7 April 2014 by thesmartwayround

Chapter 13: It’s More Fun in the Philippines….

… Say the marketing slogans. They are not wrong!

You can see why they say ‘it is more fun in the Philippines’!

Rewind to November last year, and we watched in horror as the atrocities of Typhoon Yolanda swept through, taking with it the livelihoods of thousands of Filipinos and the lives of well over 6000 people. Several people asked us if we were still going ahead with our plans to visit, but there was no stopping us. The devastation of such natural disasters continues long after the event itself and without tourists how could they afford to rebuild? There was never any question; wild horses would not stop us going.

Now firstly I should say that the Philippines were originally my baby. Having been on a few cruises (very different to backpacking I know!) with my parents I had over the years come across many many Filipino ship staff, and for a long time I have wanted to visit the country. Not only because I had heard how beautiful it was, but just so I could look them in the eyes and say I had been to their beautiful country. From the early stages of our planning, the Philippines was to be the ideal destination to end our travels and to be our second honeymoon (two weddings, two honeymoons sound fair don’t you think?!).

Lazy days

So we set off, and landed in Cebu, with little planned out and in need of some R&R. We initially spent a couple of nights at Kon Tiki divers (!) on Mactan Island, which enabled us to dust off the regulators and get ourselves wet with our first diving. These early dives were to be the first of about 16 dives that followed over the next two weeks and we loved every second of them!

The Smart Way Round under water!

We had heard about the huge shoals of sardines that swam off the coast of Cebu in Moalboal, so after our initial dives we headed over to the other side of Cebu Island. We found a lovely dive resort called Quo Vadis and felt very at home. Whilst there was little beach area the sunsets were incredible and we found ourselves easily settling into the diving, snoozing, rum at sunset drinking routine! We liked it so much that Dean decided it was time to up his skills and attempt to catch me up! He signed on to do his ‘Advanced Open Water’ PADI course. Even though I am a ‘Rescue Diver’ level, it really meant there was not too much between us in terms of the depths we could go to. He also decided to qualify in diving with Nitrox (Oxygen enriched air) so we could use that together. I won’t go into the benefits of using it, but its good stuff! So for me these few days were very relaxing, but for Dean they involved a lot more study!

Selfie with the Sardines

The diving here was instantly great. Even the house reef out of the front of the resort was like jumping into my Father’s fish tank and every dive was a joy. The sardines well and truly came out to play and at one point I could barely see up, down, left or right as I found myself in the middle of them. Quite spectacular. We saw plenty of special things. Turtles galore, but my favourite was a tiny blue ringed octopus that I managed to spot on a night dive. Quite a sight and pure fluke on my part!

Just like a fish tank!

A beautiful spot

All too soon it was time to move on and we headed over to Donsol a sleepy fishing village on another Island. It was a bit hair raising getting there. With the knock-on effect of a typhoon approaching (fortunately not one as bad as Yolanda) the rain was out to play and it took us three attempts for the pilot to land the plane. I’ll not lie – I was getting a bit scared by the end when we kept doing the emergency ascent!

Things in Donsol didn’t quite go to plan. The weather meant it was too rough to get out to the dive site we had hoped to dive. However we managed to have a fun few days as we went out to spot Whale sharks. This was a fun experience as we were with a couple of really cool people from our hotel. We sat around on the boat convinced that we wouldn’t see anything when all of a sudden we got the call to ‘prepare’. This involved sitting on the side of Bangka (‘catamaran’) and throwing ourselves into the water when the Whale Shark was near. The ones were saw were up to 8m in size, and were truly spectacular. We had seen them once before in Mozambique but these gentle giants are always special and it’s a true privilege to snorkel with them. There is also more of a theme park style experienced with these gentle giants somewhere else in the Philippines where they bait them. We do not agree with this at all and we were so pleased we had waited to see them in Donsol in their natural habit. Very special.

One of the majestic Whale Sharks

We also managed to get out to a local waterfall. The journey there was very eventful, as we had to abandon our tricycle, and walk some of the way through local villages. It was really interesting to see the simple way of life that exists within the village communities. By the time we got to the waterfall we really had earned our swim! To avoid some of the walk back we took a local Bangka (boat) back to our abandoned tricycle. The only problem was the tricycle was so caked in mud it took some convincing to get going! In the Philippines ‘road rehabilitation’ (road works) don’t mean don’t drive on the road. It simply means the going is a bit tough! Today was a fine example of that as the road was being built and with all the flooding was one big mud bath. I gave up with my shoes in the end and simply walked through the ‘road’ bare foot. I felt so sorry for the driver. My muddy feet were nothing compared to the amount of mud he was wearing! With lots of coaxing, eventually the trike made it and we were on our way! With the added adventure thrown in this had been a great day.

Bogged!

The lack of diving ending up being good as it forced us to do something different. We then took a bus back into Legazpi and went out on ATV (quad) bikes to see the Mt Mayon active volcano. We rode our bikes up and you could see the lava flows from the last major eruption less than ten years ago. Whilst we saw some of the volcano unfortunately we were not so lucky to see the top of it on the day we were there. Like a lot of days it was hidden rather mystically in cloud, but we still had an amazing time. We returned in time to do a rather unusual activity – fire fly watching! We boarded a boat and headed out to see these fascinating flies. As part of their mating rituals their bums light up into what can only be described as a spectacular display. They were gathered in trees along the banks of the river and they just looked like a fibre-optic Christmas trees. We were surprised at how much we loved them! When one landed up my arm I was enthralled with it. They were amazing!

