Our Holiday Evolves

Lava fields of Volcan Chico on
Isabella Island

Created by volcanoes, the tiny young islands of the Galapagos were born of fire. Eruptions on top of eruptions built these islands one at a time from several hundred thousand years ago, and still forming, to millions of years ago. Initially dark, lifeless and isolated (1,000 km from Ecuador), species still managed to find their way here. Some flew, or were blown across by winds, others swam or became trapped on vegetation or other material and found their way across raft like. Slowly life found its way over; most died, some survived, adapted and evolved to fit the islands' unique environments. This is why many species in the Galapagos cannot be found anywhere else in the world, and even differ between the many differently aged islands.

Seals on North Seymour Island

Giant Tortoise on Isabella Island

In 1835 Charles Darwin arrived on the islands to collect biological samples and document the geological environment. Despite his religious education (he had studied for holy orders) Darwin realised the significance of the distribution and variety of species and developed his theory of Evolution by Natural Selection. Today 97.5% of these islands are a protected national park and 70,000 square km of surrounding ocean are a marine reserve thanks to the Ecuadorian government. This was a long standing bucket list item of mine from way back, for its historical and scientific significance as well as the vast number of species you can see here in one of the most biologically diverse places on the planet.

Puerto Ayora

Seal relaxing in Puerto Ayora

We based ourselves in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz, which is a fairly central island and has the most developed town for tourists. It is a bubbling energy filled town with lots of atmosphere and opportunities for things to do. We came without a plan, avoiding the cruise ships because, well, they were bloody expensive and deciding to wing it and find day trips. This turned out well because in 14 days we spent only a third of what an 8 day cruise would have cost. And staying on the island allowed us to be immersed in the atmosphere of the town and gave us a lot of flexibility.

Cooking the fish fresh from the boat
and cleaned behind them.

Eating the just caught grub.

Every night after our day trip to another island or other activity would be spent wandering the town and soaking in the activities and sights. These included nearly nightly volleyball games near the pier, where they were clearly playing for sheep stations, or at other times it was used as a skate park by the locals and occasionally by Elizabeth riding cardboard down a concrete wall at the insistence of some cheeky children. You could watch your dinner coming in by boat, cleaned right on the dock, cooked and on your plate while the pelicans and seals fought over the left overs. Or stroll along the jetty coming across the occasional sleeping seal and watching the underwater ballet in the clear waters which included sharks, seals, small fish and the occasional ray, right from the dock.

Swimming with seals

Blue Footed Boobie

The town and all the animals, birds and fish were amazingly non threatening and safe. In the water snorkeling, sharks ignored you, seals swam around you, crabs ran away from you and sea turtles swam with you. Similarly the birds let you come so close binoculars were redundant, iguanas would just look at you and giant tortoises would quietly stretch out their long necks and chew another mouthful of leaves. But don't touch; we are mere observers here and the islands have strict rules about going off the tracks and touching the animals.

Bartolomei and Santiago Islands

Lava Tunnels on Santa Cruz

Frigate Bird

The day trips were fabulous and I can merely give a brief taster here and show some pictures; it needs to be experienced. Bartolomei Island with the picture postcard view after the small trek up its volcano overlooking Santiago Island. North Seymour for the birds, so many birds, from the Blue Footed Boobie to the Frigate bird with its bright red 'balloon' out front as well as the many iguanas and seals. Sante Fe Island for the snorkelling with sharks and the 10 minute swim with a sea turtle and much more. The memories will linger far longer than the experience.

Candelabra Cactus on the lava fields

Then there was Isabella Island...and my continuing battle to see a live volcano, and their success at avoiding me. We specifically went there to trek up the Sierra Negra Volcano, which is one of the few active ones and had a small eruption in 2005. Even though the weather had been fantastic, hot and humid since we arrived, today the sky decided to cloud over and rain, and rain and rain. By the time we got to the crater we were soaked through (having come to Isabella unprepared for rain). We kept going and saw the amazing lava fields, felt the heat coming out of holes in the ground and witnessed the amazing colours that the lava came in. But the shy volcano kept its innermost secrets hidden. The search continues...

