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Cornwall 3-6 May 2019

7 May 2019 / admin

Another short break – this time in Cornwall with a large group as together with the owners we descended on Hembal Manor for the first bank holiday of May. It happens to be one of the first major outings of the newish Tiguan and it is well loaded with the boot completely full to overflowing. Hembal lies just a little to the west of St Austell (Snorsel as it appears to be pronounced) which was the historic centre of the china clay industry.

Our outward route is via the A303 which is our main route westwards these days – it always brings to mind the Reggie Perrin discussion on the benefits of using the A30 or A303 – but the improvements (apart from at Stonehenge which has been cancelled by every government soon after they come to office for the last 30 years) now mean that the traffic tends to use the A303 which flows – but there remain places along the road where further improvement remains long overdue.

The main attractions within easy distance of the Manor are the Eden project and the Lost Gardens of Heligan. We had visited the former some years ago so I elect to go to the Wheal Martin Clayworks, although I have a suspicion that I visited it many years ago it has in the meantime had an upgrade and it remains fascinating telling the story of the extraction (which continues using more modern methods) of China Clay to be used in pottery and so on. On return from the works I am able to walk from the Manor to the adjacent railway main line where I can photograph the limited service through Cornwall. In more recent times the service frequency has been improved from hourly to half hourly and is perhaps more akin to the service needed by local residents.

With some free time I am able to visit the Mevagissey Model railway – I seem to recall it was not quite worth the entrance fee. However the attraction has changed hands in more recent times since my visit so further comment would be inappropriate.

The Lost Gardens of Heligan sit high above the coastline of Mevagissey and whilst we have been before this time we are able to see rather more of the grounds and find more of the statues and other attractions. The rhododendrons are not quite over so there is a decent amount of colour. There also seems to have been further development of the gardens since our last visit. Jackie will still not walk across the rope bridge of course. I consider the whole place magical and I think everyone else is of a similar conclusion.

Dining on Sunday is at the hotel in Charlestown where I stayed many years ago – although the dining area has clearly been much developed since then and alongside that I think the food is also much better. There is a museum in Charlestown now concerning the local fishing industry which we do not have time to visit – so there is a need to return here at some time in the future.

Jackie drives the Tiguan to the Eden project and reports that it brings her back via a somewhat odd route – an early sign that the satnav on this car seems to have a mystery bug which insists on taking devious routes when you simply want to reach your destination.

Our homeward journey on Monday is a long drive with a stop at the Exeter services and is inevitably slow – but not as slow as a trip back I suffer a couple of years later when the road from Cornwall to Exeter crawls all the way.

A concentrated little break visiting some of the South West’s major attractions which were right on our doorsteps – so the only long journeys were at the start and finish of the holiday – which made it easier than continuing driving each day.

Bristol 6-8 March 2019

9 March 2019 / admin

For my birthday this year Jackie has organised a short trip in the UK. And we are going by train – this is the first time we travel using one of the HST replacement sets – the IETs – from Reading to Bristol – having taken the usual Class 165 from Sandhurst. The good news is that a decent proportion of the route is electrified – but the project was allegedly “paused” a couple of years ago – so it is incomplete and the train switches to diesel power for nearly half the journey – a sad example of incompetence all round. It has to be hoped that ere long someone will bite the bullet and get the job done – additionally they are running class 387s on long distance journeys – inappropriate to say the least but the incomplete project is tantamount to wasting a significant proportion of the money which has been invested so far.

In Bristol we are staying at the Harbour Hotel having had good experience of the chain elsewhere. The hotel is housed in a converted bank so accessing the room seems slightly tortuous. Dinner in the restaurant does not even elevate itself to disappointing so we are not off to a great start.

The main attraction and reason for the trip the following morning is to visit the harbour itself and SS Great Britain – Brunel’s steamship which was a great leap forward when built in 1845, remaining the world’s largest passenger ship until 1853. She was converted to sail propulsion in 1881 (so progress often has backward steps) and having served many different uses she was scuttled off the Falkland Islands in 1937 achieving service of 92 years. In 1970 she was raised (following major contributions from some millionaires) and brought back to Bristol where she was originally constructed and is now very effectively conserved.

Reading the Wikipedia page on the ship it is clear that its unprecedented size meant that it actually undertook very few Transatlantic sailings and encountered a number of groundings which led to reworking and after only a few years to a complete change in usage. However it set a path and as ever someone has to take the first step – although the original owning company became financially distressed as did one of its successors – ownership does not seem to have generated significant returns.

