being sent on our way. Duncan, our tour guide, was a relatively nice guy (with a lotttttt of stories to tell) and when we were in the mini bus had lots of things to say about the places we were driving by but when we were dropped off in Exeter, Totnes, Torquay and Dartmouth we were left to our own. Ordinarily this wouldn’t be a problem but ordinarily we would know at least a little bit about the place but hey ho I guess you’ve just gotta go with the flow. Oh and one last thing – Road Trip have this Kitty system which supposedly covers accommodation, meals, entry into attractions. Hmm … is it only me that thinks these are normally included in the tour anyway? The funniest thing about it was that the “kitty” didn’t even cover one of the meals it was supposed to cover and required a top-up from us.

So now I’ve had my say about Road Trip I guess I should say a little about the beautiful county of Devon. After driving for four and a half hours out of London (the joys of trying to leave the city on a Friday before bank holiday) we checked into our Big- Brother style BnB accommodation, in Devon’s capital Exeter, complete even with our own hot tub! With no time to admire the scenery it was straight to bed in preparation for a big weekend ahead of us and this is how it went:

Saturday morning saw us visiting Exeter with its gothic Cathedral, beautiful quayside, That House That Moved and the narrowest street in the world. Nowhere was it more obvious than Exeter’s high street that we weren’t in London anymore. Considering it was a Saturday morning I wouldn’t say the street was exactly heaving. Highlights of Exeter was definitely the Cathedral with the longest unbroken Gothic vault in the world and the quayside – peaceful and soothing. After that it was off for a little bit of cider tasting at Brimblecombe’s. Eeee-uuuww to the cider (it was very vinegary) but their honey fudge was a treat. The afternoon saw us in Dartmoor National Park climbing the Tors in the Hound of Baskerville country. The Tors were amazing and great fun to climb. Duncan was leaping around like a madman causing my hands to break out in sweat with the risks he seemed to be taking. Definitely good fun (be sure to bring grippy shoes.) The view from the top of the Tors was amazing. Before heading back to home base we made a quick visit to Kitty Jay’s Grave. The story of Kitty Jay wasn’t the happiest and her end, supposedly at her own hand after being raped and falling pregnant, wasn’t any better. Due to the suicide the three local parishes refused to have her buried within their boundaries and therefore you can find her grave at a cross-point between the three parishes. Folklore has it that the fresh flowers atop her grave are replaced daily … though no one has ever seen who puts them there. Creepy …

After the hard day’s touring it was off to the Double Locks for a spot of dinner and then to the Ship & Pelican where I picked up a my souvenir for the tour – an Otter pint glass. Quite a few rounds were had tonight and all this drinking clearly had is effect on Kim and Justine who were in fine form once we got back to the BnB. It was hilarious! I think eventually everyone ended up back in their own bed.

Lucky for the gals Sunday was a pretty easy day for those not doing any of the optional activities. First up was a visit to Totnes and its unexciting Castle. I say unexciting as it was basically this round ring of built up stones. That is not to say it didn’t have great views over Totnes though. Totnes itself probably would have been interesting if any of the shops had been open – plenty for those those who are into crystals and general hippy stuff. The River Dart also runs through Totnes so I’m told it had a nice quay though we didn’t quite make it down there from the Castle. Next on the agenda was Berry Pomeroy Castle. Apparently the most haunted castle in England it is haunted by two ladies – The White Lady and the Blue Lady. Its said that you shouldn’t look into the eyes of either ghost if you should see them as to look into the eyes of the White Lady is like forecasting your immediate death and looking into the eyes of the Blue Lady will bring death to someone near you. Yikes! Actually the Castle was pretty boring though they did have some sort of re-enactment thing going (the kids especially were really cute.) I think I spent more time in the cafe having a nice lunch while a couple of the girls had Devon cream teas. You can sign the visitor’s book – as usual you get those cheeky people who sign as the White Lady etc. Funny to read but hardly respectful.

Then it was on to what was probably the highlight of the weekend – caving! Only five of us were brave enough to good deep into the catacombs of some cave. We donned our wellies, full body suit and helmets and we were ready to tackle the depths of darkness. Actually, its amazing how much light you can get from a head lamp. Caving was both more difficult and easy than I thought – difficult because it wasn’t a straightforward walk through the cave (we spent more time on our hands and knees than anything) and easy because the mud made it easier to slip and slide around. It was easier once you did get dirty and wet because after that you didn’t really care how much dirtier and wetter you got! It was actually amazing to think just how flexible the body is because I can tell you I had a few doubts about squeezing into a few of the gaps we were presented with but a twist here and there and we were through. Hard work but fab fun.

On our last, half, day in Devon we drove to the south coast for a stroll down part of the “English Riviera” in Preston, Torquay (past the colourful beach huts reportedly worth upwards of £30K!?) before taking our mini-bus over on the passenger ferry to Dartmouth. Dartmouth is a beautiful town by the River Dart. Once again Duncan dropped us off in the middle of town and left us to our own devices. The girls and I, after wandering around, ended up having some brunch before taking a cruise up the river. Although we were surrounded by some amazing vistas, the beautiful weather with the sun shining down combined with the movement of the boat nearly caused me to fall asleep! Hopping off the boat we made a bee-line to The Singing Kettle where, though we were still stuffed from our brunch, we indulged in our final Devon Cream Tea for our trip. It must be unusual to have a Devon Cream Tea (2 scones plus tea) all to one person as every single table had some comment to make about our scones. It was well funny. Personally I think they were all just jealous and wanted a piece of our scones!

And so, our final and last memory of Devon was 1. being the comedic act for the town of Dartmouth and 2. stuffing ourselves silly with Devon Cream Tea! 🙂 Despite the inadequacies in the actual tour guiding bit of the weekend we had a great lot of fun and I met a nice bunch of people.

You would think that a second visit to a Disney theme park in one year and the third in the last two years might be a bit much – but its not! Though each Disneyland I’ve visited, one in California, Hong Kong earlier this year and now Paris, has its similarities, there are enough differences that make each one unique. Chicken, who shall be henceforth referred to as Einstein, and I decided to make a weekend of this visit as, at this time of year, you definitely can’t cram a visit to the into one day: a 3-day weekend is probably just about right to cover it all.

Photos are here. As usual there are more than you probably want to see but Disney is just the kind of place, and I’m just the kind of person, where you will come away with a ton of photos. My favourite photos are definitely our photos with the characters.

The Experience

As with all Disney theme parks, EuroDisney is not just the one discrete theme park anymore but a Disney Resort. You actually have two Disney theme parks: Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios and then for after hours entertainment you have Disney Village – all perfectly themed to take money from you without you realising it. Disneyland Park is the original park which contains all the usual rides and shows and the huge daily parade at 4. Walt Disney Studios was added later and features mainly show type attractions with a few rides scattered here and there. Disney Villlage is basically a whole lot of restaurants and a Disney Shop and the Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show.

Going in late June meant we could enjoy some of the peak season attractions such as – extended hours and Wishes – the small fireworks spectacular at the end of the day – without the peak season crowds for the most part. It was still heaving but quite tolerable. Also we got to enjoy clear, hot & sunny weather (except Sun which was just atrocious) without it being too unbearably warm.

