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Around the World with JanAround the World with Jan
SatellitRediger rute
I've spent a lifetime travelling the world and I have no intention of ever stopping. There are so many amazing places to see. Læs mere Sydney, Australia
  • Around the World with JanMy Caucasus Adventure
    Dag 8

    On the Trail

    13. august 2022, Armenien ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    We’ve now been out on the trail a couple of days. The walking is a lot of going up 300 to 500 metres so in parts it’s quite steep.

    We started out in cloudy weather which was easier to walk in but obscured the views with fog and cloud until we got up pretty high. Now it’s sunny, humid and hot. Fortunately there is a lot of forest walking which is beautiful.

    There are wildflowers everywhere, bees and butterflies galore so lots of stops to take photos. The views are now clear and we can see just how beautiful the mountains are.

    The places we are staying in are quite small villages but the accommodation is clean and comfortable and the food is incredible – lots of fresh vegetables, much of it organic. Hopefully we’ll work off all that food while we’re walking.

    A few more days and we’ll be crossing the border into Georgia.    Læs mere

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  • Around the World with JanMy Caucasus Adventure
    Dag 2

    The Pink City

    7. august 2022, Armenien ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    I’d almost forgotten the joys of the long-haul flight. The lack of sleep (including a screaming baby), trying to find the gate for your connecting flight and then worrying about your bag arriving. I got no sleep but I did catch my connection and I actually saw my bag being put onto the plane – all good.

    Yerevan, the ‘Pink City’. Many of the buildings here are faced with pink stone because they don’t make bricks in Armenia. The architecture is quite varied, much of it on a grand scale. Republic Square is surrounded by spectacular buildings with a huge fountain in the centre. More on that later.

    English isn’t widely spoken so visiting a supermarket or eating in a restaurant is interesting. Menus and museums seem to have English translations because I have no chance of even guessing the words! The rest you just make up as you go along.

    Instead of denominations of 1, 5, 10 and 20 it’s 1000, 5000, 10000 and 20000. Try doing that calculation in your head. I never was good at maths. You have to be careful that you don’t give someone a 10000 dram note instead of 1000 especially when you’ve had no sleep. By our standards things are reasonably priced but I don’t know what people earn here. Eating out is certainly cheaper than Sydney.

    The city is full of museums, art galleries and music venues – you could easily spend a week just visiting those. There are lots of people here – it’s summer and they are all on holidays. Oh, and it’s stinking hot – by early evening it’s 34o. I’ve been told that it’s been like this for last 2 or 3 years. I know the rest of Europe is sweltering too.

    The city is fabulous to walk around – street art, big trees, wide avenues. A must see is the evening light show in the fountain in Republic Square. Huge crowds wait for the clock in the tower to chime 9 and then it starts running for about half an hour. Definitely worth taking a look.    Læs mere

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  • Around the World with JanOn the road once more.....
    Dag 12

    The last few days....

    3. juni 2022, Australien ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    We were lucky to have the time and good weather to do some snorkelling on the reef, floating above giant oyster stacks and walking off the sand into crystal clear conditions to watch hundreds of tropical fish swim below and around us. It was a much more relaxing experience and Turquoise Bay well and truly lived up to its name. The sand was almost blinding, it was so white.

    Exmouth is a tiny town with a few shops and some nice cafes. Its surprisingly well stocked supermarket caters for all those motor homes coming through as grey nomads make their way along the coast now that W.A. is open for business.

    We saw pictures of what Exmouth used to look like before the Americans set up a communication base similar to Pine Gap – there wasn’t much here at all.

    Sadly, all good things have to end and the same goes for the trip. Flight delays made getting home painful and tiring. By the time I got back to Perth it was really cold again and Sydney even colder.

    I’ve missed travelling so much - I was made for walking and it's great to get out on the trails again. This is just the beginning....    Læs mere

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  • Around the World with JanOn the road once more.....
    Dag 9

    Heading for the coast

    31. maj 2022, Australien ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    We were all ready for a change of scenery as we headed to the coast and Exmouth. We made it in two hops – happy to have a straight run ahead of the rain.

