These three countries lie between Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador to the north, and Colombia to the south; Managua, our starting point is about 12 degrees north and Panama City, the finishing point, 8 degrees north of the Equator. It is an area of active volcanoes, especially in Nicaragua which lies at the intersection of three continental plates; and the entire area is a continuation of the Pacific fault line which runs down the west coast of North America. The Arenal Volcano is very live and there are great photos on sale of it erupting, but unfortunately it didn't perform while we were in the nearby town of La Fortuna.
For the visitor, the currency in Nicaragua is the cordoba (exchange rate $ 1= Cordoba 21) and in Costa Rica the colones ($1=Colones 518). Dollars are routinely accepted, with change given in local currency. Local currencies are not convertible across the borders. At these exchange rates, Nicaragua is very inexpensive: a large bottle of water cost $1 in Nicaragua and $2.86 in Costa Rica. However, Nicaragua is a poor country, its per capita income being the lowest in Latin America. Panama is a completely $ economy, including coinage, although there appeared to be local coins minted replicating their $ equivalent. I can't really make many valid comparisons as we didn't visit many large towns or cities because it would have made for dangerous cycling. The only capital we stayed in was Panama City; we flew into Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, but it was dark and we travelled straight away to Granada (which has a very attractive, restored old centre near the lake shore). There appeared to be quite a lot of subsistence or very small scale peasant farming in Nicaragua. The extremes between wealth and poverty seemed most evident in Panama: the area around the border was pretty dismal with real urban squalor and poverty (our family visited Nuevo Laredo in Mexico, walking over the border from Laredo in Texas, while we were staying in Dallas in 1982, and it was similarly dismal). In Panama City, where one third of the population lives, the skyscrapers of the so-called financial district sit cheek-by-jowel with the poverty and crime in areas close to the old city (Casco Viejo). The skyline has mushroomed as the city gained prominence as a centre of international banking, cocaine trafficking and money laundering, until Bush Senior invaded the country in December 1989 with 'Operation Just Cause'. The occupancy rate of some of the skyscrapers didn't seem high, but one doesn't need many people to manage letterbox ('shell') companies! The Panama Canal has of course brought big economic benefits.
Proximity of these Central American countries to the United States means that the US influence has been and continues to be substantial-sometimes benign, more often perhaps malign. Nicaragua has a history of involvement with the US as far back as 1909 when the US Marines were sent in to overthrow the Liberal president; they stayed there until 1933. Readers of a certain age are likely to remember the 1978/79 revolution against the Somoza Government by the Sandinista guerillas. After heavy fighting and over 30,000 deaths, the Sandinistas took over; and then won the election held in 1984 with Daniel Ortega elected President. The US failed to recognize this democratically elected government and supported the Contra rebels in a lengthy guerilla war against the Sandinistas which went on until 1990. Reagan on one occasion wore a t-shirt with the label 'I'm a Contra too'. A major political scandal in the US during this period was the 'Iran-Contra Affair' of 1986 when a US flight crew was shot down over Nicaraguan territory. The subsequent period has seen a continuing series of political controversies, with Ortega, as leader of the FSLN party, the dominant political leader.
In Costa Rica, there is some tradition of democratic government going back to 1889, and the country is more stable than its neighbours. The 'revolution' of 1948/49 led the the dissolution of the army which could be somewhat problematic if the current border dispute with Nicaragua isn't resolved by diplomatic means (see following). Other challenges have concerned the role of the US banana multinationals; and issues associated with privatization and deregulation; as well as the allegations at some times of government corruption and links with drug traffickers. Generally, good government and planning appears to have brought major tourism benefits both in beach and wildlife tourism, mainly I assume from the US, but my personal experiences were quite limited.
I have talked about the benefits and controversies surrounding relations with the US over the Panama Canal. We stayed in the Albrook Inn in Panama City which is located in the area which housed the US Air Force base of Albrook Field, until the Canal Zone became Panamanian territory. According to our trip notes, the opulent dwellings which were residences for American military officers, are now dwellings for the elite class of Panama with good connections to government. The ownership of the Canal was a source of bitter resentment for many years. The ending of Panama's protectorate status by the US in 1939 and the limiting of the latter's rights of intervention, having little effect on anti-US feelings. A key political figure in the years from the early 1980s was General Noriega who had both removed existing Presidents and annulled elections before formally assuming powers as Head of State in 1989. The US miltary 'Just Cause' invasion, mentioned above, led to Noriega's arrest and extradition to the US on drug trafficking and related charges. Noriega was sentenced to 30 years in prison and released in 2007. The country has had a reputation as a dumping ground for international political criminals seeking asylum, and the political situation remains highly volatile. Personally I didn't get good vibes in Panama City - although it's hard to put a finger on the reasons. It may simply have been the big city environment after the peace of the countryside and the small towns we experienced for most of the trip. One (of many doubtless) remnants of US influence in Panama is the celebration of Thanksgiving: so I had a pretty genuine Thanksgiving dinner at the Pencas Restaurant set right on the bay of Panama City, comprising Turkey soup, Turkey and accompaniments, and Apple pie; a bit weird but enjoyable.
Aside from internal politics and US relations, inter-state relationships can also be volatile. I had heard the story of the border current dispute between Nicaragua and Costa Rica from our Trip Leader and from Walter, and The Economist newspaper discussed it too in its 13th November 2010 edition. In what can be considered the first 'Google War'(!), the Nicaraguans claimed that Google Maps showed the south side of the San Juan River (until then Costa Rican territory) to be in Nicaragua. Google then admitted an 'inaccuracy' in its map, noting that its maps 'should not be relied on to make military decisions' (The Economist, p66). The dispute is bound up with Nicaraguan politics and the aims of the former Sandinista guerrilla leader Daniel Ortega to seek a third, unconstitutional, term as President of the country. Nicaragua has the support of Hugo Chavez of Venezuela who has provided donations to offset the cut in Western aid associated with Ortega's trampling over the constitution. Walter, however, asserted that Chavez was seeking to revive an old plan to build a trans-ocean canal along the San Juan River and through Lake Nicaragua to the Pacific. In fact this route had been a serious contender with the Isthmus of Panama in the early days of exploration, but current plans seem like a pipe-dream, especially with ongoing works to widen the Panama Canal. As a postscript to the above, The Economist (March 12th 2011) reported that the 'International Court of Justice ruled that Nicaragua must remove its troops from Calero Island in Costa Rica. Nicaragua sent the soldiers there last year when it began dredging a channel in the San Juan river, which marks the border between the two countries. However, the court said that Nicaragua could go on dredging, despite Costa Rica's claim of environmental damage.'
I have mentioned already about the Afro-Caribbean population on the Atlantic coast of Costa Rica. They are primarily in the province of Limon, where black peoples of Jamaican descent make up around one third of the population, speaking Jamaican English as their native tongue. My guide Walter at the Hanging Bridges reserve was of Jamaican mixed-race origins and still spoke in a Jamaican accent. He told me that his grandfather had come from Jamaica as a slave to clear the forests and work in the banana plantations, followed later by his grandmother. He commented that until the 'revolution' in 1948/49 (primarily about disputed election results and the country's constitution), the Caribbean population were not allowed out of their coastal enclaves, meaning discrimination and segregation by race (I'll need to check the accuracy of this). Once free movement was allowed, many of these black Jamaicans moved inland where their English language capabilities were valuable in customer-facing businesses (including tourism) in the cities. Reflecting this trend, the black population in Limon had declined from 57% in 1927 to 33% fifty years later. While a topic for comment on a later day, there was considerable international pressure in the 1990s over poor labour conditions, labour rights abuse and low levels of unionisation (despite supposed constitutional guarantees of union freedom) in the banana plantations.
Tuesday, 21 December 2010
Sunday, 19 December 2010
Theme 2: Highlights
In no particular ranking, these included the Panama Canal; Bocas del Toro group of islands; rafting, and hiking in the rain forest, where the wildlife was the major attraction, as it was indeed throughout our journey; and the Eco-Termales hot springs near La Fortuna.
The Panama Canal deserves to and will get longer comment and reflection on another occasion (especially in connection with politics), but it was a real highlight, the more so perhaps since it was our last cycling day (Day 14).
The canal was conceived in the early days of discovery in the 16th century with the desire by the Spanish to unite the Pacific and Atlantic oceans across the Isthmus of Panama. The project was finally inaugurated by the French in 1869 with Ferdinand de Lesseps as its builder, but was beset by financial problems, weather and disease (over 6300 graves were dug during the abortive construction) and abandoned in 1903. Strong political pressure from the United States led to the independence of Panama from Colombia in 1903, with the US then 'negotiating' a treaty with the new country whereby a strip of land 10 miles wide from ocean to ocean plus some parts of the capital city and and adjacent islands were ceded to the Americans to build and manage the proposed canal. The Panama Canal was finally completed in 1914, a hugely impressive engineering feat. The US maintained control of the Isthmus of Panama until 1999, when, following growing tensions over financial confrontation and sovereignty and the breaking of diplomatic relations, it was transferred to Panamanian ownership and control.
