Did you know that Northumberland boasts more castle sites than any other county in England? The over 70 fortifications are a legacy from the Anglo-Scottish border wars that raged throughout the 14th-16th centuries. I wasn’t aware of this (or had ignored forgotten childhood history lessons) until I recently visited my Dad’s family who live “up north”.
JJ and I just got back from a 2-week trip to the UK + Italy. Here’s my plane outfit, plus what I packed in my carry-on and checked bag for this trip. Temperatures ranged from 12°C in England, up to 28°C in the north of Italy. Hopefully, this will be useful if you need to pack for a similar weather forecast.
After our orangutan trekking adventure, JJ and I were ready for some relaxing Indonesian beach time. We set off for Mahi-Mahi Surf Resort, an eco-lodge on Simeulue Island in Aceh Province, Sumatra.
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Gunung Leuser National Park covers 7,927 km2 in northern Sumatra, Indonesia. This tropical rainforest is one of the last places on earth where critically endangered orangutans live in the wild. Seeing these great apes has been on my bucket list for ages, so over the Easter long weekend, JJ and I finally made orangutan trekking happen!
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JJ and I just got back from a 10 day trip to Sumatra, Indonesia. It was finally time to tick orangutan trekking off the bucket list! Here’s my plane outfit, plus what I packed in my carry-on and checked bag for this trip. I don’t normally post what I bring on shorter trips, but because I had a mix of activities planned I thought this might be handy.
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state consisting of over 900 islands, lying in between Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu. The country’s capital, Honiara, is situated on the island of Guadalcanal. After Christmas in Sydney, JJ and I travelled to Honiara and then east to Marau Sound for a tropical mini-break. Set your watches to island time…..
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When I found out I was being sent to San Jose for a work conference last October, I couldn’t resist taking the opportunity to explore somewhere new. Carmel marks the starting point of the Big Sur coast which continues down to San Simeon. Bordered to the east by the Santa Lucia Range and to the west by the Pacific Ocean, Carmel is a small beach city on the Monterey Peninsula. It’s known for historic Carmel Mission and the fairytale cottages of its villagey town centre.
San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina form a small archipelago in the Caribbean, around 800km off Colombia’s north coast. The islands are actually geographically closer to Nicaragua (approximately 200km away). After a night in Cartagena, JJ and I flew to San Andrés for some laid-back island time.
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The city of Cartagena, known in the colonial era as Cartagena de Indias is a major port founded in 1533. Located in the north of Colombia on the Caribbean coast, it was the main trading point between Spain and its overseas empire. After a relaxing few days in Parque Tayrona, JJ and I went to explore Cartagena’s old walled city.
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Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona in northern Colombia is a protected area covering the foothills of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. Situated in Magdalena Department on the Caribbean coast, this national park is known for its beautiful beaches, rainforest and rich biodiversity. After our amazing Colombian Safari in Los Llanos, JJ and I flew to Santa Marta to begin the overland journey to Tayrona. (more…)