Milford Sounds, New Zealand
Declared the eighth Wonder of the World by Rudyard Kipling Milford Sounds is New Zealand’s most famous tourist destination, and not without good reason. Probably my highlight of a trip to New Zealand, located in the Flordlands of the South Island of New Zealand, Milford Sounds has got be some of the best scenery I’ve ever seen.
Filed under Highlights, New Zealand, Things to do in New Zealand | Comments (2)Spaghetti and Cheese Ice Cream, Merida, Venezuela
Things to do in Merida - Eat strange flavoured ice cream
Merida has an ice cream parlour that boasts the greatest number of different flavours of ice cream in the world. I tried spaghetti n cheese and the salmon ice cream before some strawberry to take the strange taste away.
On the wall there’s a list of all the different flavours that they have offered over the years, unfortunately the world cup 98 flavour wasn’t available, wonder what that tasted of?
The likeness to the flavours is quite amazing, give it a go!
Filed under Highlights, Off the beaten track, Things to do in Venezuela, Venezuela | Comment (1)Take a ride on the world’s longest cable car, Merida, Venezuela
Reaching an altitude of 4765 m. Merida’s cable car is the highest in the world.
The cable car consists of four sections for a total length of 12.5 km. The altitude at the top is higher than any point in Europe and USA excluding Alaska.
The first section starts at Barinitas station (1577m) the corner of the square with the fountain, it ends up at La Montaña station (2577 m.), go for a walk around and gaze upon the beauty of Merida sat far down below. Hopefully you wont be feeling too light headed at this point.
The next two stages reach La Aguada station (3452 m.) and Loma Redonda station (4045 m.), if your unlucky it may leave you feeling altitude sick, but fingers crossed you’ll be alright and be able to warm yourself with a tasty cup of chocolate.
Have a real good rest at this point, walk very slowly, don’t run around and get used to the altitude as much as you can before taking the final assent.
The final stage takes you to Pico Espejo (Mirror Peak - 4765 m.) where you can walk outside amongst the snow. Cross your fingers again and hope you have a clear day and are able to see all around, we didn’t’ but enjoyed watching the Venezuelans (many of them would never have seen snow before) play in the snow as we slowly walked around.
Hotels, Guesthouses and Hostels With a View
Having just added a post about Lake Tekapo Youth Hostel in New Zealand it got me thinking about places to stay that have awe inspiring views.
In no particular order here’s some I can remember staying in (will ad more as I remember)
- Lake Tekapo Youth Hostel - one of the best hostels with a view I can think of, a spectacular view of lake and mountains.
- Bunga Bungalows Gili Ai, Indonesia - Bungalows sitting meters from the beach with a spectacular view across turquoise sea to Bali.
Condors at the Colca Canyon, Peru
Twice as deep as the Grand Canyon (though the walls aren’t as sheer) The Colca Canyon is the second deepest Canyon in the world (2nd only to the The Cotahuasi Canyon situated further to the northwest)
The most popular reason for a visit to the Colca Canyon is to see the Andean Condors close up as they soar gracefully rising up on the warm airs from deep in the canyon ready for a days hunting, but spend a few days there, visiting the villages and a stay at the Oasis is a really memorable experience. Continue reading »
Filed under Highlights, Off the beaten track, Peru | Comment (1)Hand Pies in Australia and New Zealand
A trip to Australia or New Zealand would not be complete without sampling the national dish, the pie.
In new Zealand a detour to the little town of (need to remember the name!) is the best place to enjoy the incredibly tasty pastries.
In Australia, (I can’t remember what the bakery was called but I remember many visits) a drunken night out would not have been complete without a visit to the 23 hour pie shop in Byron Bay. It was on the main street and as with most pie shops in Australia and New Zealand the array of different pies available was incredible, from spaghetti bolognese to steak egg and cheese.
Don’t miss this national dish, I know i do now I’m not there
Filed under Australia, Food, Highlights, New Zealand, Things to do in New Zealand | Comment (0)Lapa, Rio de Janeiro
Dont waste your money going to the swanky areas like Ipanema, head strait for a samba club in Lapa, find a partner and samba the night away. Continue reading »
Filed under Brazil, Highlights | Comment (0)Khao Sok National Park, Thailand
Khao Sok National Park situated in Southern Thailand Khao Sok National park consists of the oldest evergreen rainforest in the world, huge limestone khast mountains emerge from the trees with networks of tunnels running throughout. Continue reading »
Filed under Highlights, Off the beaten track, Thailand, Things to do in Thailand | Comment (0)Worlds Most Dangerous Road, Bolivia
As you leave La Paz the highest capital city in the world at 3500m you continue to climb before you reach the worlds most dangerous road. Every year 300 people die travelling the 50m stretch from La Paz to Corrico. Now a major Bolivian tourist attraction, mountain biking down the road is extremely popular but still very dangerous.
Filed under Bolivia, Highlights, Things to do in Bolivia | Comment (0)Kelimutu, Flores, Indonesia
Looking down over the small village of Moni, Kelimutu truly is a sight to behold. The incredible 3 lakes coloured green, chocolate and black are a natural phenomenon. Making a trip here travelling by boat and bus from Bali is certainly not easy. We spent 2 days of solid travel to get there. After negotiating with the tauts getting lied to about a ferry not running, the bus setting on fire, waiting an entire day being stared at in a grotty port and sleeping on a concrete floor of a ferry we finally made it, and it was breathtaking…
Filed under Highlights, Indonesia, Off the beaten track | Comment (0)
