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View from the Capitoline towards the Colosseum, Rome, Italy

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Elephant, Masai Mara, Kenya

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Travel Destination Posts - January - Borneo

Borneo is such a unique holiday destination. An island of contrasts in SouthEastern Asia sandwiched between the main Malaysian and Indonesian peninsulas. An island carved up and governed by a number of nations, and inturn a number of states; from Indonesian Kalimantan  to Malaysis's Sabah and Sarawak states and the tiny nation of Brunei. An island that looks like your typical story-book tropical paradise - clear blue seas and white sandy beaches offset by lush green jungle.

It was this promise of tropical paradise that gave it a place on my destination bucket list; that and the chance to see Orang-utans in their natural habitat albeit a habitat that is disappearing at a scarily fast pace. My fascination for travelling around the globe to see wildlife didn't start with Borneo, by the way. This was one of the last on the list having caught the bug after seeing elephants, and many other animals, on a flying safari into the Masai Mara in Kenya and followed with a trip to trek to see Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda; all in a bid to recreate my own David Attenborough experience!

The additional beauty of a trip to Borneo, and in my instance Sabah, is that you can add other destinations on for just a short flight. I chose to do such a two-centre expedition rather than just explore Sabah for 3 weeks. Not that there isn't a lot to see in Sabah, I just preferred to add it onto an already planned 2 week trip that took in Northern Thailand and then the tropical idyll of the Andaman Sea,

How much can you do in a week?

Well, you're not going to get under the skin of Sabah in such a short time, but even in a week you can be smart with your travel and have a good taster of all that is on offer. For tropical beaches, its worth spending a few days in Kota Kinabalu in the amazing Shangri La Rasa Ria resort. The beach and resort are stunning and there are a lot of activities to sign up for if you're there for longer. The added bonus is that it has its own Orang-utan sanctuary which gives a fascinating close-up of these amazing creatures.

If you have time,  a trip to UNESCO World heritage site of Kinabalu park is a must even if you don't feel up to trekking up Mount Kinabalu itself.

A short flight away to Sandakan and you can also go and visit the Sepilok Rehabilitation centre which I personally found to be a great insight into the plight of Orang-utans and what is being done to help protect virgin rainforests and natural habitats as well as following the orphans' journeys.

Whilst in Sandakan, its worth doing a boat safari where you can take in pigmy elephants, proboscis monkeys, macaques, langurs as well as a smorgasboard of birdlife, and if you're lucky spot the odd Orang-utan and their nest at the top of a tree.

If you want something different, you can take a boat out to Turtle Island and see the work of turtle preservation teams, and even if lucky see some youngsters being released from the beach.

Highlights?

Personally, the Orang-utan experiences were the highlight of the trip for me. Whilst I loved the boat safari trip and spotting Orang-utans moving amongst the trees, I equally enjoyed the sanctuaries mainly because of the closer and longer access to watch these incredible creatures.

I also couldn't rate Shangri La Rasa Ria highly enough for its excellent customer service, great facilities and stupendous beach.

Need to Know?

There are many high end tour operators who offer trips to Borneo, and many who can tailor make a trip for you. If you are short of time, rather than money, its a good option. They often have experts who have done it themselves and it is useful, especially if you're a solo traveller as I was, to have a point of contact from the company at every stage.

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Travel Destination Posts - December - Disneyland Paris

Unusually, I'm going to start this post categorically saying that this wasn't top of the my list of places to visit in the world, and if you've read my other posts you'll see this is a little out of character. So, why go and why Christmas?

Well, the answer to the first question is "kids" and the second bit is more to do with family politics and deciding years ago to vacation at Christmas to avoid the whole uncomfortable situation.... but that's a whole other story.

I'm sure I'm not far from the truth when I say that most adults visit any Disney resort because they have kids, especially Paris. Before ours, it wouldn't have been anywhere near somewhere we'd contemplate - after-all why go to Disneyland when you have the delights of Paris on the doorstep.

I’m sure you’ve probably sussed already that I’m not a fan of Disneyland Paris – I much preferred Disneyland in California mainly because it was a day accommodated into a wider, varied holiday. We had a stressful holiday full of problems, so this will be unlike any of my other reviews; instead of a guide of highlights and extolling the virtues of the place, this is more of a guide to what not to do and hopefully ensure people don’t make the same mistakes we did.