We didn’t end up staying at Disney Hotel as they were a little bit pricier than we would have liked. Instead we stayed at a Disney-associated one: the Moevenpick. This is apparently the top rated hotel to go to if you’re not at a Disney Hotel but to be honest, anything nearby and close to a shuttle bus will do if you’re staying off-site anyway. All the hotel really needs is: Proximity to the Resort (or proximity to a frequent shuttle to the Resort), a good buffet breakfast (handy if you want to skip lunch or have a light lunch) and a room big enough for you, your roommate(s), and luggage and, if you’re leaving late in the day, left luggage facilities. Although our hotel was nice and featured spas, saunas, a pool etc. we weren’t really there long enough to take advantage of the facilities. If you’re a true Disney fan the only time you’ll spend in the hotel is in bed sleeping. 🙂

As I mentioned in Hints above, getting to EuroDisney is a breeze with EuroStar as you can simply walk off the train and into the park. Even with the fact that EuroStar takes a little bit longer than flying, when you consider check-in time with the airlines and then transfers to and from the airport, its definitely the easier and more efficient way to travel. And as an added bonus if you stay at a Disney Hotel you can take advantage of their Disney Express service which will take your bags straight to the hotel for you and you can literally walk straight into the park without wasting any time.

The highlights of our visit were as follows (not in any order):

• Actually managing to get some photos with our favourite characters. Trust me – we were often fighting off kids and parents on this one, that is, those kids and parents who refused to wait their turn.
• Riding Thunder Mountain seven times.
• Riding Space Mountain four times (though note that for all its advancement Disney could learn from Alton Towers and Thorpe Park about harnesses. You will definitely rattle about on this one if the harness doesn’t fit snugly and for the ladies – it could be a little painful!)
• Riding (and beating our scores on) the Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast ride four times.
• Riding Aerosmith Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster three times.
• The two shows at Disneyland Park: The Legend of the Lion King and Tarzan.



• It’s A Small World and Peter Pan – though slow and mainly for the little ones – great attention to detail on these rides.
• Fabulous BBQ ribs everytime we had it.
• Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show in Disney Village. Though slightly on the pricey side you do get a pretty good show with cowboys and indians and horses and cattle, a great BBQ meal (with unlimited drinks) and a souvenir straw cowboy hat to take home with you.

There weren’t really any lowlights to our visit mainly just dealing with the frustrations of the crowds either trying to get to the characters or trying to get around crowds when walking through the parks.

Overall I think that Disneyland Resort is a very well balanced resort with enough attractions/rides for the little kids and even the bigger kids (that is, us!) Unless you are a little Disney crazy like us, three days is probably more than enough time to enjoy the two theme parks and Disney Village. Disneyland Park itself has probably reached that size that would make it doable in a day, but Walt Disney Studios still has a long way to grow. There are a few more upcoming attractions due for opening in 2007 so it would be interesting to see how this affects visitor numbers. You could probably do the Studios in a few hours but unfortunately the way the shows are staggered it is pretty much mid-afternoon before you can leave. For both theme parks, but especially Disneyland Park, taking advantage of the Fast Pass system is a definite when the crowds are high otherwise you are going to be in for a very long wait. Also, the Fast Pass system is catching on quickly so the best bet is to do rides early in the morning as quickly as possible and grab a pass on the way out for later in the day. They do run out after all and then you’ll be one of those people that the Fast Pass holders look at with pity as they waltz by and practically straight on to the ride.

Sunny and warm Stockholm was not this weekend. Nevertheless, despite the gloom of the unsettled weather the beauty of this charming and now culturally rich city still shone through.

Photos are here.

The Experience

We were literally in Stockholm for less than 48 hours so we thought we were going to be pushed trying to fit all the attractions and sites into our schedule. The great thing about Stockholm is that it is extremely walkable (besides the airport bus to and from our hotel we didn’t take public transport all weekend) so all the things we wanted to see we were able to get to fairly easy. Yep, great for the step count that’s for sure! Also, cutting out a lot of museums (of which Stockholm has a ton of good quality ones) gave us plenty of time to relax and enjoy the atmosphere that is Stockholm.

The highlights of our visit were as follows:

• Kungsträdgården. The meeting place for a lot of Stockholmers this area got quite busy later in the day. It was also an area we found ourselves walking through constantly and the site of our last meal. The end is the Kungliga Operan.
• Changing of the Guards at the Royal Palace. Don’t disbelieve the guide books when they tell you this is a big deal. Starting at noon the first ten minutes was a little confusing as one of the guards read something about the things going on at the museum. Although bits were translated into English I’m not sure we got the entire message. After this the changing of the guards finally proceeded with marching and a marching band. Get there early because you might as well try and get a front row view.
• Gamla Stan. Yes THE tourist trap but nevertheless a beautiful old medieval city. Beautiful cobbled streets and a couple of great squares where you can sit outside to enjoy the hustle and bustle of the Old Town. Notable also for some great little ice-cream shops (even on a cold day!).



• Vasamuseet. Home to the royal warship Vasa this is one of Stockholm’s most popular museums. The Vasa is the world’s only surviving 17th-century ship. After 1.3km on its maiden voyage the Vasa, one of the mightiest warships in the world, capsized before firing even one shot in battle. As the museum is built around a nearly completely reconstructed Vasa you can walk around the entire warship and watch footage of its demise knowing the museum is less than a nautical mile from where it capsized.
• Skansen. Unfortunately poor planning and entering the park at the wrong entrance meant we missed the opening hours of the fabled open-air museum that Skansen is actually known for. However, we were able to enjoy the lush foliage as we walked all the away around the park itself.



• Stadshuset. Taking a tour of Stockholm’s City Hall is well recommended. The tour guides are extremely friendly and even quite funny at times and although I think you can walk around and see some of the rooms yourself it is worth doing the tour to find out the bits of trivia – such as how in the Golden Room (a hall of mosaics built from over 18 million tiles of gold) that most tiles go missing during the annual Nobel Prize festivities! Oh and if you can afford it the City Hall has a restaurant from which you can choose the Noble Prize meal that was served for any year of your choice (you will need very deep pockets.)
• My eating reindeer!

Stockholm is a very pretty city and the people are generally very friendly and helpful. I would probably recommend visiting it in the middle of winter (so you an experience of the magic that winter brings) or summer as you will then hopefully avoid the dreadful UK-like weather (that is, rain, rain, rain) that affects it at all other times.

A couple of shots from my plane (returning from my 3 and a half weeks in Oz) this morning:

Three and a half days is probably just enough time to get a taste of what San Francisco is all about. But, as usual, I was keen to fit in as much as possible and so I had planned a fairly heavy itinerary which was high on tourist attractions and heavy on pounding the pavement. I can tell you by the weekend (I’d arrived in San Fran mid-week) I was totally knackered. Thankfully my cousin, who also kindly put me up for my stay, took the time to drive me around to see some of the other sites which were much easier to get to by car. Sure I could have got there on my own but going around by car made the hills of San Fran much more manageable and also made getting around to the attractions much quicker. She’d offered me the use of her moped but I didn’t really trust my driving skills – especially as I’d never ridden a bike before and knowing me I’d start driving down the wrong side of the road! And can you imagine me trying to do a hill start – yes, it was probably the right choice not to take her bike.