We visited the two-tier Miraflores Lock, one of three lock systems overall, located at the Pacific end of the canal. At this lock system, ships are lowered by means of two tiers to the level of the Pacific Ocean, from which they enter a broad approach channel and continue under the spectacular Bridge of the Americas to the open sea. Average transit time for the overall canal journey is 8-10 hours, but 24-30 hours in total when customs and other formalities are included. We were extremely fortunate as a ship was about to enter when we arrived at the observation platform overlooking the lock system at 9am on this very hot and sunny Friday. Although at first I thought it was going to be like 'watching paint dry', the transit process was both obsessively fascinating and impressive; and from entry to exit of the Miraflores Lock only took about one and a quarter hours. While ships are under their own control in the canal (or at least that of a canal captain), a number of mechanised vehicles (called 'mules') are attached to the ship to keep it centred in the canal chamber and prevent it hitting the concrete walls; the widest ship would only have 60cms space on each side of the lock walls. So this was a great spectacle, most enjoyable, accompanied by detailed commentary and applause from the many visitors. I bought Isla, one of my grand-daughters a Panama Canal t-shirt for Xmas-she's only 6 so I hope I can explain this to her okay, but I have decent photos which will help.
Leaving Miraflores, we had our last cycle ride alongside the canal to lunch at an open air restaurant on the lake shore. While, this wasn't the best ride because of heavy traffic (something we had hardly experienced before), the open vistas of the lake and the Bridge of the Americas from the restaurant were great.
Bocas del Toro is the main town on Colon Island, one of a group of islands off the Caribbean coast of Panama, close to its border with Costa Rica. A 30 minute crossing in a small boat dropped us off a few metres from the Bahia Hotel where we stayed for two nights. The Bahia Hotel is the old Panama headquarters for the infamous United Fruit Company (now Chiquita Brands) and the big safe, where ill-gotten gains were doubtless stored, has been maintained. And no cycling - which was something of a relief! I also spent the second evening on my own, eating a burger and drinking some beer by the ocean, which was also a relief I must confess.
Bocas del Toro is an emerging tourist town, attracting a mix of backpackers and wealthy incomers at present. It is basically a single street, one side of which backs onto the waterfront. The latter was a curious mixture of rundown dwellings and very expensive properties with equally expensive boats. There was a real Caribbean flavour to the town, so although the Afro-Caribbean population was not as dominant as in Cahuita, there was a pleasantly relaxed air which I liked.
With a free day on Tuesday (Day 11), a number of us opted for a trip involving dolphin watching, snorkelling and a visit to Red Frog Island. We all got soaked on the boat trip out to Dolphin Bay, a combination of heavy rain and the spray from the waves; we saw a few solitary dolphins, the remainder presumably having shut up shop because of the weather (Juliette has a similar but better story about hedgehogs on North Uist!). However the rain gradually eased and then the sun came out (shades of 'wait a minute it's stopped raining, guys are singing, guys are sailing... mother, father kindly disregard this letter' - only people of a certain age will know the song!), and I enjoyed the snorkelling which I haven't done in years. The highlight, however, was the afternoon when we took the boat through an area of dense mangrove swamps to Red Frog Island. We hiked over to the far side of the island (looking at some red frogs en route - tiny frogs about 3 or 4 cms in length) where there was an idyllic beach and the surf was up giving the opportunity for some great swimming. So a day which started out in a dispiriting manner ended on a real high.
Rafting and Hiking. The two wildlife-focused activities were the float trip down the Rio Tenorio (Costa Rica) on the morning of Day 6 and the hike in the Hanging Bridges of Arenal (it sounds better in the Spanish - 'Puentes Colgantes del Arenal') private nature reserve in Costa Rica on Day 8. I was impressed with this reserve which comprised 600 acres of protected forest, located in an area of ravines, streams and waterfalls with 16 hanging bridges to negotiate the terrain; some of the bridges were high up allowing spectacular vistas of pristine rain forest. It was designed with conservation in mind with a single paved track over the bridges and around the reserve. It was beautiful in the rain, although I didn't see much because it was late morning before I got there. However I has a fascinating discussion with my guide Walter (I hired a personal guide) which I'm going to write about in the next theme. Wildlife sightings were a regular feature of cycling days too, especially those through the rain forest areas.
Just a general aside on conservation, it seemed that Costa Rica was doing a decent job in balancing wildlife tourism and rain forest protection. There was mention of 35 state-owned and a similar number of private reserves. But I need to investigate this. By comparison in relation to Panama the Footprint guide writes that: '..the integrity of Panama's fragile natural environment is in peril. Rainforests are being cleared for gated communities and foreign-owned housing projects; ancient tribal lands face obliteration from grandiose hydroelectric schemes; and many of the country's most beautiful coastal habitats have already been wrecked by luxury hotels hoping to profit from tourism' (p317).
On the Rio Tenorio rafting, the main species were the iguana (some pretty large), crocodiles, various types of heron, egret, kingfisher, humming birds, and howler monkeys. On the Arenal hike I saw a viper close up which was pretty special (they are small but very dangerous and apparently quite a number of children are killed by trying to pick up the yellow variety to play with), but otherwise there wasn't much on view as it was late morning when I got there. While cycling, we saw toucan, parakeets, white-faced monkeys, coatis (like racooons), and the huge sloth. The howler monkeys were pretty ubiquitous in the forests: they make a sound like a dog barking, but when you hear them at dawn, the noise of a colony is quite haunting, reminiscent of distant thunder. The habitat of most varieties of toucan is open woodland rather than rain forest, so we saw these distinctive yellow-beaked birds on a number of occasions. As ubitiquous as the howler monkeys were the vultures: I saw vultures nesting on a fence in Ometepe Island; and four vultures in the scruffy back yard of a ramshackle dwelling on the waterside in Bocas del Toro (for vultures in Bocas del Toro, read sparrows in Scotland!).
Hot Springs. While not in itself a huge highlight, the hot pools were integrated into the dense surrounding jungle with an attractive hotel/restaurant complex where we had a good buffet dinner (Day 8). The hot pools were layered by heat level, which I'd not experienced before, with an artificial waterfall and it was very relaxing. My previous experiences with hot springs were more interesting and amusing, however! When Juliette and I were in the Amazonian rain forest, we were taken to a natural 'hot spring', basically a little pool filled from a stream which drained into the main river complex. There was just enough room for the four of us present. Sitting uncomfortably on stones of different shapes and sizes, I seemed to be attacked at every turn by little biting fish-the other three were women, whom these fish apparently didn't fancy, so I didn't stay too long! I wouldn't say the water was terribly hot either. The second (non-)experience was also in Peru, this time Agua Calientes (literally 'hot water'), a shabby, rundown town at the bottom of Maccu Pichu. Returning from the Macchu Pichu trek, all my clothes were dirty and smelly, so I stripped off and sat huddled under the blankets on the bed stark naked - what a sight to behold! - while Julie took her and my clothes to the laundry. She returned with them three hours later, having also investigated the hot springs which she pronounced dirty and smelly too and not worth a visit. We had a good laugh about all of this-perhaps I have an obsession with clean clothes which has come up a few times in this blog!
The Panama Canal deserves to and will get longer comment and reflection on another occasion (especially in connection with politics), but it was a real highlight, the more so perhaps since it was our last cycling day (Day 14).
The canal was conceived in the early days of discovery in the 16th century with the desire by the Spanish to unite the Pacific and Atlantic oceans across the Isthmus of Panama. The project was finally inaugurated by the French in 1869 with Ferdinand de Lesseps as its builder, but was beset by financial problems, weather and disease (over 6300 graves were dug during the abortive construction) and abandoned in 1903. Strong political pressure from the United States led to the independence of Panama from Colombia in 1903, with the US then 'negotiating' a treaty with the new country whereby a strip of land 10 miles wide from ocean to ocean plus some parts of the capital city and and adjacent islands were ceded to the Americans to build and manage the proposed canal. The Panama Canal was finally completed in 1914, a hugely impressive engineering feat. The US maintained control of the Isthmus of Panama until 1999, when, following growing tensions over financial confrontation and sovereignty and the breaking of diplomatic relations, it was transferred to Panamanian ownership and control.
We visited the two-tier Miraflores Lock, one of three lock systems overall, located at the Pacific end of the canal. At this lock system, ships are lowered by means of two tiers to the level of the Pacific Ocean, from which they enter a broad approach channel and continue under the spectacular Bridge of the Americas to the open sea. Average transit time for the overall canal journey is 8-10 hours, but 24-30 hours in total when customs and other formalities are included. We were extremely fortunate as a ship was about to enter when we arrived at the observation platform overlooking the lock system at 9am on this very hot and sunny Friday. Although at first I thought it was going to be like 'watching paint dry', the transit process was both obsessively fascinating and impressive; and from entry to exit of the Miraflores Lock only took about one and a quarter hours. While ships are under their own control in the canal (or at least that of a canal captain), a number of mechanised vehicles (called 'mules') are attached to the ship to keep it centred in the canal chamber and prevent it hitting the concrete walls; the widest ship would only have 60cms space on each side of the lock walls. So this was a great spectacle, most enjoyable, accompanied by detailed commentary and applause from the many visitors. I bought Isla, one of my grand-daughters a Panama Canal t-shirt for Xmas-she's only 6 so I hope I can explain this to her okay, but I have decent photos which will help.
