6 April 2011 Odyssey Expedition

So far...

Arriving in Darwin, Australia's Northern Territory, we head off for Kakadu National Park close by which is a marvel of wildlife and aboriginal rock art. The park is great for trekking and a boat trip down the Yellow River to see the infamous saltwater crocodiles. Katherine gorge is also a beautiful sight where 13 gorges are separated by rapids offering great boat and canoe trips through fantastic scenery.

On our route south we have a chance to wet our whistles at NT’s oldest bar, the Daly Waters Pub. This is a real Aussie outback hangout! Joining up with the Stuart highway again we now head south into a barren red desert, the real outback!

Our desert journey is broken up by the Devils Marbles, huge boulders in piles out in the middle of nowhere, and Alice Springs, bang in the centre of Oz. We now continue on to Australia’s icon, the Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park, better known as Ayers Rock and the Olgas. The world’s biggest monolith, Ayers Rock is an awesome spectacle, as are the smaller collection of red rocks known as the Olgas.

Further south we visit the small opal mining town of Coober Peady before heading east towards the Blue Mountains and our final destination, Sydney!!

The end!

So far...

The last day in Singapore sore an early rise for group as it was time to cross the country on the early morning metro in order to cross into Batam our first stop into Indonesia and our penultimate country. Batam doesn’t offer too much excitement but it is where the much anticipated 30 hour ferry leaves to head down into Java. Although food is offered on the crossing it doesn’t consist much more than fish head and rice so time was used to go to the hypermarket to pick up supplies for the long awaited journey. Packed with locals and cargo the journey makes for a very interesting feat and it certainly gives time for people to catch up on their blogs and film watching. Not forgetting the dram of whiskey as we celebrated crossing the equator.

From Jakarta we head down to Yogyakarta by train, another new mode of transport for the group. Time to start sightseeing again as Yogyakarta offers Borobudur one of the largest and finest Buddha Temples in the world equally matched by Prambanan one of the highest Hindu Temples. Although by this time we have certainly seen many magnificent temples across the world it is certainly worth the 5am start as these temples offer something different again. Temples aside Yogyakarta offers stupendous views of smoking Gunung Merapi, Indonesian’s most volatile volcano and the sixth most active in the world with its last eruption last November killing 250 people and wiping out the entire village of Kaliurang. Another early start of 4am we took to the hills to see the sunrise over Mount Merapi and the devastation brought on by the last eruption. The cloud dispersed for a second for us to catch a glimpse of the volcano and therefore we had to settle for a chilly cloud covered expedition. You can’t win them all!

Whilst some of us headed straight to the beaches of Kuta, Bali, part of the group headed to the Bromo Region a vast volcanic crater and home of Gunung Bromo, Gunung Penanjakan and Gunung Semeru where they were rewarded by awesome scenery, a magnificent smoking Bromo and a spellbinding sunrise they had been searching for….the 3.30am start was not done in vain.

Indonesia comprises of thousands of Islands; one being home to the Komodo dragons. Rhona, Peter, Brian, Kevin S and Bui set off from Kuta on a 2 day excursion that took them to Flores to catch a boat and sail around many of these islands stopping off at Rinca where they searched out the dragons. Mooring up for the night in between the islands and early night was had ready for a day of snorkelling.

Back as a group in Kuta we took to the hills on mountain bikes and cycled down through the centre, taking in the real Bali. Stopping off at a coffee plantation where we tried the infamous Luwak coffee, made by beans of coffee berries that have been digested and pooped out of a Civet we also visited a traditional Balinese family home, self-contained from food to the family’s final resting place. Finishing the day with a goodbye meal and boogie to me! All in all it was a fantastic day.

Australia here we come...!

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Heading down from Laos into Northern Thailand via Chiang Rai enabled us to visit Chiang Mai and participate in the Gibbon Experience. An adventure park set in the middle of the jungle, with zip wires, abseil ropes and tree top walk ways the day was packed full of adrenalin rush fun….and no one will forget the bright blue shower caps we had to wear for hygiene! Chiang Mai also gave us another opportunity to ride and spend the day with elephants. Riding bare back was tricky but a first and Brian finished the day by enjoying a much welcomed massage from his elephant.

Re-joining our original route our next stop was Kanchanabury, home to the bridge over the River Kwai where you can ride the ‘Death Railway’ down through the hellfire pass and visit the Tiger Temple which gives you the opportunity to get up close and personal with the tigers.

Time to kick back on the beach once again as our journey took us to the Island of Koh Samui residing in beach front bungalows. As a group we hired bikes for the day and tripped around the Island visiting the Big Buddha north of the island and heading inland to see the waterfalls. Derek and Graham took the opportunity

to get some diving in and headed over to the neighbouring island of Koh Tao and came back Padi Certified.