The ship tour, including the ability to walk under the hull together with the adjacent museum dedicated to Brunel are stunning and together make one of the best museum visits ever. On board on the day we were there were costumed individuals explaining various aspects of the ship as originally used and the later changes. The (replacement) steam engines can work but were not doing so on our visit.

During the day we also ascend to the heights of Clifton Village mainly to take a look at the Clifton Suspension Bridge but the weather starts to turn from not particularly nice to far worse and we retreat back.

An excellent dinner in the evening rounds off this particular trip with another IET run back to Reading the following morning. The coaches were electronically lettered and seats reserved so we took the labelled seats. Prior to departure the computers are rebooted to travel in the other direction and the previous lettering of the coaches is reversed for some reason so the reservation labels and coach labels no longer match. One wonders how these things go wrong so easily. However no-one asks to sit in the seats so we stay put and arrive back in Reading without delays.

Scotland Route 500 6-17 September 2018

18 September 2018 / admin

Time for a road trip in the UK and this one is to do most of the Route 500 – a round tour of the very far north of these islands sticking to major roads but we will not be quite completing the circuit and we will have a couple of diversions for personal reasons – it remains a lot of mileage and a need to ensure the tank is refilled at certain points.

Our outward journey is lengthy and we need to stop off somewhere as we head north, so stay over with friends in Glooston in Leicestershire. Heading further north we popped into see the Angel of the North (well it was a very short distance off the main road after all) before heading further north – this being a long driving day – to reach the Peat Inn (Fife) which is the name of the village as well as our stopping point. We approach from one end of the village and we can sense we are heading back out of the village before actually finding the restaurant! An excellent meal and location to stop especially for a long drive.

The following day we head on northwards crossing over the Tay into Dundee – where we do not have time to stop but certainly the area around the river appears interesting for a visit in future. We pick up the A93 and then take a slightly indirect route via Cock Bridge and Tomintoul, tipping our hat to Mrs MacKay the local postmistress who keeps (or more likely now kept) the road open in winter with her shovel. I have been this way before and it is a very remote road crossing some uninhabited country – although the support for skiing is much larger than the last time I passed this way. Our initial target is Dufftown and the Keith and Dufftown Railway which is an interesting ride through the countryside. We then proceed to Inverness, formally the Route 500 commencement point, where we had not booked dinner and my name is mud. Having since revisited Inverness I now know that decent restaurants can be found – but we turned in the wrong direction.

Typically it is suggested that Route 500 should be undertaken clockwise but we are heading counter-clockwise so heading further up the East Coast first. Dornoch is visited which I remember as a pleasant place but it does not seem so nice this time – although that could simply be a lack of sunshine. Then to Dunrobin Castle which is a magnificent edifice and of course has its own station which is no longer private. We are spending tonight in Wick – where I have made the fundamental mistake of booking a restaurant in Wick, Bristol. My name is now officially mud (it gets worse). However at short notice I get a booking in a very nice restaurant – but we see them turn away people who have not booked – it seems without a booking there is no meal in Scotland these days.

Having visited John O’Groats we head onto the mainland’s most northerly point at Dunnet Head where there is certainly a very strong wind, a view and many birds but not much else. We retrace our steps slightly and the continue to the fascinating Castle of Mey which is a little further west and was the summer home of the Queen Mother. Now open to the public we are treated to some gentle stories concerning her late Majesty and other members of the family on their regular visits. Subsequently I believe rooms have been opened in the former stables so it is now possible to stay over. There is some beautiful scenery visible from the windows of the kitchen of the Castle so it is easy to understand her attachment to the place.

Our stopping place tonight is Durness which was visited by John Lennon as a child – from Liverpool post war that must have been some journey – probably to Inverness by train and then a bus to Durness where we visit the memorial to him. We have a table booked at the Smoo Cave Hotel and they serve absolutely excellent pies – even if it is a long way from anywhere else. On arriving they misheard Jackie confirming she had a reservation and were about to deny us entry – which would have made life even more difficult.

We do stop and try to visit the Smoo Cave the following morning – but due to the weather and tide they are not fully open so we can merely peer into the darkness. What I do remember as we drove along the coast was the splendid beaches which kept appearing as we rounded corners. Obviously they never see many visitors but there are some wonderful beaches in this part of the world. From here onwards much of the route is single carriageway with passing places and somehow all the 4×4 drivers seem to think that even pulling off the road even slightly is beyond them and so the TT has to leave the main drag.