Making our way up to the volcano

Now for the last part of our trip we had planned to slowly make our way back up to Manila, but that was before we heard about the majestic Thresher Sharks. This species of sharks tend to be deep dwellers, in waters up to 500m. We had heard that divers could see them in the waters off the Island of Malapascua. This was the only place in the World where they come shallow enough to dive with them. A simple google search revealed an image that we wanted to see. That was it. We changed our plans and set off on a mammoth travel day full of cancelled flights, missed flights, delayed planes, stressful encounters…. But it was all worth it. 14 hours later we arrived on our small part of paradise. Malapascua Island, one of nature’s hidden secrets.

Dawn on a dive boat – does life get any better?

Now it’s worth saying that whilst the waters were not the clearest, we saw some of the most interesting creatures of my whole diving career. Evolution dive centre had been recommended to us, and their dive guides Alex and Gino were simply outstanding. These local dive guides not only had a responsible head on their shoulders but they had incredible eyes. They spotted things from the tiniest Orang Utan crab (which in reality looked a bit like algae!) to bamboo sharks, wacky frog fish and exotic Nudi Branches.

With Gino and Alex

The variety of fish and were simply amazing, but the highlight definitely were the Thresher Sharks. We dived to ‘their’ dive site twice, and were not disappointed both days. For me the most special moment was when I was watching an Eagle Ray get a bit flustered, all of a sudden I looked up and saw a big Thresher lazily swimming past! They grow up to about 3m in size and have this most incredible tail fin. Their big eyes are a real feature of the species and they look almost surprised to see you! I have said it before, but I will say it again. This was a sight that we felt very honoured to experience and was just a fantastic end.

Thresher Sharks

On our dive boat

All too soon our diving adventure was over and we were preparing to pack all of our belongings. Whilst we didn’t want to come home, it was getting a little tiring carrying too much stuff (we still had all our cold weather -25 degree gear as well as a newly acquired wooden shark names ‘Clark’!).

What a trip, what an end!

As we boarded our 14 hour flight from Manila reality hit. We were heading back to where it all began and it was very sad. The journey had been an immense one, where we felt like we had achieved so much. Not only that but we have had a lot of fun, have lots of memories and lots of stories to tell. One thing was for sure though. This was not a goodbye for the Philippines, simply a ‘see you later – we’ll be back’. Next time diving the wrecks in Palawan awaits…..

– Natalie

2 April 2014 by thesmartwayround

16 Hours Flights and my Super Human Ability

It would have to be one of the longest flights in the world, 15 and a half hours from Manilla to London non stop. Worse still was that it was a day flight, departing Manilla at around seven in the morning and arriving in London mid afternoon the same day, needless to say neither of us where overly excited about the flight.

For most people there are a few things that you need to make sure the journey goes nice and smoothly. A great selection of movies always helps wile away the hours, a gripping book for when you can no longer squint at that tiny screen is also an ideal back up. Ensuring your iPod, smartphone or tablet is fully charged helps, however on this flight we had USB points in every seat which was fantastic. Perhaps some magazines, or even games of some sort.

The thought of such a long time cramped in a seat creates a sense of dread for most flyers (unless of course you fly Business or First Class, something we are yet to do). Not me however, I love long flights. I have the super human ability to sleep anywhere any time almost on demand. I can be asleep on a plane before it even takes off and usually do. In fact it is not uncommon for me to sleep for the best part of 18 hours on a flight from London Melbourne. To be totally honest I think the best I ever sleep is actually on a plane. Call it a super power if you like but my uncanny gift to sleep almost instantaneously on any moving vehicle also has the ability to drive Natalie crazy!

Natalie is the complete opposite and does not really sleep that much on flights so I am sure you can see how annoying it can be. As Natalie will often say I am quite possibly the worst travel companion when it comes to flying. So good am I at sleeping on moving objects, I thought I may miss most of our train adventures because I would be asleep! Thankfully I didn’t!

Natalie takes great pleasure at poking and prodding to wake me up just to say ‘hi’ or tell me she can’t sleep. If one half of The Smart Way Round can’t sleep why should the other half right?

With only a couple of hours sleep the night before and a 4am wake up, I was expecting that heavenly mist of sleepiness to descend upon me very early on into the flight. This flight was different. As if the Philippines Airline 777 was made of kryptonite my super power abandoned me and I couldn’t sleep. For the first time ever I think Natalie actually slept longer than I did. I exhausted the movie list, played games on my phone played my best playlists to sleep to and ….. Nothing!

For once I was forced to endure a mammoth flight like a normal traveller. I’m sure I Iooked at the clock a few times only to see it start to tick backwards! Finally to add insult to injury, when we arrived over London we had missed our scheduled landing time due to sitting on the runway in Manilla for 40 minutes and had to circle around a few times before landing.

Despite the incredibly long flight time and having my gift almost entirely disappear on me, the flight went relatively quick, or as quick as 16 hours can go. It was slightly bittersweet landing back home in London, the end of quite possibly the most amazing, life changing five month adventure we could possibly have imagined.

We still have the Philippines to fill you all in about and living and working in Europe means there is plenty for us to keep writing about. Arriving back home is not the end of The Smart Way Round but just the beginning!

