Hanoi and Halong Bay

I wanted to check out Hanoi and Halong Bay but prefer a tour, especially when I am travelling alone.   I find you enjoy the place so much more when someone is telling you about it,  the culture,  the history,  the reason that things are the way they are.   

A city of Parisian charm and grace with an Asian edge, Hanoi is an enthralling blend of East and West and a rising star in Southeast Asia. 

Visiting the stunning Halong Bay was even better than the photos I had seen of it.  We took an overnight junk boat (a traditional Asian vessel) while cruising among the bay's 3,000 islands that rise dramatically from the emerald waters. 


Check out more of my pics on Instagram 

when in Africa... Safari!!!

Since I’m in Africa, and after climbing Kilimanjaro I am taking a short Safari, well I couldn’t come all this way and not!

This will still be an adventure, but a different type to climbing the mountain.     We will be camping out in the Serengeti, searching for the Big Five (safari term for the animals everyone wants to see; lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo – not sure why giraffe and zebra aren’t on there – I would love to see them more than the buffalo). 

On the way we will be stopping at a Maasai village where G Adventures supports a local project there.    One of the days we will be heading to Ngorongor Crater which is supposed to be spectacular.

Not sure what to expect from this short safari adventure so be sure to check back for my blog. 

Once again I will be without internet so I’ve scheduled posts on my FB showing what I will be doing each day:   https://www.facebook.com/thelittletravelconsultant/

Hoping to have some amazing pictures to post when I return.   In the meantime, check out some of my travel pics on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/littletravelco/   

Heading to Africa....to climb Kilimanjaro! #GAdventures

Africa was never very near the top of my bucket list, however, since hiking the Inca Trail in Peru, and Annapurna Base Camp in Nepal I’ve become a little obsessed with the experience.  I can’t really explain it, I didn’t grow up thinking one day…it just happened.   So I’m heading to Tanzania shortly to summit Kilimanjaro,  Africa’s highest peak at 5, 895 meters, (19,341 feet), and the worlds highest free standing mountain.  It will be my 40th country and 5th continent.   

Reading blogs and watching videos of people who have done it, the consensus is that it will be one of the hardest things I’ll ever do.   I’ve been training at the gym and hiking, but nothing prepares you for the altitude, which living in Canada by the Great Lakes really doesn’t help.    You go through 5 climate changes as you ascend, reaching the top in the bitter cold and snow.    The night of the summit we will wake up at 11pm to make the final hike to the top with headlamps on and walking extremely slowly to see the sun come up.  I am so excited!        

The trail I chose is the Machame route, which is the longest, 9 days, but that gives you a little longer to adjust to the altitude – fingers crossed.   8 nights sleeping in a tent, getting progressively colder with no shower will only add to the experience, but I’m sure it will be the least of my worries. 

Of course I’ll be cut off from the world during this time,  but have scheduled posts to my FB page about each days hike.   I hope to do a video blog which I will post when I return to civilisation.  Joining me on this adventure is Lene from Norway,  we met when we hiked in Nepal and decided that this would be our next trip.    Travelling is a wonderful way of making new friends around the world.

Watch this video if you have time – it may explain better the feeling you get at the summit – or you may think I’m crazy lol.     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtNtkM8Y9l4&t=530s  

Follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/thelittletravelconsultant/ 

https://www.gadventures.com/trips/mt-kilimanjaro-trek-machame-9-day-route/DTM9/ 

The Lake District, England

I was fortunate to be able to return to the Lake District in May and find it to be one of the most beautiful areas of the England.  The Lake District is a National Park in the northwest of England, and is a popular holiday destination.    It is known for it’s lakes, rugged mountains and historic literacy associations

All the land in England higher than 3,000 feet (910 m) above sea level lies within the National Park.  The highest mountain in England and the deepest and longest bodies of water in England.

The precise extent of the Lake District was not defined traditionally, but is slightly larger than that of the National Park, the total area of which is about 885 square miles (2,292 km2). The park extends just over 32 miles (51 km) from east to west and nearly 40 miles (64 km) from north to south, with areas such as the Lake District Peninsulas to the south lying outside the National Park.