As the Scots have popularised this route it sees a lot of use by those in camper vans – which I entirely understand as accommodation is not that readily available. On at least one part of the route I decide that the chances of making progress are pretty limited so drop back from a camper van and stay about two passing places (most of the way they are quite numerous) behind making it easier for those who need to get past both of us to do so. Also on this journey suddenly the dashboard showed an amber warning light which I did not understand. We consult the handbook and apparently more than the permitted number of LED lights in the array on the rear display over the boot have failed – but it remains safe to drive – it just keeps beeping when applying the brakes which is highly annoying.

We are now heading down the west coast of Scotland and also deviate from the Route 500 as I have long wanted to stay at the Summer Isles Hotel at Achiltibuie, having read about it many years ago. As we drive the sights we see are amazing – I am doing the driving and cannot see them all. For a lunch break we stop at the roadside- a suitable stop simply appearing at about the right time. Due to cloud we do not get quite the sunset display for which the Summer Isles hotel is famous – but it has been removed from the list of places to visit and I liked it. Again it is a very long way from anywhere else but I confirm the setting is fabulous.

The following day we stop at Inverewe gardens – again on a list of places which in this case I remember being told about it at school for the palm trees nurtured by the Gulf Stream and it is a magnificent place even if members of our party taking separate turnings mean that some people get completely lost. Our destination tonight is Torridon Castle which is a slight disappointment given its reputation – but the range of whiskies visible on the shelves is almost hard to comprehend or from which to make a suitable choice.

The drive the following day is along a coast road with little apart from other road users until we ascend (from the wrong side) Applecross or Bealach na Ba which was originally the Pass of the Cattle reaching 2054ft above sea level. The descent has a number of hairpin curves and a nasty pothole in which I manage to ground the poor car. I suspect it is also a challenge to drive up that side – perhaps one day! This is a very remote part of the Scottish mainland. I strongly feel I would like to repeat the trip – in the right direction – as a passenger rather than the driver.

The reconstructed main roads annoyingly do not hug the coast to Kyle of Lochalsh and I miss the relevant turning to maintain the coastal route. However we do at one point drive on the railway – works are being undertaken and they have laid a temporary roadway over the tracks to keep the traffic moving. At Kyle I take a wrong turning and end up on the station platform! You cannot keep me away from trains.

The next bridge we cross replaces the ferry to Kyleakin used on my last visit and we are deviating from route 500 to visit the Isle of Skye. At the far end of the island is Dunvegan Castle which we visit first. We are spending the night at a B&B adjacent to the Three Chimneys – a restaurant that has been listed in the Good Food Guide just about forever and we are finally here to enjoy the evening. Knowing of my diabetes they take extreme care to ensure that my dishes are amended to avoid sugar – an outstanding memory.

Our first stop the following day is the Talisker distillery. However I had a tour booking for a day later still – luckily they are able to fit us in after a wait. This means I have got three things wrong on this holiday and I have been banned for organising anything ever again. Whilst this was the least troublesome it put the seal on incompetence. As Jackie does not like whisky I however get not only a thorough ear bashing but also a double bonus – extra tasting helpings and then as I have had a lot to drink Jackie gets to drive the next section.

There are as far as I am aware three links between Skye and the mainland – the feted bridge, the ferry to Mallaig at the southern end of the island and the much smaller Glenelg ferry – which is the route I had determined we should take and is a wonderful reminder of how these small ferries are important still. Once back on the mainland we follow the Old Military Road which eventually leads back to the A87. The scenery on this route as we drove through the mountains was absolutely magnificent including a stop at a viewpoint for photos. Another road which I suspect few people ever drive, I have recommended it to others but so far not sure anyone else has seen these sights.

We have a couple of nights in Fort William – mainly so that we can spend an entire day on the Jacobite steam service to Mallaig and partake of the inevitable fish and chip lunch at the far end of the line. In my view the area shows many changes since my first trip to the area when the steam trains first ran. The lineside now has trees and I remember it being very open. The people watching as we pass over Glenfinnan viaduct are numerous – not non-existent as they were then. To support the visitor numbers the entire area seems far more developed – and it must have brought a lot of money into the area generally over the years. It certainly no longer seems as remote – but then you can no longer dine in a restaurant car on the train from Fort William to Glasgow as I did in 1972.