Crossing the border into Malaysia we stopped off in George Town, Penang ; with its multi-cultural current trading and heritage it was nominated a UNESCO world heritage site in 2008, teamed with its European colonial powers it makes for very interesting architecture.

Onto Kuala Lumpur among many things it is home to the largest indoor Theme Park, the magical Petronas Towers, and the largest Hindu shrine hidden away in the Batu Caves situated 11km out from the centre and needless to say the best view of the city is taken from the communication tower standing fourth tallest in the world. We were lucky enough to be in town for Malaysia Day celebrated by open air concert and fireworks over the ‘Twin Towers’ at midnight and an early morning parade.

Hitting home that it’s only 5 weeks left before we reach Sydney, we cross into Singapore for a well anticipated Singapore Sling at Raffles Hotel ready for a trip to Indonesia by ferry.

Until next time...

So far...

Overlanding at its best………from Vietnam into Laos and one huge overnight bus ride later we arrived at Vang Vieng in the morning and had the day to recover before we could celebrate 2 of our groups birthdays in style by taking part in a full day of tubing; 3km stretch of river Mekong, larger rubber inner tube and copious amounts of bars, rope swings and loud music……the party was soon in full swing!

Needless to say the following day was spent chilling at the blue lagoon just out from Vang Vieng and eating good homemade Irish food from the Rising Sun Pub.

We heard the road up to Luang Prabang had been heavily affected by rain so were unsure about our journey north as previous days the road had been impassable. Good news had arrived the morning of departure that few vehicles were being let through so we decided to get on the road and luckily were only delayed by an hour which was pretty amazing seeing as the whole part of the road had been completely wiped out.
Luang Prabang is home to numerous Buddhists temples and Monasteries and one of the highlights is to wake early and witness a sea of orange, where hundreds of monks take to the streets and collect Alms. The early morning rise also allowed time for a trip to the early morning produce market which makes ‘I’m a celebrity get me out of here’ seem very tame indeed.

We were lucky to be in town for the Boat Race Festival, whereby months of preparation goes underway to raise money for the local monasteries. Each boat containing 30 to 50 people is a representative for a particular monastery, with roads closed and river side stalls set up 100’s of people paraded the street to cheer their respective teams. It was only right that we joined in!

Time to head back down to Thailand first stop Chiang Mai!

Until next time...

So far...

Heading into Bangkok we started our new route east, then north to cover Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos before heading south back into Thailand to rejoin our original route.

We start with the Capital of Thailand, Bangkok is a cultural phenomenon offering exquisite architecture from the GrandPalace to the many must see Royally commissioned Temples (Wat). Be it wondering around China town , the Indian quarter, taking a simple a boat ride up to the local markets north of the city or visiting the many vibrant nightlife districts Bangkok has something for everyone and was definitely enjoyed by all.

On local transport our next stop was Siem Reap, Cambodia. Home to the infamous Angkor Wat, you could spend days wondering around the multitude of Temples Siem Reap has to offer but it is best to pick out 3 or 4 magnificent sites so not to get too overwhelmed. In addition to Angkor Wat, we visited Angkor Thom and Ta Phrom the latter being left in much the same as its original condition amidst the jungle and the silk cotton trees still growing out of the ruins.From SiemReap we went to Phnom Penh the capital of Cambodia located on the banks of the Mekong River and where you can get an insight into the Khmer Rouge Regime by visiting the Killing Fields and S21 museum.

Next stop across into our 16^th country of the trip Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City. The city of Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City after the death of Ho Chi Minh in 1969 who led the communist movement to gain independence for Vietnam. The last bit of city culture for a while was taken advantage of with museum visits and tours of the Cu Chi tunnels. The group took a day trip down to the Mekong Delta whereby boats were navigated through the Mangroves.

Off to the beach, first beach since Turkey and everyone was looking forward to a bit of sand, sea and relaxation. Vietnam peninsula takes you up through the sand dunes and sophisticated beach resort of Mui Ne, then onto Nah Trang where we were able to go out and do our first bit of snorkelling of the trip.Still heading north we visited Hoi An, an ancient town that sits on the river yet still homes a fabulous beach. The only town not to have been bombed in the war has managed to keep its character and charm, not to mention its gastronomic delights Hoi An is the tailor capital of the world. The first day saw an array of orders being places from suits, shirts, bikinis and dresses ready to send home before we headed on our 12 hour journey passing Marble Mountain and China Beach on our way to the ancient capital of Vietnam, Hue our last stop before heading back west into Laos.

Until next time...

So far...