– Dean

Ps I am currently writing this blog at 30,000ft using free wifi on Norwegian Air. If only they had it yesterday! Sadly I also must report my super power is yet to return….

30 March 2014 by thesmartwayround

The Australian Grand Prix: Not Just for Petrol Heads

When most people think of motor sports they imagine beer bellied, mullet sporting, booze swilling petrol heads standing around discussing engine capacity, top speeds and which driver has betrayed loyal fans by swapping drives. When you think of Formula One you also add the glitz and glamour of the world’s biggest PR circus, Monaco living multi-millionaire playboy drivers, celebrities on the grid and the ridiculous sums of money that are thrown at the sport. Fair to say motor sport and Formula One is not everyone’s cup of tea.

Vroom….

I however am a fan. I love Formula One racing, sure the races have become a little boring and mundane over the last decade or so, and you almost need to be a rocket scientist to understand the new rules that are introduced every year. Combine that with Bernie Ecclestone hogging the spotlight more than the drivers and teams themselves and I understand why people have switched off and turned their backs on the sport. More than anything I love the engineering and the science and physics behind the cars, call me a nerd, but I bet many fans of Formula One would say the same thing.

So therefore how convenient was it that the Australian Grand Prix almost perfectly coincided with our visit to Australia, how could we not go! If you ask many of the teams, drivers and associated ‘hangers-on’ in the F1 paddock they will all tell you the race in Melbourne is one of, if not, their favourite. Close to the centre of town, close to some great bars and pubs and combined with Melbourne’s famous restaurant scene what is not to love? So with my Dad in tow (or as Natalie would put it with her in tow!), we headed down to the Albert Park track to enjoy the first race of a new season and our last day in Australia.

Go Red Bull!

It has been 11 years since I last went to the race and things have certainly changed. As I mentioned in my previous blog about Melbourne, the city loves a sporting event, not only that they know how to host an event. The atmosphere around the track felt less like a motor race and more like a carnival or fun fair. There was so much to see it would have been very easy to miss all the action on track.

The event catered for everyone, with an enormous ‘Kid’s Zone’ filled with rides and entertainers for the children, to an extreme sports area with everything from legendary skateboarder Tony Hawke giving demos on the half pipe to motorcross riders braving the ‘Globe of Death’. Of course there were the stock standard souvenir shops selling event merchandise and each of the major F1 teams had their own dedicated shops selling everything you may ever need to support your team of choice.

Plenty to spend your money on!

Strolling around the track there were entertainers to keep us all amused. Small three piece jazz bands in racing jumpsuits, military bands, and even two guys in racing kit on mobility scooters angrily chasing each other waving their walking sticks at anyone who got in their way made sure the day had a fun element.

The picture says it all!

Several of the support races, the old restored cars and the Porsche racing cars, allowed you to walk right up to them, pose for photos, or see the cars being prepared for their respective races. A rare insight and a chance for the petrol heads to get up close and personal with their beloved machines.

Porsche’s on display

Of course the reason we were all there was for the action on track, and this was also very well organised. There would be a break for 15 to 30 minutes and then something to entertain you. Everything from parades of restored cars, a celebrity challenge race, parade laps of drivers in nearly all categories and even a ‘drive by’ by country fire brigades that had helped the state of Victoria during the recent bush fires. Whether you were walking around or watching the action on track there was never a dull moment.

The pre-race entertainment concluded with an aerobatics display from the RAAF Roulettes, an incredible fly over by a FA/18 Super Hornet fighter jet (probably Dad’s highlight) and finally a QANTAS flyover with their brand new Dreamliner (which was flown by a distant relative of Natalie), all helping raising expectations and excitement.

Fantastic flying machines

The race itself was pretty one sided but plenty of fighting for position further down the grid. The one thing that stood out to us was how many families were there as well as how many people who either didn’t know much about F1 or who you wouldn’t expect to see at a car race. I guess that comes down to how well organised the event was. It was a day out for friends and family. Sure there were some people who were purely there to make their partner happy, but the race was set up to appeal to everyone, get people involved and expose people who normally wouldn’t be interested to the complexity, politics, engineering and excitement that is Formula 1.

Walking the track after the race

Melbourne you have done it again!

-Dean

P.S. For anyone who was interested Nico Rosberg from Mercedes won the race.

26 March 2014 by thesmartwayround

Chapter 12: Post Party Chill… or that was the plan!

After the excitement of the party, we thought the pace of our time in Oz might slow down…. But we were wrong! Mum and Dad were still around until the Thursday and the six of us spent many a happy hour together.

It is rare that we get time to spend with both sets of parents, at the same time and we really enjoyed the opportunity that this presented. Ray took Mum and Dad out to see his plane. It was a shame that the weather wasn’t good enough to go up in it, but Dean and I were lucky enough to return with him later on it the week to do a couple of laps (not to be confused with loop-the-loops!). We are both so proud of Ray’s efforts in building the plane (yes you read that right) and I was proud to be the first female to fly in the plane! Mum and Dad will just have to come back and have a go next time!

Just looking with Mum and Dad as windy weather stopped play…

… Later in the week flying with the F.I.L (Father-in-Law!)

