Papua Highlands trek 4 I was getting annoyed.

And off we were again. Shortly after the roadway ended and we headed up the mountain side along a little trail. It was difficult but Penius certainly made it seem difficult. We had ladies in their 60's carrying heavy loads passing us easily. I was getting annoyed. 

He never really talked or gave information. If I asked a question it was a short curt response or he didn't know.
Lands here were divided by stone walls presumably to stop the pigs from escaping/entering. The walls could range from 1-2m high and used no mortar. Just stones placed carefully on each other. 

There would be a few sticks or branches that worked as a ladder to get over (if a branch placed diagonally can be called a ladder).
After going vertical for some time, we got to a horizontal trail which we followed for a while through a couple small villages. A few drops of water were falling from the sky, when we veered off the path to the first homestay.

Ralf Kreuze

(to be continued) 

Papua Highlands 3 Male pride

We started off over the rocks to the other side where the road resumed. We walked along for some time, passing various farms and homes. My guide throughout was a very slow walker especially by NG standards. He was young and fit with dreadlocks down the back, but didn't like to walk fast and seemed to need to take a long break every 5 minutes. I would ask him if there was a problem, but he just grunted. Male pride. 

Not sure if he was just lazy or if there was something else.
We would stop several times to get the betel nuts for him, or cigarettes, or candy. Eventually we came up to the police stop where they took my suran jalat photocopy for records. They had a strange bird with a vague resemblance to an owl tied up.
A few minutes past we were at another police station and they got my last photocopy and stamped it.
Ralf Kreuze

(to be continued) 

Papua Highlands 2 Voracious Appetite

We crammed into the bicycle rickshaw and were ridden along a bumpy road to the local market to buy some food. 

We bought a huge bag of veggies, some eggs, rice, seasonings, fruit and some biscuits and snacks. We brought well more than we needed for the 3 days. I could've lasted about 2 weeks on it. My guide ate about three times I did however so i was feeding his voracious appetite.
So we headed off in a crammed packed bemo full of old ladies and young children. Imagine a pickup truck with a cover. Then fit 30 people. That's what it was.
The ride took about an hour or so, and given the excessively long bus trips I've taken up to this point it seemed rather short (although going back was another story). We got off at what appeared to be a washout from a rock slide that took out the road.
Ralf Kreuze

(to be continued) 

Papua Highlands 1 Wamena

I got on the flight. The aircraft was a tad sketchy and had the front half of the passenger section taken out for a rigged up cargo hold (all supplies to Wamena are flown in). 

The airport was basic but still decades ahead of any PNG airport I saw. I went in, got my Suran Jalat signed by the police. I found a guide and negotiated a price. It was quite high and while his guide fee was reasonable, his prices for food, hotels and transport was way beyond what it actually cost. So I negotiated to pay him his fees and then would pay for everything that was needed, at cost. This ended up cutting my costs in over half.
So after it was negotiated, he calls another man over to be my guide as he was unable. I left my belongings (locked with nothing of real value to him) with him through the hotel he works through and then went off with the other guide, Penius. Quite the ironic name as you will soon see.
Ralf Kreuze (to be continued) 

Tasmania Travel Memories 2

I spent 10 days in Tasmania and split my time in 3 days on my own, eventually I decided to join a 5day tasmania tour and finally stayed 2 more days in Hobart on my own. Although I was overall happy with the tour,  I am not really a tour person and sometimes found it pretty limiting, especially with the time available for visiting places. Tasmania is easy to get about, I would  travel around  by car, which is probably the best option if you have a travel companion.  if you instead want to travel tasmania solo, then I would use the tasmanian public transportation, which offers a good bus network across the island or maybe look for a travel companion to share the car drive.

What I have seen in my Tasmania Trip

Tasmania has truly the most diverse landscape you can imagine of. The only thing you will not see in Tasmania is the Outback! It is the only australian state with no outback areas! Tasmania is a true paradise for hikers and nature lovers. Many people fly from all over the world to join Tasmania tours and spend some hiking escape weeks in the the tasmanian pristine wilderness areas! The diversity and the beauty of Tasmania enviroment is simply stunning.

Michela

(to be continued) 

Tasmania Travel Memories

Tasmania is a destination of its own! If you plan a trip to Tasmania you need first of all time and also to pick the right time of the year: the summer months, to fully enjoy this beautiful and diverse island. The winter in Tasmania is freaking cold.

I had booked my flight from Europe to Melbourne for middle of January, so as to be able to fly into Hobart a few days afterwards and spend  there 10 days. December-February is  the best period of the year to visit Tasmania; the weather is lovely with warm, sunny days, but it is obviously also the busiest time, so make sure you make your bookings for your Tasmania holiday a good time ahead.

You can reach the only australian state island either with the ferry to Tasmania which departs from Melbourne. Or if you prefer you can take a 40minutes flight  Melbourne Hobart, the capital of this remote land at the very edge of the world! A combination of both: Hobart flight on one way and the Tasmania Ferry on the other an be also a good idea.

