Just back from – a day trip to Regensburg
I’ve washed the smell of wood smoke out of my hair and a couple of Ibuprofen have sorted out the backache, for now at least. My latest day trip was the longest yet, but proof yet again that you don’t need to overnight to enjoy a rewarding experience over in continental Europe. This time, I had my sights set on Germany’s famous Christmas markets.
This month’s destination, hot on the heels of Budapest, Bremen, Belfast, Lisbon and Amsterdam which have previously featured on this blog, took me to Nuremberg. A flash sale on Ryanair’s website netted me return flights to the Bavarian city for the princely sum of £4.08 all in. The offer was one with limited availability, not only in terms of seats but also in validity, solely for flights on Tuesdays or Wednesdays in November. Such offers come up quite often and it’s worth subscribing to Ryanair’s email alerts if you’re within easy reach of Stansted. I also saved money on my airport parking by purchasing it through the Holiday Extras website which saved me over a fiver. My 7.35am flight from Stansted was on time and we touched down shortly after 10.15am.
I made use of the Bayern ticket which I’d learnt about on a trip to Munich. The ticket’s valid for a day from 9am to 3am the next day which gives plenty of time for sightseeing. It offers unlimited travel throughout Bavaria on all trains except ICE, IC and EC (so basically excludes high speed trains) as well as city transport in many of the larger cities. The cost? A flat fare of 23 euros if bought from a ticket machine, 25 euros if bought from a kiosk. Unfortunately there’s no train service from Nuremberg airport which means no DB ticket machines (a U-bahn service operates instead with a fare of 3 euros for a ticket with 90 minutes’ validity) so I had to buy the Bayern ticket at the Airport Information desk for the higher price. As it covers the U-bahn that was still the cheapest way of doing it.
It wasn’t long before I was in Regensburg and my first stop was the Neupfarrplatz Christkindlmarkt. Most German Christmas markets get underway on 25th November this year, but Regensburg’s begin a couple of days earlier. The market was well underway at midday, a mix of traditional market stalls and refreshment huts. Next I checked out the Lucrezia Craft Market, though that was still being set up. There were some stalls that had limited wares on display, the likes of sheepskin clothing, wood carvings and handmade silver jewellery. To reach the third of Regensburg’s markets I needed to cross the old stone bridge at the Spitalgarten. Again, setting up was in progress but the walk was a pretty one and there were sheep waiting in the wings to coo over.
I crossed back over the Danube for a lunch stop at the Regensburg Sausage Kitchen, one of the oldest restaurants in Germany. Prices were reasonable and they did takeaway, though even at the end of November, it was warm enough in the sunshine to eat at one of its picnic tables.
The main focus of my visit was the Christmas market at the Thurn und Taxis Palace. Regensburg’s Old Town has hundreds of listed buildings but this palace and its grounds are the jewel in the crown. The Christmas market is more than just a market, with live music and even visiting alpacas and camels. The latter obviously play a role in the Christmas story but I think the alpacas were just there as a crowd-pleaser; certainly every time I held up the camera, they turned their heads and posed!
But let’s get down to business: this is no ordinary market. Princess Gloria from Thurn und Taxis apparently is pretty hands-on with the organisation of the market and I did see a couple of elegant, well-dressed women who might have been her. The market, less well known outside Germany than the likes of Munich’s markets for instance, attracts a mainly local crowd, though it’s definitely worth making the journey for.
The market attracts artisans not just from Germany, but from surrounding countries such as Austria as well. The man selling delicious hot cheese bread had made the journey from the Voralberg and the journey had done his cheese no harm at all. It was cheap, filling and almost worth the market’s 6,50 entrance fee in itself.
As darkness fell, the market took on a magical atmosphere. Open fires and strings of fairylights added to the romance of the market and there were plenty of stalls to browse. It’s at dusk when you really start to appreciate the attention to detail. Stallholders decorate their huts with freshly cut branches from pines, spruces and firs: the smells as well as the aesthetics are something to savour.
The good thing about not having to pay for accommodation is that there was plenty of cash in the budget that could be used for souvenir shopping instead: I was spoilt for choice amongst a wide selection of products including sheepskin rugs, rustic Christmas ornaments, clothing and handcrafted metal ware.
The palace itself, larger than Buckingham Palace, looked spectacular as the lights came on. At six, a pair of trumpeters heralded the official start to the festivities, followed by a choir and costumed soloists. The balcony overlooking the main courtyard provided the perfect staging.
Eventually, it was time to wander back to the station for a train to take me back to Nuremberg. The seven hours I’d spent in this delightful city was plenty to enjoy it without rushing. My flight departed more or less on time at 10.35pm; I’d landed and cleared immigration well before midnight UK time.
I’m already planning my next day out to a European Christmas market – but this time, I’m off to Copenhagen and I’ll be blogging about it next month.
Will you be trying Eurostar’s cheap deal?
Interesting article in the news today that Eurostar will be offering some very cheap deals on its fares to Paris, Brussels and Lille. The fares will be available for trains from the end of November to mid-January and you can book from next week. Simon Calder was explaining the offer during a breakfast television segment this morning, and the Independent article he wrote on the story can be read here:
On the face of it, £19 each way sounds like a bargain and I’m certainly one who’d usually espouse the benefits of train travel over flying. However, I’m not sure I like the terms and conditions – if it wasn’t enough that you don’t find out which time train you’re on until almost the last minute (you could end up trying to get to St Pancras very early!), if the train they allocate for you gets full at the last minute you’re going to be bumped to a jump seat.
I had a look at easyJet’s website to see what kind of prices they’re offering from Luton, Gatwick and Southend – there are some good deals to be had especially in January, with Southend coming out as the cheapest at the time of writing. It looks like flying won’t cost much more than the Eurostar, and of course you get to choose exactly what time you depart and return. In terms of travel time, it would take me as long to get to LTN, LGW and SEN as it would to central London, so for me that factor doesn’t influence my decision.
Personally, I’m no great fan of Paris or Brussels, and as I’m off to Nuremberg soon with Ryanair for the princely sum of £4 return including tax, I shan’t be booking. What about you? Would this special offer tempt you?
Been there, done that, now what?
I wouldn’t class myself as a jaded traveller. I still get excited as I pack my wheelie and I even still love dragging myself out of bed in the pitch black to make an early flight. But there are places that I’ve tired of, places where I find myself wondering why they’re so hyped. If I never got to go to Paris or Amsterdam again, I wouldn’t be concerned. (But let’s not include New York in there because I’d be gutted to think I could ever be done with that incredible city.)
Tulips from Amsterdam
Increasingly, though, I’m keen to seek out places without crowds, not so much out of some kind of snobbish one upmanship but more out of a desire to be completely unsociable. We introverts need our space, you know. So which alternative destinations do I recommend if you’re looking for an off the beaten track experience?
Been there: Cusco and the Sacred Valley
Now what: Chachapoyas
The wealth of Inca sites in and around the Peruvian city of Cusco makes the area one of the country’s most visited. From Sacsayhuaman to Machu Picchu, this splendid heritage makes for fascinating viewing, but year on year visitor numbers have soared and you’ll be hard pushed to find space for quiet reflection unless you seek out some of the lesser-known places like Poroy and Chinchero.
Kuelap fortress
Trailblazers should ditch the crowds and fly north from the Peruvian capital Lima instead of south. Basing yourself in the charming town of Chachapoyas, you’ll be well placed to visit the intriguing hilltop fortress of Kuelap as well as the sarcophagi at Karajia. Find out everything you need to know about arranging your trip here:
https://juliamhammond.wordpress.com/2014/11/25/northern-peru-the-chacha-circuit/
Been there: Dominican Republic
Now what: Haiti
Not for the faint hearted, a trip to Haiti’s going to require you to keep your wits about you. Compared to its Hispaniolan neighbour, the Dominican Republic, package tourism is in its infancy and largely confined to Labadee in the north of the island. Instead of all-inclusives and the hard sell at the end of a rum factory tour, head over the border and make for the sleepy beach at Port Salut.
Fishing boat on Pointe Sable, Port Salut
You won’t find a bustling resort, rowdy beach bars or pestering hawkers who won’t leave you alone until they’ve made a sale. At weekends, a steady stream of ex-pat aid workers from Port au Prince gives the place some life, but if all you want is pristine white sand, crystal clear turquoise waters and a cold beer, then come on a weekday and you’ll have the place to yourself. See why I liked it here:
https://juliamhammond.wordpress.com/2015/02/14/the-best-beach-in-haiti/
Been there: Andalusia
Now what: Extremadura
I’m a big fan of Andalusia, from the tranquil elegance of the Mezquita in Cordoba to the bustling alleyways of the Jewish quarter in Seville. The delightfully atmospheric hamman in Jerez offered welcome respite from scorching afternoon sun and the towers of Cadiz offered a glimpse into that city’s fascinating maritime past. This year, though, for the first time, I dragged myself away from Andalusia’s comforting familiarity and ventured north to Extremadura.
Vivid colours and unspoilt views
This overlooked region still has its pueblos blancos, like Zafra. It offers the gourmand such a choice in unmissable foodie experiences that stay too long and you’ll need to pay for an extra seat on the plane to accommodate a vastly enlarged belly. And the scenery, both natural and built, is as transfixing as its more popular neighbour. My favourites? Monfragüe National Park’s showstopping scenery and Trujillo’s atmospheric back street bakeries selling yummy yemas. Find out what else you shouldn’t miss here:
https://juliamhammond.wordpress.com/2016/07/12/a-beginners-guide-to-extremadura/
Been there: Vienna, Budapest and Prague
Now what: Lviv
Given the political situation in parts of Ukraine, you could be forgiven for thinking I’ve lost my mind in recommending one of its cities instead of the other gems of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. But Lviv was annexed by Austria in 1772 and, known as Lemburg, had more in common with west than east. Belle Epoque mansions and public buildings built in Viennese style still characterise today’s Lviv. It’s a very rewarding place to explore on foot, safe and not at all what you’d expect from an ex-Soviet bloc city. I’ll have my coffee and cake here, thanks.
Elegant Lviv
Any other suggestions?
Of course, there’s a good reason why some parts of the planet attract so many of us. But if you venture off on your own, the rewards are limitless. Where have you been that improves upon one of the world’s top rated destinations?
Pick somewhere safe for your travels this year
In a world where, sadly, incidents of terrorism and violent crime are all too common, it can be a worrying proposition to plan a trip outside a familiar environment. Ongoing conflicts and political uncertainty place too many countries strictly off-limits for the time being at least, including destinations to which I’ve enjoyed peaceful holidays in the past, like Syria and Ukraine.