We then went out for lunch to celebrate Ray’s birthday and it was lovely to be back for that. Just before the wedding party I had taken Mum and Dad along the Great Ocean Road again, but we’d rather rushed bits of it so we went back and made several stops between Torquay and Apollo Bay. For me I love Airey’s Inlet and it is a real must see stop. We dipped our toes in the water at Anglesea – such a beautiful beach. On the way back many a photo was taken of the wild Kangaroos on the Anglesea Golf Course!

Airey’s Inlet

Roos!

The last day was spent taking the ferry from Queenscliffe to Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula. It’s a great ride and the sun came out to play. We all stopped at the amazing Mubble Ice cream (Owned by Dean’s Cousin) and sampled some of their finest flavours. One of the six of us liked it so much they went back for seconds… but they will remain nameless! The back beach there was as speculator as ever and we really had a lovely day.

Another great photo thanks to yet another passer by!

Dean will tell you all about the Grand Prix separately, but we enjoyed the rest of our week and we were so sad to be leaving. In hindsight two weeks was never going to be long enough in Australia and we said our goodbyes vowing to come for longer next time.

Boy time on our last night… Maree and I left them to it!

Australia you truly are my second home and never fail to disappoint. It was a wonderful visit, and we can’t wait until next time!

– Natalie

23 March 2014 by thesmartwayround

Second time around…. To the same man!

Right from the first moment of planning our wedding last April, we knew some of our nearest and dearest wouldn’t be able to make it and so we wanted to have a second wedding party in Australia. It was important to us both, and it had to be within the first year of marriage. The party turned out to be the driving force for this trip and in turn, one of the best parts of it!

Happy Wedding Day two!

So we set the date – the 9^th March, which was coincidentally the anniversary of my hen weekend. Now we have two wedding anniversaries to celebrate, but Dean isn’t convinced that it means two presents! In reality, we set the date, compiled a list of invitees and distributed an invitation. At that point we disappeared overseas and Dean’s parents kindly picked up the baton with the party planning and made sure no stone was left unturned!

Fast forward to the day itself and it was everything we wanted and more. Maree and Ray had absolutely gone to town with making sure there were lots of touches from the UK wedding included in the Australian party. The industrial sized hire fridge in the garage hid the Pavlova cake, we had a purple and white theme with, balloons, Pimms on arrival and feathers taking centre stage. Some of that sound familiar? Also special was the fact that I got to wear my wedding dress for a second time. Mum had very kindly nursed it all the way from England as her hand luggage (and its currently cruising round South East Asia with them on their way home!). We nervously opened up the rolled bundle when it arrived, to find her just as good as new (with a few authentic grass stains from the day itself!). Thank you Mum for making it possible and Mum and Dad for coming all that way!

For our actual wedding last April I found it so overwhelming (in a good way!) to have so many of our nearest and dearest in the one room – almost a bit surreal! The 9^th March was almost more surreal, but it was so wonderful to have two weddings!

I had ordered a Vanda orchid for my hair, like my bridesmaids had in April. On the Sunday morning I dashed into town and was transformed by the hair dresser! When I got back Dean had to help me get into the dress (!) but we managed just in time to whizz down to the beach to take some photos. I had wanted some of us on the beach, and we were really pleased with the result. Being a long bank holiday weekend in Victoria and with the sun really out to play, the beach was packed. From posing in a photo with a man in his budgie smugglers (speedos) with is camera to being surrounded by entire families of well-wishers the ostrich feathers in my skirts made quite a stir. Although our photo session was brief, it was great to have that opportunity.

A picture speaks a million words

The six of us.

Back at the house and guests started arriving. When we looked at the acceptance list, we felt so honoured that so many people were coming from interstate. It’s not possible to list them all, but we know a lot of people made a huge effort to be there and we are very grateful. As Dean said, we really do have some amazing friends, and we just wish we could see them more often!

Best Man Matt and his gorgeous family

Lucy and Sam – my two British friends

Maree and her team of ladies (Carmel and Mrs T) had cooked up a storm and we nibbled all afternoon. We then really appreciated both Maree and Best Man Matt’s speeches, both so heartfelt and meant a lot.

When people started saying goodbye I looked at my watch and realised five hours had zoomed past. For the select few remaining, we sat out in the back garden and chatted away. The trouble with big parties is you never have long enough to spend talking to people, however sitting back at the end gave us chance to do that with lots of Dean’s friends who were left.

Last ones standing!

Thank you everyone for coming – you really made the day super special and we loved seeing you all there! For anyone else in multi-national relationships… we thoroughly recommend having two parties!

– Natalie

19 March 2014 by thesmartwayround

Melbourne: Seeing your home town differently

Having lived and worked in Europe for the past 11 years, married to Natalie and armed with my UK Residence Permit I guess I would now be considered to be an ex-pat.

While I am lucky enough to live in one of the Worlds most amazing cities, London, a part of me will always call Melbourne home.It is only when you live away from, and then return, do you truly appreciate your home town.

Working in Europe I always wondered if Parisians strolled down the Champs Élysées and gave the Arc d’Triompe a second thought, or as the Romans wizz past the Colosseum on their Vespas they realised what an amazing piece of history their city had, even if Londoners appreciated having the greatest public transport system in the world, the Tube? (I can tell you the Londoners don’t!).

So over the last few years I have had the opportunity to experience Melbourne in a different light, I have had the chance to be a tourist in my home town.