Anyway, you’ve decided to do a Disney theme park. It doesn’t matter whether that be Paris, Florida or California, the same main piece of advice is applicable to all – research, plan, research, plan, research and plan, and repeat x 100. You really do need to do a lot of research and planning to make sure you get the right holiday for you. Which one you choose is down to personal preference but one thing I will say is that there is a reason why most UK families choose Disney in Florida – the weather, the space and the fact that you can have a full holiday and take in other attractions such as Universal Studios as well. Similarly, with Disneyland California, it’s an easy to fit into a family holiday especially for older children or diverse age groups. You can do an awful lot more than just go to Disneyland. But maybe you prefer somewhere more local – you don’t like long haul, or you only have a short break in mind - then if you live in the UK, you’ve decided Disneyland Paris is your only option.  

Aside from the “Research & Plan” advice on repeat, the first piece of advice I would give is to book with Disney direct. Now I know this goes against a lot of advice out there when booking holidays, but I do believe that NO-ONE will give you the service or the expertise that Disney themselves do. The issue I have is that so many of the “Disneyland Paris experts” out there are the sort of independent travel agents that are just two-man bands; and whilst they may have been 20 times themselves, they will have been on “their” holiday which will not necessarily be the holiday you want. Sadly, they only know their holiday so if your requirements are very different, that may not be fully appreciated, and they may well think they know best and advise or book accordingly. Now given their often very very limited travel experience, they will not know everything even about somewhere as small as the Disneyland Paris resort.  I know there are exceptions to this and your local one maybe that exception but if you do decide to use them and not Disney, ask a lot of questions of when they have been, how they went and what they did and stayed. Just so you get a feel of what they have experienced and what they can offer. We booked with supposedly one of the best (message me direct and I’ll let you know who to avoid) and this advice comes from having an awful holiday because of their limited experience. Why did they fail? Well they failed abysmally mainly due to the complete lack of advice on what “extras” we needed to book, what we should expect regarding meals and what is the best way to “do” Disney. All advice that should have been available to us when booking and before we went; so I am hoping with this post, I can give some of the advice that we think would be useful.

The second piece of advice is to ask yourself, “Do we need to stay onsite at Disneyland Paris?” Would you actually prefer to stay in Paris and commute in? The reason for asking is that, in our opinion, there is better food and better hotels in Paris. If you’re Disney mad and want the full Disney experience, then stay onsite – there are some good deals to be had with fast passes for rides, breakfast or other bits included. However, we found both the main Disney hotel (at the entrance to the park) and Newport Bay hotel to be tired and dated. They need a revamp. We stayed at Newport Bay Hotel and we had a Compass Club family room. It was supposedly one of the best rooms aside from a suite but I can honestly sum it up as tired, dated, and above all else small – it just fitted 2 double beds in it. We’ve stayed at bigger family rooms in a Premier Inn. So bear this in mind. Also, the food in the hotels wasn’t great quality but exceptionally expensive. We ended up eating in the park or Disney village – better quality and less pricey.

Which brings us onto the third main piece of advice, and that is to think hard about meals and your plans for each day. Meal Plans are a good option because they do give you discounted meals, but you need to ensure the restaurants have menus you want to eat and that they are open when you want to eat. If you do go down this route, make sure you book the number of meals you want for the time you are there. Sounds obvious but you may be there on days where lunch isn’t available (its not available in the hotel buffet at lunchtimes, for instance) or even dinner (especially during the Christmas/New Year Holiday period). Also, look at your travel times – you may arrive after lunch on your first day or need to leave before lunch on your departure day. Don’t be caught out – instead of listening to experts, do your own research and ask the questions.

The final piece of advice, and probably one of the most important, is to look at when you are going. There is an urban myth that a lot of the “experts” like to put out around about the Christmas/New Year holiday period. They will tell you that the local French people who have annual passes are busy at home with their families from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day, making this the quietest time of the year to go. This is a LIE. I still recall the shocked laugh and look of disbelief from the Compass Club concierge when I told them what we had been told (enough for them to want to make a note of the so called “DLP experts” who had sold us this lie). As she calmly corrected, Christmas Eve to Boxing Day are some of their 3 busiest days of the year as is New Year’s Eve and New Year’s day. They had the stats to show me. When I say busy, I mean 45-minute queues minimum for any ride. Not great for adults; a complete torture for kids of any age. Their quiet time during the holiday period, if you do want to go at this time? 27th – 29th December, or whenever there is no general holiday for everyone as bank holidays do move depending on when Christmas falls. Similarly, for the rest of the year – if you want the best experience, go out of season or out of French school holidays.