A tranquil scene in Hama, Syria photographed in 2010
According to the 2016 Global Peace Index, seven out of the top ten safest destinations for travellers are in Europe. Iceland, one of the world’s most fashionable must-sees right now, takes the top spot, with Denmark and Austria snapping at its heels.
The Sun Voyager statue, Reykjavik
For a full list of countries you can view the entire report here:
Click to access GPI%202016%20Report_2.pdf
The Economist’s Intelligence Unit creates its own list based on perceptions and reality in fifty of the world’s cities. It’s not as comprehensive a report but it does give an interesting insight into the situation in some of the world’s most influential and populous cities. In 2015, Tokyo was deemed the safest of the cities investigated, closely followed by Singapore and Osaka, demonstrating that Europe doesn’t have a monopoly on safe travel.
Tokyo: safe doesn’t have to be boring
See the report here:
Click to access EIU_Safe_Cities_Index_2015_white_paper-1.pdf
Sometimes, perceptions can be very different to reality. I made my fourth trip to Lima in 2014 and felt much safer than when I first visited in 1995 (and definitely safer than when I was almost mugged there in 2006). Yet The Economist places the Peruvian capital at number 38 (out of 50) on its summary list. I spent the majority of time during my last visit in the prosperous Barranco and Miraflores districts, which might go some way to explaining the discrepancy.
Lima coastal view
So what can you do to ensure you don’t unwittingly stumble into trouble?
Read government advice before you travel
If I’m planning a trip somewhere, I make this one of my first ports of call at the research stage so that I can make a considered decision as to whether I’m happy to put myself in that country. Sometimes, it’s as much a case of being prepared as being put off; if there’s an upcoming election for example, I might make sure I’m not in a large city in case the losing side get a bit shirty. The UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office maintain a comprehensive listing of travel advice by country here:
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
Carnival queen, Jacmel
Utilise social media
While travelling in Haiti last winter, I found Twitter an invaluable source of information as an unfolding labour dispute saw taxi drivers take to the street to blockade roads and set fire to piles of tyres. I was able to keep abreast of events happening in the capital Port au Prince and judge when it was safe to make the minibus journey back from the sleepy coffee town of Jacmel where I’d holed up to experience Carnaval.
Get advice from people who’ve just been there
The internet’s home to many forums specialising in travel and by posting for advice on a destination you’re hoping to visit you can tap into a wealth of information. Try forums such as Trip Advisor, Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree or myWanderlust whose regular posters are usually more than happy to help.
Residenzplatz, one of Salzburg’s prettiest corners
Trust your instincts
Finally, if something doesn’t feel quite right, go with your gut. That might mean you move on from a place that has a dodgy vibe or it might mean you shelve that trip for another time. After all, there’s always Austria…
What to do if… you miss your flight
One of the biggest obstacles to independent travel is the fear of things going wrong. Without the safety net of a tour company, worrying about how to cope might well seem like a sure fire way of ruining a good holiday. I decided long ago that I’d prefer to be in control – no surprises for those who know me beyond the computer screen. But things do go wrong and it’s good to know what to do if that’s the case.
Always good to see “On Time” showing
Missing a flight is stressful. It doesn’t matter why or whose fault it was, it’s stressful. Mostly, when I’ve missed flights, it’s been a case of a late-arriving inbound flight causing a missed connection, but I’ve arrived at the airport on more than one occasion to find my flight had already departed. You can read the stories here:
https://juliamhammond.wordpress.com/2014/10/15/five-reasons-to-travel-independently/
What to do if you miss a connecting flight because the inbound flight is late
If you’re still on the plane when your next one is merrily backing off the stand, no amount of pleading with airport staff is going to get you on that flight. The first thing to think about is whether you have a through ticket. If you buy two separate tickets and the first is delayed, the carrier operating the second leg has no obligation to honour your ticket. Don’t choose flights with very short connection times either. Immigration officials can be very stubborn.
Fantasy or reality?
Minimise your chances of being stranded by choosing a carrier who operates multiple flights a day to your final destination if at all possible and avoid opting for the last flight of the day. If they have space, you’ll still get to your destination the same day, albeit later than planned.
Speak to the ground staff as quickly as possible; if there are more people to rebook than there are seats available, you don’t want to be last in the queue. Holding a frequent flier card with that airline can also help you move up the queue. It can also pay to get an aisle seat as near to the front of the plane as you can, particularly if you know you have a tight connection.
Be nice. It’s not the fault of the ground staff if your plane was late in. Getting angry isn’t going to help. In fact, it’s likely to hinder your chances of organising a speedy replacement flight if you piss off the one person that can arrange it for you. Save your breath and stay calm.
Be flexible. Can you travel to a different airport in the same city? It’s inconvenient, perhaps, but still better than not arriving at all. Let the ground staff know what you’d be prepared to put up with. If you’re due at a hotel but are going to lose the first night of your booking, get in touch with them and explain – they might let you off any financial penalties they’d usually impose.
Be patient
What to do if it’s your fault you miss the flight
Technically, the airline doesn’t have to do a thing and you’ll have to abandon your travel plans or buy a new ticket. So be nice and hope they take pity on you – and I mean really nice. Appeal to their better nature. Coming back from Bangkok, arriving 21 hours late for a flight just after midnight, I explained to the check in staff my humiliating predicament. As a Geography teacher who taught about time zones and tourism amongst other things, if they couldn’t fit me onto that night’s flight, I was going to have to confess to my students the real reason I’d shown up for work a day late…
What to do if it’s their fault – your flight is cancelled
Your airline must offer to rebook you on a later flight or offer you a refund. They have an obligation to get you to your destination, though not necessarily by the routing you’ve chosen or on a particular day.
Note that if your flight originates in the EU or arrives there from anywhere else but on an EU airline, you are entitled to compensation – even if the airline claims you aren’t. If an EU and a non-EU codeshare applies – such as Virgin and Delta, for instance – you’ll only fall into this category if your ticket and therefore contract is with the EU airline – Virgin in my example. I had a long and drawn out fight with Cityjet over this right to compensation, but eventually won. Read about how to get your money back here:
https://juliamhammond.wordpress.com/2015/03/06/finally-a-win-against-cityjet/
Airlines should give you a written notification of a flight cancellation
You’ll see from that post that keeping evidence is crucial. Make sure you keep hold of boarding pass stubs and receipts until you’re safely home without any problems. Never send off your only copy of something; scan instead.
Make sure you have decent insurance in case you need to recoup your costs that way instead. This may be your only option for compensation if you’re travelling outside the EU on a non-EU airline.
For more information, there’s a useful link here:
How to fly business class for the price of economy
At the end of May I flew business class on BA to New York. As an ex-teacher and now a travel writer who specialises in budget independent travel, you could be forgiven for wondering how on earth that budget managed to stretch beyond economy. Well, the answer is, it didn’t. My ticket from Europe to New York’s JFK airport cost me the princely sum of £342. This is the story of how I did it.
Error fares explained
I travelled on what’s known as an error fare – and it’s just that, a mistake fare. Sometimes, perhaps as a result of exchange rate glitches or human error (who cares so long as it’s a mistake in your favour) the computer offers up a fare at way below market rate. They don’t last long, sometimes staying available hours or even minutes. So how do you find one among all the many destination combos and available dates?
Subscribe to alerts
I subscribe to many email newsletters but those that are the most useful in this respect come from Secret Flying http://www.secretflying.com, from CheapFlightsLab http://www.cheapflightslab.com and from FlyNous http://www.flynous.com. Each have the facility to subscribe on social media – in fact I first became aware of Secret Flying via a post that popped up as a retweet on Twitter. Follow them on whatever platform you’re most likely to spot them. Make sure you have notifications switched on. In this instance I saw the deal first on a Secret Flying Facebook post.
Sift out unwanted deals
I tend to stick to the well respected airlines and travel booking sites that I’ve used before. So if a deal has to be booked through a consolidator’s website and I’ve not heard of them, I don’t use them. Equally, I don’t want to be bombarded with offers that originate outside Europe, so I select European deals only.
Be flexible
The business class fare I found actually originated in Oslo, Norway. The return flight was in four legs: OSL-LHR-JFK-LHR-OSL. The way air tickets work, if I’d been a no-show for the first leg from Oslo to London, the rest of the ticket would have been cancelled. I couldn’t have just travelled straight from Heathrow. However, so long as I didn’t have checked baggage (and remember business class offers a more generous cabin baggage allowance) then I would be permitted to exit in London on the return leg and just “miss” the onward flight to Oslo.
A few words of warning
As I’m UK-based, the cost of getting to Oslo had to be factored into the equation. I’d never been to Oslo and decided to travel on the morning flight from LGW to OSL the day before my New York flight and make a mini-break of it. My one-way flight cost £45 and I added a budget hotel room on for about £30. If you’re keeping a tally, that’s £417 to fly to New York business class – pretty much the same as a reasonable economy fare. Norway’s not cheap, but I could have chosen a hostel should I have wished. I could also have chosen an error fare via somewhere that offers cheaper accommodation, Spain for instance, or waited for one originating in London.
In the event, that Oslo flight was delayed by a staggering eight hours, scuppering my plans to explore the Norwegian capital but fortunately not impacting on my New York flight. But – and I cannot stress this enough – be generous with your connection time: had my inbound flight arrived too late, I’d have forfeited my NYC error fare as the two segments weren’t purchased as part of a single through ticket.
Sometimes, these error fares are honoured and sometimes they are not
The airline is under no obligation to honour an error fare. Basically, once you find and book an error fare, sit tight for a week or so. Use a credit card to pay for the error fare and don’t invest any money just yet in hotels, connecting flights or airport transportation. That way, should the error fare be cancelled, you won’t be out of pocket.
Once you have a confirmed ticket (check on the airline’s own website against your booking reference) then things should be OK. Make sure you have decent insurance cover just in case and it’s also wise to book your accommodation on a free cancellation basis. Sites like booking.com do this as a matter of routine; you can usually cancel right up to the day before without incurring a financial penalty but check carefully before you commit.
They work for economy too
At the time of writing Malaysian Airlines has an economy class error fare deal to Manila in the Philippines for £265 with availability showing from October 2016 to April 2017. These flights originate and end in London, so no need to mess about with connecting flights like I did for New York. Business class error fares come up less frequently but they do come up. The trick is to keep an open mind. Rather than look for a particular route, see which error fares come up and then book the one that excites you. I’ve never been to the Philippines…
Sit tight until the right deal comes up – and then grab it before it’s gone! Happy travels.
What’s your favourite tourist board slogan?
There’s nothing that puts a smile on your face quicker than a tourist board slogan on an airport billboard. Sometimes, they’re inspired. Sometimes, though, they’re so bad that the joke’s on them.
One of my all time favourites is from the Far East. Malaysia Truly Asia is an alliterative joy. Over on the other side of the world, I ❤ NY is as iconic today as it was when it was first thought up back in 1977.