Melbourne’s Flinders Street Station

Put simply, I love Melbourne, it really is the best city in Australia. OK, city rivalries aside, Melbourne doesn’t have the ‘Big Ticket’ wow factors like Sydney does, such as the Bridge, Opera House and Bondi, and probably needs a little more exploration but once you do it is an incredible city.

One thing Melbourne is famous for is its cafe scene and it’s love affair with coffee. We can thank the Italian immigrants after WWII for really kick-starting this. One of the best places to experience Melbourne’s cafe culture is in Degraves Street. A small little pedestrian alleyway running between Flinders and Collins streets, it is filled with outdoor cafés and has an amazing energy and ultra cool vibe.

Degraves Street in the Melbourne CBD

The Yarra River is the heart and soul of Melbourne and a stroll from Flinders Street Station down to the Casino and docklands area is also a must. Great restaurants, quirky bars and modern art awaits you, but it also gives you a great feel for Melbourne’s redevelopment over the last 20 years.

Natalie with one of the modern art pieces along the Yarra River

Now if you are more adventurous you can head out to various suburbs for a different taste of Melbourne. Carlton is the ‘Italian’ district and Lygon Street plays home to some of the best Italian restaurants in the city. Or perhaps down to St Kilda for some city beach chill time. Every inner suburb has a different feel and is famous for something different, and only after exploring a few of them do you truly understand what Melbourne is all about.

Of course Melbourne is also famous for its love of sport and if you are lucky enough to visit during a major event you quickly learn Melbourne loves sport almost as much as coffee!! We finish our visit coinciding with the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix – one of the jewels in the city’s sporting crown. Much like Kevin Costner’s movie Field of Dreams, in Melbourne, if you host it, they will come! In fact half of Melbourne will still turn up to watch a sport they know nothing about.

Gearing up for the Grand Prix

Great shopping and great museums also contribute to the Melbourne experience. Every time I visit now I see something different and I have a greater appreciation for my home town. It makes me want to get out and explore London more, a promise Natalie and I have made repeatedly on this trip.

Now while I love Melbourne I am the first to admit it is not perfect, but no city is. Apart from the trams, in particular the Circle Line Tram which does a loop around the city and is free, yes free, ask any Melbournian and they will tell you the public transport system is not great, (Londoners take note). Australia, not just Melbourne in particular is very expensive for tourists but these are small considerations. It is no wonder that Melbourne is regularly voted one of the world’s most liveable cities.

Melbourne’s famous old trams

If you have never been a tourist in your home town get out there and explore, visit the famous sites, eat at the famous cafés and restaurants, go and see that show or museum you have always said you would, who knows, you might just discover you live (or have lived) in a pretty incredible city and you never knew it!

– Dean

16 March 2014 by thesmartwayround

Dining with a difference – The Colonial Tram Car in Melbourne

Restaurants and bars are constantly trying to come up with something different, and Melbourne has something that tops them all. You might not think that a tram car is anything special, but think again. In Melbourne you can dine on one, watching the city past by as you dodge the scheduled trams and sip your Australian wine. An amazing experience for both locals and tourists and one not to be missed.

Anyone for dinner?

You could say I’m a bit of an addict… but I don’t care! Back in 2006 Mum, Dad and I spent a wonderful evening on the Colonial Tram Car and the seed was sown. This was long before I knew Dean, so when we came back together, I suggested we do it with his parents. This reminded me about how good it was! So with Mum and Dad coming over I gave them the choice. Try something new or re-live old haunts. On this occasion they choose the latter and so we set off!

Back together!

We boarded tram number 4 and were immediately looked after by the team. The Restaurant trams are from about 1938, but the first of the fleet was only restored for restaurant use in the early 1980s. They boast not only the smallest loo in Melbourne, but also a five course meal (for the late sitting) and an extensive list of drinks that is all part of the price.

A touch of class

Now the Cole girls love a glass of Champagne, and not only did the waiter make sure our glasses were fully topped up when we got on, but he continued to serve the bubbles throughout! The trams have to fit in with the schedule of the Melbourne public transportation system, which means you get an interesting ride along the way with a few stops and switchbacks in between. Those people choosing a forward facing seat are quickly surprised when they find themselves going backwards, but it’s never long until they switch back.

Beautifully kitted out

After the initial dips, the starters emerged. Then it was time for the steak. Bearing in mind the size of the galley (kitchen) it seemed impossible that the on board chef could prepare a steak with such precision, but sure enough out came a perfectly rare steak that was delicious. Yum yum yum. The trio of desserts were equally as good and we were grateful for the ten minute break to walk around in time to make a bit more room for cheese and biscuits. I had by this point moved onto the Jim Beam although the Baileys was not far behind. You are beginning to get the picture!

With Mum and Dad by Tram number 4

We had paid upfront and so all drinks were included. For a five course meal and bubbles, wine, spirits and liqueurs nothing beats both the value and experience of the tram car. We past Albert Park (all ready for the Formula One Grand Prix) and travelled down to St Kilda before swinging by Port Melbourne and travelling the streets of the CBD. The ride really did take us everywhere.

Dinner!

Every time I have done it I have been impressed that both locals and tourists try it out. I overheard one lady saying how good New Year’s Eve on board is and so that is next on my list. They say you shouldn’t repeat an experience as it is never as good. In this instance it keeps getting better and better. Watch out Tram car – next time I’m back I’ll be heading your way again! It’s simply amazing!