I had forgotten how beautiful the drive is down on the A82 through Glencoe and Bridge of Orchy – our last visit to the area was based in Oban so did not use this road. The road still twists and turns along the top end of Loch Lomond but there is now a by pass road (poorly signposted in my view) which replaces the now partially closed road along the edge of the Loch for the southern half of the journey.

It is then a very long and slow journey down the M6 which as we join it the satnav invites us to follow the motorway for more than 100 miles – but there is a vast amount of traffic and the entire journey takes about 50% longer than should have been the case. We get home very late and it was just too far to do in one day.

Once we are back I take the car to have the brake lights repaired and the underside checked following a couple of groundings – the latter reports no damage – just a misplaced clip. The car done well!

Baltic Cruise 21 July – 4 Aug 2018

5 August 2018 / admin

This was another cruise with Celebrity (following a previous trip to Norway) which enabled us to visit some of the major cities on the Baltic sea and which unfortunately led to a hospital visit for me.

Our first port of call was Zeebrugge which does not have any immediate attractions itself and from which the main organised excursion was to Bruges. We have been to Bruges previously so decided to take to a local outing on a bus. Both of us have a cold so the bus took us the nearby town of Blankenberge. This is actually an attractive place to wander around and we find a pharmacy and can obtain some treatment for the colds.

The ship then headed further north to dock in Copenhagen where the big attraction to us, given that a within recent times we had watched “The Bridge” (a detective series based around body parts found at the centre of the new bridge linking Copenhagen to Malmo), is the bridge which has to be traversed. The bridge replaced the ferry service I had used when making my Interrail trip in 1976. We take the open top bus into the city which stops close to the station and having negotiated buying tickets we travel to Malmo and return. Back in Copenhagen we are able to wander around the Tivoli Gardens which are also close to the station. The return bus service stops at The Little Mermaid to obtain the inevitable photographs.

Our next stopping port is Stockholm and here we take a city tour visiting the location where the Nobel scientific prize awards are made (but not the Peace Prize which is always presented in Oslo) as well as seeing more of the city as we travel. Stockholm stretches across numerous islands and there are therefore many bridges in and around the city. The Swedes have (like the Mary Rose in Portsmouth) recovered a sunken vessel – the Vasa – which succumbed on her maiden voyage in 1628. The ship was recovered in 1961 and the museum opened in 1990.

We cross from the Scandinavian side of the Baltic to Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. The sun is shining (much of the area is experiencing close to record temperatures) and we take a walk through a little market and then use a bus to the highest point of the capital and which is the location of the Town Hall and then wander back down the hill. It proves exceptionally warm for the latitude and with this weather Estonia appears very attractive, less so in the depths of the winter I suspect. However the opportunity to return for a further visit is probably limited.

Our next and most major port of call was St Petersburg which we visited over 20 years ago so this is a return visit. Whilst the historic buildings in the city centre show little physical change the names outside on the shop fronts now reflect the usual range of designer names that can be seen across the world. At the port – which we did not see previously – huge areas have been redeveloped with tower blocks and modern constructions. Huge highways and of course a lot more traffic.

We are here for two days and also here is the Russian Navy for an official navy day and on the second evening we are taken to the river frontage and can see huge numbers of naval vessels. It remains amazingly warm even past midnight. The navy ships can only arrive and depart in a couple of hours overnight when it is deemed appropriate to open the bridges across the river to facilitate the larger vessels leaving and without impacting traffic significantly.

Whilst St Petersburg looks generally more prosperous and modern than on our last visit I suspect the improvements are concentrated on the major cities and that the rural areas of Russia are probably little changed.

Built into the itinerary are a number of “sea days” when the cruise ship is heading between ports. We always try and plan to use one of the specialist restaurants on one of these days to allow another activity feature as we have not been out and about much during the day. As we are at sea for a day before the next stop we have some absolute stunning food in the Japanese restaurant aboard. During the night I start being sick – and although I have emptied my system I cannot stop. A trip to the medical bay ensues and as the doctor has a particular concern it is then in an ambulance to the hospital.

The ambulance requires payment in cash before departing so Jackie rushes upstairs to extract money from the cash machine and she eventually has enough Euros to pay them. I can report (and in contrast to some horror stories) all of the treatment on board and at the hospital was never charged (unless they contacted our insurers direct) so we are grateful to all concerned.