The perfect place for doing nothing: fabulously unexpected
Some slogans prove to be truer than could ever have been realised. Haiti’s Fabulously Unexpected rang true, but not always for the right reason. Some are just plain awful. Panama, couldn’t you have come up with something better than It Will Never Leave You ? Fiji Me has thankfully been replaced by Fiji: Where Happiness Finds You, though the top question asked about the country according to Google still seems to be “Is Fiji a country?”
If a slogan is just too obvious, it fails to deliver. I reckon Maldives’ The Sunny Side Of Life falls into this category, as does Thailand’s offering, It Begins With The People. I’m on the fence about Canada’s Keep Exploring and still can’t get my head around Incredible India. (Or, if we’re mentioning cities, Incredinburgh, for that matter, though that was axed.) Germany: The Travel Destination is clear but dull, though their Twitter feed places the same logo beside Simply Inspiring which is marginally better.
Rothenburg: simply inspiring?
Humour’s always a good idea, when it’s deliberate. Australia might currently be going with There’s Nothing Like Australia, but they’ll never surpass So Where The Bloody Hell Are You as far as I’m concerned. Jamaica’s posters adorned my walls as a university student, but its latest slogan Home Of All Right, is pretty good in my book.
There are a few slogan generating websites out there that in general cope badly when tasked with coming up with something snappy based on a country’s name. I thought I’d see if Visit Sweden could be improved at http://www.sloganizer.net – it came up with Sweden: Yabba Dabba Duh. It was, however, more successful with Nigeria, generating the delightful Nigeriarific.
What are your favourites? Can you improve on any of the official offerings mentioned above or have you seen worse?
A beginner’s guide to Extremadura
Extremadura isn’t on most people’s radar when it comes to holidaying in Spain, overshadowed by its popular neighbour Andalusia. That doesn’t mean it’s got nothing to offer, however, and this region has proved to be one of the most diverse and interesting parts of Spain that I’ve visited.
Bakery selection in Trujillo
Getting there from the UK
There aren’t any direct flights from the UK to Extremaduran towns so realistically, the choice is between Seville to the south of the region and Madrid to the north east. Ryanair fly to Seville from London’s Stansted airport, BA, Ryanair and easyJet from Gatwick. If you’re wondering why Iberia’s missing from the list, it codeshares with BA on their LGW flight. From regional airports, you’ll have to connect as there are no direct routes.
Ryanair en route to Seville
Those same airlines will also carry you to Madrid, plus Norwegian, a low-cost carrier operating out of Gatwick, as well as Iberia Express and Air Europa also from Gatwick.
Getting to and from the airport
I flew into Seville and out of Madrid on this trip but there’s no reason why you can’t do a round trip route or reverse the itinerary. To get into Seville from the airport I caught the airport bus, buying a ticket while I queued up for a few euros. It stops at the train station Santa Justa, skirts the old town and ends up at the main bus station, making it a convenient option wherever you’re staying.
One of the most atmospheric bars in Barrio Santa Cruz, Seville
In Madrid, my train’s final destination was Chamartin station to the north of the city centre but I bailed at Atocha. Getting to the airport was straightforward; the cercanias or stopping trains are quickest but go to Terminal 4. I’d opted to fly Ryanair which left from Terminal 1 and so I connected to the airport using metro line 8.
Getting around
Whether or not you’ll need to rent a car depends on whether you wish to explore the region’s attractive countryside and villages or stick to the main towns. There are a few train connections, such as between Badajoz to the west and the Spanish capital, but for me, on many of the routes I wanted to use, buses operated to a more convenient schedule. Operators include LEDA, ALSA and Avanza.
Every town has a main square; this is Zafra’s
I caught the bus from Seville to Zafra; you can buy a ticket to Mérida for around 10 euros. Although it’s possible to alight at Zafra, as far as I could work out, I couldn’t buy a ticket to Zafra online (you can in person) so I needed a separate ticket from Zafra to Mérida. Book online at http://www.alsa.es. It was just a few euros – well worth it for the chance to see this charming little town.
Pizarro’s mansion in Trujillo
From Mérida to Cáceres, an hour or so further north, I used LEDA; find them at http://www.leda.es where they also offer online booking. A single ticket costs just under 6 euros. From Cáceres, I made a sideways hop to atmospheric Trujillo for under 4 euros each way, leaving my bag in a locker at the bus station back at Cáceres. Tickets from the brand new and barely open bus station in Trujillo only go on sale fifteen minutes before the bus departs with Avanza but the buses weren’t full.
The hammam at Cáceres
To explore Monfragüe National Park and the La Vera valley in a day, there was no alternative to hiring a car. I used Europcar as its office was an easy walk from my Plaza Mayor base and also a straightforward and mercifully short drive to the ring road, easing the pain of town traffic. I did get a tiny bit lost getting the car back but I was only a few blocks out.
Birds take flight over the Ciudad Monumental
To get from Cáceres to the capital Madrid, I figured a train might be more reliable (it wasn’t – we were 40 minutes late getting in) and the train ticket on one of RENFE’s Media Distancia trains was also considerably more expensive than the buses I’d taken – around 32 euros.
The Extremaduran countryside as seen from the train
Where to go
Where to start? There are so many incredible destinations that it’s hard to whittle them down. In order, here are the places I visited during my Extremaduran holiday.
Zafra
This small town felt more like an Andalusian town than an Extremaduran one, though as it was the first stop on my itinerary, I hadn’t at that point worked out what an Extremaduran town might feel like. It has a pretty double square with lots of pavement cafes and tapas bars. I was there just for the day but I am told the food scene is good there – something for next time. The town also has a castle, now converted into a parador, and plenty whitewashed alleyways adorned with window boxes stuffed full of geraniums.
Street leading to the main squares
Mérida
This town is supposed to have the best preserved Roman remains in Spain. The sheer number of ruins was impressive, but some sights had more of the wow factor than others. There’s a partially reconstructed amphitheatre next to a fantastic open air theatre. Then there’s the breathtaking Temple of Diana which is literally plonked halfway along the main street with shops and cafes either side; OK technically it was there first but it does look so out of place it’s a bizarre sight. A restored Roman bridge, old fort with atmospheric cistern, Moorish remains and Forum are also easily accessible within the town centre.
Merida’s Roman theatre
Trujillo
This charming town was my favourite, home to conquistador Pizarro whose statue dominates the main square. Actually, that statue was supposed to be of Cortes, but the Mexicans didn’t want it so it was re-purposed as a Pizarro statue instead. The historic centre of Trujillo is packed full of mansions, including Pizarro’s, as well as myriad churches, towers to climb, a museum about the conquest of Peru and a hilltop castle.
View over Trujillo’s rooftops
Cáceres
The main attraction of this large town is its Ciudad Monumental, a walled old town which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Just wandering amongst its alleyways late in the day was a delight; the addition of a very talented flamenco singer playing Spanish guitar was the icing on the cake. Outside the Ciudad Monumental, the Plaza Mayor was the centre of the action when it came to food and drink, though nearby San Juan had better food. The town also has a hammam with the usual hot, warm and cold baths – massage optional.
Flamenco singer in Cáceres’ Ciudad Monumental
Monfragüe National Park
This, I read, was Spain’s 14th national park but it was the one place I visited that made me gasp. At the Salta del Gitano lookout in the centre of the park, the River Tajo meanders between a couple of rocky outcrops. I visited in the morning and the water was a vivid green – a spectacle in itself but even for someone who can’t see the point of birdwatching, the sight of a black vulture close up was pretty impressive. The winding drive through the park was very pleasant and, if you don’t visit in the height of summer when the temperatures soar, the area is great for hiking.
Salta del Gitano
La Vera
This valley connects a series of pretty little villages, many of them worth a stop. Pasarón de la Vera was my first stop, its setting the main draw. From there, a short drive took me to Jaraíz de la Vera, known for its peppers, and then to Cuacos de Yuste, where the monastery housed the Spanish King Carlos V towards the end of his life. I drove on as far as Jarandilla de la Vera where there was an impressive Roman bridge and several natural swimming pools (a big thing in these parts) before backtracking to Garganta de Olla, a quaint little village with a plethora of half-timbered houses overhanging its narrow streets. Taking the mountain route via Piornal provided the adrenaline rush to end the day – though fortunately by that I mean returning to Cáceres and not going over the cliff edge.
Natural pool on the edge of Jarandilla de la Vera
The ones that got away…
This was my first trip to this region and there were quite a few places I didn’t have time to visit – this time! I’ll be back, one day, to visit Alcántara and its bridge as well as to Montánchez, Monesterio and to Casar de Cáceres for the food.
Watch out for more blogs covering Extremadura in the near future for more on these fantastic places.
Best of British: coastal picks
With last week’s shock Brexit decision, the pound has slid against the dollar and the euro, making the UK a cheaper destination for foreign visitors. Whether you’re flying in from abroad on the back of an advantageous exchange rate or a Brit now planning a staycation, here are a few of my favourite English coastal destinations to whet your appetite. You don’t even need sunshine for a great holiday – which is just as well given the summer we’re having so far.
Dorset
Dorset’s Jurassic Coast is one of my favourite spots. As a former Geography teacher, this stunning coastline packed with headlands, bays, arches and stacks never fails to disappoint. The walk across the cliff top from Lulworth Cove’s almost perfectly circular bay to the drama of Durdle Door has surely got to be among the best in the country as far as I’m concerned.
North Norfolk
From the old windmill at Cley-next-the-Sea to the vast expanse of sand that forms Holkham beach, this small stretch of coastline punches well above its weight when it comes to visitor attractions per square kilometre. So close to London and yet a world away, whether you choose to take a seal boat trip from Blakeney, take a hike across the marshes (some of these seaside towns are no longer sea-side) or hole up in one of the many excellent local pubs you’ll love it enough to be sure to return.
Cornwall
No discussion of England’s best coastal destinations could be complete without reference to the west country and pretty though Devon is, Cornwall just has more character in my book. It’s hard to pick a favourite – this is a part of the country where you’re truly spoilt for choice. Polperro, pictured, has a lot of charm and perilously narrow access for those who blindly follow their Sat-Navs into town. If in doubt, take the locals seriously when they advise that some routes are not caravan friendly – and by caravan, they mean anything wider than a bicycle.
North Yorkshire
As an Essex girl, you’ll have to forgive me for a list biased towards the south, but doing my degree at the University of Leeds has left a lasting fondness for God’s Own County. Many a happy field trip was spent perched on a cliff sketching this dinosaur-like rock formation at Flamborough Head known as High Stacks, but to save you from some water-damaged and decidedly tatty field sketches, here’s a photo instead.