Beautiful colours on the lava rock

Pink Flamingo

Pier at Puerto Ayora

Stumped Again :-(

That damn volcano is still haunting me, now 2-0. It all started about a week ago, when we first arrived in Pucon, Chile.

Previous attempt.

The idea was to start the new year in a different country and let the adventure unfold from there. The weather was bad, raining most of the time; we checked the weather apps and decided to book in the volcano on Friday the 3rd Jan, the first fully clear beautiful day forecast. Tuesday was a generally fine day so we went to the National Park (Huerquehue) for a 5 hour trek up the mountains to the three lakes at the top. We thought this would be good training as we had done very little trekking for over a year. All of our plans for weekend treks fell by the wayside under the pressure of real life.

That night the rain seemed to set in and we thought New Year's Eve would be a bust, but at around 10:30 the sky cleared and the rain stopped and we went to the 'Grand Beach' for the celebrations. NYE in Pucon is a festive family affair: cans of foam and streamers and funny hats were the order of the day. The fireworks were brilliant; every time you thought they were finished they would start again. My first NYE in a foreign country in 52 NYE's, a nice start to the year. Pucon is a really lovely place, very relaxing: beaches, boat trips, forests, hot springs, water sports (kayaking, rapids etc), lovely town, friendly people and THAT volcano, overlooking everything like butter would not melt in its mouth. Friday cleared up as forecast and it looked like lady luck was upon us...

The luck seemingly continued as we arrived at the base of the volcano: the chair lift was going, saving us around 1.5 hours of steep uphill walking. The very basic chairlift (no bar in front) spilled us out at the base of the snow line. It was time to put on the crampons and suit up for the cold: jacket, wet weather pants, helmet, unclasp the pickaxe; oh yeah, bring it on.

The long slog began. Very soon it was one foot in front of the other, don't look down, as we traversed uphill in a criss cross manner. Sharp left, change side of pickaxe to high side, walk 50 steps, sharp right, change side of pickaxe, walk 50 steps etc. It's slow going and all uphill; luckily we were prepared for this, we had done it before, so up we went. After about 45 minutes we took our first break: time for some food, check the amazing view, nothing like looking down and seeing clouds and lakes beneath you and other volcanoes in the distance. Off we go again for another hour and so forth.

Then our luck changed. The wind started to pick up, we went over one ridge where the wind was particularly fierce and I grabbed hold of Elizabeth, shades of the TV show 'The Flying Nun' came into my head.

Then they started the 'we might not get to the top, the wind is getting worse, the snow is too hard etc' story, trying to prepare us for failure. Apparently the problem was mainly the fact that it had rained the day before (and most of the last week). The top third was hard ice; it was getting more and more difficult to punch our crampons through the ice to get a grip. They were communicating by walkie talkie with the other groups. Nobody had made it to the top; some groups were waiting at the final ridge for the wind to die down to give it a go.

Most of our group had already given up. We were losing people and guides as we went; they would stay behind at certain points and wait for us. Elizabeth did not want to give up; one of her many impressive qualities, her courage and determination, if Elizabeth makes up

her mind, it is very, VERY hard to stop her. We seemed to be the last two still walking in our group (could not see anyone else) when one of the guides ran up from behind to talk to Elizabeth. "Yes," he was saying, "I can see you are determined, but even if you get up to the top we cannot slide down, the ice is too hard, you would need REALLY strong legs to clamber down, and that will be the dangerous part, one slip and it's all ice for 500 metres."