Leaving Miraflores, we had our last cycle ride alongside the canal to lunch at an open air restaurant on the lake shore. While, this wasn't the best ride because of heavy traffic (something we had hardly experienced before), the open vistas of the lake and the Bridge of the Americas from the restaurant were great.
Bocas del Toro is the main town on Colon Island, one of a group of islands off the Caribbean coast of Panama, close to its border with Costa Rica. A 30 minute crossing in a small boat dropped us off a few metres from the Bahia Hotel where we stayed for two nights. The Bahia Hotel is the old Panama headquarters for the infamous United Fruit Company (now Chiquita Brands) and the big safe, where ill-gotten gains were doubtless stored, has been maintained. And no cycling - which was something of a relief! I also spent the second evening on my own, eating a burger and drinking some beer by the ocean, which was also a relief I must confess.
Bocas del Toro is an emerging tourist town, attracting a mix of backpackers and wealthy incomers at present. It is basically a single street, one side of which backs onto the waterfront. The latter was a curious mixture of rundown dwellings and very expensive properties with equally expensive boats. There was a real Caribbean flavour to the town, so although the Afro-Caribbean population was not as dominant as in Cahuita, there was a pleasantly relaxed air which I liked.
With a free day on Tuesday (Day 11), a number of us opted for a trip involving dolphin watching, snorkelling and a visit to Red Frog Island. We all got soaked on the boat trip out to Dolphin Bay, a combination of heavy rain and the spray from the waves; we saw a few solitary dolphins, the remainder presumably having shut up shop because of the weather (Juliette has a similar but better story about hedgehogs on North Uist!). However the rain gradually eased and then the sun came out (shades of 'wait a minute it's stopped raining, guys are singing, guys are sailing... mother, father kindly disregard this letter' - only people of a certain age will know the song!), and I enjoyed the snorkelling which I haven't done in years. The highlight, however, was the afternoon when we took the boat through an area of dense mangrove swamps to Red Frog Island. We hiked over to the far side of the island (looking at some red frogs en route - tiny frogs about 3 or 4 cms in length) where there was an idyllic beach and the surf was up giving the opportunity for some great swimming. So a day which started out in a dispiriting manner ended on a real high.
Rafting and Hiking. The two wildlife-focused activities were the float trip down the Rio Tenorio (Costa Rica) on the morning of Day 6 and the hike in the Hanging Bridges of Arenal (it sounds better in the Spanish - 'Puentes Colgantes del Arenal') private nature reserve in Costa Rica on Day 8. I was impressed with this reserve which comprised 600 acres of protected forest, located in an area of ravines, streams and waterfalls with 16 hanging bridges to negotiate the terrain; some of the bridges were high up allowing spectacular vistas of pristine rain forest. It was designed with conservation in mind with a single paved track over the bridges and around the reserve. It was beautiful in the rain, although I didn't see much because it was late morning before I got there. However I has a fascinating discussion with my guide Walter (I hired a personal guide) which I'm going to write about in the next theme. Wildlife sightings were a regular feature of cycling days too, especially those through the rain forest areas.
Just a general aside on conservation, it seemed that Costa Rica was doing a decent job in balancing wildlife tourism and rain forest protection. There was mention of 35 state-owned and a similar number of private reserves. But I need to investigate this. By comparison in relation to Panama the Footprint guide writes that: '..the integrity of Panama's fragile natural environment is in peril. Rainforests are being cleared for gated communities and foreign-owned housing projects; ancient tribal lands face obliteration from grandiose hydroelectric schemes; and many of the country's most beautiful coastal habitats have already been wrecked by luxury hotels hoping to profit from tourism' (p317).
On the Rio Tenorio rafting, the main species were the iguana (some pretty large), crocodiles, various types of heron, egret, kingfisher, humming birds, and howler monkeys. On the Arenal hike I saw a viper close up which was pretty special (they are small but very dangerous and apparently quite a number of children are killed by trying to pick up the yellow variety to play with), but otherwise there wasn't much on view as it was late morning when I got there. While cycling, we saw toucan, parakeets, white-faced monkeys, coatis (like racooons), and the huge sloth. The howler monkeys were pretty ubiquitous in the forests: they make a sound like a dog barking, but when you hear them at dawn, the noise of a colony is quite haunting, reminiscent of distant thunder. The habitat of most varieties of toucan is open woodland rather than rain forest, so we saw these distinctive yellow-beaked birds on a number of occasions. As ubitiquous as the howler monkeys were the vultures: I saw vultures nesting on a fence in Ometepe Island; and four vultures in the scruffy back yard of a ramshackle dwelling on the waterside in Bocas del Toro (for vultures in Bocas del Toro, read sparrows in Scotland!).
Hot Springs. While not in itself a huge highlight, the hot pools were integrated into the dense surrounding jungle with an attractive hotel/restaurant complex where we had a good buffet dinner (Day 8). The hot pools were layered by heat level, which I'd not experienced before, with an artificial waterfall and it was very relaxing. My previous experiences with hot springs were more interesting and amusing, however! When Juliette and I were in the Amazonian rain forest, we were taken to a natural 'hot spring', basically a little pool filled from a stream which drained into the main river complex. There was just enough room for the four of us present. Sitting uncomfortably on stones of different shapes and sizes, I seemed to be attacked at every turn by little biting fish-the other three were women, whom these fish apparently didn't fancy, so I didn't stay too long! I wouldn't say the water was terribly hot either. The second (non-)experience was also in Peru, this time Agua Calientes (literally 'hot water'), a shabby, rundown town at the bottom of Maccu Pichu. Returning from the Macchu Pichu trek, all my clothes were dirty and smelly, so I stripped off and sat huddled under the blankets on the bed stark naked - what a sight to behold! - while Julie took her and my clothes to the laundry. She returned with them three hours later, having also investigated the hot springs which she pronounced dirty and smelly too and not worth a visit. We had a good laugh about all of this-perhaps I have an obsession with clean clothes which has come up a few times in this blog!
Thursday, 9 December 2010
Introduction & Theme 1: Cycling in Central America
My post from Managua was as it turned out the only one I could manage while I was in this region. Hotels often had internet access but no computers and we were hardly ever in towns, plus in Nicaragua and Costa Rica I struggled with the keyboards (!). So I'm writing now from my notes. But first I wanted to add another observation to my list of disadvantages of group travel. I found that I had rather little time to myself, and also little integration with local people and cultures because these interactions (for example, dealing with Customs & Immigration, which in fairness would have been a nightmare especially at the Nicaragua / Costa Rica border) were handled by the Trip Leader.
The attraction of this trip to me, when I was thinking of booking, was its variety, so writing in a thematic way is quite appropriate. Cycling was, of course, the central purpose and so I'm going to write about this first. I would describe this activity as 'designer cycle touring' (remember 'designer backpacking' in New Zealand). Bikes were Cannondale hard tail mountain bikes with semi-slick tyres, appropriate for the mix of terrains. Most of the cycling was on minor tarmac roads but potholes were a constant threat, and there were some tracks and rutted unpaved roads.
Most of the group were active cyclists, and a number were much more serious than myself which showed in their stamina and power, especially on long, flat sections - but (as with my walking experiences) some of the Southerners weren't so good on the uphills. Cycling gear was well in evidence-tops, shoes, shorts etc (by comparison I simply wear hill-walking stuff except for cycling shorts with their padded inserts).
We had a mini bus for the entire trip with an impressive roof rack that carried our 19 bikes. It also had a container at the back with water, fruits & snacks plus repair equipment for the bikes. Aside from Rob the leader who cycled, we had two Costa Rican cyclists/mechanics (Paul and Randall) and a Costa Rican driver Luis. Paul and Randall were brilliant mechanics as there were quite a lot of punctures plus broken chains, and my derailleur which broke when I ran into Mary who came off in front of me. Later in the trip we lost Rob who went back to his family in the US for Thanksgiving and was replaced by non-cycling Kevin (which didn't go down so well with the group), and Paul who had to quit because of a throat infection.
In total I cycled 275 miles at an average speed of 11.6mph. Doesn't sound much I suppose. We cycled on 11 days but mileages were very short on some days; I opted out of one day to go to the rain forest, and another was effectively washed out by torrential rain. Maximum downhill speed was 40mph - one or two people got up to >45mph but I braked as soon as as got to 40 in case of potholes. Most of the cycling was in the mornings as it got very hot and humid after lunch, and I have memories of reaching some restaurant lunch stops, really enervated and absolutely lathered in sweat. As the days went on the interior of the bus really stank!