© Copyright Dr Patty McAlpin and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence
And one I keep promising myself I’ll get to one day… Crosby Beach near Liverpool
Antony Gormley has excelled himself with this installation, titled “Another Place” which, after being exhibited in various European locations has found a permanent home at Crosby Beach just north of Liverpool. A hundred cast iron figures stand in the mudflats at low tide, staring at the horizon until the incoming tide buries them in water and sand. People say it’s a haunting sight, and it’s one I’m looking forward to seeing for myself when I’m next in the area.
Photograph by Chris Howells CC-BY-SA-3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
What are your favourite parts of the English coastline?
I could easily continue this blog: the best fish and chips in the world at Aldeburgh, Suffolk; the imposing castles of Northumberland; Brighton’s iconic Victorian piers and more. The beauty of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will be the subject for another time, but for now, where would you say is a stand-out for you? And where have you always wanted to visit? I’d love it if you would share your English coastline tips by commenting on this blog.
Are business class flights really worth the extra?
I recently had the opportunity to travel business class across the Atlantic from London to New York. I’ve always been of the opinion that I’d rather spend my holiday budget on accommodation and activities at my destination rather than on travel to it. An opportunity to fly business class with British Airways for less than the price of an economy ticket was too good to resist – more about that in a later post – so for the first time I crossed the pond in style.
So what did I think?
Lounge access
Heathrow’s Terminal 5 has two business class lounges but I was tipped off that South Lounge was the better of the two, so that’s where I headed after a very pleasant fast track security experience. I was very pleased to find a decent breakfast spread and had several yummy pastries, read the paper, hooked up to the free WiFi and relaxed in the nice padded chairs while I waited to board the aircraft. All very civilised, though I don’t really mind the bustle of airside especially where there’s somewhere decent to get a coffee.
Boarding
The thing I hate most about boarding these days? The fact that because everyone is carrying such an enormous amount of carry on luggage, the overhead bins fill up. Consequently, there’s a mad dash to get in the queue to board so you avoid having to do a long haul flight with a bag squashed between your legs. Now this is somewhere that business class scores highly: there are fewer people fighting for bin space and you get to queue jump and board when you like. Of course the amount of stress in the economy cabin could also be reduced if the carry on weight and size limit was reduced to something sensible as opposed to the current policy of “bring the kitchen sink or the equivalent, we’ll cram it in somehow”.
Settling in
I was a little nervous I’d show myself up by not being able to work the controls of the flat bed seat. I’ve only flown business class once before, a short hop from JFK to Dallas Fort Worth after being snowbound in New York for so many days the American Airlines call centre staff just wanted to get rid of me, and in any case that was a regular seat. In reality, I had nothing to worry about. Raising and lowering the privacy screen was the hardest part (and not exactly difficult) but the actual seat controls were a piece of cake. The addition of pink champagne was a bonus. I broke my own rule of always flying sober, but only because it felt rude not to take the glass that was proffered, you understand.
Would you like to fly backwards or forwards, Madam?
I’d been advised to try to get a window seat as with the screen up, you were in a little cocoon. Taking off and landing backwards felt very odd. That said, the rest of the flight was fine and it was great to be tucked away. So tucked away, in fact, that when I finally uncurled myself to pop to the toilet (disappointingly cramped), I was amazed to see everyone else lying flat. If I have to be critical (I feel I ought to be objective), I’d say the footrest was a bit of a stretch. Oh the hardship! Her Ladyship had to reach forward a little to put her feet up.
The food
Oh the food! A delicious sounding menu was presented. It basically said I could eat them out of house and home – and then they’d bring me more. Take a look at the feast that I consumed:
And the invitation to just pig out… I love the line: “Of course the best thing about tasty treats is eating them rather than reading about them…” Of course. Of course! Pass the Cadburys.
Actually, in reality I was so stuffed I could barely shuffle to the Club Kitchen, let alone raid it. Note to self: if you ever the chance again to fly business class long haul, make it to Sydney or Auckland. Or at the very least to LAX.
Arrival
Having reached JFK at least three dress sizes larger than when I left Heathrow, I came down to earth with a bump to join the long queue into the US. At least the whole of the economy cabin were behind me. I don’t mean that in a condescending way. I’m usually quick off the mark out of the plane and walk relatively fast, meaning most of the economy cabin are behind me when I disembark from an economy seat too. This time, however, with all that free food and drink sloshing around inside me, I had to walk slowly to make sure I didn’t spill any.
The return
Until I realised I could be reclining flat on the outbound leg, I’d been most looking forward to the return journey. Sadly, this wasn’t to be as good. Although I was upstairs, supposedly better, I was in an aisle seat – nowhere near as peaceful as being tucked away by the window. And being one of BA’s sleeper services due to the late departure, I’d planned on eating in the lounge before take off, but found a rather unappetising buffet presented in the lounge at JFK. If this sounds like I’m complaining, I’m not, any free food is good as far as I’m concerned, but it wasn’t the gourmet experience I had on the outbound leg. Nor was the service as attentive or as friendly, but in the crew’s defence, we’d had a three hour delay to take off and no one was happy.
So what’s the verdict?
Based on the outbound leg particularly, I’d say you are made to feel very special in business class. I enjoyed being addressed by name. It is also a real treat to eat the meals course by course and not have to juggle plastic pots in a confined space. I loved the flat bed and found it very comfortable; I don’t usually snatch more than an hour or two’s sleep on a standard economy flight and yet on this I was sleeping so soundly I was dreaming. Fast tracking through security at Heathrow was very welcome. I’m not sure why the same service wasn’t available at JFK, though in fairness it may have been because of the delays and the need to process everyone as quickly as possible so they didn’t miss their flights.
All in all it was an experience I’d be delighted to repeat, though not one that justifies spending such a huge amount more. But keep an eye on this blog. Soon I’ll tell you how I achieved this journey for less than the price of an economy ticket – perfectly legit and no air miles needed.
Should we adapt to a no-frills travel style?
The travel press is focusing on speculation concerning British Airways and its possible policy change in charging for food on short haul routes. Read more about it here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/comment/british-airways-to-charge-for-meals-budget-airline/
Following the stratospheric growth of the low-cost sector, full service scheduled airlines have had to work harder to attract passengers whose prime consideration is price. Living close to Stansted and Southend airports, it’s very rare for me to travel to Heathrow or Gatwick (or God forbid Luton during school holidays) unless I absolutely have to, so the likes of easyJet and Ryanair have been my go-to airlines for short hops for a couple of decades now.
Lithuania in the off season
Over the years, bargain flights have taken me to pretty much every country in Europe. From Kaunas (Lithuania) to Malmo (Sweden), I’ve never let the fact that I’ve not heard of a destination stand in the way of a cheap fare. And neither have I worried about the extras, happily paring down my luggage and printing off my boarding passes at home to avoid fees that some whine about. If I can get halfway across the continent for thirty quid, then quite frankly I don’t give a stuff if they feed me or not. It’s not like most airline food is anything to rave about.
So to be honest, I don’t really understand the fuss. On the very short flights like, say, London to Amsterdam, cabin crew have to practically throw the food at you to get down the aisle and back before the fasten seat belt signs come back on. If you’re only in the air for an hour, is it really so bad to do without a drink or a snack? And if you’re that bothered, buy a bottle of water and a chocolate bar airside and take it on with you.
Tulips from Amsterdam, where they also sell food should you leave the airport hungry
I like these bargain basement fares – and who doesn’t? I’ve never understood the logic in flying business class on short haul routes (they’re often the exact same seats for heaven’s sake!) or upgrading to speedy boarding (do these people not realise that the plane still won’t take off until the last person’s on too?)
I don’t even care who I sit with. It’s nice to chat to my travelling companion but it’s not a deal breaker if I’m separated for an hour or two. It even happened on my Wow Air flight to Iceland to get married, but then my fiance and I were the last to check in so it did serve us right. Who knows, the person that has the pleasure of my company might be more entertaining. (Apologies to those who are reading this having been a travelling companion of mine in the past – I don’t mean you, obviously.)
The Sun Voyager statue, Reykjavik
And therein lies my point. The travel industry is evolving to cope with a changing economic climate and we need to adapt too. The days of flying being a glamorous affair reserved for the rich and famous are long gone. So ditch the suitcase, have a drink before you board and eat when you get there – no frills travel is here to stay!
Ecuador: is it safe to travel yet?
News items reporting Saturday’s magnitude 7.8 earthquake centred on Pedernales, Ecuador, were sadly no shock – the country lies on an active plate boundary where seismic tremors and volcanic eruptions are a fact of life. The scale of this quake, and the high death toll, were unusual and the people of the country will have a long hard slog in rebuilding their lives and livelihoods. Right now, the coastal cities of Pedernales, Manta, Bahia de Caraquez and Portoviejo are going to need time and money to recover, and the country’s largest city, Guayaquil, is reporting damage to transport infrastructure. If you’d like to help, this article from CNN is a useful starting point: http://edition.cnn.com/2016/04/17/americas/iyw-ecuador-earthquake-how-you-can-help/
The country sits on the Equator as its name suggests
You could be forgiven for thinking now’s not the time to be planning a holiday to Ecuador. However, this South American nation is telling us that many of the places on our holiday wish list are unaffected. While aftershocks are continuing, most are only around 4.5 on the Richter scale, with a number of those epicentred out to sea in the Pacific. You can track them here: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/
Quito
Buildings at the historic heart of the Ecuadorean capital are currently being checked over but the city’s hotels and transport systems are functioning. A trip to nearby Otavalo’s famous market is still possible as the town has not reported any significant damage.
![IMG_3002[1]](https://juliahammond.blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/img_30021.jpg?w=590)
Otavalo market
Baños
In the shadow of Tungurahua volcano, the hot springs of this tiny tourist town are a welcome sight to those with muscles aching from volcano hikes. There’s been no major damage and if you were thinking of heading there after a Cotopaxi climb, that’s open for business too.
![IMG_3089[1]](https://juliahammond.blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/img_30891.jpg?w=590)
Volcano tours are operating as normal
Cuenca
My favourite of all the places I visited during my 2006 trip, this elegant city lies an eight hour drive away from the area most affected by the quake. It’s where you’ll find Panama hats being made – not Panama! – as well as a pretty river walk, a colourful flower market and plenty of colonial era mansions to impress.
Cuenca’s flower market
Galapagos Islands
If you know your geography, then you’ll know that this group of islands is located over 800 miles off the Ecuadorean mainland – about the same as London to the south of France. There’s no tsunami alert in place and excursions are running as usual. The blue-footed boobies are awaiting your call!