This leads nicely back to “do you need to stay onsite?”. Quite obviously the majority of those in DLP are French, and they don’t stay onsite. Instead they commute in which is remarkably easy from Paris and the train stop is so close to the entrance to the park. It’s a 10-minute walk closer than any of the hotels unless you’re at the Disney hotel which is above the noisy entrance to the park. There is a supposed magic to staying onsite – you can arrange for character meet and greets at the hotels – but they are a 15-minute walk (with kids) through the Disney village to the park. Just bear this in mind when you are planning.

What else do you need to know?

1.       Its quieter if you’re in the Park from 7pm onwards – especially the rides for smaller kids such as Dumbo or the Teacups. Not great for their bedtime routine but if you do find it busy, it’s worth the sacrifice.

2.       Use the Disney staff for advice whilst you’re there too– they saved our holiday and understandably are the real experts.

3.       Book your meals before you go, and research all your options. The restaurants do get booked up.

4.       If you are travelling with a child with ASD, however minor, again talk to Disney. They understand ASD and the issues you may have and will have suggestions as to help. We wish we’d done this, but the lack of awareness we’d experienced at other tourist sites meant we didn’t think there would be measures in place. We were so wrong and wish we’d flagged it earlier rather than trying to manage the situation ourselves as we usually do. Thankfully Disney came to the rescue when we were struggling whilst we were there and for that we will always be eternally grateful (see pt 2)

5.       Look into the experiences that you pay extra for and work out whether it’s something you’d want to do. They get booked up well in advance and its important you do your research depending on what you want.

6.       Parades. For the 5pm parade, we found the best place was as you first walk into Market Street, by the Disney train. At that time, most people are in the main body of the park and so those bits of the parade route get easily clogged up. If you’re by the exit/entrance, there are less people there and you can get a front row spot easily just 15 minutes before it starts. Also, stand on a bend – they have to slow down for bends for you get a longer view.

7.       Work our whether you need to stay up for the Fireworks. You’ll see better displays on the TV at NYE, and its mainly just a light projection of a mashup of Disney films with the songs – sung in French mainly. Decide if it’s worth a crotchety kid the next day for staying up so late.

8.       We found the rides closed at 9pm – an hour before the fireworks at 10pm. It may have just been they did this during the winter but just something to be aware of.

9.       If you want a meal in your Disney hotel on Christmas Eve dinner or Christmas Day lunch, be prepared to pay for it. There are no meal plans for these 2 meals and the price for a family of 2 adults and 1 child was 452Euros per meal. Disney will push this option but there are other restaurants open during this period that you can use if you’d prefer – the set meals at the hotels are not the only option.

10.   Disneyland Paris site is quite small. Whilst you will spend a lot of time queuing, actually walking around the site won’t take you very long – we did a recce in about an hour with our 5-year-old. Take this into account when planning how long to spend there. We had 3 full days there (and we stayed onsite) and it was far too long. Two days would be enough and actually we’d have been happy having a day trip from Paris, although it would be a long day.

So I’ll end the advice as I started…..Plan, Plan, Plan, Plan, Plan, Plan. DO YOUR RESEARCH and be honest on what you want from the holiday. Go into detail - what rides you want to do, where you are going to eat; plan to take snacks with you and bottle of drink (one bottle of cordial and one bottle for water is a good idea as there are good water fountains to refil around the site); take varied clothing and layers for your time in the park especially if you’ll be there all day (and foldaway rainy gear if needed). It may all seem like an awfully lot of hard work but you will benefit and you’re less likely to feel like you’ve faced an endurance test.

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Butterfly feeding. Taken at a stop over on a long bus journey through Rajasthan, India

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Stone Gargoyle, Budapest

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Views of Southern Alps, South Island, New Zealand

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Wild poppies, Forum, Rome, Italy

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Franz Josef Glacier, New Zealand

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Budapest

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South Island, New Zealand

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Travel Destination Posts - November - Bhutan

Bhutan. The last Shangri-La. The country on top of the Himalayas.

When people think of Bhutan (if they've heard of the country in the first place), its the above photo that springs to mind. Its the Dragon's Nest Monastery - a good climb into the foothills of the Himalayas.

A visit to this alone is worth the trip to this stunning country, but its not the only reason. If you do manage a vacation here (see "what should I know" section below), then make time to go climbing with locals, visit the spiritual monasteries, walk about town, spend time with the local communities. A week here and you will find yourself walking and feeling lighter, and breathing a little deeper which is only to be expected from somewhere that measures its values and wealth in terms of a "happiness" scale rather than impact to GDP.

Take time to visit the prayer wheels and the temples

Make sure you see the national sport in action - archery.... done the old fashioned way but you should see how far they can shoot!

What Should I Expect?