I have been given some morphine for the pain and other medicine to control the urge to be sick – that had been going on for some hours – so feeling better I was more worried about missing the planned trip on the Molli – a local light railway line – than having something wrong with me. A trip for the future.

At the hospital an abdominal scan proves the doctor’s fears groundless – it would appear that it is actually my gall bladder which has given up the fight against good living. It is inflamed and initially they are suggesting an immediate operation – which is not ideal. However wiser councils prevail – antibiotics for now, a return to the ship prior to sailing and then arrange treatment on return to home.

Rostok was the last stop before Southampton so after a couple of days we are back in Southampton and heading up the M3 and the car finds its way to Frimley Park where the wait is significantly longer than in Rostok – despite knowing what is wrong with me. Eventually the diagnosis is confirmed and appointments will be coming.

This was a great trip until I fell ill – but in fact provided a story to tell so I can hardly complain!

Bordeaux and Arcachon 2-9 June 2018

10 June 2018 / admin

I cannot remember now quite what the background to this holiday was – I have a feeling that we studied where we could have a holiday using a BA companion voucher and so probably travelled here for not very much money at all.

A B&B was found close to Arcachon and we hired a car to be able to get around for the week – although we used the railway on one of the days. The surrounding area had a variety of attractions which kept us busy whilst we were there. Better advance research would probably have found more but I mention this below.

Having arrived on the Saturday on the Sunday we headed to a local market for some bits and pieces and to see a little of the countryside and for me a chance to get used to driving on the right (which is not something I do regularly) and to getting a feel for the local area in terms of traffic and similar. We planned on eating out somewhere at lunchtimes most days and then having a quiet evening to do some reading.

The rest of the week is busier – the area is noted for the marine life (or so we understood before coming) but we find that currently the oyster and other marine activities are off the agenda due to pollution of the sea and there are no local supplies of shellfish due to those marine problems – which is disappointing for me if not Jackie.

One of the mornings was spent visiting a major local ornithological reserve where we had nice walk – but the more exotic birds were even further away. It is an extensive site and we should probably have planned to spend longer there than we had allowed before our booked lunch in Gujan-Mestres which is normally a major oyster fishing location. It remained an attractive harbour to wander around – and there would normally be many eating places with very fresh catches – but all closed up today.

On one day we took the train into Bordeaux – driving in a large town and finding parking space is not always simple so it was easier to catch the direct electric train with some elegant electrification masts. Bordeaux is an attractive city and a major location to visit is the Cité du Vin which was a very pleasant way of spending a couple of hours (and using the train meant that drink could be consumed). Our lunch was in a basement as I recall and we certainly ate well today.

Another day was spent visiting Cap Ferret (note not Cap Ferrat which is a long way away in Southern France) but is a long peninsula the other side of Arcachon Bay. Only when we were driving over the rails did I become aware of a local railway – which we did not use but shows I should have undertaken more research! The railway crosses the narrow peninsula from the local town to the beach.

A further major attraction is Dune du Pilat which is the largest sand dune in Europe. Less welcome to Jackie because of all of the sand. We then go into Arcachon and wander along the front to decide on where to take lunch. As with our other choices on this holiday we were able to enjoy an excellent meal.

On one day we stayed at the B&B to do some reading and resting and merely go into the town centre for lunch. Even there our meal is pretty good – but then we are in France.

On the Saturday morning before our return flight we headed up to the North West of Bordeaux into the Margaux area for a lunch where we were entertained by a group of wine growers celebrating their excellent wines and enjoying a decent meal. The sun was warm and it was a lovely end to the week. The entire week was a pleasant gentle time.

Cayton Bay 21 – 25 May 2018

26 May 2018 / admin

This was a brief caravan holiday based just south of Scarborough running from Monday to Friday.

Our outward journey encompassed a lunch in Lincoln to provide a stopping point as we headed north.

On the Tuesday we visited Castle Howard which was used for the television version of Brideshead Revisited (amongst others) and it is a magnificent property which we wandered around and then around some of the extensive grounds. The chapel is superb and a reminder of the Catholic history of much of the aristocracy despite the best efforts of Henry VIII.

Lunch on Tuesday was at the Star Inn Harome which has a justified reputation. Over subsequent years to our visit these Howardian Hills have become somewhat of a foodie destination and we have since been back a couple of times. I suspect that the area contains enough people willing to travel to sustain them. The area is attractive and has first class suppliers justifying the number of decent restaurants in a small area.