Galapagos Islands by Derek Keats CC BY 2.0 via Flickr
To find out more, visit the Ecuadorean government website at http://www.turismo.gob.ec/update-on-ecuadors-tourism-infrastructure-services-following-saturdays-earthquake/
A beginner’s guide to Peru
Lots of people ask me what my favourite country is out of all those I’ve travelled to. It isn’t really a hard question to answer as over four visits to this South American nation, it’s really got under my skin. Peru’s landscapes, fascinating culture and rich history make it a shoe in for the top spot, its crazy and very likeable people the icing on the cake. If you’ve never been to South America, Peru’s a great country to start with. Its tourist infrastructure is well developed, particularly around Cusco, and although it has sometimes had a reputation for petty crime, with a bit of care you can easily avoid becoming the next statistic.
Bottle feeding a baby alpaca
Getting there
Getting to Lima, the Peruvian capital from the UK has just got a whole lot easier with the introduction of thrice-weekly direct flights from London Gatwick with British Airways. However, these are hard to come by for a reasonable price and you’re still likely to have to consider an indirect routing.
Typically, the best European options are via Madrid with Iberia, through Amsterdam with KLM and Paris with Air France. I’ve used all these routes and the advantage outbound is that you’re on the second leg towards Peru pretty quickly which makes you feel like you’re getting somewhere. Be wary of using CityJet connections from Paris back to London in case you have the poor experience I suffered:
https://juliamhammond.wordpress.com/2015/03/06/finally-a-win-against-cityjet/
It’s also possible to hub through the USA which gives you two more evenly balanced flights. However, if you do choose this option you’ll need to clear immigration in the USA even though you’re only in transit, meaning you’ll need to apply for an ESTA at a cost of $14 just to sit in the airport. Queues can be long; it’s best to allow at least a three hour layover if you plan to do this to avoid missing the second leg of your flight. I’ve seen people beg and plead to queue jump to no avail.
Getting to Lima from the airport
With most flights from the UK arriving in the evening Peru time, you’re going to need to spend at least one night in the capital before connecting to your domestic flight or bus the following day. Lima’s Jorge Chavez airport is located in the port district of Callao, the opposite side of the city to the upscale neighbourhoods of San Isidro, Miraflores and Barranco which are the most pleasant to stay in. You can find accommodation in Callao but it’s not a very nice area and not especially safe. Buses pass the airport and head into the city but you’re better off organising a taxi. Don’t go out onto the street to hail one; instead, before you leave the arrivals hall, look for the Taxi Green company and use them. Their rates are fixed so you can be sure you won’t be ripped off. Lock your door though; I’ve had an opportunist thief attempt to steal my phone by opening the back door of the taxi while we waited at a red light.
Getting around
Let’s start by stating the obvious: Peru is large. Getting around is a trade off between cost and time. If you are only in the country for a couple of weeks then flying between cities is really your best bet. Internal flights are relatively competitive if you book reasonably early, especially to Cusco. I’ve recently flown with LC Peru and Star Peru which were both good; TACA also operate internal flights. LAN (now LATAM), the national carrier, is very reliable but tends to be more expensive.
You can also take overnight buses. It’s advisable to travel with a reputable company such as Cruz del Sur or Ormeño as they are supposed to drug-test their drivers more often and travel with a pair. Buses have regular seats but often semi-cama or cama also; these are much larger, reclining seats (cama means bed) and are much better over longer distances. I suffer from back problems but found I could get comfortable enough to sleep.
Train services are limited in Peru but there are a couple of routes which are of interest to tourists. Lima to Huancayo is the second highest rail line in the world (after Tibet) but the Tren de Sierra only rarely makes the journey. Services from Cusco are more frequent and thus of greater importance here. Trains run to Machu Picchu beginning from Poroy just outside Cusco (and also from Ollantaytambo further along in the Sacred Valley) as well as to Puno over the altiplano. Find out more at http://www.perurail.com.
In town, it’s cheap to take a taxi, though make sure you agree a price in advance and if there’s more than one of you, make sure that price is per car and not per person. Colectivos, minibuses that run on fixed routes, are easy to hail and cheap to ride. Alternatively, little three wheelers (Peruvian tuk tuks) are the way to go in places like Cajamarca.
Chinchero market
Where to go
Lima
The nation’s capital had something of a reputation with many visitors spending as little time there as possible. These days, however, it’s enjoying a resurgence in popularity as the Peruvian foodie scene has kicked up a gear. I did an excellent food tour with the Lima Gourmet Company which made me re-evaluate my feelings about the city. For more on Peruvian cuisine read my blog for Wanderlust here: http://www.wanderlust.co.uk/planatrip/inspire-me/lists/top-10-peru-food-experiences?page=all
The best desserts in the whole country
Nazca, Ica and Pisco
A few hours’ drive south of Lima are the Nazca Lines, those lines in the desert which defy explanation. It’s possible to take a flight in a light aircraft but try to time your visit for early in the day as it gets bumpy later on – and take it from me, drinking a bottle of Inca Kola beforehand doesn’t help. I saw the monkey and the inside of a sick bag. Nearby, head for Ica to visit the pretty oasis of Huacachina and to Pisco, the jumping off point for a boat trip to the Ballestas Islands.
Mummies in the desert
Cusco
The undisputed jewel in Peru’s tourist crown, if you only have time for one place in Peru then make it the Incan capital. There’s plenty to see in the city itself, including the incredible Qoricancha, temple of the Sun God, as well as the Spanish cathedral built on Inca foundations. San Blas neighbourhood is a good place to browse the craft shops and relax in its pavement cafes, but for the wow factor, continue up the hill to the incredible fortress of Sacsayhuaman.
Inti Raymi celebrations take place in Cusco each June
Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu, an Inca citadel high in the hills, is Peru’s number one tourist destination. Walking the Inca Trail is the ultimate bucket list activity. If that’s too much like hard work, take the train and overnight in Aguas Calientes. These days you’re unlikely to get the place to yourself but to have a chance of seeing this magnificent UNESCO World Heritage Site before the crowds peak with day-trippers from Cusco is worth a try.
Machu Picchu
The Sacred Valley is packed full of amazing places to visit, among them Ollantaytambo with its imposing ruins, the amphitheatre at Moray, salt pans near Maras, and two great markets at Chinchero and Pisac. For a suggested itinerary, try my Unanchor Kindle guide: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cusco-Unanchor-Travel-Guide-first-time-ebook/dp/B00RKE5E96.
Salt production near Maras
Arequipa
The White City, built in colonial times from sillar, the local volcanic stone, is the most elegant of Peru’s many wonderful cities. Its Plaza de Armas is dominated by a beautiful cathedral and wandering the old town is a delight. It’s worth heading slightly out of the centre to the mirador at Yanahuara; this lookout offers a good vantage point from which to see Misti. Arequipa’s also the jumping off point for visiting the impressive Colca canyon. Download my Unanchor guide from Amazon to find out more: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Arequipa-Unanchor-Travel-Guide-First-Time-ebook/dp/B00Q2C02NU
The mirador at Yanahuara
Puno
The high altitude at which Puno sits makes walking up its hills hard work, but if you make the effort, the views of Lake Titicaca are worth the lack of breath. One of the most interesting day trips is out to the chullpas at Sillustani, ancient Aymara funerary towers. Another is to the islands on the lake: Taquile and Amantani give visitors an interesting insight into what life is like on the lake while the more touristy Islas Flotantes (the Uros floating islands) are well worth a bounce.
Visiting the Uros Islands
Chachapoyas
Chachapoyas is well off the beaten track, but that doesn’t mean you should give it a miss. Nearby, the ruins of Kuelap are touted as the “new” Machu Picchu, even though they’re considerably older. Also in the area are the peculiar sarcophagi at Karajia, where mummies were placed high in the cliffs, and the lofty Gocta Falls, hidden from the outside world until 2005. Find out more in my earlier post: https://juliamhammond.wordpress.com/2014/11/25/northern-peru-the-chacha-circuit/
Kuelap
Cajamarca
Another northern gem, this is the place where Atahualpa was tricked into paying a huge ransom in gold by the invading Spanish. He was captured and murdered, but you can pay a visit to the Baños del Inca for a soak near his tub. A short ride from the city centre are the Ventanillas de Otuzco, a pre-Inca necropolis. Don’t leave without sampling the region’s yummy cheese.
Cajamarca is worth visiting for the hats alone
Mancora
Hammocks and palm trees dripping with coconuts – are you sure this is Peru? Mancora is a surfer’s resort up near the Ecuadorian border. If you’ve timed your visit to catch the dry season in the south, those cold nights may well have you dreaming of lazing around on a sunny beach as the Pacific waves lap the shore.
Looking out over the Pacific from a Mancora hammock
And even that’s not all. Chan Chan, the largest pre-Columbian city in the Americas and capital of the Chimu kingdom, is another of Peru’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites and the biggest adobe city in the world. One day I’ll fly up to Trujillo and pay a visit. I’ve also not been to Iquitos, the heart of the Peruvian Amazon, but if rainforest’s your thing, then you should plan to go. As for me, I’m not a fan of the humidity or the midges, so I’ll be making a beeline for Huaraz, the base for some of Peru’s best mountain peaks and glacial lakes. But even as I daydream about going back, I’m guessing that even a fifth trip won’t be enough for me to have had my fill of this wonderful country.
How to visit The Seychelles on a budget
The Indian Ocean island nation of the Seychelles isn’t likely to be your first thought when planning a budget holiday but with beaches as photogenic as they come, it’s been on my wish list for a very long time.
Photoshop not required!
With resort prices coming in at around £1500 for a week-long break, and some of the most luxurious offerings well over that for just a single night, you could be forgiven for giving up and going elsewhere. Don’t. Although it’s never going to be what you’d call a cheap holiday, here’s how to make those beautiful beaches a more affordable reality.
Anse Source d’Argent
Choose your flights carefully
I flew indirect via Colombo, Sri Lanka, and with the use of a few Nectar points, snagged a fare of under £500. Other routes to explore include Ethiopian Airlines via Addis Ababa and Kenya Airways via Nairobi. Emirates and Etihad also serve The Seychelles.
Travel in the shoulder seasons
Peak time means peak prices. Off season brings the rain and there’s nothing worse than a beach destination in wet weather. I travelled in March. It was hot and humid but the sun was shining. April’s also good as is our autumn. Avoid Easter and Christmas when prices soar.
Locally registered car parked at the ice cream parlour!
Unpackage your accommodation
The all-inclusive resorts offer a lot, but you pay handsomely for the privilege. Instead, choose a home stay or a self-catering option. On Mahe, I needed an overnight stopover before catching a ferry to the islands and came across Chez Lorna, just north of the capital in De Quincey Village. The owner was exceptionally welcoming and my en-suite air conditioned room with shared balcony cost me just £30 for the night.