Although India hosts some fantastic sights, colours and smells it was a welcome relief to cross the border out of the humidity into a fresh Nepal. Our first stop was down to ChitwanNational Park where elephants take preference and the sights of them wandering down the street just becomes the norm. Time for jungle activities, elephant bathing which entailed us having a bath more than bathing the elephants and chances to see Tigers and Rhinos in the acres of jungle which can be seen either on foot or on the back of an elephant. Those still determined to see tigers went jungle camping in a tower.....but alas to no avail this time.

From Chitwan it was time to head to the Himalayas and reside in Pohkara ready for our two week break . Many of the group booked on either the Poon hill trek or the Annapurna base Camp
hike where others just took it as time to completely relax.Surrounded by beautiful scenery and a plethora of activities Nepal was fast beginning to become one of our favourite countries.

Our friends in Chitwan host a Child Welfare Foundation and they carry out a lot of valuable work for the surrounding people and villages. We timed it just that we were able to help some nurses from Belgium who flew out to join local doctors especially for a medichem free health awareness day. As volunteers Brian, Orla, Peter and Rhona went up to the local school to teach the children simple hygiene, from how to wash their hands to keeping their fingernails short. It was a very humbling day, enjoyed by all and will be remembered for a long time. Deep lifelong friendships were made that saw them being invited back to celebrate one of the locals getting married a true Nepalese affair that lasted 4 days of celebrations.

Heading to the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu a far cry from the national parks and acres of rice paddy fields the preferred means of transport was the rafting which would take you ½ way on the river. Some missed out on this experience and others it just wasn’t enough so a group headed for some more adrenaline fun and went rafting higher into the mountain valley where they could hit some grade 5 waters. Ending our tour of Nepal with an Everest flight we all left very satisfied.

It is well known that there is sometimes political unrest between Tibet and China and June this year it flared up once again, Tibet's borders were closed unexpectedly by the Chinese government and although the expedition was delayed as long as it could, the borders were still kept shut so we have had to fly over and regroup in South East Asia for the rest of the Expedition.

Although a bitter blow it couldn't be helped, especially on an expedition of this magnitude and we are looking forward to the rest of expedition - we are only at the half way mark!

Note. Tibet is since re-opened and all is well but too late for us I'm afraid.

So far...

Crossing the border into North Eastern Punjab it was time to rejoin as a full group in Amritsar to swap stories over a welcomed cold beer since Turkey. Home to the holiest shrine of Sikhism the Golden Temple, Amritsar is a good place to ease oneself in gently to the hustle and bustle of India. Experiencing humidity at its best it was time to take a few days respite and head north into the cooler hills, visiting, Mcloed Ganj exile home of the Dalai Lama, a true mini Tibet.

Heading back down to the ‘Golden Triangle of India’ we took the mountain pass where the rains held off enough for us to witness the astounding scenery.

The first city of the triangle that we reach is Delhi and to ensure that we get to see the best the city has to offer and learn about the culture we hired local tuk tuks to take us around and sample food in local eateries away from the tourist restaurants. Onto Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan also known as the ‘Pink City’ for more Forts and Royal Palaces finishing in Agra home to the Taj Mahal whereby the early birds witnessed the majestic structure at sunrise and others at sunset from the secret garden on the other side of the river known as Mahtab Bargh.

The end of our journey in India took us to the spiritual capital of the world Varanasi where bodies of the departed are publically cremated and scattered in the Gangi’s in order to end the cycle of reincarnation.

Time to head to Nepal!

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Due to the current security issues in Pakistan we were escorted across Pakistan under police escort straight away and after discussing the route with our escorts we were off! We already envisaged as a hot journey but little did we know... After spending the night in Quetta we headed south on the Bolan Pass into central Pakistan heading deeper into the desert where temperatures soared to a mighty 52 degrees!

Down from Sibi along to Sukkur we crossed the Indus and passed the Sukkur Barrage; a 1400m long series of sluice gates that control the Indus flooding. Unfortunately due to the sheer amount of rain that Pakistan received in August 2010 the Barrage was unsuccessful in its job and this was apparent driving through the localised towns where 9 months later devastation was still very much raw and people were still taking refuge in the United Nations relief tents.

From north to south and south to north it was time to head back up the Indus on the National Highway crossing into the more civilised Punjab region where for the first time since central Iran women were more abundant and the colours more vibrant. Through Bhawalpur up to Multan hitting our last destination of Lahore a few days ahead of schedule where we were finally able to wander the streets free from Police escort.

All in all a very successful transit and although it was a rather fast trip, it was very worthwhile as we still got to see, smell and taste the country and our escorts were great! Now time to cross over to India for more vibrant colours and a long anticipated cold beer!

Until next time...

So far...