Photos are here.

Day 1	Day 1 was my biggest day walking wise as I basically walked from the west coast of San Fran island (starting at the beach near Sutro Heights Park clockwise around the Coast all the way to the east coast to the Embarcadero) with nearly 37,000 steps logged. It was beautiful weather (that is until late afternoon when the rolling fogs brought in the rain clouds and cold winds) and to be walking along the coast was fantastic. Some highlights along the way included: Walking the Coastal Trail in Lincoln Park. This trail gives you some fabulous greenery and is not too hard a trail for the casual tourist. If you haven’t already seen it, you can get your first glimpse of the Golden Gate Bridge. The Palace of the Legion of Honor. This is San Fran’s fine arts museum and includes a great collection of Rodin sculptures. It was great seeing all the arts students in there sketching away. Discounted entry if you take the MUNI. The Golden Gate Bridge. No visit to San Fran is complete without a visit to the Golden Gate Bridge. You can walk or bike across. There were heaps of bikers but as the winds are very strong on the bridge quite a few people had to actually get off their bikes in order to get across. I was happy just to walk halfway and head back. The bridge is great and views from it to Alcatraz and back to San Fran are fabulous though you may need a good zoom on your camera to capture any detailed vistas. Most people got the bus to the start of the bridge and presumably caught the bus back to wherever they came from. However, there is also a nice walk that can take you along the coast. If you follow this you will eventually get to: The Palace of Fine Arts (POFA) and The Exploratorium. The Palace of Fine Arts is gorgeous and as you can imagine gets plenty of business from weddings. Apparently the POFA was built to host the 1915 Panama-Pacific Expo but now houses The Exploratorium – San Fran’s science museum. I would have loved to have gone in but my experience from other science museums told me I would have needed at least a couple of hours in there, time which I unfortunately didn’t have to spare. Leaving the POFA delivers you to The Marina where you can see all the boats or you can turn to the waters and see some very cool wind and kite surfers. If you keep walking around the coast and through Fort Mason and Victoria Park you will eventually arrive at Fisherman’s Wharf. The Wharf is the most touristy part of San Fran but a visit there is a must. Things to occupy your time include the quirky, if a little bit creepy, Musee Mecanique – a collection of early 20th century arcade games, the sea lions out on Pier 39, the Aquarium, departures for visits to Alcatraz and also the numerous restaurants selling some quality sea food. If you want to see beyond the tourist attractions go behind one of the piers and check out the actual boats. The Wharf is also a great place to see the fog come in. Continuing past the Wharf and all the Piers will you get on to nice walking/running path called the Embarcadero which will take you to the Ferry Building – one of San Frans most famous landmarks.
Day 2	Day 2 saw me hit the main attractions of Alcatraz, Chinatown, and Downtown. The visit to Alcatraz was interesting and can be done in just under two hours including the ferry ride over and back. If you go definitely do the audio tour of the Cellhouse which gives you the history of the prison and some stories of the interesting occupants. There are also great views back to San Fran island from Alcatraz. I caught the cable car from Fisherman’s Wharf to Chinatown. I know its an extremely touristy thing (and relatively expensive) mode of transport but when in San Fran you might as well do it at least once. Besides it’s a great way to avoid some of those hills! Chinatown is fairly colourful and fairly large. With some planning you can make your visit there a little bit more interesting by researching some walks (available online) which can take you to some interesting highlights such as the very colourful kite shop, Canton Bazaar (one of the most popular knick knack shops), a fortune cookie shop (where you will see the women sitting down folding the messages into the cookies. A great tip is to bring a fortune of your own to put into the cookies and maybe take home a fairly cool souvenir for family and friends), buildings with historical significance and also can direct you to some nice cheap places for a snack or two (Chinese bakery or dim sum – whatever you fancy.) There is plenty of shopping to be had in San Fran (Union Square in particular) but my visit to Downtown was more about the interesting buildings and characters on the streets. From Chinatown you can walk down to the Financial District for some great buildings including the famous TransAmerica Pyramid. Nearby is the Yerba Buena Arts District. This area bounded by the Financial District, Union Square and the Yerba Buena Arts District is where you’ll find plenty of galleries and museums to pass your time in including the SFMOMA (Modern Arts), International Museum of GLBT History, the Cartoon Art Museum, The Circle Gallery (the prototype for the Guggenheim in New York) and so on. If you continue down Market Street (away from the water) you will sort of go through a seedy patch of road before reaching the Civic Center where you have City Hall, the Opera House, Davies Symphony Hall, and the Asian Art Museum. San Fran’s City Hall is AMAZING and I definitely recommend a visit (better yet be organized and go on one of their free tours) – beautiful on the inside and out it is infamously known as the site of Rosie O’Donnell’s marriage to partner Kelli Carpenter in 2004. Another spot that I really liked was the Yerba Buena Gardens complex. There are heaps of things to do at the complex including relaxing in the gardens and by the waterfall (views of SFMOMA), going ice skating and bowling, visiting an art gallery, going to the cinemas, and filling in time at Sony Metreon entertainment Center.
Day 3	Day 3 was car day! Yay. It was actually a really beautiful day so my cousin took me up to Twin Peaks. It may be cool so bring a sweater to keep your warm. The 360 degree view will take your breath away. I would actually recommend leaving going up there until you have familiarized yourself with the city as you would then be able to spot the places you have visited. It’s a great way to see the terrain of San Fran. After Twin Peaks it was off to the Castro for brunch. The Castro is a fun fun colourful place. Filled with lots of character (including people on the street and the beautiful buildings) there is great energy there. And I was in absolute doggy heaven with all these really cute puppies everywhere (and no, this last statement was not a euphemism for anything!) I’ve never seen so many French bulldogs in one place. So cute! After brunch it was a quick drive around to some major sites including Lombard Street (a LOT of tourists are here so if in a car be prepared to drive straight through), Coit Tower, and a visit to Danielle Steel’s block and her home at Spreckles Mansion. You won’t see much of her house (as it is covered by giant hedging but it was enough to look through the gates and see the impressive front door and the 7 (!) cars parked in the driveway. Actually, my cousin tells me that the neighbourhood got miffed that there was no parking available around the block because it was all taken up by the author’s maids and workers!
Day 4	My last day in San Fran wasn’t really a full day as I was flying out in the afternoon so my cousin took me to a local dim sum restaurant (yummy) and for a walk through Golden Gate Park. The Park is absolutely massive and absolutely natural .. that is except for the bison. Not entirely sure why they have a Bison Paddock but there you go. There is plenty to do in the park including visiting the Conservatory of Flowers, the Japanese Tea Garden and the Strybing Arboretum & Botanical Gardens. Unfortunately I didn’t have time to see the beautiful flowers and gardens on this trip so I think another visit to San Fran is on the cards. If you follow the Park all the way to the West you will also reach Ocean Beach.
Final Words	Its hard to describe what I felt for San Fran but I can definitely say that I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. Of all the places in the US that I’ve visited I’d probably say it was the most livable, though it may take me some time to get used to all those hills! What I totally fell in love with was all the gorgeous greenery in the form of their parks and also the charm of the individual neighbourhoods. My visit there was entirely too short and I can already thing of a ton of things I’d like to do next time, including actually visiting some of the art museums/galleries, some day trips maybe up to the Napa Valley, exploring more of the area across the two bridges and finding some more walking trails to tackle.