    The campground at Yardie Homestead was packed – we went from having our own little space in a vast park to being surrounded by motor homes and caravans in a commercial camping ground. It was great to have top notch facilities but it was busy.

    People had told me how stunning the colour of the water is out here – I wasn’t disappointed. It is the most brilliant blue and the beaches are the whitest sand.

    One of the reasons I had decided on this particular trip was the opportunity to swim with the whale sharks on Ningaloo Reef. Wow. I’m so glad I was able to spend time with these massive creatures – it’s easy to forget that they are actually sharks because they seem so non-threatening.

    The experience was full-on to say the least. You can’t just float in the water and watch them because they swim quite quickly. Your guide tells you to jump in and you can watch them pass and then you swim to try to follow them. It’s hard work. You can’t get too close because they are protected and they don’t slow down. If you can’t keep up, tough luck. After 4 times in and out of the water again we were all exhausted. It was worth it.

    The terrain of the Cape Range National Park is quite different to Karajini. Our first hike was Mandu Mandu Gorge walking along a dry riverbed listening to the sweet singing of birds we couldn’t see. We got really close to a couple of gorgeous rock wallabies who didn’t seem to mind us at all.

    Our next adventure was one of my favourite excursions - a boat trip down Yardie Creek with a larger than life character who told stories, teased the children and entertained as we made our way slowly into the gorge. We saw rock wallabies and monitor lizards sunning themselves on the cliffs above us and watched magnificent ospreys soar over our heads. At the end, a walk along the top of the gorge gave us a very different perspective and the opportunity to see the ospreys a little bit closer - the area is a protected zone for them.    Læs mere

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  • Around the World with JanOn the road once more.....
    11
    Dag 6

    A stunning landscape

    28. maj 2022, Australien ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    We walked from the campsite under a brooding sky to Joffre Gorge a couple of kilometers away. The light gave the grass a golden glow as we headed for another gash in the landscape, painted brilliant red.

    It was a steep climb down into the gorge, well worth the effort. Our end goal was a waterfall trickling down a rock face stacked like tiles into a deep pool. I wasn’t tempted to swim – too bloody cold! It was lovely to sit and feel and enjoy such a stunning place.

    Today we tackled Mt Bruce – you would think they could come up with a better name than that! The traditional name is Punurrunha, much more interesting.

    At 1,234m high, it's Western Australia's second tallest peak. The views were stunning, making the climb worth the effort. Again we were lucky to avoid the rain which came later in the day.

    The next day, our travelling day started out wet - fortunately we made it out of the park before the roads got too flooded, our guides constantly checking what was still open as the rain swept in. We are all looking forward to a change of scenery and some new and different adventures so were keen to be underway.    Læs mere

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  • Around the World with JanOn the road once more.....
    1
    Dag 5

    A long way from home (and loving it)

    27. maj 2022, Australien ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    Well, it was a marathon to get here but we made it over corrugated roads and in spite of flight delays. Thank goodness all our luggage arrived when we did.

    The terrain here is quite different to N.T. - yes there is amazing red earth and the beautiful deep blue sky but the flora is different and the look of the landscape is different.

    Most of the walking we're doing is into deep steep gorges with crystal clear streams and pools at the bottom. Rocks are stacked like roof tiles towering above us, making us feel very small indeed. It's something you feel - no picture can do justice to how incredible this landscape is - deep gashes on the earth's surface, not yet rounded and smoothed by time.

    Mt Nameless stands at 1128 metres with sweeping views of the Hammersley Ranges and the town of Tom Price and the adjoining scar on the land, the iron ore mine. But of course, the mountain isn't nameless, it has an ancient aboriginal name - Jarndunmunha. It's a steep walk but not a hard one - well worth the effort to get to the top.

    A bone jarring drive back to our comfortable campsite in the national park, our home for the next few days and a lovely hot shower - always welcome on a camping trip. Great food, a glass of wine - what more could we possibly need?    Læs mere

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  • Around the World with JanOn the road once more.....
    Dag 1

    Perth

    23. maj 2022, Australien ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

    I left Sydney in stormy weather and landed in Perth with a bump - pretty wild weather there too. I was just glad to be on the road again.