The longest cycling were Days 7 & 13. The former involved 43 miles from Hotel Tilawa (near Tilaran) to La Fortuna, a developing (but currently shabby) tourist town on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Basically we cycled around the north side of Lake Arenal towards the beautifully symmetrical, cone-shaped and very active Arenal volcano. This was a lovely cycle through lush agricultural land and dense rain forest. The rolling countryside meant numerous albeit generally short uphills and made it pretty hard going in the heat. I definitely had 'lead legs' and had to push myself hard for the last few miles before lunch. Stayed at the Hotel San Bosco near the beach in La Fortuna: I was looking forward to swimming in the Pacific Ocean at sunset, but the sight of two sewers was somewhat offputting, and I ended up dipping my toes in the water.
Day 8 also involved 43 miles cycling in Panama from Santiago to the Pan American Highway some distance from Panama City. After an uphill section at first, the route was mainly flat through rolling countryside (a bit like southern England). It was hot but I felt great and really enjoyed this.
Other interesting days involved cycling to/from country borders where one really got close to people, long lines of trucks, and scruffy border posts; crossing and re-crossing the Continental Divide; and Day 9 when the formal cycling was cancelled as I mentioned above. Leaving La Fortuna on this ninth day, we crossed Costa Rica to its Northern Caribbean coast, where we stayed at the lovely Hotel Atlantida, near Cahuita, amongst beautiful tropical gardens right by the beach. The rain had more or less petered out and a few of us went out for some offroad cycling on the rough track running parallel to the palm-fringed, totally empty beach. Named Black Beach, it looked to me have pristine white sand. Undeveloped at present, this will undoubtedly be a tourist haven in years to come. At present the most distinctive features were the small palm-leaved huts with reggae bars and little dwellings; and the area itself is Afro-Caribbean, with English spoken in a Jamaican dialect, lots of 'hey man', dreadlocks and a very laid-back, friendly atmosphere. Cycling along, the track became increasing indistinct and muddy with no possible access for cars, and little 'bridges' over creeks which eventually led to a tree-trunk bridge that was impossible for bikes too. This was about the only occasion where bugs were a slight nuisance. Still it was a great end to a day mostly stuck in the bus. My personal finale was to go for a little swim in the sea, although I didn't stay long as it was getting dark and there was a noticeable undercurrent.
So this is just a flavour of the cycling which itself characterises the variety of this overall journey. The scenery encompassed banana plantations on the Caribbean coast, the rugged, tree covered mountains of the Continental Divide; the volcanoes particularly in Nicaragua and the huge Lake Nicaragua; rain forests; and lakeside and coastal vistas.
The attraction of this trip to me, when I was thinking of booking, was its variety, so writing in a thematic way is quite appropriate. Cycling was, of course, the central purpose and so I'm going to write about this first. I would describe this activity as 'designer cycle touring' (remember 'designer backpacking' in New Zealand). Bikes were Cannondale hard tail mountain bikes with semi-slick tyres, appropriate for the mix of terrains. Most of the cycling was on minor tarmac roads but potholes were a constant threat, and there were some tracks and rutted unpaved roads.
Most of the group were active cyclists, and a number were much more serious than myself which showed in their stamina and power, especially on long, flat sections - but (as with my walking experiences) some of the Southerners weren't so good on the uphills. Cycling gear was well in evidence-tops, shoes, shorts etc (by comparison I simply wear hill-walking stuff except for cycling shorts with their padded inserts).
We had a mini bus for the entire trip with an impressive roof rack that carried our 19 bikes. It also had a container at the back with water, fruits & snacks plus repair equipment for the bikes. Aside from Rob the leader who cycled, we had two Costa Rican cyclists/mechanics (Paul and Randall) and a Costa Rican driver Luis. Paul and Randall were brilliant mechanics as there were quite a lot of punctures plus broken chains, and my derailleur which broke when I ran into Mary who came off in front of me. Later in the trip we lost Rob who went back to his family in the US for Thanksgiving and was replaced by non-cycling Kevin (which didn't go down so well with the group), and Paul who had to quit because of a throat infection.
In total I cycled 275 miles at an average speed of 11.6mph. Doesn't sound much I suppose. We cycled on 11 days but mileages were very short on some days; I opted out of one day to go to the rain forest, and another was effectively washed out by torrential rain. Maximum downhill speed was 40mph - one or two people got up to >45mph but I braked as soon as as got to 40 in case of potholes. Most of the cycling was in the mornings as it got very hot and humid after lunch, and I have memories of reaching some restaurant lunch stops, really enervated and absolutely lathered in sweat. As the days went on the interior of the bus really stank!
The longest cycling were Days 7 & 13. The former involved 43 miles from Hotel Tilawa (near Tilaran) to La Fortuna, a developing (but currently shabby) tourist town on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Basically we cycled around the north side of Lake Arenal towards the beautifully symmetrical, cone-shaped and very active Arenal volcano. This was a lovely cycle through lush agricultural land and dense rain forest. The rolling countryside meant numerous albeit generally short uphills and made it pretty hard going in the heat. I definitely had 'lead legs' and had to push myself hard for the last few miles before lunch. Stayed at the Hotel San Bosco near the beach in La Fortuna: I was looking forward to swimming in the Pacific Ocean at sunset, but the sight of two sewers was somewhat offputting, and I ended up dipping my toes in the water.
Day 8 also involved 43 miles cycling in Panama from Santiago to the Pan American Highway some distance from Panama City. After an uphill section at first, the route was mainly flat through rolling countryside (a bit like southern England). It was hot but I felt great and really enjoyed this.
Other interesting days involved cycling to/from country borders where one really got close to people, long lines of trucks, and scruffy border posts; crossing and re-crossing the Continental Divide; and Day 9 when the formal cycling was cancelled as I mentioned above. Leaving La Fortuna on this ninth day, we crossed Costa Rica to its Northern Caribbean coast, where we stayed at the lovely Hotel Atlantida, near Cahuita, amongst beautiful tropical gardens right by the beach. The rain had more or less petered out and a few of us went out for some offroad cycling on the rough track running parallel to the palm-fringed, totally empty beach. Named Black Beach, it looked to me have pristine white sand. Undeveloped at present, this will undoubtedly be a tourist haven in years to come. At present the most distinctive features were the small palm-leaved huts with reggae bars and little dwellings; and the area itself is Afro-Caribbean, with English spoken in a Jamaican dialect, lots of 'hey man', dreadlocks and a very laid-back, friendly atmosphere. Cycling along, the track became increasing indistinct and muddy with no possible access for cars, and little 'bridges' over creeks which eventually led to a tree-trunk bridge that was impossible for bikes too. This was about the only occasion where bugs were a slight nuisance. Still it was a great end to a day mostly stuck in the bus. My personal finale was to go for a little swim in the sea, although I didn't stay long as it was getting dark and there was a noticeable undercurrent.
So this is just a flavour of the cycling which itself characterises the variety of this overall journey. The scenery encompassed banana plantations on the Caribbean coast, the rugged, tree covered mountains of the Continental Divide; the volcanoes particularly in Nicaragua and the huge Lake Nicaragua; rain forests; and lakeside and coastal vistas.
Sunday, 14 November 2010
Travel to Nicaragua
Saturday 12 November was a long day. Staying at the Premier Inn at Heathrow, I was up at 5:15 to get the bus and thereafter two AA planes to Miami and Managua. With a predisposition against US airlines and not having flown by AA before, I was pleasantly surprised by the flights. Both busy but service and food was good. We had lovely doughy individual pizzas before landing in Miami.
I'd never been through Miami Airport before but it´s new and pretty impressive. US Immigration must have been investing money in the number of Immigration Desks, and particularly, in Customer Service courses, as things were quick and smooth. Mind you this is off-season, and the procedures of having four fingers of both hands and thumbs plus face photographed will cause big delays at peak time. Still, the need to pick up your bag, trail it through Customs and then, apparently randomly, pass it under a tape to some guys to put on another carousel, doesn´t seem so efficient. The bag of one of our group went missing here: she got it 2 days later minus all her jewellery etc.
Got out of Managua Airport by 8:50pm and into the hotel Patio del Maninche by 10pm: This was 4am UK time so everyone was exhausted. The group is 16 strong, with 2 Aussies, 1 Canadian woman and 13 Brits. Aside from myself, there was a semi-retired dentist and his wife (of Polish origin) in their 60s, who had been on 15 Exodus trips, their favourite being the Galapagos Islands; 8, I'm guessing in their 40s, including two couples; 4 in their 30s, including one couple; and finally an English Exodus rep based in San Francisco aged 27.
We´re in the Patio del Malinche for two nights. Rooms are plainly furnished with air con and fan, and a good shower. Above average from my experiences I would say. Breakfast was brilliant: muesli with yogurt, fruit of many varieties I can´t remember eating before, and toast and mango jam.
Not sure if and how I´m going to write this blog. The leader is an American who now lives with his family in Costa Rica and is now full-time during the season; and one of his colleagues has written extensive notes on the planned trip day by day. So I could write this up any time. Instead I´ll maybe write in a thematic manner. It´s different to New Zealand but I´ll try and make it interesting.
This computer has free access for guests. It´s located in the central open area of the hotel planted with trees and flowers. It´s 6:30pm and there are few bugs around but only marginally irritating. Temperature must be about 28C and pretty humid.