Stepping off the plane in Singapore was like stepping into a greenhouse. Immediately we were hit with this dwall of warmth and broke out sweating. However, I didn’t mind it so much at first as it was nice to not only see the sun but actually feel its warmth on my face! Its been some months, as you can imagine, that I’ve felt that. I’m not sure if it was the immediate temperature difference but it immediately felt as if Singapore was going to be very different from the high-paced hustle and bustle of Hong Kong and while not quite an island retreat I felt the immediate impression that everything would slow down to an island-holiday pace. And that was how it turned out.

Photos are here.

Day 1	On our first day we arrived mid-afternoon so we did nothing more than relax at the hotel and go for a little stroll to Orchard Road. We were staying at the Gallery Hotel and perhaps should have taken the advice of the Concierge NOT to walk there. It was quite manageable but in the heat and with the few hills in between we did get to Orchard Road a little weary and, for me in my jeans, just a little bit hot. In terms of Orchard Road itself, though it is known at the place to shop in Singapore it was going to be a bit hard to beat the bargains in Hong Kong (with both the better exchange rate and deals available) but the boys were intent on walking the whole of the Road and visiting all the malls along the way. I must admit it was nice to go in just to take advantage of the air-conditioning but I was very glad when we finally decided to turn around and head back to the hotel. This little stroll actually ended up taking nearly 4-5 hours! Yikes. Anyway, its fair to say we all had a nice decent sleep that night.
Day 2	On our second day we headed to Sentosa Island. Sentosa, meaning peace and tranquillity in Malay, is best described as a kind of island theme park. For an island that has an area of only 5 square kilometers there is plenty to do and you an easily spend a whole day there, which is what we did. There are a couple of ways to get to the island including by cable car. The cable car can take you from Mt Faber to Sentosa Island. For first-timers I recommend getting the cable car just for the views across the water. If you’re savvy and you know what attractions you want to visit on Sentosa you can find the right package and save yourself a bundle. Sentosa has definitely come along way from when it was apparently known as the “Island of Death from Behind” pre-1945 (having undergone several name changes since then.) With so many options we decided on the following attractions: The Carlsberg Sky Tower. The tower is reported to be the tallest free-standing observation tower in Asia. We climbed it (when I say climbed I mean sat in an air-conditioned revolving cabin) for the panoramic views of the island itself, Singapore mainland and the Southern Islands. We wouldn’t have known it but apparently if you get a clear enough day you can see all the way to Malaysia and Indonesia. Merlion. The Merlion statue used to be the best vantage point on the island for panoramic views. Even though the Tower now supercedes it somewhat its still pretty cool to climb (and this time I mean get into a lift) to the 12th floor. Though lower than the tower you can enjoy the views in the wide open air (as opposed to behind a window like the Tower) and then you can walk down a floor or two and get your photo taken in the mouth of the statue. Sentosa Luge. The Luge is like way cool man. No seriously, if you try the luge you definitely want to get at least the 3-ride package because the first time you go down the hill in your little cart it will feel like you blinked and missed it. With each ride you get a lift in the cable-car back to the top of the hill so don’t worry, there is no really strenuous activity involved. Lunch by Palawan Beach where a suspension bridge linked us to the Southernmost Point of Continental Asia (or Asia’s closest point to the Equator.) Here I saw some Cocktail-Tom-Cruise-Barmen-Wannabes practising their drink mixing skills on the beach. After a late lunch we took a couple of free beach train services from one end (the Southern most tip) and back around to the Western side where we hopped off. Whilst the boys went off and did the boy thing at Fort Siloso (I’d done it in 2003), I walked around Siloso Beach, watched a poor girl try her hand at The Flying Trapeze, and met some new friends from Iran. They were actually part of a tour group and were giving me food and inviting me to visit them so that was nice. By then it was actually getting towards the evening and time for the show at the Musical Fountain. This is definitely a show not to miss and you should get to the area early to secure good seating (facing the stage I recommend centre or towards the left side.) The show takes you through Sentosa’s history but to be honest I was too busy marveling at the use of the water found and lasers to pay too much attention to the actual storyline. After the show we had some time to duck in to Sentosa 4D Magix. For about 15 minutes you are taken on a wild 3-D adventure with the use of the fourth dimension – moving seats and water sprays and bursts of air. It was entertaining but those on a budget may baulk at the price (don’t forget to use your Sing Air boarding pass if you can!) By this time it was nearing 9pm so off we went to the Cable Car. Because we’d bough round trip tickets we went up to Mt Faber before returning to HarbourFront Tower for a quick snack for dinner. Yes it was a very full day and I even got a nice sun-tan to boot. (Not that hard considering I was ghostly white!)
Day 3	Day three saw us hitting a few spots including Bugis Street, Suntec City’s Fountain of Wealth (where we spent an inordinate amount of time taking photos of the thing as well as having a snack of a mini but delicious ube ice cream), Singapore Zoo and the Night Safari. Bugis Street has a very large permanent street bazaar which is a good place to go shopping for such things as tacky tourist souvenirs, clothes, bags etc. Its also a great place for cheap off the street (but yummy) food. Unfortunately we got there a little too early (11am!) so many stalls were still opening up. From there we went on to the Fountain of Wealth. We first heard about the Fountain of Wealth from The Amazing Race (fab show) and it is apparently the world’s largest fountain. You can walk around the fountain for good luck when the water flow is low but we had to settle for seeing it at its gushiest, which wasn’t a bad thing. After this we journeyed to Singapore Zoo. Its not hard to get there but catching the MRT and then having to catch a bus meant it was between an hour and a half and two hours before we finally arrived at the Zoo. Once at the zoo its actually fairly easy to get around to most of the animals in an afternoon but its best to maybe spend a leisurely day there and then you can catch all the shows and feedings which are much more informative and the animals much more active. We caught a few feedings and I finally got to see a polar bear doing more than hiding at the back of their enclosure. The girl who was feeding them had them doing lots of tricks including “hunting” a live fish. After the Zoo it was on to the Night Safari, which everyone has recommended. The first thing to note is that you can put your cameras away as no flashes allowed (understandable to protect the eyes of the animals) and as a result any shots you take are likely to be blurry. If you are very keen to get some photos try and get on the first tram ride around the safari when there is still some daylight. The tram ride will take you quickly around the park (and give you access to some areas you can’t access by foot) and you can see most of the safari and take your happy snaps. When the tram ride is over you can then head out at your own pace on foot on the various trails available. It was actually fun walking about the park in the dark but as you can imagine light levels are very low and the animals are most often hiding in the shadows. Make sure to schedule time for the Creatures of the Night Show. Its mainly the cute animals such as the otters, raccoons, and owls but the show is fairly entertaining and is played out above and around you. It is first come first served so get there at a reasonable time to secure seating. If you’re too late if you hang around at the back there is an area you can stand and if the employees are nice they will let you sit in the reserved sections if the people they are reserved for don’t turn up.
Day 4	On the boys’ final full day in Singapore the other two boys wanted to do some shopping so S and I went off and did our own thing before meeting them for a Singapore Sling at the Long Bar at Raffles late in the afternoon. We actually filled in the day pretty well with a visit to the Singapore Science Centre, Chinatown and Marina Bay. The Science Centre was once again a top-notch museum. It was also hosting a special Star Wars exhibition with some props and other items from the suite of movies. Here we tested our Jedi Strength, Reflexes, Balance, Mind Strength. Yes – I could be a Jedi. The Singapore Science Centre would maybe be about the size of the Science Museum in Hong Kong but it had the added bonus two outdoor areas and a greenhouse. After a quick ice-cream sandwich it was on to Chinatown. I guess it seems strange to have a Chinatown in a country where over 75% of the population are Chinese but who were we to complain. Chinatown in Singapore is fairly largish and again there were plenty places to buy that souvenir item or two and plenty of VCDs and CDs on offer. We were more interested in picking up something for lunch where the locals ate – at a hawker centre! At between S$2-3 you can get a meat, rice and soup dish and then you can top it off with a S$1-2 dessert. So my advice is to ignore the restaurants lining the streets (though to be fair they probably offered some reasonably priced dishes) and head to the Chinatown Complex Food Centre where you will find the hawker stalls. This open-air stall selling food arrangement is by no means an elegant one so don’t be put off when you first see it. It is one Singapore experience you can’t miss. You will find more local food here than anywhere else and at the prices they’re offered at you can afford to eat as much as you can. To work off our massive lunch a walk along Marina Bay from Clifford Pier to Merlion Park was next on the cards. The walk is a nice one and you can see some of Singapore’s cityscape and beautiful buildings along the way. You will know when you have arrived at Merlion Park because, er, well you won’t really see a park as such but you will see a giant Merlion (a lion head with a fish body) which, if I haven’t mentioned before is one of the most well-known tourist icons of Singapore. There is also a smaller one just a bit back from the water. Interestingly there are actually only five official Merlions approved by the Singapore Tourist Board, the largest replica being the one on Sentosa Island. There was a fake one at Ang Mo Kio that was even removed! And typically you will find imitation ones all throughout China. Getting a good photo of the bigger Merlion (and to some extent the smaller one) at Merlion Park can be quite a task because there are a ton of people milling about and just generally getting in your way but persevere if you really want one. Across the bay are the Esplanade Theatres on the Bay. The Esplanade, or The Durian, as it is affectionately known is Singapore’s premier performing arts centre. It is very impressive from the outside and no doubt is amazing on the inside. Unfortunately we weren’t organized enough to arrange for tickets to a show. By this time it was getting on in the afternoon and it was off to Raffles for the Singapore Sling. The Singapore Sling was invented for Raffles Hotel nearly a century ago. Apparently the original recipe was forgotten and was recreated based on memories of former bartenders and other notes. Today for a whopping S$20 you can try it out for yourself. A quick glance at the customers at the Long Bar (where the Sling was born) and it is clear who this cocktail was made for. That’s right – us little tourists. Despite all of the tourists the Long Bar did have an interesting kind of colonial era charm. I think it was the scattering of peanut shells on the ground, the whicker or cane fans above, the wood, and the ferns. It all combined to provide the right kind of atmosphere for downing the Sling. Wikipedia reports that this is the very bar where apparently the sole surviving wild tiger was shot to death so you could even feel this history around you. As for the Sling itself, nice and sweet going down and wayyyy over-priced but as a once-a-lifetime experience I guess you should do it. After Raffles it was on to Clarke Quay for a quick (well 45-minute) cruise up and down the Singapore River in one of those bumboats. We got on just before sunset so it was kind of nice to see the sun nearly setting as we cruised up (down?) the river. The boat gives you some nice photo opps of the various buildings along the River and also of the Merlion at Merlion Park and The Durian so if you have time definitely take one. For the boys’ final night in Singapore we thought it would be nice to have dinner at Clarke Quay. We expected prices to be pretty high but it was almost prohibitively high. At one point we couldn’t decide on where to eat and we were very close to eating at Hooters (where to be honest food was reasonable if not fancy) but ended up at the 1NiteStandBar & Comedy Club instead. To be honest I’m not sure it was any classier for the lewd jokes scrolling across an LED. Still the food was actually of a pretty high quality for bar food and didn’t break the bank too much and we had one of the nicest river views to enjoy during the meal.
Day 5	My final day in Singapore saw the boys head off at the very early time of 6am to the airport whilst I got to have a nice little sleep in. When I finally was able to rouse myself I headed out to visit Little India and to see what other mischief I could get up to. No visit to Little India is complete without a visit to Mustafa Centre. Its cramped, crowded, unorganized and definitely needs to be experienced. I was in there just to check it out but every bit of floor space is utilized for stock so though there are aisles you will find yourself constantly having to squeeze past others to get through. I’m not sure people managed with carts but the Mustafa Centre are definitely doing good business. Open 24 hours a day it would have been interesting to see how busy it gets at say 2 or 4 in the morning. I guess the Mustafa Centre is a reflection of Little India itself which was chaotic, colourful, loud and messy. Even to walk down the street there is barely a footpath to use as it is taken up by the stalls reaching all the way to the road. I would have stopped for something to eat as the food offerings looked very tempting but had to cut short my visit due to the giant storm I could see approaching. I fit in a quick visit to Chijmes. Once an old girls’ convent school, it is today a beautifully ambient dining site. I ended the day with a nice long walk back to the hotel.