In the afternoon on the return journey we went to see Rievaulx Abbey but did not go around it as we had done a fair bit of walking in the morning and had consumed a large lunch.

Wednesday is the railway highlight – a trip by steam train from Pickering (where the parking meters almost defeated me) to Whitby using the North Yorks Moors Railway which has had extensive television coverage in recent years. It passes through some very beautiful countryside although this is my first visit here in a long time. I certainly visited in 1975 but not sure if I have been since then.

In Whitby we walk up to the Abbey – it is a long way – and having returned to sea level we then go the Magpie Café for fish and chips. We return to Pickering on the train and then onwards to the caravan.

The weather on Thursday is not so great and a visit to Flamborough Head in effectively fairly thick mist means that nothing can be seen at all. However we go to Robin Hood’s Bay and walk down and through the village, due to the weather any pictures are less than enthralling. Later we go on to Scarborough and travel on the North Bay Railway to Scalby Mills and back – a first trip on this line.

In the evening we dine at Laterna restaurant in Scarborough – as I recall it is a long term resident in the Good Food Guide of blessed memory. So we dine well and I am careful to be able to drive back to the caravan safely.

It feels like a long drive home and no particular stops along the way.

Sri Lanka 17 Feb – 10 Mar 2018

11 March 2018 / admin

Our trip here was with Railway Touring Company and was partly steam hauled, making use of the Viceroy Special train. We visited much but not all of the network Our initial trip was from the airport station (not normally a passenger line) to Mount Lavinia (where we stayed on our earlier visit to the island – the hotel has been extended since then) on the special train. Almost immediately the rail enthusiasts leave the hotel for the Dermatogoda works where there is much which is simply decaying. We have more or less free rein to wander around the works.

The following day we travelled up to Kandy and subsequently onwards to visit the tea plantation area around Nuwara Eliya with the train going no further than Nanu Oya, so I have yet to travel to Badulla at the end of the line. We visit a tea factory as part of the excursion and then return to Kandy for another night’s stay. The scenery outside the train is beautiful as we wind through the tea plantations and the hills which are much cooler than the coastal areas.

In Kandy we are able to visit the Temple of the Tooth which we were unable to visit on our previous trip to Sri Lanka and so made up for the shortfall on that journey.

We leave Kandy by road with the train having gone on ahead but we join it at Gal Oya and visit Trincomalee (where we are muchly disappointed not getting to see the town) and the following night we stay near Batticaloa – both towns are situated on the East Coast of the island and are typically much drier. The following day we take a service train to the end of the line at Batticaloa – simply going there and back through an area which still shows some signs of devastation following the huge tsunami a few years ago.

We also revisit Dambulla caves where Jackie had stayed outside last time – this time she is also able to wander through the caves and see the sights – and this time we seem to be able to enter at a much higher level as a group party and so the climb is far less arduous.

From Maho we head north passing through Elephants Pass (with a photo stop) reaching Jaffna. We were due to go the whole way to the end of the line but the steam locomotive had suffered a failure (just before the run past at Elephants Pass) and we encountered significant delays with the diesel pushing us from behind. On our earlier visit we could not visit the north of the island due to the ongoing civil war – it was out of bounds so this has only been possible since it ended.

We then return in two stages to Mount Lavinia where the tour itself ends.

Jackie and I have arranged a few days on the coast near Galle to give us a chance to rest from exertions of recent days. We are able to visit Galle itself and also the beach at Unawatuna where scenes from the The Good Karma Hospital were filmed. The trip to Galle is on a heavily loaded train which eases dramatically at Bentota where the locals are going to the beach for the day.

After our few days break we then head up country stopping at Monragala – a taxi takes us there. Then with Plan A (a charity) we go on to Maha Oya. We spend a second night at the Capital Hotel but leave very early in the morning for Colombo – I had to find a second taxi firm at short notice as I recall. We spent a night close to the airport and returned home the following day.

South America – Summary

14 December 2017 / admin

14 December 2017

All good holidays come to an end and so we emerge from Heathrow in the middle of the day. The return trip was in premium economy and we both managed to get some sleep. And some Avios points stacked up for a future trip.

How far did we travel?