View across Victoria from Chez Lorna
On La Digue, I upped the budget a bit and spent about £80 a night on a cottage at Cabanes des Anges in within an easy stroll of the jetty in La Passe. For that I had air conditioning, my own kitchen, living room with satellite TV – and the place also had a pool. Considering my accommodation slept two, that’s extraordinary value at £40pppn. Best of all, the island’s main supermarket, Gregoires, was just a minute’s walk away making self-catering an attractive option.
Cabanes des Anges
If you’re looking for a traditional hotel set up, then Palm Beach at Grande Anse on Praslin might fit the bill – right on the beach with a decent pool and sea views from superior rooms. The price was about £80 per night for a double room.
Palm Beach on Praslin – ask for a sea view
Eat local
Eating out isn’t cheap in The Seychelles but it is possible to save money by eating where the locals go or by self-catering. There are plenty of pizzerias if you’re looking to eat out but have a tight budget. On La Digue, most places charge extra for WiFi but Fish Trap by the jetty offers a free connection to its customers. You can eat for about £10-12 but save money on surfing while you check your emails. It also has a beachfront seating area and the sunset cocktails are worth pushing the boat out.
Use local transport
Getting between the islands is cheapest on the ferries. Expect to pay about £30-35 depending on the exchange rate for an economy seat; the journey takes about an hour making it a convenient choice. The fifteen minute hop between Praslin and La Digue is cheaper.
The boat linking La Digue and Praslin
On Mahe and Praslin, the buses are easy to use and cost a flat fare of 5 rupees (about 25p) however far you go. You’ll need small change as notes greater than 25 rupees aren’t accepted. Choose accommodation on the bus route and there’s no need to hire a car to get around. The two options listed above are close to the bus stop. Note that you’ll need to hire a taxi if you have luggage, though, as the buses won’t let you on.
The best bargain in the country
On La Digue, it’s easy (and free of course) to get around on foot, but you can also find bicycle hire for around 100 rupees a day (about £5) which makes it straightforward to explore the rest of the island. I hired mine through the Cabanes des Anges reception desk but there are plenty of operators in La Passe.
So there you have it: proof that paradise doesn’t have to be prohibitively expensive.
A beginner’s guide to Sri Lankan railways
One of the unquestionable highlights of touring Sri Lanka is a journey by rail. The network is extensive and links many of the country’s must-see destinations. There are many tour companies who offer itineraries based around train travel, but these can be expensive and prescriptive. If you prefer to go it alone, here’s my guide to getting around by train.
Sri Lanka’s hill country is easily explored by train
Planning is everything
Although trains link many of the country’s cities and towns, there are gaps. I planned a circular route beginning at Colombo Fort station, heading inland to Kandy, then up into the highlands to Nanu Oya (for Nuwara Eliya) and then on to Ella. Separately, I rode the stretch of track from Weligama to Galle from where you can catch a train back up to Colombo.
Some of the faces I saw while waiting to board
Arranging a driver for the gaps
To visit the lofty palace at Sigiriya, I hired a car and driver for the day, stopping off on the way back at an elephant sanctuary. There’s no rail link between Ella and the south coast either, so again, I hired a car and driver. This time I stopped off half way to take an elephant safari at Uda Walawe. Although I could have picked up a train at Matara, I chose to book the driver to Galle so I wouldn’t have to clock watch all day. Drivers were arranged as I went along, either through the hotel or via a taxi driver at a station. Costs aren’t excessive by UK standards. To travel from Galle to the airport via the fast expressway costs around 11000 rupees including tolls (about £55).
Seeing the elephants at Uda Walawe requires a car as the rail network doesn’t extend to that part of the country
To book or not to book?
Some trains can be reserved online and you may wish to book these trains for the beginning and end of your trip if you want to be sure of making connections. Depending on how long you allow at each stop, you should be fine to just purchase your other tickets as you go along, unless you’re travelling in a large group or at a holiday time.
Tickets are easily purchased on the way; my advice is to call in at the station a few days ahead of travel
Where did I get my tickets?
I caught the Rajhadani Express from Colombo Fort to Kandy; a reserved seat in air-conditioned first class cost 1100 rupees (less than £6). It was straightforward to book online. Seats become available two weeks prior to departure and you just need to make a note of your reservation number. On arrival at Colombo airport, as you exit into the tour and taxi desk hall, you’ll see a Mobitel counter right by the door. They will print your ticket for you on production of your reservation number and passport. Alternatively, you can do this when you get to the station.
The Rajhadani Express
It wasn’t what you’d call luxury by European standards but the fat leather seats and padded arm rests were comfortable. The train lurches around a lot so whichever carriage you opt for it’s not going to be a relaxing ride, however. Expo Rail bookings work in a similar way to the Rajhadani Express with their own dedicated website. However, departures with these two companies are limited and may not fit in with your plans. You can check the online schedule on the Sri Lanka Railways website for a full list of trains operating on the days you wish to travel.
Booking regular trains
Whether or not you can book other trains in advance depends on whether the train has any reserved seat carriages or not. Following up on a recommendation from the Man in Seat 61’s excellent website, I booked the Kandy to Nanu Oya leg with Visit Sri Lanka Tours, a UK based travel agent. They were efficient and most importantly, the reservation number they sent me was recognised at Kandy station when I went to collect the ticket. Obviously they charge a premium for this service, but their rates were not exorbitant.
If a web connection eludes you, use the station timetables
Reserved carriages can be first, second or third class. First class isn’t necessarily air-conditioned but can be. Don’t expect luxury; it’s more about space than quality. Second class usually has four seats per row, overhead fans and windows that fully open, while third class is more crowded with six seats per row.
First class carriage
Second class carriage
When I booked the train from Kandy to Nanu Oya second class was full so I bought a first class ticket for 1000 rupees (about £5). I was told that sometimes additional reserved seating is released at the last minute at a premium price. If at first you’re told the train is full, it might therefore be worth asking again the day before. This strategy worked for a London couple I met on the train whose driver procured second class reserved tickets at the last minute.
Or ride at the door…
For at least half the journey I rode by the door as it was more social and I could take better photographs from the open doorway. I tried not to think about health and safety too much, but definitely held on tight. One jolt and I could have been offering myself as extra labour in a trackside tea plantation.
Great views from the open doors for photographers
From Nanu Oya to Ella a first-class observation car had been attached to the back of a train mostly hauling freight but with a couple of unreserved passenger cars also. I wouldn’t say the view out of the dirty observation window was much to write home about, for photographers at least, but the windows did open fully making for some fantastic scenic shots from my seat and a welcome breeze too.
Station master just outside Ella station
On the Weligama to Galle hop, I just bought a ticket on the day as there was no allocated seating on that local train. It cost 60 rupees (about 30p) and I just found a seat when the train pulled in.
As it was a middle of the day departure, it wasn’t crowded, but on some peak time services the advice from the station master was that to get a seat, you may have to fight. I didn’t like the sound of that for the Galle to Colombo leg of my trip which I would have had to make at rush hour with luggage, so I opted to hire a car and driver instead. Had my schedule permitted, I could however have pre-booked an afternoon train with a reserved seat, just not a morning one.
Boys running for their train at Colombo Fort station
And one last piece of advice…
All tickets are collected on exit so make sure you keep your print out (reserved seating) or little cardboard ticket (regular seating) safe throughout the journey. My ticket was checked en route by an inspector on the Rajhadani Express but not on subsequent trains.
Elephant spotting in Uda Walawe
Uda Walawe National Park is home to the largest concentration of elephants in Sri Lanka. It was created in 1972 and centres on the Uda Walawe reservoir. Although in March there was quite dense vegetation on the way in to the park, it thinned by the lake shore and thus made it easier to see wildlife. At first, sightings were limited to a few monitor lizards and birds, neither of which excited me much. But at the lake, a couple of herons were pottering about in the shadows seemingly oblivious to the crocodile skulking behind them. In the middle distance, some water buffalo wallowed.
But I’d come to see the elephants, said to number around six hundred, making it the best place to view them in the country. Easily seen year-round, herds can number over fifty but the largest family group I saw was eleven, still impressive. Our first sighting, a mother with two juveniles, was entertaining. They took a stroll down to the lake where the youngest couldn’t wait to relieve himself in the water. Toilet taken care of, it could bathe happily before the trio wandered back into the bush.
As we drove along the lake shore dirt track, a lone adolescent passed us at close range, near enough to leave us in no doubt that he was a male. Unperturbed by the camera clicking, he ambled past towards the lake.
In the vegetation, the thick leaves can provide excellent camouflage, but the guide was equally skilled in locating the wildlife. This was our closest encounter, though fortunately the creature was very docile and didn’t warn us off.
A herd of eleven including two babies was the highlight of the drive. One infant looked to be just three months old or thereabouts, with the other perhaps six months. It’s always delightful to see how the older members of the family protect the youngest when they’re on the move, keeping the babies close by but placing themselves between infant and safari vehicle just in case.
There are other species to keep the elephants company, and I saw plenty of water buffalo and in the distance, a couple of spotted deer. A family of monkeys swung in the branches of a tree and amongst the birds I recognised were a grey heron and a kingfisher by a lake so full of green algae it was hard to decide which was the most vibrant in colour. Leopards are said to be present in small numbers though I wasn’t lucky enough to encounter one.
While some people stay at one of the nearby hotels or guesthouses, I took a game drive en route from Ella to Galle. The three hour stop was a welcome diversion from sitting in the car. My driver arranged a safari jeep within minutes and it cost about £45 for a private excursion with Wild Safari Service including all entrance fees. Be prepared to haggle.
Tea time in the Hill Country
I expected tea picking to be difficult. Working in the sun on scarily steep slopes for eight hours wouldn’t be my choice of job and certainly not for the 600 rupee (£3) daily wage that these industrious women earn.
Tea pickers off to work
Learning that the Heritance Tea Factory offered a tea plucking and tasting activity, I jumped at the chance to try my hand. The slopes carpeted with squat tea bushes were relatively gentle compared to those I’d seen from the train on the way in and thickening cloud promised to deal with the heat issue.
Weather changes fast in the hills
The staff at the Heritance kitted out their small but enthusiastic team of volunteers in suitable attire: saris for the women and sarongs for the men. Raising my arms, my dresser tied a string snugly around my waist, into which she tucked a carefully pleated sari. Six metres of fabric is expertly tied to create an elegantly flowing dress, pinned across one shoulder to ensure modesty isn’t neglected.
The basket for collecting leaves
Elegant, that is, until I moved. Sadly walking in a long dress without tripping had never been a skill I’d mastered and squeezing my way through the tiniest of gaps between tea bushes only compounded my clumsiness. Unhooking me from a stray piece of barbed wire, our guide led me to the plucking area and demonstrated which leaves to pick.
The guide showed us which leaves to pluck
Get it wrong and the tea will be useless.
Tea, glorious tea!
