17 June 2015

I was very lucky to be included on an educational trip to Cape Town, the Garden Route and Shamwari Game Reserve, it was superbly hosted by our DMC (Destination Management Company) Your Africa, South Africa Airlines and South Africa Tourism. I was blown away by the amazing scenery and clear clean days. On arrival to Cape Town we were taken on a tour to view the fabulous beach areas of Camps Bay and Clifton just outside the city an idea place to relax and chill at the beginning of a holiday. We visited the wonderfully modern V & A (Victoria and Alfred) waterfront with it restaurants bars and super modern shopping mall with it up market shops. We went to The Market Place for lunch and we all couldn’t get over how reasonable the cost of food is. This was a precedence for the whole of this trip superb quality food at reasonable prices. On day two heading out along the coast road with its dramatic scenery hugging the cliff side along the Atlantic Ocean was stunning. We saw the famous Chapmans Peak. On reaching Hout Bay it was off to see our first animals taking a boat trip with Drumbeat Charters to Seal Island colony at Dulker Island there before our eyes were thousands of Cape Fur Seals sunning themselves and frolicking in the sea. Moving on to Boulders Beach to see the Jackass Penguin colony this was one of my many trip highlights walking by the penguins in their natural habitat. Simons Town offered wonderful scenic coastal views and an outstanding sea food lunch at Black Marlin restaurant We arrived at Cape Point the meeting point of the Atlantic and Indian Ocean and used the venicular to reach the top of the mountain and climbed the steps to reach the lighthouse. Through this time we were staying at the wonderful Vineyard hotel in the leafy suburb of Newlands about 20 mins from the centre of Cape Town. Day 3 and on to the Winelands our first stop was to visit Babylonstoren one of the oldest Cape Dutch farms that has diversified in to organic gardens, winery and accommodation the views were stunning from this very special place, they had also just had a new donkey born here a couple of days before our visit. They have a fabulous shop selling locally produced products and now donkey gifts! We moved on to Delaire Graff Estate for wine tasting it is situated on the top of the Helshoogte mountain pass, the high altitude and cooling breezes make excellent wines. We then moved on to Stellenbosh a wonderful small university town with superb history we visited a living museum of the oldest house. Then participated in a fabulous foodie on foot walking food tour visiting the oldest local butcher to sample Biltong and sampling local deserts and the healthy Roobos tea. We stayed at the superb Oude Werf this property expertly blends its 200 year old Georgian origins with modern luxury and has a renowned restaurant. Day four on the road which are well maintained and very easy to drive as it’s the same side as the UK. We went through the beautiful Lakelands to reach Knysna a great stopping point on the Garden Route. With its freshwater Lagoon and modern waterfront area. We took a sunset cruise around the harbour, interestingly one side of the bay is completely building free and natural this area is owned and protected by Featherbed Company they run a nature reserve here it’s about trekking and walking and sampling nature but no animals here. From Knysna it was about a 4 hours to get to Shamwari. Shamwari is an award winning Game reserve situated in the Eastern Cape only 75km from Port Elizabeth it offers a wonderful safari in a malaria free zone. It is set in 25,000 hectares of prime land with contrasting savannah and jungle in which there are many animals roaming free including the big 5. In Africa the big five game animals are African Lion; African Elephant; Cape Buffalo; African Leopard and White or Black Rhinoceros. Shamrawi is truly amazing, I’m pleased to report with our expert rangers we saw all of the big 5 at close quarters with no rush or hurry. There is at a choice of 5 lodges: Riverdene: Long Lea Manor; Bayethe; Sarili; Eagles Crag plus an exclusive private villa each a contrast to suit different taste and stage in family needs. They offer an introductory safari for children. For the really adventurous there is Explorers camp a 2 night true bush experience your rangers take you out into the bush for a 4 hour walking tour then you stay in tents for the evening. Shamwari have won the World Travel Awards for Africa’s “Leading Conservation Company” consecutively for the last 8 years. As well as the incredible safari experience there is a more serious side to Shamwari it home to the only Born Free Foundation Rescue Centre in South Africa. Plus a unique Animal Rehabilitation Centre that is currently helping “Hope” the rhino whose horn was taken by poachers leaving her for dead. She made CCN and BBC the day after we saw her as she was about to have her third operation to rebuild her face. In summary my trip gave me a brief view of this wonderfully stunning country with its fantastic scenery, food, wine, culture and animals I will certainly be returning in the future.