Journey	Distance - miles
Heathrow to Santiago	7248
Santiago - Mendoza	112
Mendoza - Buenos Aires	612
Buenos Aires - Iguaza	660
Iguazu - Rio de Janeiro	736
Rio - Buzios (rtn)	218
Rio de Janeiro - Heathrow	5760
Total	15346

Inevitably those distances are approximate – but it is telling how short the hop between Santiago and Mendoza was. I noted as we drove back that Buzios does have an airport – given the traffic jam on the way back to Rio de Janeiro perhaps we should have seen if there were flights we should have used, but I suspect it is only light aircraft.

Highlight of the trip – inevitably the Iguazu Falls. Narrowly behind was Buenos Aires. Being based in the Recoleta area was a clear bonus and the city did not feel unsafe despite the regular warnings given by the guide. And for a few days of sunshine and pure rest then Buzios was a great way of ending the holiday. I think we only had one marginal meal on the trip and the leak in the Rio bathroom was very unwelcome. And only a couple of months before we head off to Sri Lanka for an unusual return visit.

In reality we saw so little of each country, particularly Chile, that making some grandiose summary seems preposterous. Buenos Aires was much preferred to Rio de Janeiro but Buzios was a lovely break so honours are even I think.

South America – 7 – Brazil – Buzios

12 December 2017 / admin

Saturday 7 December to Wednesday 11 December 2017

Our holiday is however not an end yet. We have added an extension to the end of the main holiday with a few days in Buzios which is a small town along the coast north of Rio de Janeiro. It is a three hour drive to our destination and we know one other member of the party is making the same journey – however separate cars have been booked so we have a peaceful trip, although the driver is a little mad!

We travel via some hills to reach our destination. We also for a while run parallel to a narrow gauge railway – which I think must be closed. In the hills we see a lot of cattle – in very green conditions – so farming remains strong as an industry.

Buzios became famous as the place where Brigitte Bardot holidayed in 1964; this cemented its fame; it puts us in mind of a small Mediterranean seaside location – a small cove and no doubt when she came here in 1964 it was a lot less developed than now! Our hotel, Casas Brancas, sits on a hillside on a promontory facing west and on the first night as we eat in the hotel’s excellent restaurant we enjoy a superb sunset – the other evenings are not quite as good unfortunately!

Photos covering our days can be found here, this includes pictures of the small statue of Ms Bardot – everyone takes a photo of it as they pass!

We have a nice quiet room looking out to the west as well. We can see a string of lights along a distant coastline which marks a road as it heads further north. The hotel is very relaxed and we are only a short walk into the town centre, although we drive through a built up area for quite a time before reaching our destination. One evening meal is taken in our hotel at 74 Restaurant , one along the seafront (Rincon) watching the world perambulate past and one in an adjacent hotel (Abracadabra) restaurant – Mistico. The choice at breakfast given the small numbers in residence is amazing and it lovely to be able to sit outside enjoying the view and the warmth.

On Monday we walk to the Rocka beach club on the other side of the promontory and this is marred by two navigation errors – well wrong turns! And when we get there we realise it is a mistake for us as Rocka is immediately adjacent to another beach bars both of which are playing (different) bangin’ music (as they say). Not restful!

We lie down on a bed and decide to stay put until we have had lunch – which I have to say was absolutely excellent. Then we take a taxi back to prevent getting overheated in the afternoon sun. We are very pleased to be back in the peace and quiet of our hotel.

We do walk down to the small town centre as well. On our walk to the beach club we also passed some gated residential areas so the place is clearly popular and in demand. We are out of the main season so once the weekend visitors return home the hotel becomes even quieter.

Our return flight is overnight so we leave Buzios with reluctance in mid afternoon and the journey goes well for a long way. Then on the edge of Rio de Janeiro we get attached to the back of a very slow moving traffic jam. It transpires there has been an accident somewhere close to the exit for the airport. Anyway safely delivered and in time for our check in and return home. Then we find that our departure will be several hours late as well! The plane was late leaving London. Disappointing there is nowhere decent to eat airside – the same fast food outlets are repeated but we were hoping for a good meal and then go to sleep. So we snack in the airport and then interestingly actually get a good meal on the plane itself.

Heathrow here we come!

South America – 6 – Brazil – Rio de Janeiro

9 December 2017 / admin

Wednesday 6 December to Friday 8 December 2017

Wednesday is a travelling day. A coach collects us and once again we travel by road across the border as we will be taking a domestic flight within Brazil from Iguaza to the capital Rio de Janeiro. Obviously this simplifies the security arrangements somewhat. In Brazil the airport is one side of the city and our hotel is on the seafront at Copacabana so we get our first taste of the local traffic which is pretty dense and so progress is far from rapid. Our destination is the Porto Bay Hotel.