Final Words

Singapore is what I call a good stopover city. You could probably make it a destination of its own (and then you would have time to factor in some day trips to Malaysia) but with many flights flying through there anyway the best way to utilise your time and money is to use it as a relaxing 2-3 day stopover to break up the journey between London and Australia.

Photos are here.

Hong Kong has long been a favourite destination for shoppers but to my relief Hong Kong is also so much more than that. For a place so small geographically there was still plenty to do during our 9-10 days stay there. We had so much to do that we didn’t even make it across the border to mainland China where we were told there was even cheaper shopping and fantastic massage/beauty halls.

Summary of the trip by Area

Hong Kong Island	On Hong Kong Island there are quite a few districts that you can spend your time in. First and foremost are the Central and Westerns Districts which collectively is considered the real centre of Hong Kong. Here there is a mix of the traditional (from the temples and historical buildings) and the new (with the multitude of skyscrapers.) On your first clear day in Hong Kong you will no doubt find yourself taking the Peak Tram up to Victoria Peak for the panaromic views of Hong Kong. On an especially clear day you can see all the way to Disneyland on Lantau Island. However touristy it seems you should definitely take the Tram up and/or down the Peak where you will find yourself travelling at a nearly 45 degree angle. A tip for once you get up to the Peak is instead of heading to your left once you exit the tram, head right and find the Circle walk around the top for clear and less crowded views. It is a nice leisurely 1-2km walk. Once you come down from the Peak you can take advantage of the plethora of shopping opportunities in Central (department stores and markets) and Admiralty (known more for the designer gear and Pacific Place mall.) We didn’t get the chance to ride them but the Central to Mid-Levels Escalator (linked to Hong Kong MTR Station) is reportedly the world’s longest outdoor covered escalator and will not only deliver you to some of the finest shopping but also delivers some nice city views. Or you can go on to the Eastern District. In the East District we visited the Causeway Bay shopping district, dropped in for the firing of a one-shot salvo at the Noonday Gun and took a side trip to North Point to check out the hawker stalls on Marble Road. If you can you should definitely ride the tram from Central to Causeway Bay. Get on as close to the beginning of the line as possible so that you can choose to sit at the top. Its probably best to ride in the middle of the day when trams are less crowded. Again it is a touristy thing to do but at $HK2 it’s a cheap form of transport (though if I were an everyday traveller I wouldn’t use it as the open windows sure let in a lot of Hong Kong’s polluted air!) I’m told that Victoria Park is also worth spending some time in but unfortunately on that day we were rushing around and didn’t have time to do so as we had to make it back to the hotel for our Come Racing Tour of Happy Valley. Happy Valley is a must-do experience if you’re in Hong Kong on a Wednesday night. They don’t talk of losing when you don’t win your bet at Happy Valley but of donating to The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust (as all surplus funds are allocated it to it at year end)! There are a couple of options to getting there. The first and expensive option is the Come Racing Tour ($HK550 which gives you transport to and from the track leaving before the last race, a buffet meal in a Visitors’ Box (unlimited beer, wine, soft drinks and juice throughout the meet), access to the Members’ Enclosure and Visitors’ Box, guides/programmes and two-three free “donations” – minimum “donations” are $HK10 per race). The second option is doing it yourself by taking a tram there and either entering as a member of the public or buying a tourist badge for between $HK100-150 to give you access to the Members’ Enclosure. Its actually pretty fun to be down by the track as the atmosphere is really buzzing and you get to see the horse flesh and judge for yourself the best horse to put your donation on. The Southern District held a little bit of interest for us for Stanley and Ocean Park. In Stanley you will find the Stanley Markets, Murray House (one of the oldest buildings in Hong Kong), the Maritime Museum and seaside dining. The Stanley Markets are nothing outstanding but seemed to have some items not available at other markets. However, the bus ride up to Stanley is nice and scenic and when you’re at the Markets you may want to take advantage of the open-air restaurants in the area. Also, if you’re organised enough you can find a nice quiet beach to have a Hong Kong style barbecue. In warmer temperatures I would also imagine that nearby Repulse Bay would be nice for such a thing. We’d left Ocean Park for a whole day (note the 10% discount given if you produce your SingAir Boarding Card). Ocean Park is billed as the largest entertainment centre in Southeast Asia and I guess I would liken it most to Seaworld with its a mix of rides, carnival entertainment, sea life and other creatures. The Park is actually split into two areas (lowlands and headlands) by a huge mountain. The two areas are accessible by riding a cable car or taking the free bus from the entries. The park opened at 10am and by 11am there were announcements saying that you should consider taking the bus as the lines for the cable car were very very long. Hmmm. So, on weekends the Park provides an extra insider’s tour (extra money of course) of certain animal habitats. We went on one for the dolphins, pandas and butterflies (substituted for birds.) I’m not convinced that it was the best value for money but we did have an excellent (and hilarious) tour guide named Stone and we did get to visit behind the enclosures of the respective animal habitats. The rides at Ocean Park were only so-so (though note the warning sign on the Log Ride that You Should Not Open Your Umbrella Whilst On the Ride) and really did seem to be an afterthought to the park’s billing as an oceanarium. The Dolphin University is pretty cool as it allows you to get up close to the dolphins, the fish aquarium was amazing and seemed to go on forever (Too bad for all the pushy people though – I could have done without them!), Pacific Pier which had the seals (seal lions?) was cool, and the Atoll Reef (sharks etc.) was interesting. An An and Jia Jia (the pandas) were extremely cute but when we visited they were doing what they did best … lazing about! so not much action from them. Oh – the dolphin and seal show was okay but definitely not as good as Seaworld’s. Overall I would rate the park as just okay and I definitely wouldn’t go for the rides but mainly for the sea life and of course the opportunity to see An An and Jia Jia doing more than lying on their backs! Oh and make sure that if you are in the headlands you leave the park before the big rush at closing because it took us simply ages to get to the closest exit from where we were at the rides.