We started our journey into Iran on a Friday, a Holy Day in Iran a.k.a. ‘picnic day’ and this was apparent just across the border all the way into Tabriz, Iranians still have very strong family values and this is portrayed through their family picnics as they are very special occasions, they say they value family time as 95% versus 5% work and pitch their tents anywhere and everywhere and can be seen even just off motorway hard shoulders if the mood suits. In Tabriz we wondered around ancient bazaars containing more wholesale goods and prices before heading into the hills to Babak Fort whereby a misty start to a 4 hour hike was rewarded by amazing views over the valleys once the clouds were passed.

We continued east to the Caspian Sea and down to chill out with cups of chai in the capturing mountain village of Masuleh where roofs of the houses are the paths to get around. Surrounded by misty mountains the more adventurous of us took to the hills and brambles for another hike. From here we desert camped on the way to what is known as the jewel of Iran, Esfahan. Starting to fall in love with Iran the group can’t put their fingers on exactly why...the non committal magical bazaars and ancient walkways of the cities to the generosity of the people is incredible, offerings of tea is abundant invites to family homes and picnics were welcomed and experienced.

Stopping at the ancient city of Persepolis, then North East to Yazd where snow in Romania seems a lifetime away and the heat of the desert day really starts to kick in. Our route takes us further East to Bam and then onto Zahedan, ready to cross into Pakistan.

Until next time...

So far...

Entering Turkey we headed straight to the Eastern delight of Istanbul. First stop was the Iranian Embassy to drop off passports to obtain our visas. Once collected, the true sights of the city could be appreciated. A true cosmopolitan feel, a party atmosphere teamed with noticeable religious practices and values.

Approaching the eve of Anzac Day it was time to head to the Gallipoli straight to take part in the Anzac Day celebrations. With the popularity of this day rising and it being quite a formal affair with strict entry rules the group dressed and prepared for the wind and cold as they were dropped off at the cove on the evening of the 24th April in preparation for the 5am dawn service followed by independent national services throughout the day of 25th.

From Eceabat it was time to leave Europe and cross the Marmara to enter the East where we headed down the West Coast, hitting the ancient cities of Troy and Ephesus.

Party time....as the world prepared for the United Kingdom’s Royal Wedding we equally had wedding fever with our own rendition ‘The Truck Royal Wedding’ being prepared for. Istanbul saw the Stag and Hen do’s and the beach at Oludeniz seemed quite fitting for the big day with opportunity to have our lamb on a spit. Greg and I would like to say thank you to The Odyssey 2011 trip for making a huge effort with the costumes and decorations that made this celebration happen and most memorable, equally we would like to congratulate the happy couple Big Kev (the bride) and Joe (the groom)........what a day!

Crashing back down to earth or I should say a smooth descent Oludeniz also gave us the first opportunity for extreme sports whereby Sally, Darren, Graham, Donald, David and partook in a paraglide off the surrounding mountain tops an impressive 6500ft landing in the local bay.

Heading further south hitting the Mediterranean coastline we followed the stupendous views around and up to Olympus where we retreated in tree houses and took some last beach respite before going back inland to central Anatolia.

Up to the Canyons of Cappadocia and to the town of Goreme, the air was fresh, scenery quite surreal surrounded by fairy chimneys and other magical rock formations. Chris (Australian mother’s day present to herself), Darren, Donald, Greg and Rosie all agreed that the best way to view this epic site is to take in the early morning balloon ride through the canyon.

3 days of bushcamps east took us through changing scenery of snow capped mountains, pine trees and lakes equally changing were the people’s faces and dress to a more middle eastern feel.

Our next stop Iran the beautiful heart of the middle east!

Until next time...

After weeks, in some cases months of preparation the Odyssey expedition departs London on 6th April 2011. We couldn't have asked for a better day, the sun was out and the excitement building as we set sail from the white cliffs of Dover.

Skipping through France, Belgium we found a bush camp on the outskirts of a national park in Germany opposite Harth House Hotel in Reichenbach that welcomed us with open arms, beers flowed and an offering of Goulash from the owners saw us right for our next dinner.

Working our way down through Europe, weather still on our side we took in the architectural delights of Eastern Europe cities of Prague, Budapest and onto Vienna.

From Spring to Winter.....entering Romania the weather took a turn for the worst so it was all hands on deck to get the tarpaulin out for the first time as snow adorned the surrounding hills. Heading deeper into the mountains we camped at the foot of Dracula's castle in 2 foot of snow. Having the first taster of snow the group were a bit apprehensive about pitching up, yet 5 minutes off the truck, snow ball fights were in full swing and spirits high.

Veliko Tarnovo in Bulgaria was our next stop to visit our old friends Nick and Nicky owners of Camping Veliko Tarnovo to participate in outdoor activities. Overlooking the Bulgarian country side, this little oasis is a must for all travellers who love their home cooked food. Traditional Sunday roast awaited our arrival and full English breakfast offered in the mornings..... what more could you ask for?