11 April 2014

I was lucky to be selected for a place on an educational visit to Vietnam. Before I went I knew it would be pretty busy as we where to stay in seven hotels over nine nights in four diverse areas of the country. I didn’t mind this; if I am going to make valid recommendations for such a diverse country I need to see and experience as much as possible. I wasn’t disappointed. Vietnam was a fascinating place to visit and has a great range of contrasts from frenetic Ho Chi Minh City (still called Saigon by the locals), the Mekong Delta, and Vietnams “Rice Basket” with its busy main water ways to the quiet and peaceful back waters. The intellectual, cultural and spiritual heart of Vietnam with its crumbling Citadel (old Imperial City) now a Unesco World Heritage site reflecting its history of Nguyen dynasty. I fell in love with the old world charm of Hoi, another Unesco World heritage site. The town is a living museum with Chinese, Japanese and European trading influences, the full moon lanterns lighting the streets and it’s handmade tailors to the amazing beaches of Danang to make a holiday complete with some well-earned R&R. Food will play an important part of any trip to Vietnam. It is totally fresh and healthy relying on the five elements and yin and yang to make a fresh balanced meal, each meal we had was like a feast with five to seven courses. We had plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables, fish, meat and rice. We cycled to a local house in the Mekong to sample the local seasonal fruit, fresh made buns that we helped roll for the owner to cook for us, which we ate with honey tea. In mid Vietnam we cycled through rice fields, fruit orchards and vegetable gardens where the colours were vibrant and amazing. We also visited the “Village of Vegetables” in Tra Que where the whole town is involved with the growing of aromatic herd and vegetables. Here were taught how to cook “Tam Huu” a pancake with a blend of shrimp, pork and aromatic herbs. In the Mekong we tasted local specialities like Elephant-ear fish. In Saigon we ate at KOTO (Know One Teach One) restaurant which is a charity restaurant that Jimmy Pham, a Vietnamese –Australian opened to give disadvantaged youths a possibility to learn and improve their lives. Local life in Vietnam was fascinating. In the Mekong we went on every sort of water transport available from large local ferries, Sanpans that had roofs that need to drop to get under low bridges to small rowing boats to get up the small back waters. When we were cycling local children and families would call out “hello”. We saw plenty of women in their conical hats rowing boats to buying and selling their villages produce at Cai Rang floating market as the sun came up. You can identify who is selling what they have for sale is hung on a pole from the boat. We visited various local places of work, such as the local brick kiln, a mat weaving house. One of the most impressive for me was the coconut processing factory this demonstrated how all parts of the plentiful nut are used. The husk for matting, the shell is put into a high heat kiln to be turned into charcoal, the milk and meat are used for food leaving no waste. Recent Vietnamese history and current everyday life. We visited the Cu Chi tunnels from Saigon which is a network of tunnels 250km in length that housed 16,000 Vietcong during the wars, first with the French in 1948 and later provided storage, hospital and living quarters during the American War. You are allowed to descend into the tunnels if you wish. Much of the areas we visited in Vietnam had bomb craters or were battle scarred from these recent wars. The attitude of the locals is that they have forgiven but won’t forget but are very happy to show tourists around. Saigon is a full on buzzing Metropolis that is open 24 hours a day. There are 21 districts that make up Saigon; 16 are urban and five rural. The area we stayed in was district one and the Dong Khoi area. Here you find beautiful French Colonial buildings and the Saigon River. It felt very safe to be walking around in the evening and there were some superb designer shops, however the bargains are found at Ben Thanh Market. We went through China Town during rush hour and I have never seen so many mopeds (the local form of transport) gliding peacefully along! The quality of the accommodation we stayed in was excellent. I particularly enjoyed the tranquillity of the Mekong Riverside Lodge and Pilgrimage Village resort Hue, the central location of the Grand and Majestic Saigon. The Furama Danang was a good hotel with a superb beach and with easy access to Danang for great bargains at the local market and Hoi An for the culture and tailor shops. I would definitely recommend a trip to Vietnam and will certainly go back. I would recommend including a few centres to get the most from it.

05 August 2013

While I am an experienced travel agent, my specialist area of interest is Australia. I already know a great deal about the country, but my recent trip arranged through Travel Counsellors has given me some fantastic insights. Many of the things I experienced could be taken straight out of National Geographic Magazine My trip included swimming, snorkelling and taking a helicopter flight over the magnificent Barrier Reef. I spent most of my time in the tropical north of Queensland. I visited the Mossman Gorge in the Daintree Rain Forest. I was privileged enough to share many truly amazing experiences. These included being welcomed in the traditional way by the Kuku Yalanji tribe. My indigenous guide shared with me his family’s dreamtime story. He also showed me the tree that his granddad had taught him to bend as a signpost when he was left in the bush at the age of 12. My trip then took me up to Darwin which is the gateway to a true outback adventure. I had many early mornings but they were all definitely worth it. I saw the sunrise over the incredible Katherine Gorge and the peaceful and majestic Yellow River with its amazing bird life. I went on a long climb to swim in the stunning waterfalls at Maguk. I knew that crocodiles were in the area along with snakes as I had seen them earlier in the day, but this made it all the more exciting. I made my own aboriginal painting under the instruction of Manuel at Topi Didi while he shared stories of his heritage and the Dalabon tribe. My painting wasn’t nearly as good as the cave art I saw at Ubirr in Kukadu National Park but they did started painting there 40,000 years ago and the most recent is 2000 year old. This art was used by the elders to teach their grandchildren and shows the anatomy of kangaroos and turtles amongst other things. From here I climbed to the Nadab. This is where I experienced the most amazing panoramic views over the flood plains and into Arnhem Land. That night I slept in a swag (sleeping bag) under the full moon. The stars were breath-taking and overall it was an incredible experience that will stay with me. We returned to Darwin using some of the red unsealed roads which allowed us to spot red tailed kites, dingoes, giant termite hills and other wildlife along the way. It was a unique safari experience showing the real Australia. Once back in civilisation we took a sunset cruise from Darwin harbour where we saw wild dolphins which was just amazing. Overall this was a unique trip and has given me so many tips and insights to Australia that I really can’t wait to share with customers.