Elizabeth and Spock
very unhappy

We relented and went back to where the last of our group were, to lick our wounds and look up at how far we had left. Again at the 2400m mark, only about 400m to go, we could see the smoke coming from the top of this active volcano, apparently a two-pack a day one. Yes, we must have made the volcano gods angry, Adrian, they don't want us up there. We were able to still do some sliding down the volcano once we had gotten to softer snow 100m or so below us. Elizabeth does not want to try again; I would be willing if some benefactor paid for a month in December to train and wait for the perfect day. Our hope now is Mt Fuji in Japan, in July. Hopefully she will be kinder, she is family after all, so put in a good word for us, Mariko (daughter-in-law).

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work I go...

Still an amazing experience, still brilliant views, but when they ask me on my deathbed, "What's your one regret?" I will probably say, "Not getting to the top of that bloody volcano."

A word from Elizabeth:
"I sit on beautiful Playa Blanca on the shore of Lago Caburgua under an umbrella with alternating panels of purple & orangey gold. Families are all around me sunning, swimming & sitting under equally colourful umbrellas. We're nestled among mountains & green forest and surrounded by the sounds of noisy happiness. The highest peak to the east still has remnants of winter snow on it. Gotta be one of the prettiest places in Chile. A perfect 27 degree day with the lightest of breezes & the lake water cool enough to make the skin tingle. Beautiful blue blue sky untainted by clouds. An idyllic end to a wonderful week. So glad we decided to start our year in Pucon."

Playa Grande with its black volcanic sand

The year that was...

The Great Ocean Road (Victoria)

We finished off our travelling for the year in Melbourne (with a side trip to Apollo Bay) as Elizabeth did a pilgrimage to the places and people of 30+ years ago when she lived here. We were lucky enough to stay at the house of family friends who are also life long travellers with several year long travels under their belt. They travel similarly to us,  staying in the cheapest accommodation they can find and deciding as they go where to go. It was great fun swapping stories and trading tips; thanks Max and Julie for your hospitality and great company, we also nearly stole your dog :-)

But too too suddenly we found ourselves on our 40th flight for the year on December 16 with our year of discovery, our gap year, the year that was, over. It was great seeing family and friends at the airport to welcome us back and their support and encouragement during the year is much appreciated. I must have the best kids in the world, and now time to get to know my one year old grandson Sam.

Well, time for the wrap up of the most fantastic adventurous year of my life. According to Travellers Point we have travelled 130,721 km (81,230 miles) or put another way, circled the Earth 3.3 times over 335 days. During that time we have slept in hard beds, soft beds, bunk beds, king, double and single beds, in a tent and a cave, on the floor and pull-out sofa beds, on bus seats, train seats, plane seats, in caravans and in couchettes but most comfortably in a 5 star hotel in Cairo and on average in a different bed every third night. Thanks goes to my fantastic travelling partner Elizabeth. You do not realise how compatible and perfect you are for each other until you spend 24/7 living, confiding, having adventures, facing trials, making decisions and supporting each other for nearly a year.

Travel Map Detail

Other interesting stats (for us anyway)
Travelling stats
33 countries
117 different places
335 days away from home
53 train trips between cities
40 plane flights

Walking stats
I got a pedometer app on my android phone from the first of June so through to 16 Dec
2,155,335 steps
1,724 km
Averaged and applied to the whole year I would estimate
3,512,398 steps
2,810 km
Biggest walking day Paris on Bastille Day at 28 km




Blog stats as of 31st Dec 2012
3,601 page views
Most popular post at 55 views "The most beautiful road in the world?"
Most viewed from country: Australia (1,738) followed by the US (532) and then the UK (375)

Stand out moments
Most memorable day (scary, exciting and beautiful) "The day we took on the volcano.."
Most special place "Machu Picchu Anniversary Magic"

Most amazing moment: The moment of total solar eclipse "I was Eclipsed in Shannonvale"
Most cool activity: Walking on a glacier "

Claim to fame: Being interviewed by Norway television for a documentary on the train trip (trains-trains-and-trains-to-norway) (10hours in real time)