I'd never been through Miami Airport before but it´s new and pretty impressive. US Immigration must have been investing money in the number of Immigration Desks, and particularly, in Customer Service courses, as things were quick and smooth. Mind you this is off-season, and the procedures of having four fingers of both hands and thumbs plus face photographed will cause big delays at peak time. Still, the need to pick up your bag, trail it through Customs and then, apparently randomly, pass it under a tape to some guys to put on another carousel, doesn´t seem so efficient. The bag of one of our group went missing here: she got it 2 days later minus all her jewellery etc.
Got out of Managua Airport by 8:50pm and into the hotel Patio del Maninche by 10pm: This was 4am UK time so everyone was exhausted. The group is 16 strong, with 2 Aussies, 1 Canadian woman and 13 Brits. Aside from myself, there was a semi-retired dentist and his wife (of Polish origin) in their 60s, who had been on 15 Exodus trips, their favourite being the Galapagos Islands; 8, I'm guessing in their 40s, including two couples; 4 in their 30s, including one couple; and finally an English Exodus rep based in San Francisco aged 27.
We´re in the Patio del Malinche for two nights. Rooms are plainly furnished with air con and fan, and a good shower. Above average from my experiences I would say. Breakfast was brilliant: muesli with yogurt, fruit of many varieties I can´t remember eating before, and toast and mango jam.
Not sure if and how I´m going to write this blog. The leader is an American who now lives with his family in Costa Rica and is now full-time during the season; and one of his colleagues has written extensive notes on the planned trip day by day. So I could write this up any time. Instead I´ll maybe write in a thematic manner. It´s different to New Zealand but I´ll try and make it interesting.
This computer has free access for guests. It´s located in the central open area of the hotel planted with trees and flowers. It´s 6:30pm and there are few bugs around but only marginally irritating. Temperature must be about 28C and pretty humid.
Wednesday, 10 November 2010
Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama Trip Details
Here are a few trip details so that you can see where I'm going over the next 16 days.
I'm staying near Heathrow Airport on the evening of 12 November; and fly to Miami, departure 09:45, with a transfer onto a flight to Managua in Nicaragua, scheduled arrival time 20:30 on Saturday 13 November ( the time change is -6 hours, so that is 14:30 UK time); with a two hour bus transfer on to to Granada (Day 1).
We travel down the Pacific coast, over the border into Costa Rica on Day 5. The cycling in Costa Rica takes us close to the active Arenal Volcano as we ride through jungle and rural areas to the tropical lowlands on the Caribbean coast at Cahuita.
We move into Panama on Day 10 with some longer days cycling as we switch coasts again towards Santiago and then on to the Panama Canal and Panama City. We depart Panama City on the afternoon of Saturday 27 November at 14:00, transferring again at Miami for a 20:35 flight to London. Finally I am due to get a 15:00 flight on Sunday 28 November to Glasgow.
All international flights are American Airlines. Just a small detail for travellers: our American friends now require visas even for transit passengers. A new level of security checking. You can apply electronically, cost $14; lasts for 2 years.
I'm staying near Heathrow Airport on the evening of 12 November; and fly to Miami, departure 09:45, with a transfer onto a flight to Managua in Nicaragua, scheduled arrival time 20:30 on Saturday 13 November ( the time change is -6 hours, so that is 14:30 UK time); with a two hour bus transfer on to to Granada (Day 1).
We travel down the Pacific coast, over the border into Costa Rica on Day 5. The cycling in Costa Rica takes us close to the active Arenal Volcano as we ride through jungle and rural areas to the tropical lowlands on the Caribbean coast at Cahuita.
We move into Panama on Day 10 with some longer days cycling as we switch coasts again towards Santiago and then on to the Panama Canal and Panama City. We depart Panama City on the afternoon of Saturday 27 November at 14:00, transferring again at Miami for a 20:35 flight to London. Finally I am due to get a 15:00 flight on Sunday 28 November to Glasgow.
All international flights are American Airlines. Just a small detail for travellers: our American friends now require visas even for transit passengers. A new level of security checking. You can apply electronically, cost $14; lasts for 2 years.
Monday, 8 November 2010
Travels in Central America, 12-28 November 2010
Hello folks,
This is my first post since New Zealand & Australia at the start of 2010, and my first overseas trip except for work-related visits to Switzerland and Ireland. Unlike the Australasian travels, I am going to Central America as part of a group cycling holiday with the travel company Exodus.
It's my 5th overseas trip with Exodus, others being to Mali (Timbuctou, trekking etc, 2005); two to Morocco (ascent of Mount Toubkal, and Atlas Descent mountain biking, both 2007); and the Pyrenees (Pyrenees Single Track mountain biking, 2008).
The other travel company I have been on international walking holidays with is Ramblers Holidays to 6 locations (Mallorca, 1998; Las Alpujarras, Spain, 1999; Francavilla, Sicily, 1999/2000 millennium; Ligurian Alps, 2001; Andalucia, Spain, 2002; and Madeira, 2005/06 Xmas/New Year). Despite it's rather unfortunate brand name - when I first went with this company, my son commented 'when I think of Ramblers, I think of old guys like you with Rohan trousers'! - I've had some good walking and usually nice company.
As these are UK-based companies, most of the people are British, especially with Ramblers, where the age profile is older too. The Exodus mountain biking holidays in particular attract largely the 30-somethings age group. As with all these activity holidays, you can choose the grade you wish, although as I've found the grades are not always consistent! This can have interesting consequences as with my Pyrenees mountain biking where I went over the handlebars on the first morning, and then came off again when I skidded on some stream water on the same afternoon! Decidedly bloodied, but mostly unbowed, I got better! I still went over the handlebars a second time later in the week, and I was at the limit of my mountain biking 'expertise', but I enjoyed it a lot.
Anyhow in anticipation of going cycling in Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama, I thought it might be interesting to provide a few observations on the pros and cons of group holidays in case any readers are thinking of signing up. So here goes...obviously group holiday are are less flexible; some group leaders may permit people to do their own thing at particular times (such as going up a mountain which is outside the holiday grade - at one's own risk of course), but this is not the norm. For many people the fact of having no responsibility is a major plus point for group holidays, and basically it depends what one wants. Independent travelling has its limitations when there are language barriers or safety problems exist; and in some instances governments may not permit solo hiking as with the Inca Trail trek in Peru or where it's physically hardly possible to travel alone (the Manu Biosphere Reserve in the Amazon region falls into that category)
Outside these obvious points, there are a number of factors which determine the degree of enjoyment in group holidays (the actual holiday locations and activities have all been great, at least matching my expectations so I won't say any more about these issues):
This is my first post since New Zealand & Australia at the start of 2010, and my first overseas trip except for work-related visits to Switzerland and Ireland. Unlike the Australasian travels, I am going to Central America as part of a group cycling holiday with the travel company Exodus.
It's my 5th overseas trip with Exodus, others being to Mali (Timbuctou, trekking etc, 2005); two to Morocco (ascent of Mount Toubkal, and Atlas Descent mountain biking, both 2007); and the Pyrenees (Pyrenees Single Track mountain biking, 2008).
The other travel company I have been on international walking holidays with is Ramblers Holidays to 6 locations (Mallorca, 1998; Las Alpujarras, Spain, 1999; Francavilla, Sicily, 1999/2000 millennium; Ligurian Alps, 2001; Andalucia, Spain, 2002; and Madeira, 2005/06 Xmas/New Year). Despite it's rather unfortunate brand name - when I first went with this company, my son commented 'when I think of Ramblers, I think of old guys like you with Rohan trousers'! - I've had some good walking and usually nice company.
As these are UK-based companies, most of the people are British, especially with Ramblers, where the age profile is older too. The Exodus mountain biking holidays in particular attract largely the 30-somethings age group. As with all these activity holidays, you can choose the grade you wish, although as I've found the grades are not always consistent! This can have interesting consequences as with my Pyrenees mountain biking where I went over the handlebars on the first morning, and then came off again when I skidded on some stream water on the same afternoon! Decidedly bloodied, but mostly unbowed, I got better! I still went over the handlebars a second time later in the week, and I was at the limit of my mountain biking 'expertise', but I enjoyed it a lot.
Anyhow in anticipation of going cycling in Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama, I thought it might be interesting to provide a few observations on the pros and cons of group holidays in case any readers are thinking of signing up. So here goes...obviously group holiday are are less flexible; some group leaders may permit people to do their own thing at particular times (such as going up a mountain which is outside the holiday grade - at one's own risk of course), but this is not the norm. For many people the fact of having no responsibility is a major plus point for group holidays, and basically it depends what one wants. Independent travelling has its limitations when there are language barriers or safety problems exist; and in some instances governments may not permit solo hiking as with the Inca Trail trek in Peru or where it's physically hardly possible to travel alone (the Manu Biosphere Reserve in the Amazon region falls into that category)
Outside these obvious points, there are a number of factors which determine the degree of enjoyment in group holidays (the actual holiday locations and activities have all been great, at least matching my expectations so I won't say any more about these issues):
- Organization and logistics: All good. Flights and transportation were efficiently organized with people being met at the airport by the group leaders. The Ramblers trips were hotel based (2 star- ish) in one location, with day hill walking (except Madeira which had two centres over a 14 day period, the others being typically 8 days in length). The Pyrenees mountain biking with Exodus was based in a chalet; otherwise these Exodus trips involved trekking in whole or part (with camping / hutting on occasions) or mountain biking in the Anti-Atlas region where we stayed in hotels. I always have a single room in the small hotels even though the additional cost can be quite high.