It is the most visited national park in the United Kingdom with 15.8 million annual visitors and more than 23 million annual day visits, the largest of the thirteen national parks in England and Wales.

There are many paths over which the public has a right of way, all of which are signposted. Within the area of the National Park in 2012 there were 2,159 kilometres (1,342 mi) of public footpaths, 875 kilometres (544 mi) of public bridleways.

Many of these tracks arose centuries ago and were used either as ridge highways or as passes for travelling across the ridges between settlements in the valleys. Historically these paths were not planned for reaching summits, but more recently they are used by fell walkers for that purpose.

The Lake District is intimately associated with English literature of the 18th and 19th centuries. Thomas Gray was the first to bring the region to attention, when he wrote a journal of his Grand Tour in 1769, but it was William Wordsworth whose poems were most famous and influential. Wordsworth's poem "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud", inspired by the sight of daffodils on the shores of Ullswater, remains one of the most famous in the English language. Wordsworth, Coleridge and Southey became known as the Lake Poets.

During the early 20th century, the children's author Beatrix Potter was in residence at Hill Top Farm, setting many of her famous Peter Rabbit books in the Lake District.

Follow me on Instagram;  https://www.instagram.com/littletravelco/

 http://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/

Path of the Gods, Amalfi Coast #Positano #amalfiCoast

Positano 

I had never heard of The Path of the Gods, or ‘Il Sentiero degli Dei’ which in hindsight is strange as I love to hike.   It turned out to be one of the most spectacular hikes I have even done taking me along the infamous Amalfi Coast, Italy. 

It only takes a few hours to hike from the small hill top village along the coast to Positano, I wish it was longer as I couldn’t get enough of the fabulous views along the coast that it gives.  Ideally, walkers should walk from Agerola to Nocelle, and not vice-versa; the route runs gently downhill from this direction, with magnificent views of the Amalfi Coast and the island of Capri. 

  

I went at the end of October, on a gorgeous sunny day with a perfect temperature.  I don’t think it would have been nearly as enjoyable in the peak of the summer with crowds of  people and the heat of the summer sun beating down on you.  If you are there in the summer, I would definitely start as early as you can.

It must be said that this is more of a hike than a casual stroll along a coastal path.   I would advise hiking shoes/boots as there are some very uneven rocky areas, and large rocks to navigate around.  There is no fence of any sort on the edge so those with vertigo may need to think about that.  One of the group I was with decided not to do it for that reason.   The scenery changes from hills dotted with a few shrubs, heather and rosemary, past towering limestones mountains, colourful wildflowers, abandoned stone houses and through shaded forests. Farmers grow vines on terraces carved into the hillside, still using donkeys for transport along the narrow pathways.

If you are lucky enough to be in this wonderful area, do consider taking this hike. 

Rome - I'd forgotten how wonderful it is.

Piazza Navona

 

If you find yourself in Rome, try to avoid the major tourist attractions which are packed with people, and instead take a walk through the ancient streets.   It's amazing what treasures you can find along the way. 

I've been fortunate to visit Rome several times, but it's been a while and I had forgotten what an amazing city it is.   People complain that it's dirty and crowded, and maybe it is, but it still has so much charm and beauty, that for me it became irrelevant.  

I did want to see the Trevi Fountain again, so I walked from my hotel near Termini train station in that general direction.    I had all the time in the world, so as I walked and saw something of interest, I followed it making many turns and diversion.    I think this is the best way to discover a city.   There are so many great churches, lovely gardens, quaint restaurants and ancient ruins that you could spend a week just wandering.  

I especially enjoyed the Trastevere area just south of Vatican City.  It's a fun, bohemian area with centuries old buildings, artisan shops and restaurants. At the centre of this area is the Piazza di Santa Maria, with the Basilica dating back in parts to the 3rd century.   In the centre of the Piazza is a wonderful fountain, one of so many in the city where people gather to sit and watch the world go by.    

Another piazza that I really love is Piazza Navona, built on the site of a stadium dating back to the 1st century AD. On my last night there I chose the restaurant in front of the fountain and sat watching the people as I enjoyed a wonderful meal.  Of course, it's going to be a little more expensive to sit in a prime location, but it was so beautiful.  Sometimes when you travel you just have to say what the hell!  It's worth it.  