– Natalie

13 March 2014 by thesmartwayround

Chapter 11: Melbourne, The In-laws and the Great Outdoors

Touchdown!

We made it, Melbourne, our furthest away point and the whole reason for our overland adventure was now a reality. Landing in Melbourne felt like a world away from what we had experienced through Myanmar, India, Nepal, Tibet and so on.

The sign at Melbourne Airport

Despite our excitement about arriving back in Australia there was also a twinge of sadness. Australia was our penultimate destination, our target to reach by any means possible and here we were. So our excitement was tempered by the fact that in a few short weeks we will be back to normal life, well as normal as it gets for us! However this was not going to stop us having an awesome couple of weeks.

While I grew up in Melbourne, it is no longer ‘home’ ever since my folks sold up and retired down to Torquay. Put simply if there is a better place in the state of Victoria to live it hasn’t been found yet. At the beginning of The Great Ocean Road, one of Australia’s most stunning coastal drives, a short drive to the world famous Bells Beach, Torquay was the perfect spot for us to chill and relax for a few days after our epic adventure. Walks along the beach, a glass of red on the balcony looking for kangaroos, does life get any better?

Torquay front beach

Of course our visit to Oz wouldn’t be us if we didn’t try and cram as much into a brief visit as possible. This included catching up with awesome friends Matt, Kirsty and my favourite kids in the world and spending a few days in Melbourne itself.

I love Melbourne, it is such a vibrant and cool city. Natalie and I have developed a routine in Melbourne which revolves around shopping, particularly the outlet stores near the Crown Casino and Docklands area, walks along the river and normally a drink in Federation Square. We may do the same thing everytime we visit but it is the sense of familiarity we love.

This time however we had one important thing to do, and that was to pick up Natalie’s parents from the airport. They were flying out for our wedding party and it was a surreal experience.

Natalie’s parents help us out an awful lot, particularly with airport drop offs and pick ups and not to forget her Mum’s mercy dash to Paris airport with my newly issued residence permit so I could return to the UK after our honeymoon!

So patiently we waited, welcome sign in hand hardly believing this moment had come. If you have never experienced it, it’s quite a strange feeling picking up your parents or friends from home in another country.

Waiting for Natalie’s parents to arrive

After a late night arrival the following morning we hit up one of Melbourne’s famous lane ways for breakfast before I returned to Torquay and Natalie spent the next day and a half exploring Melbourne with her folks. They rode the free Circle Tram, had dinner on the Colonial Tram Car as well as going up the 88 floors to the Eureka Sky Deck viewing platform and they seemed to really enjoy catching up and re-living old haunts!

The Cole family’s arrival in Torquay was a chance for everyone to catch up, consume a little too much wine, and explore the surf coast region as we prepared for our Wedding Party.

It’s been great having both families together again and also wonderful that Natalie’s parents can see where I grew up and where we spend our time down here in Australia. Week one in Oz has been great and with dawn breaking on Wedding Party day we couldn’t wait to catch up with all our friends and family.

Australia, it’s good to be home!

– Dean

9 March 2014 by thesmartwayround

Chapter 10: All that glitters in Myanmar really is gold!

After an amazing few days in Mandalay it was time to move on. We decided we would mix things up a bit and decided to take a night bus. We were told the journey would take 10 hours: hurray we thought. We’d save a nights’ accommodation money.

We got to the bus station and all was looking rosy. Dean cast his expert eye over the bus, raised an eyebrow and nodded in agreement. With our oversized bags on board we got on. The bus had the makings inside of a good nights’ sleep. With only three well-recling seats across, fluffy (fluorescent pink!) blankets and free (almost boiling as the bus had obviously been in the sun all day!) water it had the makings of a good journey. There was only one fly in the ointment, the quality of the roads! Now for all my travels, I can be at times the world’s worst traveller as I get ill at the drop of a hat. Unfortunately this journey was no exception. As we swayed from side to side on the dark roads I felt like I was on a super turbulent flight and my stomach started to churn. Needless to say it was a long journey and I was still ill the next day! That said it actually wasn’t as long as we thought. I felt a tap on my shoulder and the voice of the conductor said, “Your stop arriving”. We looked at the clock – 3.33am – having left at 8pm it really wasn’t a 10 hour journey!! Our hotel took pity on us though and didn’t charge us for this extra bit of a nights’ stay – so thank you Good Will Guest House in Nyaung Shwe at Inle Lake!

Originally we weren’t sure how long to have at Lake Inle, but my bout of bus-induced-sickness made the decision for us. We had two full days and it was perfect. On day one we took it easy and explored town, the local markets and then headed out on our bikes to a couple of monasteries we had spotted a few hours early on our taxi ride in. One of them, Baw Ri That, was one big gold stupa surrounded by lots of smaller stupa. There were no tourists there and it doesn’t make the Lonely Planet, but in our opinion it was the best one in the area. From there we headed out to the Red Mountain vineyard for sunset and a glass of wine to settle my stomach! You may have read my previous blog about our trip there so I won’t repeat myself, but in brief Myanmar wine is surprisingly good – if only we could get it in the UK.

