Trail Walking

We have a little tradition, here in Cape Town. Every Sunday (or Saturday if the weather is better), Mark and I go on a Nature Walk. It doesn’t have to be for long – usually only an hour or two – but it does have to be somewhere in wild, unspoilt nature. We’ve done forests, mountains, beaches and wide open spaces… And we’ve got it down to a fine art.

Constantia Nek

We strap on our sensible walking shoes, pack some snacks (usually fresh fruit) and make sure we have a water bottle or two on hand. Then we head off, walking slowly at first, to warm up, but gradually getting faster and faster, till we’re striding along, taking great big lungfuls of fresh air. Sometimes we’ll talk, sometimes we’ll be silent, lost in our own thoughts or the beauty of our surroundings. Sometimes it will be a lighthearted, playful nature walk, other times it will be quiet and peaceful. You never really know until you’re in the middle of it… that’s the beauty of exploring nature.

Orange Slices

Although I also love that it opens up your mind. I said to Mark yesterday, as we were clambering along a rocky path on beautiful Silvermine (we made a video – we’ll post it soon!) that getting into nature lets my mind work in different ways. It seems to wake up and stretch, to walk along unfamiliar pathways, to think of things I wouldn’t think of at home, in my everyday routine.

And that’s what I’m so excited about for our forthcoming trip… I’m so excited that we are going to be confronted with things that make us think differently, and look differently, and feel and hear and smell differently, every single day. And that we’re doing it together. Because no matter how beautiful the surroundings, it’s infinitely more beautiful when you’re doing it right next to someone you love.

We’ll cross over into ITALY around the 31st of March, and drive across the North to VENICE, the city of canals. With 1400 years of history and our first taste of Italian food, this is sure to be a memorable stop… From Venice we’ll stop over at SAN MARINO, Europe’s third smallest state (after the Vatican and Monaco) to check out the place where the Grand Prix takes place (!) and then head on to TUSCANY. FLORENCE is home to beautiful countryside and great food, but also to some of the world’s greatest Renaissance art. And then from Tuscany we’ll head to ROME, to indulge in their cafés, history, architecture and culture. There are rumours that the best pizza in the world is made in Rome… Watch this space! We’ll drop off our car, and exit Italy, at BARI.

From there, we’ll catch a ferry over to DUBROVNIK in Croatia, arriving on the 16th of April. Dubrovnik is a city of marble streets and Baroque buildings on the Adriatic coast. We’ll explore the museums and sights, and then head off to discover what Croatia is famous for – island paradise. MLJET ISLAND sounds like just such a paradise, 72% of the island is forest, and there are two saltwater lakes. By this stage, we’ll probably need some down time, so if we spend a week on a paradisical island, that will be just fine!

Our second-to-last country is GREECE, where we’ll land in ATHENS on the 2nd of May. We’ll spend a day or two seeing the Parthenon Temple in Athens, soaking up the vibrant street life and walking along Europe’s longest pedestrian promenade. Then we’ll take a ferry to the island of SKIATHOS, where pine-fringed beaches and picturesque monasteries give a picture postcard view of Greek island life. From Skiathos there’s a ferry to CRETE, Greece’s largest island and a place of stunning natural beauty, traditional mountain villages and treasures off the beaten path.

We end our epic journey in TURKEY, where we’ll land in ISTANBUL on the 18th of May. Istanbul has a lot to offer, from the Tokapi Palace, the Blue Mosque and the Grand Bazaar, to historic buildings and tranquil cay bahcesi (tea gardens). Once we’ve drunk our fill of Istanbul we’ll head to CAPPADOCIA by an overnight bus. Cappadocia is home to hotels built in caves, ancient churches, fairy chimneys, hot air ballons and Byzantine frescoes. Magical, no?
And finally, to end our trip, we’ll spend a few days lying on the beach of the TURQUOISE COAST, catching our breath after ten months of travel, and gearing up for the Soccer World Cup in CAPE TOWN when we return home!

Let’s start at the very beginning!

Sit back, relax, and join me on a 10 month armchair journey…

We leave CAPE TOWN on the 3rd of August 2009, and fly to HONG KONG for a week. There’s a six hour time difference, so this should give us enough time to readjust our body clocks to Asian time, as well as to explore Hong Kong a little. We’re keen to soak up some fishing village atmosphere by chartering a sampan (water taxi) for half an hour for a drive around the bay, and we want to experience Hong Kong’s bustling retail life at the Apliu Street Market. We’ll also visit the Chi Lin Nunnery, a large Buddhist complex rebuilt completely of wood in the style of the Tang dynasty in 1998. It’s supposed to be a serene place, filled with lotus ponds, bonsai tea plants, bougainvillea and quiet chanting. The perfect place to gather our thoughts before a ten month round-the-world trip!

From Hong Kong we fly to BANGKOK, in THAILAND, on the 11th of August. We’ll spend a few days in Bangkok, but we’re more interested in the natural side of Thailand (we can’t do much shopping because we’re trying to travel light!) so we’ll head off to CHIANG MAI quite soon after arriving. Chiang Mai is in the north, and is supposed to be relaxed and cultural, but newly hip. There are more than 300 temples in the area, and you can ride upriver on elephants. Amazing!
Next we want to travel to the islands of KO TAO and KO CHANG. Ko Tao is supposed to be lush, rugged, and romantic (and great for scuba diving) and you can walk around the whole island in a day, while Ko Chang is 70% virgin rainforest and filled with wildlife.

After Thailand we fly to CAMBODIA, landing in the capital, PHNOM PENH on the 27th of August. Phnom Penh is supposed to have striking museums and a beautiful riverside setting. It’s described as a ‘chaotic and charismatic’ city. Sounds fun!
From there we’ll catch a boat along the river to SIEM REAP, to visit the Angkor Wat temples – Cambodia’s 8th wonder of the world, and the world’s largest religious building.
We’ll also travel by bus to KRATIE, a lively riverside town with an extensive riverfront area and some of the best Mekong sunsets in the country. Hopefully we’ll catch sight of some rare Irrawaddy dolphins while we’re there!

VIETNAM comes after Cambodia. We’ll fly into HO CHI MINH CITY on the 12th of September and spend some time exploring the commercial heart of Vietnam, described as a riverside metropolis of old and new – the old Saigon. While we’re there we’ll visit the War Remnants Museum, which documents the Vietnam War from both sides, and the Ben Thanh Market in the centre of the city – one of the most famous landmarks with over 3000 stalls!
We also want to visit HOI AN, a city that retains much of the sense of history of Vietnam. Hopefully we’ll be there during one of their monthly full moon ‘Hoi An Legendary Nights’, when all motorbikes are banned from the Old Town, and it is transformed into a magical land of silk lanterns, traditional food, song and dance. Sounds incredible!
Vietnam is also home to SAPA, which comes highly recommended for its amazing scenery and home stays, where you get to experience real Vietnamese life… Yes please!

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