On the way back, I finally went to the Trevi Fountain hoping that on a rainy October night at 8pm it may be less busy - but it wasn't.  Maybe going at Midnight would be better?

Completely by accident on one of my diversions, I stumbled upon the home of Michelangelo’s statue of Moses housed in the San Pietro in Vincoli church.  What a masterpiece that is definitely going to see. 

The neighbourhood of Monti is another fun place to visit and enjoy the atmosphere, with both bohemian and classical elements, trattorias, win bars and vintage boutiques are hidden in the areas pizzas and streets drawing a mix of expats, students and locals.  

Even if you have a long layover in Rome it's worth going into the city.   I took the train from the airport in 30 minutes, which takes you to the centre of Rome.  

Trevi fountain

Micahelangelo's Moses

Trastevere

Machu Picchu - The Inca Trail

My first solo trip and adventure was to hike the Inca Trail in Peru.   I had never been anywhere a little different on my own, nor had I hiked anything that involved altitude and the potential for altitude sickness.   So it was definitely an adventure for me, but it opened the door to the world of solo travel and adventure and I haven’t looked back.

Arriving in Lima at night with no domestic flight to Cusco leaving until the morning, I ended up sleeping on the floor of the airport with the other backpackers. There were no seats, or benches anywhere to be found, so there was no option at all.  I could have taken a cab to a hotel, but I had read to many scary things about women in cabs in South America that I decided the floor was a better option.   Quite a start to my adventure!

Landing in Cuzco with an altitude of 3,400 metres (11,200ft), it was higher than I had ever been before and as I waited at the baggage carousel my heart was racing.  I was seriously worried about the altitude and was very happy that I had arrived a week before I was starting the Inca Trail to give me more time to acclimatise.   

As soon as I arrived at the hotel I was given a cup of Coca tea, also called mate de coca, which is an herbal tea (infusion) made using the raw or dried leaves of the coca plant, which is native to South America.   Apparently, this was what you had to drink to combat the altitude sickness and over the next few days I found it did help quite a lot.    My room was on the 3^rd floor and every time I returned to the hotel I made myself walk up the 3 floors to try and acclimatise, by the 3^rd floor I was completely exhausted and trying to catch my breath.   If you’ve never experienced altitude, it’s really quite amazing how it affects you.   It also interrupts your ability to sleep well and I had a few really bad nights of sleep before getting used to it.  

Cusco is a lovely city which I enjoyed exploring, although I was surprised at the size of it and the amount of pollution, staying off the main streets was better.   My favourite area and one I would recommend is San Blas, tucked away to the north of Plaza de Armas.  You can see the architectural influences of the Spanish after the conquest.   It seems like a quieter, more interesting area of the city to wander around.   There is no end of history and Inca sites to visit throughout the city.

The Inca Trail itself was much more than I thought it would be.  Initially I had thought only about the finale, the big arrival through the sun gate to see Machu Picchu below, but the hike turned out to be if not more enjoyable, at least as enjoyable as that magical moment.    Along the way you see many other old Inca buildings and settlements and although the trail is something that many people hike, it was less crowded than I thought it would be.  We didn’t see any other groups until we reached the campsite the night before the Sun Gates.     The number of permits issued is tightly restricted to keep the numbers down so it’s something that you need to book quite a long time in advance to avoid disappointment, although there are other trails that lead to Machu Picchu, just not the ‘Inca Trail’.   Plus, you need to carry your passport with you to get stamped at the check points or they will deny you access.    It was quite hard going, and very slow at times as that was the only speed you were capable of doing with the altitude affecting you.  At night in the tent it got very cold, so definitely make sure you have lots of warm clothes as it was deceivingly hot in the day. 

Walking through the Sun Gate and seeing Machu Picchu sprawling below you is a very special moment.    It was a little disappointing to have to share it with so many clean, sweet smelling tourists who had just got off the train instead of hiking for 4 days and I have to admit I did resent them a little, but it was still wonderful.      We were able to go back in the afternoon to enjoy it after we’d cleaned up and there were far fewer tourist there then, so it was much better.

It really was a wonderful experience and planted the seed for future adventure trips.