A good drop

The next day we were up early and headed out on our longboat on Inle Lake. Whilst a bit too much of a tourist hot spot you can understand why. It’s beautiful and a must see. As we sped out onto the lake we saw the first of many fishermen catching their prey. What is unusual about these guys is the way they fish. Whilst throwing their wooden net from their sand-pan style boat, they stand at the end of boat and row using their leg wrapped around the oar. It’s hard to describe yet fascinating to watch and a technique I have never seen anywhere else in the world. We would have been quite happy to have watched them all day but we had things to see!

An unique fishing technique

Enjoying Inle Lake

Our ‘boat driver’ Mon Pei took us to a number of sights during the day but the first was to see the markets which were today in Inthein. These markets float from village to village daily so it depends on the day of the week where you will find them. We were pleased they were here as it also gave us the chance to see the Shwe Inn Thein Paya temple ruins. Not dissimilar to some of the Angkor Wat complex, these ruins had trees growing amongst them.

Shwe Inn Thein Paya

Our next stop took us to see the Padaung tribe ladies. These ladies are famous for wearing copper rings around their neck. They are super heavy and they never take them off, resulting in their neck being stretched as much as 14cm. As they are so heavy they do not go to school or work and we’d heard lots of conflicting things about them. Some people say they like following the tradition others say young girls are forced into it and we never did get to the bottom of it. We felt uncomfortable really as it seemed like these ladies were on show much like the monks in Mandalay, but we bought a few of their handicrafts ever hopeful it would help them in some small way.

Gazing out

For the rest of the day we visited a couple of craft places and cruised around the stilted villages and floating gardens. The lake is home to so much life. Life that is massively different to our own. I can’t imagine walking down the stilts of my house and washing in a sarong in the lake with people driving past. But this is what these families are used to and judging from so of the smiles, they really enjoyed waving to passers-by.

Our time at the lake was over and it was time to move on. We decided to fly back to Yangon and it was the best decision. We checked in at Heho airport and waited for our flight. I saw people disappearing outside next to the tarmac so I followed! I spent the most amazing 45 minutes watching the planes land. I was so close the back draft of one it nearly blew me back inside! The pilots were stood smoking whilst the re-fuellers did their job in flip flops talking on mobile phones. I saw over eight planes land / take off and loved being closer than any other airport security would allow. Eventually my fun was over and an airport official ushered all us plane spotters back inside!

Plane heaven…

Back in Yangon and we hit the real Myanmar heat – 36 degrees! We spent a day there initially visiting Sule Paya (a beautiful monetary situated in the middle of the Yangon’s main roundabout!) and walking through some of the Colonial areas of town. It was a nice introduction.

The next day we set off for what turned into one of the highlights of the trip. I had seen pictures of Mt Kyaikhtiyo or as its more commonly called the ‘Golden Rock’ when we applied for our visas in Kathmandu and I instantly wanted to go there. It took us about four hours to reach the bottom of the rock but then the adventure really began! We loaded into the back of a 36 ‘seater’ (just a narrow bench too small for even the smallest bum!) and hung on for the ride! As the truck spluttered and lurched forward everyone held onto each other. The single track path up the mountain was VERY steep but somehow we made it! The next challenge came when the hotel we booked had lost our reservation… And was full! However this turned out for the best as we walked into the temple complex and found a pilgrim hotel with a view over the vast forests below and cheaper as well. Perfect!

Simply Stunning

We then spent the next 24 hours gazing at the Golden Rock at every time of day. For Buddhists this is a really scared and holy site and it certainly had ‘something’ special. Like all holy sites in Myanmar you leave your shoes and socks at the door (or in our case our hotel room). There isn’t much you don’t walk through! We’d become accustomed to having dirty feet, but our problem here was burnt feet! The midday sub has heated the marble flooring to such a degree that we could barely walk on some bits! We quickly learnt to avoid the black tiles and run from shady patch to shady patch!

Sunset

We returned later on it the afternoon and watched the sun go down. As it did the rock almost became more golden, if that’s possible. We bought some gold leaf and Dean went and rubbed it onto the rock for both of us (ladies are not allowed). Once darkness has fallen the rock was beautifully illuminated and so we re-took all our pictures again! By this point several pilgrim groups where already chanting their mantras. Some of them we’d find in the same place doing the same thing several hours later at sunrise – that’s dedication for you!

Dean rubbing the gold leaf onto the rock

We had a few hours rest before getting up for sunrise. Here it was almost like someone drawing the curtains on the rock as the shadows peeled back and the sun lit up the gold. It’s a difficult place to get to but one that’s truly spectacular and well worth the effort.

On the way back we spent a very enjoyable day in Bago. We visited several temples and sights, but the two most noteworthy off us were the lying Buddha (and his ever-so-slightly smaller brother next door) and Kyaik Pun. Which is four giant sitting Buddha’s each with funky sparkled nails!

Kyaik Pun

On the way back from Bago we stopped at Taukkyan War Cemetery. This is maintained by the commonwealth was graves commission and contained the remains of 6374 allied service men, as well as the inscription of the names of 27,000 others whose bodies were never found. Perhaps the most powerful headstones I saw were those for shoulders killed on the exact day that Dad was born. The Lonely Planet sums up this site very well and say, “slowly, as you walk around reading the names of those who died and the epitaphs commemorating them, the heat of the sum seems to fade and the noise of the road recedes, leaving you alone in the silence of your own thoughts in this immensely sad place”. They have never said a truer word.