Disappointingly our bathroom has a leak – probably from the air conditioning unit – with water running down the bathroom wall. We report this as we leave the hotel to go out for dinner. Having looked for something local we dine at Alfaia. The menu is based around cod with eggs and potatoes in various forms! So simple but nice. We had been warned by our guide that typically the arrangement is to serve essentially a double portion and to share. If one orders a main course each you get enough for four to eat unless you specifically go for a small version! Turns out to be plenty! Jackie has the local tart to finish, guessing slightly from the descriptions but we are able to advise other fellow travellers who have chosen the same restaurant

Unlike Buenos Aires Jackie feels a little uncomfortable and we walk back to the hotel along the beach front. There is no sign of any overt threat – merely a feeling of unease. On our return we are told the leak has been fixed – a speedy inspection shows two things – the water is still coming down the wall and the ceiling hatch into the space above has been removed and not replaced with various displaced insects lying around! We are not “amused” by this and we arrange to repack our cases so that we can be moved to another room tomorrow whilst we are out.

Thursday is a busy touring day. In the morning we do the tour to the Christ the Redeemer Statue. This is reached via a nice little railway – the Corcovado Rack Railway. No doubt that it is a very large statue and we are very lucky in that the views down onto the city are excellent as it is clear today. The statue opened in 1931 and underwent restoration work in 2010. The railway dates back a lot further to 1884 under steam haulage; the current electric traction was implemented in 1980 but continued the use of three phase AC supply which dates back to 1910, surprisingly at only 800v 60 Hz. There are two overhead wires, unlike other AC systems. This is our third cog railway in just over a year – Mount Washington and Budapest being the others!

Photographs of the statue and the railway are here.

Our coach then proceeds to take us past both Ipanema and Copacabana beaches stopping briefly at the latter. Just a few photos of Copacabana beach are here including looking up at Sugarloaf mountain.

After lunch we head to the heights of Sugarloaf mountain – two cable cars are needed to reach the top. The Sugarloaf name derives from the cone shape applied to sugar at the end of the refining process to enable shipment. This continued until the end of the 19th Century when granulated and cubes started to predominate. The current cable cars are third generation from 2009 – the originals came into use in 1912 and they were replaced in 1972. One example of each of the earlier versions is retained and included in the photos which are here.

Returning to the hotel we have been moved to a room without a leak and we are a few floors further up – to a slightly smaller room! So much for the upgrade that had been suggested. Not at all well handled by the staff on the front desk – an offer of an upgrade is made – but by then we are already “unpacked” again. At least there is no leak.

In the evening we go for a rodizo – the Brazilian version of a mixed grill if you like. The Churrascaria Palace is undergoing refurbishment during our visit and did not look impressive internally – until we saw the food. A superb salad bar and then the meat just keeps coming. Huge ribs being wheeled around on a trolley, slices of other beef, some Aberdeen Angus, spicy sausage and ever more. All excellent. They give you a pair of tongs and we do not understand why – until they slice meat off the main joint and you latch on to it with the tongs before they finish slicing. Also some decent wine – but the meat is definitely the star.

As we have not been sleeping too well we decide not to do very much on Friday – the weather is not bright (at times the statute disappears into the cloud), it rains on and off (we have already been soaked at least once in Buenos Aires) so we spend the day reading and listening. In the last couple of days I have been unable to send emails from my main account on my phone – yahoo is rejecting them from accessing the smtp relay. I decide to contact plusnet and ask them to setup the email I have never used since moving back to them as ISP. This is all organised using the online chat arrangement – half a world away – and the guy on support is envious of our warm weather! I can then configure my phone to use the plusnet smtp; I can send emails again! Must remember to sort it out properly once I am home and can talk to people. [PS Once home I found Yahoo to be the cause as it had “upgraded” and you cannot talk to anyone – took far too long to resolve].

We do wander out in the evening to eat (the hotel breakfast is actually good but we have been by others told that the dinner is not outstanding). We wander a little way in the other direction to the previous two nights to a middle Eastern style restaurant, Amir. This provides some variety and a lighter meal than last night! Time to repack. This tour has been quite a bit different from those we normally take in that there have been no communal meals and with a lot of the travel in airplanes and not on the ground the group have not had much contact time. We have also not partaken of some of the optional trips, so have spent more time apart from the main group.