Kowloon	Kowloon is located just across the bay from Hong Kong Island with the main districts being Tsim Sha Tsui, Mong Kok, and Yau Ma Tei. It seemed that a lot of Hong Kong’s best shopping could be found here with the presence of the “Golden Mile” of Nathan Road, the designer Canton Road and the outlet stores at Granville Road for the more budget conscious, not to mention all the department stores including Harbour City, New World Centre, Miramar Shopping Centre, (and on and on and on) and even a little bit further out Worlds of Whampoa (Kowloon City). Yau Ma Tei also seemed to house the biggest street markets with the Temple Street Night Market, the Jade Market, the Flower Market, the Goldfish Market, and the Ladies’ Market (don’t be mislead by the name – this was by far the best market to go to for buying goods). If the Central and Western District is the centre of Hong Kong I would say that Tsim Sha Tsui is the tourist centre of Hong Kong. It felt like there was a hotel on every street for further than the eye can see! One of the favourite attractions here is the Promenade where you will find the Star Ferry Pier, the Avenue of Stars (think Hong Kong’s answer to the Hollywood Stars) though I note there was no star for William Hung of American Idol (Season 3) “She Bangs” fame and the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. You will also get great views of Victoria Harbour, the Hong Kong Island skyline and the Symphony of Lights show. Mong Kong is a very crazy place. Busy and alive it seemed it never slept. Of course there is also a red-light district where you are advised not to go to but there are so many people about you never really feel unsafe. On this side of town we also did a whirlwind tour of four museums – the Space, Art, History and Science. Its amazing what you can do on a restricted time line. In order of most impressive to least impressive I would place them as Science, History/Art, and Space. The Science Museum was one of the most interactive science museums I’ve been to and was definitely worth a good few hours. A tip also for the museums – you can buy a Museum Pass that allows you into these four museums plus the Heritage Museum and the Museum of Coastal Defence (valid for a whole week) for the extremely great value-for-money price of $HK30 as the price also included entry into special exhibitions (but not the Imax movies at the Space Museum.)
New Territories	Sha Tin in the New Territories is definitely worth dedicating a whole day to, especially if you plan to ride to Tai Po. In Sha Tin we visited the the Che Kung Temple, the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, Sha Tin Park, Snoopy’s World, the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery and rode a bike along the Shing Mun River. As you can imagine Snoopy’s World was fairly fun (and free) though not very big. The walk up to the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monaster was not as hard as I’d imagine (400 steps taking about 25-30 minutes) and we were entertained by the monkeys who would do anything to grab any white plastic bag. So if you’re carrying make sure to hide the bags away! The ride along the River was very nice and I’m just wishing we had left more time to allow us to ride to Tai Po (another district in the New Territories.)
Lantau Island	There are three main attractions on Lantau Island – the Tien Tan Buddha and Po Lin Monastery, the Lantau Trail and Disneyland! A whole day could easily be spent going to Lantau Island to visit the Buddha and Monastery (and surrounds) at Ngong Ping, another separate day going to Disneyland and for those who are so inclined several days could be spent exploring the hiking trials and greenery of Lantau Island – something I’d like to do next time I go back. For the Buddha and Monastery the journey can be quite lengthy no matter the options that you take so I would recommend you combine a visit there with a visit to Tai-O, a fishing village a little further on from the Buddha and Monastery. The options for getting to Ngong Pin are taking the ferry from the Outlying Islands Pier in Central (Hong Kong Island) to Mui Wo, which can take between 30-45 minutes depending on whether you catch the express or normal ferry, or taking the MTR to Tung Chung, which takes about 25 minutes. Once you get to Lantau you then will have to take a bus (#2 from Mui Wo if you took the ferry and #23 from the MTR Tung Chung station) which is another 30-40 minutes ride through the twists and turns on the mountain. To ensure that you leave time for Tai-O, make sure that when you first get off the bus that you find the timetable for the bus leaving Ngong Pin for Tai-O as they seemed to come maybe every 30-45 minutes with the last one leaving at about 3.30 or so. The Tien Tan Buddha (Giant Buddha, Big Buddha, Peaceful Buddha) is the largest uncovered outdoor bronze Buddha statue in the world. It wasn’t really clear what entry fees were to climb to the statue but I think it was actually free entry to the statue itself, with a fee for entering into the museum. If you pay a fee you will also get a meal ticket and depending on the value you pay you can get a snack, a full meal or deluxe meal at the Monastery’s vegetarian restaurant. To be honest the museum wasn’t all that so if you only want to see the statue and you’re not interested in eating at the restaurant see if you can go up for free as there are a couple of other eating options with cheaper restaurants or snack stalls about. Once you have finished with the Buddha and the Monastery take a short 15 minute walk (one-way) along the Wisdom Path to see the outdoor wooden inscription of the Heart Sutra carved on 38 huge wooden columns arranged to form the infinity symbol. We didn’t get to Tai-O as we made the mistake of missing the last bus leaving Ngong Ping but I have heard it is worth a visit. Someone we met during the trip recommended going there to see the pink dolphins at the very least. There are official tours you can take (expensive money-wise) or you can let yourself be picked up by the unofficial boat drivers who will do anything to get you on to their boat. This is guaranteed to be much cheaper and you will generally still see a pink dolphin. However, this unofficial method is looked down upon as they are seen as a very big threat to the dolphins and the environment (due to their aggressive nature.) Disneyland opened sometime late last year (Sept? or Oct?) and has an MTR that delivers you straight to the doors via a change at Sunny Bay station. It is this one-station journey from Sunny Bay to Disneyland Resort that has the special Disney-designed MTR trains [See photo?] with Mickey-head-shaped-windows, Mickey-head-shaped-hand-holds, and above seats bronzed Disney figures behind glass. I’ve been to Disneyland California and California Adventure Park so in terms of size there was no way this newly opened park was going to be able to compete on the same scale. However, in terms of quality they were spot on. My advice is to wait until it grows a bit more and a few more attractions and “lands” added. Currently there are four “lands” – Main Street USA (mainly shops), Adventureland, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. When we visited the weather was overcast and eventually this turned to showers in the later afternoon. On the one hand this was good as it kept some crowds away (and allowed us to visit the attractions we wanted with little lining up) but on the other hand it made it too wet for us to stick around later at night for the famed “Disney in the Stars” Fireworks. The highlights of Disneyland are as follows: The Shows. Definitely see all the shows on offer which are: 1. Festival of the Lion King (Adventureland) – a spectacular pageant of music and dance inspired by the animation the “The Lion King.” Great music, costumes, set, and lighting and performance. 2. The Golden Mickeys at Disney’s Storybook Theater (Fantasyland) was another spectacular show which paid tribute to all of the Disney classics and 3. Mickey’s PhilharMagic (Fantasyland) was one of the best 3-D attractions I’ve been to in a very long time. The Rides. My three favourites were 1. Space Mountain (Tomorrowland) where you rocket through space on a roller-coaster in the dark (make sure to try and get the very first seats so you really feel like there is nothing in front of you), 2. Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters (Tomorrowland) which was extremely interactive. You sit in your cab (which you can spin 360 degrees) and fire with your laser cannon trying to hit all the targets to get the highest score. I’m proud to say that I kicked the boys’ butts on both times we went on the attraction and finally, 3. Mad Hatter Tea Cups (Fantasyland). I know that most people consider this a ride for the little ones but when you get three guys intent on dislodging the contents of your stomach into a tea cup with you – well – watch out! The Others. Tarzan’s Treehouse (Adventureland) does not rate too high on the adventure scale but it does provide some good vantage points for views across Disneyland. Also it allows the little child in us who always wanted a treehouse to induldge in our fantasies for a little bit. The Jungle River Cruise (Adventureland) was a little bit corny but provided the funniest joke of the day: How can you tell a male zebra from a female zebra? The male zebra has white stripes and the female black strips. Da-Dum-Dum.