- Group leader: The leader clearly plays a major part in the success of the trips. Mostly these were Brits, except in the case of Mali and Mount Toubkal where the leaders were locals, and the Pyrenees, where there is a French requirement to have a local as well as a British guide. There were one or two slight difficulties with Ramblers who may have trained volunteers as leaders, who weren't always so fluent in the local language or didn't really know the routes very well. In fairness I would say that some routes in Mallorca had been blocked off by land owners, associated with the big growth in German holiday home ownership. The best leaders were those who were efficient and friendly, but not over-friendly (I can think of one who seemed to be more interested in the women in the party than in guiding!). It's not an easy job though, given the personalities of the group members!
- Group profile: I talked a bit about the group age and nationality profiles above. From my perspective as a single and 'older' person, other factors influencing the success of trips were the mix of single/married people (sometimes the latter tend to stick together somewhat); age range didn't bother me despite being the oldest by far on the mountain biking trips; and nationality mix. I would say I prefer a range of nationalities since it makes for more interesting discussions. On Ramblers holidays, all-British groups wasn't an issue on the short trips, where conversation revolves around who has been where, when and associated anecdotes. But anything longer than a week or so means that conversations begin to get into potentially contentious topics. I have to confess my problem with the 'Middle Englanders' (they may not be English-they could be Scottish or Welsh!) and their illiberal / socially conservative views on immigration, gay rights, hanging and so on, and readership of you know what newspaper(s). So there are conversation topics to avoid, let's say.
In my New Zealand blog, I mentioned my favourite locations and I'll do the same for my group trips, although I'm loathe to rank them since they were very different:
- Atlas Descent-my first mountain biking with superb mountain scenery, and landscapes shimmering in the midday heat; pretty (albeit poor) little villages with bleating, bell-jangling goat herds. And we had a really great leader - Liz Proctor. It was graded higher than the Pyrenees trip but I think Liz altered routes to match group skills. The finale was amazing: a long downhill ride to the ocean.
- Francavilla, Sicily. This village resides above Beautiful Taormina with rugged landscapes and hill walking that included a partial climb of Mount Etna (we were forced back because of deep snow and volcanic activity). It was almost bound to be a hit because of the millennium. The group was great and we had a lot of fun. On New Year's Day there was a sinister atmosphere pervading the town centre - fires burning, gnarled old Sicilian men in dark shabby suits, grey day...Welcome to the new millennium.
- Mali (Timbuctou and the Dogons): I've been fascinated by Timbuctou since I was a child and always wanted to go there as it seemed so remote and romantic. I went with my friends Richard and Susan Shaw and Sue's friend Alex. The route went via the capital Bamako and along the River Niger, with some trekking and camping in the Dogons and thence on to Timbuctou by mini bus. Timbuctou, once a major centre for Islamic learning, is now being taken over by sand, as desertification sweeps inexorably southwards. It may not exist 50 years from now. The main street was 25-30 cms deep in sand, there was sand in the hot, humid wind, and sand in our bread rolls. The Tuareg looked menacing and hostile (and still have women slaves). I was pretty sick (like Richard too) and still I loved it.
- Now that I've identified the above three, I feel I shouldn't have done this. It means I've omitted the Ligurian Alps where we stayed in a quaint rustic village. The group was great and danced a lot, and we had stimulating conversations and ate homely Italian food.
In truth I've enjoyed everywhere. Just be positive and adaptive, and don't get involved in petty issues like how much the group should tip etc. And now to Central America!
Thursday, 7 January 2010
Sydney 7th January 2010
Postscript on New Zealand
A couple of things I wanted to mention before finally winding up New Zealand.
Someone might be interested in the distances I travelled. The total was 2861km of which 2117 was in the South Island. This is not an obsession I hasten to add! The figure is printed on the Hire Car invoice!
The second really fascinating issue concerns the role of the Maori in New Zealand (which I mentioned briefly) and especially, now that I'm in Oz, the comparison between the Maori and Aborigines in society. Of course the overwhelming number of place names in NZ are Maori (despite those associated with Cook etc); there is a significant Maori political party; and there is a Commission report which is being implemented after many years delay.
Sydney
I said I wasn't going to post a blog about Sydney, and I'm not. However, here is my itinerary!
Sunday 03/01/10. Only arrived in the evening so didn't do much except wander around and get some bearings.
Monday. Spent most of the day on the Hop-on/off bus Sydney (the ticket is $25 for those of us of a certain age - incidentally I didn't get concessions anywhere else except the Sydney Opera House tours as they are reserved for Aussies).
Tuesday. The ticket lasts 24 hours and has two two routes, the second being Bondi. So I took this to Bondi North and walked along the beaches/cliff tops between North Bondi and Coogee, where there's a marked path. It's not so far but took most of the day. Then I got normal service buses back to Bondi and then Circular Quay. This was great except the sun is hot here and I got burnt feet.
Wednesday. Ferry to Darling Harbour and return. This is regarded as the best way to see the Opera House and the harbour in general. I visited the National Maritime Museum at Darling Harbour which was disappointing. However the replica of Cook's ship HMB Endeavour was terrific. Just watch your head! On the return to Circular Quay I visited the Opera House, walked through the Botanic Gardens ( the large (fruit?) bats are impressive and noisy); and in the evening went for a city tour on the Monorail.
Thursday. Took another ferry ride to Manly, where I hired a bike and cycled around part of the Sydney National Park. Worked well and took most of the day.
Friday. My plans for the part of the day I have available are to visit the Art Gallery of NSW, the Australian Museum, and take the Opera House tour.
Not everyone's choice but perfect for me.
Back to the land of ice and snow...and it'll be nice to be home.
A couple of things I wanted to mention before finally winding up New Zealand.
Someone might be interested in the distances I travelled. The total was 2861km of which 2117 was in the South Island. This is not an obsession I hasten to add! The figure is printed on the Hire Car invoice!
The second really fascinating issue concerns the role of the Maori in New Zealand (which I mentioned briefly) and especially, now that I'm in Oz, the comparison between the Maori and Aborigines in society. Of course the overwhelming number of place names in NZ are Maori (despite those associated with Cook etc); there is a significant Maori political party; and there is a Commission report which is being implemented after many years delay.
Sydney
I said I wasn't going to post a blog about Sydney, and I'm not. However, here is my itinerary!
Sunday 03/01/10. Only arrived in the evening so didn't do much except wander around and get some bearings.
Monday. Spent most of the day on the Hop-on/off bus Sydney (the ticket is $25 for those of us of a certain age - incidentally I didn't get concessions anywhere else except the Sydney Opera House tours as they are reserved for Aussies).
Tuesday. The ticket lasts 24 hours and has two two routes, the second being Bondi. So I took this to Bondi North and walked along the beaches/cliff tops between North Bondi and Coogee, where there's a marked path. It's not so far but took most of the day. Then I got normal service buses back to Bondi and then Circular Quay. This was great except the sun is hot here and I got burnt feet.
Wednesday. Ferry to Darling Harbour and return. This is regarded as the best way to see the Opera House and the harbour in general. I visited the National Maritime Museum at Darling Harbour which was disappointing. However the replica of Cook's ship HMB Endeavour was terrific. Just watch your head! On the return to Circular Quay I visited the Opera House, walked through the Botanic Gardens ( the large (fruit?) bats are impressive and noisy); and in the evening went for a city tour on the Monorail.
Thursday. Took another ferry ride to Manly, where I hired a bike and cycled around part of the Sydney National Park. Worked well and took most of the day.
Friday. My plans for the part of the day I have available are to visit the Art Gallery of NSW, the Australian Museum, and take the Opera House tour.
Not everyone's choice but perfect for me.
Back to the land of ice and snow...and it'll be nice to be home.
Sunday, 3 January 2010
Sydney Monday 4th January 2010
Arrived in Sydney last night-absolutely exhausted for some reason. So much so that I mistook the huge mirror in the foyer for the reception! Not good but amusing. Anyway it's mid-morning in Sydney and before I get immersed in the city, I wanted to complete my New Zealand blogging.
I thought it would be interesting to write up some overall thoughts on my trip, so here goes. I had a great time, I must say, in what is a beautiful and extraordinarily varied country. It's young geologically and changing fast, sitting as it does on two geological faultlines. Hence the volcanoes, geysers and hot springs, earthquakes, avalanches and so on.