                                 The documentary: http://www.nrk.no/nordlandsbanen/ 

                                 Elizabeth's interview at: 08:23:00

Best of's...
Best waterfall: Iguazu Falls
Best canyon: Grand Canyon
Best cave: hmmm toss up between the Jenolan Caves in Australia and the Cango Caves in South Africa
Best glacier: Perito Moreno Glacier in Patagonia
Best national park: Torres Del Paine also in Patagonia
Best animal experience: Being among all the elephants while on safari in the Chobe National Park in Botswana
Best accommodation: The cave we stayed at in Cappadocia (Elif Star Cave Hotel) or the Fairmont in Cairo, depending on the most interesting or the most comfortable.
Worst accommodation: The hostel in London near Hyde Park. Our room was on the 5th floor (no lift) and the toilet and bathrooms were two floors below us.
Best place to drive: The US - good roads, great scenery, awesome speed limit and fantastic radio. The stations seem unlimited and cover everything from 24/7 doctor talkback to non stop classics from the 70's and 80's.
Worst place to drive: The UK, I hate those roundabouts.

So what have I learnt? I have been surprised at how generous people can be. All over the world people have been inviting us into their homes and helping us out. This was totally unexpected to me. The world is also much bigger and much more varied than I expected. After 10 months we have barely scratched the surface, and the more I travel the more I learn about other places I want to go, and things I want to see.

Having lots of time to think, look, discuss and read during the year, I have also learned that the world is in a lot of trouble. The world is a lot poorer than I thought. Over 3 billion people live on $2.50 per day or less, something you rarely consider or can even comprehend when living in a country like Australia but while travelling through South America and Africa you come up against the type of poverty that makes you despair and wonder what you can do about it.

Then we have climate change and I was able to witness a lot of the effects during the year. From the many receding glaciers to the European heat wave, the US droughts and the wettest year on record in Great Britain, there did not seem to be a single place we visited where the locals were not bemoaning their changing climate. The year saw the lowest summer ice extent on record (by a wide margin) in the Arctic and nearly 100% surface melt in Greenland (unprecedented in the records) and increasing extreme weather in the form of floods, droughts and heat waves. This is the year when the scientific warnings from the 80's were found to be underestimated and events are occurring faster than predicted. This is an issue we all need to involve ourselves in; it is crucial for our children. If you want to know more there are two other pages in the above tabs on climate change: 'the blue dot cafe' and 'why I know I am right'.




If you thought you are finally rid of me and my posts, think again. I have the travel bug and my thinking is it needs to be fulfilled now rather than later. You never know what 'later' is going to look like, both in your own life and the state of the world. So I will keep this blog open and updated with any future adventures as they occur. Thanks for your support and I hope to be writing and posting pictures here again very soon.

Happy New Year

Don't leave until tomorrow the dreams you can accomplish today 

"Seize the time
Live now
Make now
always the most precious time
Now will never come again"
Jean Luc Picard, Star Trek

Hillarys Boat Harbour in Perth (my hometown)

Living off the grid

Teah the dog at the dam playing with the kids

Laundry and bathroom

Farrants Hill, New South Wales, home of Elizabeth's sister Angelique and where we spent some family time. Angelique lives in the bush and mostly off the grid (not connected to a power company at all) - solar hot water, rainwater tanks, composting toilet etc. I found living here really interesting in a house powered by solar and backed up by batteries for night time. Even my GPS did not know how to get here; the last several km Matilda (the GPS) would keep repeating 'at the first opportunity do a U- turn' and would display a visual showing the car stranded in the bush. The house has most of the mod cons including a television and computer.

Composting Toilet

Bath Time

We stayed in a caravan on the property surrounded by free range chickens, really free range having the run of the place most of the day. We offered to help where we could and one of my jobs was putting out the two goats. This worked great the first time, Lilly & Liquorice following me down to a grazing area where I clipped them on to a rope so they didn't go any futher and start eating other plants and trees trying to grow. The next time I tried was just after they had been to the vet for some tests. They were a little on the skittish side, especially Liquorice, and after over an hour of trying to coax, chase and trick her into letting me get the rope on her I conceded defeat and had to put them back in their pen until mother Angelique came home.