Final Hong Kong Impressions

When we first got to Hong Kong there was an almost overwhelming number of people out on the streets (and a whole lot of tourists getting underfoot!) After a while we got used to the people but we never really did got over how pushy some of the tourists were. The other thing we couldn’t get over was the haze of pollution that seemed to constantly sit upon Hong Kong like a wet blanket. The pollution was so bad that B had a bleeding nose and had trouble breathing when he first got here and that took a couple of days for him to get over.

As a tourist destination you couldn’t really ask for more with plenty of sign-posts everywhere. The service at all times was quick, efficient and surprisingly friendly and I would actually rate the service we got (except for the rare occasion which no doubt would be explained by a local as being “typical mainland Chinese” behaviour.)

I liked Hong Kong but I must remember to psyche myself up next time to ensure I take full advantage of all that shopping. Make sure to bring empty suitcases with you! 🙂

Just dropping you all a quick line to say hi from my travels. For the last couple of weeks I have been spending some time in Hong Kong and Singapore. Both fantastic places to visit and very surprisingly different places. A full write-up to come in about a week when I finally hit Australia (travelling through San Fran) when I might hopefully find some time to do so.

Here are some pics:

Stephen, Brad and I on the Star Ferry, Hong Kong	A wooden replica of the centuries-old Heart Sutra erected on the Wisdom Path near the Giant Buddha on Lantau Island.	At Disneyland … need I say anymore?
On the funky bridge near our hotel in Singapore	Relaxing by the beach on Sentosa Island	Doing it Survivor style at the Night Safari

Photos here.

Zdravstvuite comrades! As readers know, early in November my brother and I had an interesting visit to the Russian Consulate to pick up our visas for a our Christmas trip. With temps promising to range between -10 to -20 degrees celcius I was hoping that this would be a nice white Christmas and boy did Russia deliver. Before I left, we’d had some debate in the office as to whether it ever got too cold for snow and guys (and gal) I can say with absolute certainty that -15 before windchill factor (which I think is about as cold as it got) is not too cold for snow!