Michela

(to be continued) 

Blue Mountains& Sydney Northern Beaches

The Sydney Northern Beaches – this is another part of the town worth visiting. You need a whole day to see them, starting from Manly you can stop at all the spectacular beaches, up to Whale and Palm beach. Definitely worth your time!
The Blue Mountains – to fully enjoy them you need to spend at least 1 night there. But if you ar on a tight time, make sure you leave early in the morning, there are daily trains which leave from the Sydney Central Station. Once you are there you will immerse yourself in one of the most beautiful national parks in Australia. Plenty of walking trail for any level of hiking expertise.
The Royal National Park – another great national park, south of Sydney. You can reach Cronulla by train too and spend the whole day day, take the ferry and cross over to Bundeena and start walking through the national park. There some good aboriginal self guided walks. You can, stay overnight and do some camping too!
Michela

(to be continued) 

Sydney and its surrounds

Sydney is that kind of city I can recommend to anyone who is on a tight time frame. You can manage to see much and the variety of places and things you can do ist just impressive. For sure you will not get bored in Sydney.
The variety of things you can do and see is huge. Either travelling solo or with friends or family, Sydney’s area is the ideal starting place for any type of travel in Australia.
Here below just a few of my favorite things I keep doing whenever I am in Sydney, it’s just a small part of the endless list of things you can do in Sydney.

The Spit-to Manly-Walk – this is a 10km beautiful bushwalk along the shoreline of Sydney Harbour. Along your way you come to a couple of lookouts with wonderful views over Middle Harbour and the city of Sydney. It’s ideal if you look for some excercise or just love walking like I do.

The Cogee-Bronte-Bondi-Walk – this is another great coastal walk, which you can do daytime. You can reach Bronte or Cogee by bus fromt Sydney city centre and from there walk along the path, stop at a few lookouts and relish the view and the tiny little bays. The Bronte-Bondi is a short nice walk. Bondi is the highlight of Sydney, is a nice place but preatty busy especially over weekends.
Michela
(to be continued)

My Trips in Australia: Sydney

Travel Memories of Sydney and its beautiful surrounds

Sydney is a truly fascinating city and is also my favorite city in Australia. Before leaving back to Europe I also had the opportunity to spend some more time there. I really enjoyed Sydney’s distinctive flair, what I like of Sydney is its gorgeous natural setting, the great walks, its beaches and its surrounds.

I remember arriving over a weekend, jetlagged, wandering off the beautiful parks and The Rocks Markets, filling my lungs with fresh air,  trying to adjust quickly to the southern hemisphere and bring my system into shape after a heavy long flight journey….this is part 4 of travel memories from my trips in Australia.

What can you do and see in Sydney?

There are a lot of things to do in Sydney, really to suit all tastes and interests!  Sydney is a place you can enjoy all year round, in each season and with any weather conditions. On my second trip in 2008 I had booked 10 days but  the weather was not on my side, it rained for most of the time, nonetheless it was not so bad at all, I had the chance to discover great places in the city and had much fun.

(to be continued)

Australian Outback 3 ghost gum tree

Yes the true blue of the sky is real !!  Stunning isn’t it ? The tree branches you see in the pic are of a “ghost gum tree“! What’s a
ghost gum tree ? It’s a gum tree whit a white trunk, the bark naturally peels off to make the trunk stands out in the blue sky as a real ghost!
 If you can travel to Uluru off season, and avoid public holidays, then you will be rewarded with some fo the most thrilling experience ever. The Best Time to visit Uluru is March-April or Sept-October.
April is in my opinion definitely the best month to to to the Red Center. You need 2 days for Uluru-Kata Tjuta, 2 days for Alice Springs and a couple of days to visit Kings Canyon and the West or East Mc Donnel Ranges. One week is just the ideal time to visit the stunning australian outback landscape.
If you are interested in reading more about the Australian Outback you may want to read my The Red Centre Guide
Happy travels in Australia!
Michela
(to be continued) 

Australian Outback 2 Kings Canyon

Eventually on my second trip to the Australian Red Centre I spent some more time in Alice Springs and the Western Mc Donnel Ranges. Kings Canyon and some more parts are still missing, but are very high on my list Here you can view some pictures of these beautiful natural spectacular.
This outback area shows a stunning beauty and there is indeed so much to see and do, from a variety of outdoor activities like hiking, bushwalking, camping, swimming to cultural and aboriginal guided tours to self guided tours. You need at least 5-6 days to fully enjoy the red centre and savour the beauty and peacefulness of the australian outback.
What you need is time, good weather and tranquility. These places cannot be visited among loud crowds of people getting off and on the huge buses, trying to make here and there a pic and so on. I personally would never go to the Red Centre in July-August, these two months are simply crazy, packed with thousands of people.
Michele
(to be continued) 

Travel memories of my trips in the Australian Outback

What most attracts me of  the Australian Outback is
- its bright colours, its strong light, its thin and pure air, its rough contour, its empty space  its spirit, its seclusion. 
- its contrasts, the bright red soil and the deep blue of the sky, the endless horizont, the long walks over sandy and rocky dunes, the immense and the greatness of solitude. 
- its Australian culture and its people. Being a multicultural person, I love Australia for its cultural background, the colourful mixed origin of its population, its aboriginal culture and its profound freedom values.

During my first solo trip around Australia in 2004 I had planned a week in the Red Centre of Australia.

 But as huge as this area is, I had to make a choice. Since I was travelling by bus I decided to make a stop at Cober Pedy, and from there I headed north to Alice Springs, to then turn south east to reach the Yulara Resort and visit Uluru and Kata Tjuta.

Michele

(to be continued)