Would I like to live in New Zealand? It isn't going to happen of course, but the answer is probably not. It would be a very comfortable and peaceful location (I don't know about social security systems and so on, of course) and great for a couple of years. But it's terribly isolated and I like having big cities on my doorstep. It's a long way even to Sydney.
Nicest cities? Probably Auckland and Wellington (although the latter shares with the Butt of Lewis a lot of gales which whistle through the Cook Straits). They have beautiful waterfront locations and have exploited them to the full.
What were my favourite trips/activities/locations? In rank order, something like the following:
#1 Tongariro Crossing. My first real experience of walks in New Zealand and in beautiful weather.
#2 Arthur's Pass Village - just everything about it was terrific. The walking/climbing; the food in the Wobbly Kea-first time I've had two lamb shanks served on my plate [but subsequently found it common]; the coffee in the village store (best in New Zealand); my accommodation; and the assisistance of the Department of Conservation (DOC) staff, especially a man from Lockerbie. And..the weather was beautiful, most unexpected and one might go back another half dozen times and be faced with cloud and rain.
#3 Elm Wildlife Tour. Not simply the Royal Albatrosses and Yellow-Eyed Penguins but the wildlife in general - fur seals, waders (the Spoonbill is impressive in flight; it looks like Concorde), raptors (Australasian Harriers) - and the location on a hilly peninsula (I think some of our small group found the walking up and down hills to/from beaches a bit strenuous).
#4 Routeburn Track, even though I only had a day walk.
#5 Milford Road and Milford Sound: sites and sounds and very informative nature commentary.
Best YHAs. No problems anywhere. Apart from Arthur's Pass, Te Anau and Wellingon stand out for different reasons; the former was very small and peaceful, the latter big and bustling but the staff couldn't have been more helpful and my room was especially nice.
What would I do if I went back? Three things for certain: tramp one of the Great Walks (probably the full Routeburn or Milford Tracks); go walking on Mount Cook; and get to the South (the Caitlins, Invercargill and Stewart Island).
What would I do differently? Eat less junk food - New Zealand is big on big pies and sausage rolls, and muffins. I blame Tom Brewer for introducing me to blueberry muffins in Maine! Yesterday in Christchurch I had a chocolate and strawberry muffin. Wonderful! Of course I wouldn't eat less junk food-me a chocoholic and fat lover! Food portions, are, as you might expect pretty large, but food was fairly consistent in quality at the middle price range level. Coffee quality deteriorated as I went south from Arthur's Pass. Having thought I'd settled on my preferred coffee - 'flat white' - it turned into weak milky concoctions. This was particularly an issue because while I was driving I found myself salivating mid-morning thinking about an 'Arthur's Pass (or more generally North Island) coffee' stop! However things got better when I switched to cappuccino! Long story, but of course I wouldn't eat less junk food.
Misc blogettes to finish
1. Apropos the Hogmany celebrations in Dunedin. Saturday's paper claimed that there were 10,000 people in the Octagon (compared with my 1,500 estimate). Maybe somewhere in the middle would be accurate. I mentioned about the poor rendition of Auld Lang Syne. Just thinking that the lack of knowledge of the words would not please Rabbie Burns whose statue presides imposingly over the Octagon!
2. The contrast between 'Scottish' Dunedin and 'English' Christchurch was very striking. The Edinburgh street names in the former contrast with Oxford and Cambridge Terraces, punting (yes really) on the River Avon, Canterbury Museum etc. I came across one fascinating example on Saturday evening when I went to The Brewer's Arms on the recommendation of the Motel owner in the Merivale area of the city where I was staying. The pub was built in English village pub style; next to it was a (tiny) Merivale Village Green (maintained by a local society); and next to that Merivale Church. The latter was renamed from St Alban's Uniting Church Methodist -Presbyterian and originated in AD 1894. The history of the Christian churches in New Zealand is a fascinating story with lots of rivalry and intrigue.
3. Vocabulary. I'm sure there must be many differences, but here's an example. I was listening to the radio and there was a discussion involving a PR woman talking about the Tiger Woods Affair(s). She stated that it could have been handled better 'to avoid getting into a rolling maul' - I think she was talking about the way in which the press kept pushing on the issue (but it could have other interpretations!). Otherwise 'mince pies' become 'Xmas tarts', and packets of nuts & raisins become 'Scroggin Mix' for trampers. Incidentally, New Zealand Radio National was the only station I could get consistently while driving; apart from that station, I seemed only to come across random farming or rugby programmes.
Well that's about it folks. I hope you found something interesting here. I've enjoyed doing it for sure, and it has made me more aware of my surroundings as I've been travelling. So thanks to everyone who has encouraged me.
Now to get into Sydney...
Steve
I thought it would be interesting to write up some overall thoughts on my trip, so here goes. I had a great time, I must say, in what is a beautiful and extraordinarily varied country. It's young geologically and changing fast, sitting as it does on two geological faultlines. Hence the volcanoes, geysers and hot springs, earthquakes, avalanches and so on.
Would I like to live in New Zealand? It isn't going to happen of course, but the answer is probably not. It would be a very comfortable and peaceful location (I don't know about social security systems and so on, of course) and great for a couple of years. But it's terribly isolated and I like having big cities on my doorstep. It's a long way even to Sydney.
Nicest cities? Probably Auckland and Wellington (although the latter shares with the Butt of Lewis a lot of gales which whistle through the Cook Straits). They have beautiful waterfront locations and have exploited them to the full.
What were my favourite trips/activities/locations? In rank order, something like the following:
#1 Tongariro Crossing. My first real experience of walks in New Zealand and in beautiful weather.
#2 Arthur's Pass Village - just everything about it was terrific. The walking/climbing; the food in the Wobbly Kea-first time I've had two lamb shanks served on my plate [but subsequently found it common]; the coffee in the village store (best in New Zealand); my accommodation; and the assisistance of the Department of Conservation (DOC) staff, especially a man from Lockerbie. And..the weather was beautiful, most unexpected and one might go back another half dozen times and be faced with cloud and rain.
#3 Elm Wildlife Tour. Not simply the Royal Albatrosses and Yellow-Eyed Penguins but the wildlife in general - fur seals, waders (the Spoonbill is impressive in flight; it looks like Concorde), raptors (Australasian Harriers) - and the location on a hilly peninsula (I think some of our small group found the walking up and down hills to/from beaches a bit strenuous).
#4 Routeburn Track, even though I only had a day walk.
#5 Milford Road and Milford Sound: sites and sounds and very informative nature commentary.
Best YHAs. No problems anywhere. Apart from Arthur's Pass, Te Anau and Wellingon stand out for different reasons; the former was very small and peaceful, the latter big and bustling but the staff couldn't have been more helpful and my room was especially nice.
What would I do if I went back? Three things for certain: tramp one of the Great Walks (probably the full Routeburn or Milford Tracks); go walking on Mount Cook; and get to the South (the Caitlins, Invercargill and Stewart Island).
What would I do differently? Eat less junk food - New Zealand is big on big pies and sausage rolls, and muffins. I blame Tom Brewer for introducing me to blueberry muffins in Maine! Yesterday in Christchurch I had a chocolate and strawberry muffin. Wonderful! Of course I wouldn't eat less junk food-me a chocoholic and fat lover! Food portions, are, as you might expect pretty large, but food was fairly consistent in quality at the middle price range level. Coffee quality deteriorated as I went south from Arthur's Pass. Having thought I'd settled on my preferred coffee - 'flat white' - it turned into weak milky concoctions. This was particularly an issue because while I was driving I found myself salivating mid-morning thinking about an 'Arthur's Pass (or more generally North Island) coffee' stop! However things got better when I switched to cappuccino! Long story, but of course I wouldn't eat less junk food.
Misc blogettes to finish
1. Apropos the Hogmany celebrations in Dunedin. Saturday's paper claimed that there were 10,000 people in the Octagon (compared with my 1,500 estimate). Maybe somewhere in the middle would be accurate. I mentioned about the poor rendition of Auld Lang Syne. Just thinking that the lack of knowledge of the words would not please Rabbie Burns whose statue presides imposingly over the Octagon!
2. The contrast between 'Scottish' Dunedin and 'English' Christchurch was very striking. The Edinburgh street names in the former contrast with Oxford and Cambridge Terraces, punting (yes really) on the River Avon, Canterbury Museum etc. I came across one fascinating example on Saturday evening when I went to The Brewer's Arms on the recommendation of the Motel owner in the Merivale area of the city where I was staying. The pub was built in English village pub style; next to it was a (tiny) Merivale Village Green (maintained by a local society); and next to that Merivale Church. The latter was renamed from St Alban's Uniting Church Methodist -Presbyterian and originated in AD 1894. The history of the Christian churches in New Zealand is a fascinating story with lots of rivalry and intrigue.
3. Vocabulary. I'm sure there must be many differences, but here's an example. I was listening to the radio and there was a discussion involving a PR woman talking about the Tiger Woods Affair(s). She stated that it could have been handled better 'to avoid getting into a rolling maul' - I think she was talking about the way in which the press kept pushing on the issue (but it could have other interpretations!). Otherwise 'mince pies' become 'Xmas tarts', and packets of nuts & raisins become 'Scroggin Mix' for trampers. Incidentally, New Zealand Radio National was the only station I could get consistently while driving; apart from that station, I seemed only to come across random farming or rugby programmes.