    I haven't been to Perth for 20 years so I didn't really remember very much. Fortunately the following day was bright and sunny, great for walking and exploring as I familiarised myself with the city again.

    I'm here to explore Karijini National park and fulfill one of my bucket list wishes - to swim with the whale sharks at Ningaloo reef.    Læs mere

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  • Around the World with JanInto the Red Centre
    Dag 8

    Ormiston Pound

    10. maj 2021, Australien ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    After a very good night’s sleep, we headed out early to Ormison Pound for the last walk of the trip. This is definitely where all the tourists come. We started at the visitors centre to do a loop walk that would finish in the gorge. Once we were on the trail, there weren’t many other walkers.

    There was a mixture of climbing and flat walking. So much of the landscape looks like a planted garden with beautiful flowers and bushes – the colours always contrasting with the red dust and the amazing red cliffs surrounding us.

    It was a hot walk with very little shade, the low shrubs and bushes unable to provide any shade. By contrast when we got deeper into the gorge and the shade, it was quite cool.

    Wading through water that was above my head was interesting. I had to get one of the guides to carry my pack across because I wasn’t going to able to swim with it on my head. The rest of the walk was back in the sun, hoping that we’d dry out before we got back to the bus. Some of our clothes did but not the boots.

    Saying farewell at the end of the day was sad because the group were such a great bunch to walk with. A trip I won’t forget in a hurry, well executed and managed and so varied and interesting. I’m so glad I finally got to do the walk.    Læs mere

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  • Around the World with JanInto the Red Centre
    Dag 7

    Climbing Mt Sonder

    9. maj 2021, Australien ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Up at 1.30 a.m. and off at 2. We started the climb up to Mt Sonder at Redbank Gorge at 3 a.m. At 1380 metres, it’s the second-highest peak in N.T.

    A slow procession of head torches made their way up to the summit, 8km above us. The actual summit is sacred so you can’t go to the very top but where we watched the sky turn a fiery red was pretty good. It was cold until the sun rose completely.

    As the fire from the sky lit up the landscape, I was overwhelmed by the vista before us – it would match anything I’ve seen overseas. Breathtaking views in every direction – wow.

    The path on the way down revealed itself to be a rock garden with beautiful flowers and trees sculpted by the wind. The colour of the rocks provided a sharp contrast making it very photogenic.

    Back at camp, some people had a snooze then we headed to the oldest river on the planet which is still following its original course – the Finke River. Again, bloody freezing water so a quick dip and then I was off bird watching.

    What an amazing day. Dinner was a Sunday roast done in the campfire – it doesn’t get much better than that.    Læs mere

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  • Around the World with JanInto the Red Centre
    Dag 6

    Fearless Camp, Glen Helen Gorge

    8. maj 2021, Australien ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Today we walked out from camp to the Serpentine Dam, a folly built to service a Chalet built for visitors but which wasn’t much use because of the salt content of the surrounding rocks which contaminated the water.

    The reflection of the grey and black rocks where the water cascaded into the dam looked amazing flanked by the stunning red of the gorge itself. Sadly, the fire in 2019 left a scar on the landscape with black skeletons of the trees as far as the eye could see. It is growing back but it will take time.

    The colours here are so intense – maybe it’s the deep blue of the sky but the light makes everything so vivid. The rainbow colours of the clay pits and the red earth of the gorges that we walked through were perfect for taking photos – I took lots. Only the local aboriginal men can touch the clay for ceremonial use, preserving it for future generations.

    We ended the day with a swim at Glen Helen Gorge. Well, some of us dipped and some swam – the water was much colder than I expected. Stunning location as always.

    Our camp, called Fearless, was named after Sue Fear who was a well respected mountain guide who lead some of World Expeditions' trips. We were greeted by a flock of red-tailed black cockatoos - quite a welcome. Didn't think much of the native spiders who decided to visit my tent later in the evening.    Læs mere

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