Teah getting dry

Besides the several pythons that made their presence known it was really fun to live off the grid and enjoy the simple life for a while.

The mountains of Australia

Compared to what we are used to the mountains of Australia can hardly be called mountains, but being Australians how can we not explore the mountains of Australia :-) Our final destination was Melbourne in Victoria in our journey down virtually the entire east coast, so the Blue Mountains outside Sydney were the first ones for us to visit. We stayed at a town called Katoomba, which was a perfect central location to visit the Blue Mountains, in a guesthouse called the Metropole. The perfect place for cold nights with its large 1930s rooms and furnishings complete with guest lounge, games and reading rooms. Unfortunately we arrived during the December heat wave and it was terribly and unseasonally hot.

Katoomba Falls

Luckily though this made our first day there perfect for exploring. This included taking the Scenic Skyway which is a ride across the top of the mountains with spectacular views including the Katoomba Falls, and the Scenic Cableway takes you down to the Scenic Walkway, which is a series of walks through the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area Rainforest. We came across a lyrebird and there is also a coal mine that is mocked up like the olden days. All of the above can be found surprisingly at a place called Scenic World (not as much an adventure park as the name sounds).

The Three Sisters are iconic rock formations that you can see from most spots but especially at a place called Echo Point, from where the rocks are lit up at night. The legend goes that the three sisters fell in love with boys from another tribe and to prevent them getting hurt during the tribal war the witchdoctor turned them into stone; unfortunately the witchdoctor was killed and so the unlucky sisters are still stone today.

Our timing was perfect as the next day we went to the Jenolan Caves just as the weather changed and we were literally enclosed by the clouds as they rolled in. Unique feeling being rained on while under cover. The caves were magnificent. We have seen some amazing caves; in particular the Cango Caves in South Africa were amazing in the sheer size of their huge caverns but these caves were much better preserved, intricate and beautiful. For texture, colour and variety I don't think I have seen better. They went on for kilometres and you have a huge range of caves to choose from. Fair warning, you should phone and book the cave you want to visit as they are seen by tour only and you could wait hours or even miss out if you just turn up.

From here we headed to Thredbo in the Snowy Mountains (on the border of New South Wales & Victoria) and my goal to climb the highest mountain in Australia, Mount Kosciuszko. It might be small at 2200m but that is only because it is much older than larger mountains and so has had a lot longer to be worn down. So this grand-daddy of mountains was going to get the Granpa Fab experience.

Unfortunately the weather had different ideas. Day 1 was windy and cloudy so we were told not to go as the view would be disappointing. Instead we checked out the town and did a lovely forest walk to a nice place called 'Dead Horse Gap' (luckily it did not live up to its name). Day 2 was bloody snowing, is this not SUMMER? We spent the day at the indoor pool and gym at the local leisure centre and even played some basketball. Because we had only planned on needing two days we added another day on to our stay.

Day 3, JACKPOT! Beautiful sunny day. We set out early and took the chairlift to the highest restaurant in Australia (Eagles' Nest). From here we walked on a nicely set out path to the top of the mountain. On the way we stopped and used the amenities at the highest toilet block in Australia. Finally we made it to the top of Mount Kosciuszko, with only one tricky part. There was so much snow that at one bit we had to walk through a large section of steeply sloping snow. A bit difficult without crampons and we did fall on our butts several times and slide a bit. (On the way back we went with it and slid down on our butts on purpose, reminding us of our paddle ride down the volcano in Pucon.) Finally the top: magnificent views, pictures of our achievement, post to facebook and down we go.

Sunset over the Blue Mountains

The rest of the day (only half left as it was a 13km round trip to Kosciuszko) was going on the bobsled ride six times (as I have said before, growing up is overrated), and another swim in the pool. That night was a trip to our favourite Thredbo restaurant, a solid satisfying night's sleep and then off to Melbourne in the morning!

Elizabeth on the bobsled

Me on the way down on the bobsled