As I started to pick what I hoped were the softer, greener leaves I wished I’d paid closer attention to those deftly thrown into the basket by the expert. My basket, with an optimistic capacity of 3kg given we were only out here for half an hour, looked pathetically empty, despite the guide’s surreptitious efforts to sneak a few handfuls of her leaves in when my attention was diverted.
Not much to show for my efforts
No shortage of tea bushes
The bag attached with a wide canvas strap across my forehead. As I bent over to pick, it swung a little, needing the weight of some leaves to hold it steady. That strap seemed to have a mind of its own, alternating between slipping down onto my glasses and wriggling up to form a Sixties’ style beehive. Eventually, I gave up and balanced the basket on the ground. It wasn’t quite what was expected but at least I could fling in a few more leaves before my shift ended to save face.
The area surrounding Heritance is stunning
It was hard to concentrate given the beauty of the landscape surrounding the hotel – and indeed, it’s own well-tended gardens. The Heritance Tea Factory has a long history. Its original owner was a man called William Flowerdew who bought the land in 1879, only a decade or so after tea bushes were introduced to Sri Lanka by Scot James Taylor.
Heritance Tea Factory
Flowerdew named his factory Hethersett, producing around half a million kilos of tea each year for decades.
Machinery from the factory still in place
The factory buildings were modernised in 1937 but the factory closed, no longer economic, in 1973. Fortunately, it soon underwent a sympathetic restoration: much of the factory machinery remains in situ to make this what surely must be a unique hotel and, with attentive staff, a delight in which to stay.
The hotel has its own tea bar; flavour and strength are determined only by how small the leaves have been ground
The fact that they serve a decent cuppa – well, that’s just a bonus.
Hands off the Flowery Pekoe!
Sigiriya
Sigiriya, or Lion Rock, has been on my travel radar for over three decades.
Sigiriya from below
In those days, there were no travel magazines littering my desk, nor could I surf the web to take me to exotic destinations over a cuppa. (How did I manage?) What I did have, however, was a passion for Duran Duran and in 1982, the band released the video for Save A Prayer. Watch it here:
It was shot on location in various parts of Sri Lanka, among them Sigiriya, which that same year was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. As the camera panned, I remember watching and wondering how they got up there as the rock face looked impossibly steep.
The start of a long climb
Sweeping the sand off helped a little with grip on the smooth stone but wouldn’t want to do this climb in the rain
It is. And unfortunately for me, so too were the steps leading to the top. Slippery stone gives way to spiral metal staircases, the gateway to some impressive frescoes of bare-chested maidens. To my horror, I then had to descend a spiral staircase before climbing again. That’s fifty steps up and the same back just to reach the same height!
The scariest part – hard to know where to look
Spurred on by teenage dreams, and determined not to be put off by internet-induced nightmares, I made the climb this morning. With several terraces on which to recover my breath, my knees didn’t ache anywhere near as much as I feared.
That’s just rubbing my face in it, Mr Dog
But despite an early start, I was sweating profusely as the temperatures flung themselves ever higher and the humidity permeated like a warlike invader. By the time I got to the top I was in no state for a selfie, though I promise you the photos you’ll see here are all mine.
One of the paws at marking the start of the final metal staircase
Duran Duran stood right here (well, two of them anyway!)
This lofty archaeological site is thought to be the ruins of the kingdom of Kassapa dating from the 5th Century. Those topless women could well have been his concubines. At the summit, his palace is all but gone, a few tumbledown walls and a pond full of water are the only surviving remnants of a once grand structure.
The water tank at the top
But it’s the view that takes your breath away, not the strenuous climb. See for yourself.
View from the top
I overheard someone near the bottom saying the descent was harder, and this sign at the top didn’t help my confidence. Actually it was fine, and a whole lot less hard work than the ascent.
Sign at the top
Fortunately no hornet issues either
Looking at the crowds building, it was definitely a good idea to climb early. The site opened at 7am, not 8.30am as stated in my Lonely Planet.
The queue for the top as I made my way back down
Monkeys make their home at the foot, near Cobra Rock
Are these the world’s best railway journeys?
This week, in preparation for my upcoming trip to Sri Lanka, I’ve been booking train tickets to explore the country’s beautiful hill country. The Man in Seat 61 has, of course, been an invaluable tool as ever, and I’ve been very impressed with the service provided by Visit Sri Lanka Tours, a recommendation gleaned from Seat 61. It’s got me thinking about previous rail journeys I’ve taken. These are my favourites, but are they yours?
Peru: Cusco to Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu, Peru’s mighty Inca citadel
Before tourist numbers reached epic proportions, to reach Machu Picchu by train you used to have to crawl out of bed in the dark to catch the early morning local train from central Cusco’s gloomy station, travel for five hours as the wooden bench seating slowly petrified your buttocks and emerge blinking into the middle of the market at Aguas Calientes to find your diesel-belching ride to the famous mountaintop Inca ruins. Periodically, the train halted in the dark to facilitate trade. Hands used to appear through the tiny windows to offer roasted corn and alpaca wool hats. It was one of those iconic travel journeys that is better relived from the comfort of your armchair several months later. Taking the journey again years later, this time in a glass-roofed backpacker train (boy, hadn’t backpacker expectations grown?!) I was delighted to see that snow-capped peaks lined the route and that the PeruRail authorities had built a fancy new station. The increase in comfort was worth the hike in the fare and best of all, the switchbacks to enable the train to haul the train out of Cusco’s bowl-shaped valley were still the most fascinating stretch of the journey. Then, in 2010, flooding and landslides caused severe damage to the track and when repairs were completed, the train began from Poroy, just outside the city, rather than from Cusco’s Wanchaq station. Despite the changes, it remains one of the best railway journeys in the world.
Switzerland: the Bernina Express
The Landwasser viaduct from the Bernina Express
It’s hard to pick a favourite amongst so many standout lines, but if forced to choose, then the Bernina Express gets my vote. Run by the Rhaetian Railway, the Bernina Express covers two lines which together comprise a UNESCO World Heritage site – Albula and Bernina. During its 122km run from Chur to the Italian town of Tirano, the train passes through 55 tunnels and over 196 bridges and viaducts including the spectacular Landwasser Viaduct pictured here. To fully appreciate this engineering marvel, take a local train (the panoramic picture windows don’t open), head to the back and lean out of a right hand side window. The train loops and glides over the Bernina Pass, with the Morteratsch and Palü glaciers and alpine Lago Bianco darker Lej Nair lakes providing the glamour in terms of scenery. With no cogwheels aiding its descent, this impressive adhesion railway has one final wow up its sleeve: the 360° spiral that encompasses the nine arches of the century-old Brusio Viaduct.
Kenya: the Lunatic Express
Mombasa’s beach, the prize for those surviving the Lunatic Express
I first read about this railway in Bill Bryson’s African Diary. His descriptions of being flung around as if being tumbled in a washing machine were as compelling as you’d expect from the undisputed king of humourous travel writing and I decided there and then I’d make the same journey. This narrow gauge railway runs from Nairobi to the coast at Mombasa, cutting through Tsavo National Park on its way. It gained its unusual nickname as several workers involved in its construction ended up as dinner for the hungry lions, dragged from their tents as they slept exhausted from the day’s hard labour. I didn’t see any lions, just a beautiful sunset over the savannah plains, though I was plagued by hungry mosquitoes and arrived in Mombasa covered in bites.
The best of the rest!
Russia: Trans-Mongolian
Omul on sale at Listvyanka, on the shores of Lake Baikal
The longest rail trip I’ve done, with a trip that took me from Moscow to the Mongolian capital Ulan Bator by train. I saw a lot of trees, but I also learned first hand what a warm and welcoming bunch of people the Russians are: a special mention here for Aleksander the army officer who fed me smoked omul and showed me his family photos.
New Zealand: Tranz-Alpine
Serene Lake Brunner
Not the Alps in Europe, but instead, New Zealand’s South Island. Crossing from Christchurch to Greymouth, this scenic ride crossed Arthur’s Pass and chugged alongside pretty Lake Brunner. Wrap up warm if you’re going to ride the open air viewing car in winter as I did – it’s freezing!
Update: I’ve just booked a ride on the Northern Explorer to see more of North Island out of a Kiwi Rail train window. Watch out in 2018 to see how I got on.
If it’s geysers you’re after…
If it’s geysers you’re after, then here’s where you need to be heading.
Iceland
Strokkur on the verge of blowing
The original, in name at least, can be found a short distance from the country’s capital Reykjavik. The original geyser, Geysir, has decided it’s had enough, but Strokkur puts on a show every few minutes delighting those who visit. It’s easily accessible as part of the Golden Circle tour, or if you prefer to go it alone, then download my Unanchor Kindle guide from the UK Amazon site here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Iceland-Unanchor-Travel-Guide-self-drive-ebook/dp/B017SDBNE8/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1452095658&sr=1-8.
It’s also available on the US site here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017SDBNE8/ref=s9_simh_gw_p351_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=desktop-1&pf_rd_r=152KPS2974X3G9P0D5RQ&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=2079475242&pf_rd_i=desktop
New Zealand
Pohutu, Rotorua
For a small country, New Zealand packs in a lot of geothermal sights, from other-worldly Craters of the Moon to photogenic Orakei Korako. But for sheer wow factor, then join the crowds watching Pohutu, located in the Te Whakarewarewa Thermal Valley on the outskirts of Rotorua to see the jet of boiling water shoot high into the sky.
Chile
Atmospheric El Tatio
El Tatio geyser field might not have the dramatic gushers of Iceland or New Zealand, but it has atmosphere in spades. It’s essential to crawl out of bed in the middle of the night (don’t overdo it on the pisco the night before like I did) but watching the sunrise illuminate the steaming geysers is well worth the effort.
USA
Old Faithful
I couldn’t blog about geysers and leave out Old Faithful. It’s been drawing the crowds at Yellowstone National Park for as long as the park’s been in existence and has had its name since 1870. It erupts on average 50 metres into the air about every 90 minutes or so; check the ranger’s board on arrival to see when the next show is expected.
And finally, one on the wish list…
Russia
Kamchatka by Einar Fredriksen via Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0
Kamchatka’s Valley of Geysers has the second largest concentration of geysers in the world after Yellowstone, packing over ninety of them into a 6km long valley. It’s difficult to reach, and therefore expensive, but it’s a trip that’s on my ever-growing bucket list. You too?
Don’t believe the hype – the truth behind the travel industry’s predictions
Every travel magazine and major publisher is full of persuasive suggestions at this time of year about places you must not miss if you are to keep up with the in crowd. But which recommendations should you ignore? Here’s my pick of places and attractions that don’t live up to the buzz that surrounds them.