Most accommodation at the mid-price range  is on the more basic side - wooden structures but comfy and warm even in autumn. The food is nutritious and delicious, but probably less varied that you'd be used to. In the last few years there has been a couple of 5 Star hotels arriving - eco style resorts - but expect to pay a lot more for them.

The locals are not unused tourism and are friendly and courteous. You'll notice how most men and women choose to wear their national dress - its not a put-on for tourist but an everyday outfit, even for the kids

 For most of the country, you notice the air is clean and fresh - only the more populated "cities" of Thimpu show some sign of air pollution but it is minimal and only of note because of the contrast to the rest of the country. You'll also notice the low population and low density in most of the country - a lot of nature and woodland and countryside. There are few cities like Thimpu and Paro but these are more large towns rather than the cities we are used to like London, New York or Tokyo.

The weather is varied. We went in November and it was cool (fleece weather) in early mornings and evenings but warm sunshine during the day. We had one day of rain which thankfully was as we were travelling.

And then there's the prayer flags - beautiful and everywhere!

What Should I Know?

The main 2 things you need to know are 1. Its expensive to get there and 2. Its not easy to travel there.

How expensive? VISAs are limited and therefore in high demand. Plus limited options on flights, transport, hotels and guides. Its not easy to do independently, and the easiest way - albeit a pricey way - is to do with an speciality tour company such as Kuoni.

So how difficult is it to travel there? Well, if you do manage to get a VISA, then you also face there being a limited number of flights into Bhutan - mainly from Kathmandu, Nepal. And prepare to be delayed - especially with the poor air quality which can inhibit flights out of Kathmandu airport. If it gets too late you may not set off from Kathmandu at all - the pilots need to be able to see to land on the air strip and this can be touch and go at dusk. You may find, like we did, that we set off and as the plane came to land, the pilot couldn't see and aborted the landing. He tried twice more before deciding to divert - we ended up all expenses paid in a top hotel in Dhaka, Bangladesh for the night.

And speaking of flights, if you're a nervous flyer then be wary. The airport is surrounded by steep sided mountains so the flight path in is tricky, and you can feel too close to the mountains at times. Take off is equally interesting.

But if you can bear this, the actual flight offers wonderful views of the Himalayas and Everest - just try to get to sit on the side that gives you the best views

Dragon's Nest Monastery

A visit to the monastery in the clouds is a highlight not to be missed but it is quite a trek uphill and so you do need to be fit and healthy. That's not to say you can't do this trek if you're older - I did it with my dad when he was a sprightly 68! Walking poles are definitely useful, and you don't have to trek the whole way up - there is the donkey option for part of the trek if you really don't want to walk it all yourself

Why is it worth the effort? The views alone make it a must see, and the triumph you feel at the end is immense.

Bhutan is a very special place to visit - humbling, calming, and bound to raise your happiness levels

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Lighthouse, Baltic Sea

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sculpture

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One Hour Make - October - Spring Bulb Planters

This is a simple make but needs to be done now so that you have your spring bulbs ready for.... well, Spring. Timing is everything but put 15 minutes in now and you'll have pots and planters coming into flower from February until April (weather dependant).

What do you need?

Pots/Planters - I like to group in three's or five's. Any type of outdoor pot will do but I like using my terracotta pots which are a couple of years old and a bit weathered. They're cheap from most hardware stores such as B&Q or Bunnings Warehouse. You can plant the bulbs in your garden but I prefer pots as I can dot them about the garden and patio to fill gaps or add colour.

Bulbs - Your choice but try and make sure you have a selection of ones that flower from February to end March/early April to make the most of your pot. For mine I choose a snowdrop, then crocus then tulip. Again colour is entirely your choice but I like to make sure that whilst I have different bulbs, they are at least tonal in colour. We have a north facing courtyard so I tend to choose oranges or reds for my bulbs; the main patio is south facing and in a purple/blue/white colour scheme so I choose bulbs to match the colour.

Compost - Good all purpose compost.

Method:

Add compost to your pots making sure they are filled to approximately half way. Bulbs such as tulips and some daffodils like to be planted deep.

Add your tulip bulbs, and/or daffodil bulbs - I would tend to put in odd numbers of bulbs. This smaller pot has just 5.

Cover with compost

Add your crocus and snowdrop bulbs

Add more compost on top and fill to the rim

And that's it. If you want you can leave them to one side until later in the year when you want to place them or put them in place now.

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Raffles Resort, Praslin Island, Seychelles

#beach #turquoisewaters #Seychelles #rafflesresort #praslinisland #relaxation #travelphotography #patchworkelephantposts