So, a few details about the trip I guess? Russia is quite a tough country to get into and normally requires an “invitation” to visit it. Therefore, to make things easier my bro and I joined a packaged tour. I’d seen adverts for onthego tours in my usual Monday TNT magazine reading and their tour sounded pretty filling (if typical): a few days in Moscow, a side-trip to a smaller Russian town, before taking an overnight train to St Petersburg to spend a few more days for a total trip of about 9-10 days.

I’m not sure where else onthego actually advertise but as expected the tour group was composed mainly of Antipodes. However, thankfully the group wasn’t all that large with around about 20 of us (I’d heard that some of the other groups were between 30-40 in size!) and we were blessed with an amazing tour guide – thanks Alsu for being so passionate on the tour. In addition to making the sights more interesting and relevant to us, she was really great at accommodating and remembering all our little quirks – she definitely made a difference to the tour.

The way that onthego organised the tours was quite interesting – there were two groups that started off in Moscow (though we did our Moscow bits separately), splitting up for our respective “small-town experiences” – the other group went to Skov whereas we went to Vladimir – before meeting up again in St Petersburg. On the flip-side two groups started in St Petersburg and worked their way down to Moscow. In this way you got to meet at least two tour groups as we each met the other groups in Pskov and Vladimir respectively for the Christmas party.

Its really hard to know where to start in the telling of this little tale. The whole experience was definitely eye-opening. Although considered to be part of Europe the culture is vastly different from any of the Europe as I have experienced thus far.

With a history that is both tragic and triumphant, the post-Soviet Union era really has seen Russia shake off the shackles of communism and embrace the more Western concept of wealth and diversity (I think I read somewhere that Moscow has almost as many billionaires as New York.) Moscow, Vladimir and St Petersburg were absolutely beautiful to see – cathedrals are constantly being renovated and you can see the pride of Russia everywhere you look.

With only 9 days in hand, it was unfortunate that we could only focus on the typical tourist cities of Moscow and St Peterburg (though admittedly these cities hold most of the cultural richness of Russia). However, being able to go to a smaller town such as Vladimir revealed the beauty that exists outside of the metropolis.

Why go?	Lonely Planet correctly pointed out that Churchill’s ‘riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma’ remains an apt description of Russia. Go and experience the extravagance of the old with the riches of the new. Also go for really cheap good quality vodka. 🙂
Weather	Freezing cold (ranging from -2 to -15). In other words – perfect for me.
Moscow	Moscow is a city that buzzes 24-7, a fact that was taken advantage of by many in our tour as they partied until dawn. I was quite impressed by their efforts as they still managed to turn up for every day of the tour, if a little worse for wear! I’m not sure what to make of Moscow – it is pretty in its own right from the golden cupolas of ancient cathedrals, to the imprissive walls of the the Kremlin and the magnificence of the Red Square, but I am not convinced with its livability factor (I think I’d be out of place with all those millionaires on the loose – ha ha.) An interesting attraction is the Metro – an underground train system that is known both for its extreme efficiency and beauty. Alsu tells me that in the summer cruise ships actually take vast numbers of groups on tours around the Metro just to see all the stations. We took in a couple of them and they were indeed gorgeous. Must-dos in Moscow are: – a visit to the Red Square especially at night when the lights of GUM, a well-known department store, reflects upon the square and St Basil’s Cathedral can be seen in all its glory – paying respects to Lenin at his masoleum (also located on the Red Square) – a stroll around the Kremlin coupled with a guided tour of The Armoury. We also visited the KGB museum and whilst our visit was hosted and narrated by an ex-KGB member (who had a great sense of humour) was slightly expensive for what you got. It is worth nothing that the KGB was dissolved and a similar body, the FSB, has been raised in its place.
Vladimir/Suzdal	Four/five hours bus ride away from Moscow is the former Russian capital Vladimir. I think for me the time at Vladimir was one of the highlights of the tour. On Christmas Eve day, after a short visit to the cultural sites of Suzdal including the open-air museum of wooden architecture (where not suprisingly no smoking was allowed) and some ancient churches, we headed to quite possibly the best part of the tour – a few hours in a Russian Banya. Not just a sauna, Alsu likened doing the banya to playing sport (!) that requires much practice. The banya is like a sauna but there was so much more to it with whipping and rubbing … hmmm …. no this is not some kinky story – really, you go into a sauna room, lie down on a bench and get whipped by oak tree twigs (softened in warm water). It is absolutely divine and I could feel the toxins just roll out of my body. As a bonus in winter when you get warm enough you simply jump outside into the snow and if you’re hot enough into an ice pool to cool down. Fantastic. Christmas Eve was interesting with a massive party where we were served our first caviar (definitely an acquired taste) and entertained by some very unusual entertainment in between courses. It started off sedately enough with some folk dancing and magic acts and clowning but it soon got very wierd when we had a dog show (acted out by humans), a sexy dance show (no stripping – though I hear the group in Pskov had that dubious pleasure) and Christmas greetings from a number of countries. As I stated earlier I was looking forward to a white Christmas and I definitely got it. We had the options of ice-skating or going cross-country skiing. The snow was too beautiful to resist so cross-country skiing it was. Hard work and very different from downhill skiing but it was a lot of fun (even if my buckle did break and I ended up walking in knee high snow for about half an hour!) We closed out our trip to Vladimir by hopping on an overnight train to St. Petersburg.
St. Petersburg	St. Petersburg is definitely the intellectual (with over 50 universities) and cultural heart of Russia. Laying in a swamp, St. Petersburg is home to many architectural wonders and was built by Peter the Great as a little Amsterdam (though many may incorrectly refer to it as the Venice of the North.) From the golden domed St Isaac’s Cathedral (great for views of city I’m told) to the Hermitage at the Winter Palace (where if you spent just 1 minute on every item it would take you 11 years to view the entire collection) there is plenty in between to keep you occupied in St. Petersburg. Visits to Peter and Paul Fortress (initially built to defend the land but now hosting many of the burial tombs of Russia’s Romanov rulers) to view the gorgeous baroque interior of the cathedral and The Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood (so named for the spot where Alexander II was mortally wounded) for the masterful mosaics are well recommended. And no visit to St. Petersburg would be complete without taking in a cossack show or the ballet at Mariinsky Theatre. If it is open the summer residence of Catherine the Great (Catherine’s Palace) is a gorgeous place to visit (from what I’ve seen in postcards and what I’ve read about it) but unfortunately for us it was closed so a visit to Pavlovsk Palace was substituted. It was, however, enough to give us a taste of the opulence of an Imperial Romanov summer palace.
Vodka	The vodka is cheap and plentiful with Veda and Russian Standard being some of the recommended brands.
Final words	Russia has definitely gotten under my skin and I will remember my time there with great fondness. I have to say thanks to the rest of the tour group for being such fab people and once again thanks to Alsu for making it great. Finally, the best advice for when you go is to make sure you pick up a couple of common phrases in Russian (please, thank-you, excuse me) and familiarise youself with the cyrillic alphabet beforehand. Even in touristy areas – English will not necessarily be spoken.