New York’s Freedom Tower
New York’s my favourite city, but even the best of us has a few flaws. Don’t bother with the New Year’s Eve ball drop in Times Square; you won’t see much unless you watch it on TV and the weather’s often so cold everyone rushes indoors straight after midnight. Its latest high rise has been open a while now, but is still being touted as a must visit attraction for 2016. The elevator ride to the top, speeding through centuries of the city’s development in under a minute, is impressive, but the reflections and fingerprints on the glass windows of the observation deck aren’t. Ascend the Top of the Rock instead for the best views of the city, putting the Empire State Building in pride of place in what’s arguably the world’s most iconic skyline. Read my comparison of the two towers and how they stack up to the Empire State here:
https://juliamhammond.wordpress.com/2015/06/17/the-best-view-in-town-2/
View from the Freedom Tower
Haiti
I don’t have anything against Haiti, per se, more the marketing surrounding this impoverished Caribbean nation. 2015’s lists were full of how this was the next up and coming destination, but when I visited in February, I quickly learned that infrastructure lags way behind potential. We’re not just talking about punctuality here: there were tyres being set alight in the capital’s streets in protest about rising fuel prices, a luxury bus set alight and a terrible tragedy caused by a live cable at carnival. Give it a few years more for the country to recover from the 2010 earthquake and preceding flood damage, but don’t put it out of your mind entirely – this is one to watch.
Overloaded tap taps are the only public transport to Port Salut
Cuba
Now this one’s a tricky one. I visited this fascinating country in 2003, a year in which the travel experts suggested you “go before it changes”. For perhaps every year since, that same advice has been trotted out, with thousands of tourists dutifully doing as asked. Go, by all means, but go because you want to, not because you are worried this charming country won’t wait for you.
Memories from a trip to Cuba in 2003
Northern Lights in Iceland
Iceland is one of my most favourite destinations on the planet; I loved it so much when I first visited I went back to get married there. A multitude of incredible sights awaits, from the iceberg-strewn Jokulsarlon beach to the gushing geysers and impossibly scenic waterfalls of the Golden Circle. But the one thing you can guarantee with Iceland is that you can’t guarantee the weather and there’s nothing like a cloudy sky to ruin your chances of spotting the Aurora Borealis. If you want to see the Northern Lights, try Norway instead.
Northern Lights over the hills surrounding Tromso
The new cable car to Kuelap, Peru
2016 looks like a good year for Peru, especially seeing as British Airways are introducing direct flights after what seems an interminable wait. Machu Picchu is getting more and more crowded, so in an effort to entice people away, the northern fortress of Kuelap is being pushed as an alternative. A cable car is set to open later in 2016, but some reports are incorrectly suggesting it will shave four hours off the hike to get there. It won’t. The current hike from the main visitor centre car park is an easy one; what the cable car cuts short is the drive there along some so-so roads. Be aware that Kuelap’s no match for Machu Picchu, but the area has many as yet unspoilt attractions for intrepid visitors. Don’t believe the hype and wait. Go now, before the cable car opens and the hordes arrive.
Machu Picchu
Six of the best from 2015: countryside
Yesterday I posted about my six best city experiences of 2015; if you didn’t catch it, read it here: https://juliamhammond.wordpress.com/2015/12/30/six-of-the-best-from-2015-cities/.
But what about out in the countryside?
Torres del Paine
Guanacos in the north of the park
Visiting the south of Chile as late in the season as April was a risky choice in terms of the weather, but luck was on my side. Getting up close to the blue crevasses of Glaciar Grey and watching the clouds pull aside to reveal the Torres del Paine in all their splendour were just two of the highlights of this very special place. Staying in a luxurious ger at Patagonia Camp and waking to a pink sunrise over Lago de Toro made this one of the most incredible places I’ve ever stayed.
Pointe Sable
Sunset at Pointe Sable
Haiti was hard work, a trip fraught with worry. Despite arriving several days later than planned after being stranded in Jacmel because of a transport strike, the beautiful beach and turquoise waters of Pointe Sable at Port Salut were worth the wait. Staying mid-week, I had the sand almost to myself, save for a few upturned fishing boats and a stray hawker or two. Who needs beach bars and banana boats when you can enjoy such solitude with only a few tiny burrowing crabs for company?
Acadia National Park
Little Hunter’s Beach
I’ve been fortunate to visit many of America’s National Parks, but Maine’s star attraction felt more manageable in size. From the drama of the granite cliffs and blowholes to the serenity of unsigned and overlooked beaches, this was a real treat. The addition of a clutch of Model A Fords chugging around Park Loop Road on a weekender only added to the spectacle. Feasting on freshly caught lobster down the road at Bar Harbor was the icing on the cake.
Easter Island
Sunset at Ahu Vai Uri, Tahai, Easter Island
Five hours from the Chilean mainland, Easter Island is one of those places that promises to blow your mind. Fortunately, it lived up to expectations. Waking before dawn to watch the sunrise behind the fifteen moai at Tongariki was a very special experience but the real surprise was of how much the island had to offer beyond its famous stones. The vivid colours of the volcanic crater lake at Rano Kau and the sight of wild horses thundering down the road towards the car made a lasting impression.
Hammond
Cornfields surround Hammond, IL
Having visited seven Hammonds on my US travels this year in preparation for my book “Hammond, Me”, it seems only fitting that one makes the list. Most fun had to be the llama racing in Hammond, Wisconsin but in terms of getting out into the countryside, it’s Hammond, Illinois that stood out – classic barns surrounded by fields of corn and an Amish community down the road.
Rothenburg ob der Tauber
The view from the top of Rodertor
Strictly speaking, a view of the countryside rather than a visit to the countryside itself, but looking across the valley from the mediaeval walls of this impossibly quaint German town just can’t be missed off this list. Visiting in early autumn, I missed the crowds, caught the weather and fell in love with the place.
Now over to you. What are your favourites from 2015? And what are you looking forward to for 2016? I’m currently busy working as a researcher for a book on Essex dog walks. Overseas, my travel plans for the first half of the year include riding Sri Lanka’s trains, visiting the Seychelles on a budget, trialling an error fare to New York City and exploring Oslo and Stockholm. Practising ABBA songs as we speak…
Weather to travel: London
Mention weather and Britain in the same breath and cue much eye rolling and sighing. You don’t go to the UK for the weather, sure, but it’s not as bad as the naysayers would have you believe, and you certainly shouldn’t be put off visiting.
Winter in Regent’s Park
The UK is influenced by a maritime rather than a continental climate and when it comes to the rain, that means our hills give a north west/south east split. So don’t panic if you’re headed to the UK capital and your news feed is full of flood pictures. Whilst the disruption is dreadful for those affected, London, in the drier half of the country, has had an average rainfall over the last three decades of just 557mm. 400mm or below would qualify it as a desert. If we compare that rainfall total to some of the major US cities, it’s less than half that which falls on Boston or New York City, and only a couple of hundred millimetres more than Los Angeles.
A summer morning in Hampstead
London’s rainfall is spread throughout the year, with the lowest totals seen in July. Typically, most months see rain about one in three days, but often that’s only a light drizzle and confined to short periods. Even in the autumn and winter, statistically the wettest, pack a brolly or a waterproof coat and you’re good to go. It’s not like there’s a dearth of indoor attractions to check out during a shower.
Masks from Benin on display at the British Museum
Clearly, at 50°N of the Equator, no one’s going to come to Britain in search of the scorching temperatures you’ll find in the Med, but sightseeing in big cities is no fun in sweltering heat. Here in the UK, we don’t see really hot temperatures often enough to warrant the expense of air conditioning, so if the mercury rises, London isn’t the best. If you do find yourself here in those circumstances (and you’ll know about it, believe me, because the newspapers will splash it all over the front pages), then avoid the Tube, grab a couple of cold drinks and head for one of London’s many green spaces.
September in St James’ Park: photo by David Iliff CC-BY-SA 3.0
Fortunately, average temperatures even in the warmest month, July, rise only to about the mid-twenties (that’s Celsius and not Fahrenheit!). In the shoulder seasons of spring and autumn, it’s a comfortable 15-18°C and even in winter, the temperature rarely dips below about 5°C. Not for us those biting Arctic winds or toe-numbing blizzards. This year, it was a balmy 19°C the week before Christmas – exceptional but not a record.
Docklands in the sunshine
So, remember what they say: there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad preparation. Timing your London visit to miss the summer season gives you a chance of avoiding the worst of the crowds, so why not take a chance on the weather and come out of season. Enjoy your stay!
Changes to the US visa waiver program
A headline on the news section of the BBC’s website caught my eye this morning. It read: “Iranian dual citizens fight new US visa rules”. I’ve never been to Iran but reading on, this article could have directly affected me, but for a few months. The article explained that any British citizen that had been to Syria in the last five years would no longer qualify for the visa waiver program; in other words, they couldn’t travel on an ESTA and would now have to apply for a visa.
Spices for sale, Damascus 2010
I’ve checked my travel diary, in which I keep a list of the places I’ve been and the dates I visited. One of those is Syria. Now, the country is a no-go zone, but just a few short years ago, it was a different place, largely undiscovered by tourists. I wandered the souks of Aleppo and Damascus, travelling between them across the beautiful countryside on a modern train. I enjoyed a wonderful walk through Hama to a soundtrack of creaking norias. You can find out more about them here:
http://www.juliahammond.co.uk/Travel/Hama_time.html
Noria by the river in Hama 2010
I went to Syria and neighbouring Jordan in Spring 2010 and the new regulations stipulate a cut off date of March 2011. That means I’m still good to go to one of my most favourite cities, New York, next May. I was worried, though I don’t regret visiting Syria back then for a moment. Nor do I condemn the US government for passing such legislation; countries have a right to determine their own security and their own rules.
Citadel of Aleppo 2010
It’s not just Brits and it’s not just Syria. The Wall Street Journal wrote: “Coming up with a comprehensive plan has been challenging. Instead, a piece-by-piece approach appears to be emerging. The initial step was legislation to put some restrictions on the visa-waiver program, which allows travelers from the 38 mostly European and Asian nations to enter the U.S. without obtaining a visa. The measure would ban people from those nations who had traveled to places including Iraq or Syria since March 2011 without first getting a visa. The bill, which passed 407-19, is supported by the White House and is expected to be wrapped into a must-pass spending bill and become law by year’s end.”
You can read the exact wording of the bill here:
https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/158/text
A list of visa waiver countries can be found here:
http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/visit/visa-waiver-program.html
Currently, the restrictions affect those who have travelled since 1 March 2011 to Iraq, Syria and “any other country or area of concern designated by the Secretary of Homeland Security” (to be determined within 60 days). If, like me, you’re a fan of visiting unusual destinations, it looks like it’s going to be important to double check you still qualify to travel on an ESTA if you wish to visit the USA.
Julia's Travels 