Taukkyan War Cemetery

When we got bank to Yangon we did the rounds of all the sites, before saving the best until last. Rising up about parts of Shwedagon Paya – a magnificent pagoda both in the day and at night which is the jewel in the crown for Yangon tourism. So much so they have even built lifts up to the base, but it really isn’t that far so we walked. This Myanmar icon certainly didn’t disappoint and the longer we sat ‘watching it’ the more special it became. The diamond orb right at the top holds over 4351 diamonds of unthinkable size carats whilst slightly below, the umbrella section contains over 1/2 a ton of gold and is encrusted with 83,850 items of jewellery and 4016 small gold bells. Within the complex are many bells, Buddha images etc etc as well as an interesting photo exhibition. However the site of the pagoda as a whole stands out above all these things put together. There is a white marble Buddha for each day of the week, and tradition states that you find the day of the week you were born, then place five cups of water over Buddha praying for five different things – the last of which should be the health of your family. Dean and I both found the relevant day and joined in. We had left if until late in the afternoon to visit as the light is best. The sun initially made the gold glisten before slowly dipping. As it got dark the lights came on and again camera shutter clocks resonated out. This truly was a fitting place to finish our time here.

Shwedagon Paya

Dean pouring water over the Buddha image for his birth day of the week

Myanmar is a very special place. Since it opened up tourists has flocked, mostly in groups (try and go independently as the money gets to local people more). However no matter how much or how little people have, they are always willing to give you a wave or smile and say hello. Coming from India we had our defences up. Rarely do street sellers there offer you help or advice without a catch. In Myanmar they fall over themselves to help out and it was something that we both admired and appreciated. When you’ve been travelling for a while, certain countries begin to stand out as having especially nice people and for us, they can really make or break our experience. Myanmar is special anyway, but the people here make it stand out as one of the friendliest places we have ever visited as well as one of the best. It’s simply amazing.

– Natalie

5 March 2014 by thesmartwayround

A nice drop of red… Or white!

Vineyards in Myanmar? They aren’t the first thing that springs to mind when you think of this beautiful country, but sure enough they are there and they grow grapes that make a top notch drop!

Whilst staying near Inle Lake, we found out about a couple of local vineyards, one of which was accessible on our pushbikes – perfect! The hot sunny days, rain at certain times of year and critically a cool breeze blowing off the lake make the terrain around Inle ideal grape growing country and these vineyards are booming.

We went out to the Red Mountain Estate. Conveniently located about 5km out of town, it’s easily reachable by bike. As we got closer and closer I saw a beautiful red property UP on the hill…. All of a sudden cycling in Myanmar no longer reminded me of Holland! We turned into the drive and the road up hill to the bike park was littered with bikes from those who had given up and walked the last bit! I wanted to make it to the top so I could enjoy the ride down later!

Red Mountain started way back in 2002 with grape plants imported mainly from France but also Italy and Israel. It has gone from strength to strength and as we took a tour of the factory area, we were proudly told where all the equipment was from. The ‘bottler’ machine was Italian whilst the bottles and screws were Chinese (in Myanmar they seem proud to tell you an item is ‘made in china’!) and the labels were printed in Thailand. I’ve never been a wine expert so choosing a bottle by the label has been something I have done in the past! These labels would definitely catch my eye! These days I know what I like a bit more – age has made me appreciate wine more!

Just making sure its ok!

After our tour we took a seat overlooking the vineyards, Lake and neighbouring mountains. The sun was beginning to dip and the light just perfect for photos. However we had more important things to do – taste four wines! Our tasting glasses cost less than £1.50 and we sampled a Sauvignon Blanc, Shirraz-Tempranillo, Syrah Rose and a late Harvest sweet dessert wine. All of which were great.

Tasting time

As sunset beckoned we decided we better make sure we had a favourite and so had another glass of the Sauvignon Blanc. Always a favourite of mine this one was no exception. It was very fruity, smooth and frankly quite delicious!!!

A glass of the best!

Once the sun went down we breathed a sigh as we remembered we still had to cycle home… I’m not sure we cycled in quite such a straight line as the way there and fortunately it was more downhill on the way back, but we successfully negotiated all the cows, dogs, roadworks, people and cars on the way back! I kept having flashbacks to my cycling wine tour several years ago in Mendoza, Argentina.

A snapshot of Red Mountain Estate

Sadly Red Mountain don’t currently produce enough wine to export but I’m hoping one day they will as it will be top of my list! It’s definitely a name on the up after winning a ‘Best Chardonnay’ prize in an international wine competition in 2013. If you do see a Myanmar wine anywhere make sure you don’t overlook it. From what we saw the wine makers here are immensely proud of their drop, and a lot of care goes into making each and every bottle just perfect.

Cheers!

– Natalie

The Smart Way Round

Travel blog of two overland adventurers and now family travellers. Just because you have kids doesn't mean the adventure stops.

Tag Archives: The Smart Way Round

Chapter 13: It’s More Fun in the Philippines….

16 Hours Flights and my Super Human Ability

The Australian Grand Prix: Not Just for Petrol Heads

Chapter 12: Post Party Chill… or that was the plan!

Second time around…. To the same man!

Melbourne: Seeing your home town differently

Dining with a difference – The Colonial Tram Car in Melbourne

Chapter 11: Melbourne, The In-laws and the Great Outdoors

Chapter 10: All that glitters in Myanmar really is gold!

A nice drop of red… Or white!

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