Well that's about it folks. I hope you found something interesting here. I've enjoyed doing it for sure, and it has made me more aware of my surroundings as I've been travelling. So thanks to everyone who has encouraged me.
Now to get into Sydney...
Steve
Friday, 1 January 2010
Christchurch 2nd January 2010
The last time I wrote I had just arrived in Dunedin and I blogged (is that correct?) a few immediate impressions. Maybe they were affected by the weather which was just like a late autumn day in Glasgow (and this is mid-summer!).
The history of the city is fascinating with the Free Church settlers from Edinburgh (via Lewis!?). There's a fantastic Otago Settler's Museum which fortunately begins with the Maori in around 1100, before going on to show the photos of the 340 arrivals from Scotland in 1848 and recounting their early history. I saw a couple of really old women with frightful Edinburgh accents, obviously descended from the original settlers. Apart from screwing up the location and planning-they superimposed Edinburgh and it's street plan upon a very hilly Dunedin-they did create a number of firsts, including New Zealand's first university, its first all girls school, as well as a robust banking system.
Dunedin is a small city - not much more than 100, 000 (excluding the 16,000 students who were on holiday), although it is spread over a wide area. It has an attractive location, but lacks the beautiful waterfronts of Auckland and Wellington. And it is a bit of a hotch potch as I said before. There are beautiful Victorian buildings - as you see all over the former colonial world-but the grey stone is different. The Railway Station is a work of art. However planning seems to have gone awry because there is an industrial area (including a Cadbury's factory very close to the centre of the city-and Cadbury's is the best of it!) and it's a bit of a mess. Beyond that is the University, Botanic Gardens and Otago Museum, all very attractive. The university has lots of greenery and an old central building with a tower supposedly replicating something in Scotland, but I'll need to check what. The tower isn't as grand as that at Glasgow University (!)-the bus tour guide announced it as a copy of Glasgow University but it can't be.
I did lots in my time in Dunedin: the Taieri Gorge Railway trip (supposedly one of the 10 best of such train journeys in the world!?! Embarassingly I haven't been on the West Highland Line in Scotalnd so I can't comment); New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame; Otago Settler's Museum; Otago Museum; and Botanic Gardens. But for me the highlight was the Elm Wildlife Tour I took yesterday to the Otago Peninsula (3:30-10:00pm) to see the albatross colony and a developing colony of yellow-eyed penguins. We were really lucky with the albatross as the wind got up, encouraging flight. They are huge, wing span over 9ft, and beautiful in flight. Maybe I'll write more later on the albatross. Our group then went to see a colony of yellow-eyed penguins: they have only relatively recently returned to the Otago Pensinsula and this company is highly conservation-minded and they've helped numbers expand significantly. They run a penguin clinic to restore injured penguins back to good health. The guides were passionate about their work. It was a pleasure to be with them. Anyway we watched then return to land after their day's fishing. They are small forest penguins so have their nests on the hillside above the beach. But they seem to arrive singly, so they appeared so forlorn doing their Charlie Chaplin walk up the beautiful long sandy beach; and also a bit stressed as there was a sea lion and one or two seals around. It was an absolute thrill then to see them meeting their partners and having a little kiss & cuddle-so beautiful and moving. The company has built some hides so you can see them up close. Fantastic day, the more so since the weather was a glorious, sunny 25C.
The wildlife trip was on New Year's Day. I went up to the Octagon (an open event area in the centre of town) the previous evening for the Hogmanay celebrations: they had a few bands playing and a firework display at midnight. There must have been about 1,500 people, I'm guessing, including many families with children, so it wasn't a drunken affair; and mostly tourists. The lead singer in the band playing at the bells didn't know the words for Auld Lang Syne, but it wouldn't matter since most people there didn't either (they might not even have been aware of Auld Lang Syne and especially its significance)! Still it was a pleasant, relaxed event-somehow I expected something more Scottish.
Today I drove to Christchurch, where I'm staying in a motel just outside town. The drive was less comfortable than any before-it was busy for the first time, with, I assume people going home after the holidays, and some of the overtaking was a bit hairy (the days have gone, when according to my son, Nick, I would only overtake on corners, on the brows of hills or when there was car coming in the opposite direction). It was also hot and I was feeling a bit sleepy. The drive took me through undulating country from Dunedin into the Canterbury plains and arable land (amazingly no sheep in sight!). Since I've come out of the mountains in the west, some of my generalisations need to be amended: I haven't seen a one-lane bridge again, which suggests that part of the reason for them is that they get washed away by floods or avalanches; and the towns up the east coast have traffic lights!
Enough for now. I may not continue this blog in Sydney but I'll try and make some observations on my New Zealand trip overall. Bye for now. Time to explore Christchurch.
The history of the city is fascinating with the Free Church settlers from Edinburgh (via Lewis!?). There's a fantastic Otago Settler's Museum which fortunately begins with the Maori in around 1100, before going on to show the photos of the 340 arrivals from Scotland in 1848 and recounting their early history. I saw a couple of really old women with frightful Edinburgh accents, obviously descended from the original settlers. Apart from screwing up the location and planning-they superimposed Edinburgh and it's street plan upon a very hilly Dunedin-they did create a number of firsts, including New Zealand's first university, its first all girls school, as well as a robust banking system.
Dunedin is a small city - not much more than 100, 000 (excluding the 16,000 students who were on holiday), although it is spread over a wide area. It has an attractive location, but lacks the beautiful waterfronts of Auckland and Wellington. And it is a bit of a hotch potch as I said before. There are beautiful Victorian buildings - as you see all over the former colonial world-but the grey stone is different. The Railway Station is a work of art. However planning seems to have gone awry because there is an industrial area (including a Cadbury's factory very close to the centre of the city-and Cadbury's is the best of it!) and it's a bit of a mess. Beyond that is the University, Botanic Gardens and Otago Museum, all very attractive. The university has lots of greenery and an old central building with a tower supposedly replicating something in Scotland, but I'll need to check what. The tower isn't as grand as that at Glasgow University (!)-the bus tour guide announced it as a copy of Glasgow University but it can't be.
I did lots in my time in Dunedin: the Taieri Gorge Railway trip (supposedly one of the 10 best of such train journeys in the world!?! Embarassingly I haven't been on the West Highland Line in Scotalnd so I can't comment); New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame; Otago Settler's Museum; Otago Museum; and Botanic Gardens. But for me the highlight was the Elm Wildlife Tour I took yesterday to the Otago Peninsula (3:30-10:00pm) to see the albatross colony and a developing colony of yellow-eyed penguins. We were really lucky with the albatross as the wind got up, encouraging flight. They are huge, wing span over 9ft, and beautiful in flight. Maybe I'll write more later on the albatross. Our group then went to see a colony of yellow-eyed penguins: they have only relatively recently returned to the Otago Pensinsula and this company is highly conservation-minded and they've helped numbers expand significantly. They run a penguin clinic to restore injured penguins back to good health. The guides were passionate about their work. It was a pleasure to be with them. Anyway we watched then return to land after their day's fishing. They are small forest penguins so have their nests on the hillside above the beach. But they seem to arrive singly, so they appeared so forlorn doing their Charlie Chaplin walk up the beautiful long sandy beach; and also a bit stressed as there was a sea lion and one or two seals around. It was an absolute thrill then to see them meeting their partners and having a little kiss & cuddle-so beautiful and moving. The company has built some hides so you can see them up close. Fantastic day, the more so since the weather was a glorious, sunny 25C.
The wildlife trip was on New Year's Day. I went up to the Octagon (an open event area in the centre of town) the previous evening for the Hogmanay celebrations: they had a few bands playing and a firework display at midnight. There must have been about 1,500 people, I'm guessing, including many families with children, so it wasn't a drunken affair; and mostly tourists. The lead singer in the band playing at the bells didn't know the words for Auld Lang Syne, but it wouldn't matter since most people there didn't either (they might not even have been aware of Auld Lang Syne and especially its significance)! Still it was a pleasant, relaxed event-somehow I expected something more Scottish.
Today I drove to Christchurch, where I'm staying in a motel just outside town. The drive was less comfortable than any before-it was busy for the first time, with, I assume people going home after the holidays, and some of the overtaking was a bit hairy (the days have gone, when according to my son, Nick, I would only overtake on corners, on the brows of hills or when there was car coming in the opposite direction). It was also hot and I was feeling a bit sleepy. The drive took me through undulating country from Dunedin into the Canterbury plains and arable land (amazingly no sheep in sight!). Since I've come out of the mountains in the west, some of my generalisations need to be amended: I haven't seen a one-lane bridge again, which suggests that part of the reason for them is that they get washed away by floods or avalanches; and the towns up the east coast have traffic lights!
Enough for now. I may not continue this blog in Sydney but I'll try and make some observations on my New Zealand trip overall. Bye for now. Time to explore Christchurch.
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