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Darren and Janet
Darren and Janet

Darren and Janet

traveled in 36 countries Read more🇦🇺Adelaide
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  • Darren and JanetSingapore & Malaysia 2020Darren and Janet
    Muddy confluence, and Jamek mosque
    Sultan Abdul Samad Building, the former British Administration officesQueen Victoria fountain, Merdeka Square, currently in a poor state of repair2Food stalls pop up around the train stationMore great street artStreet light decoration

    Muddy Confluence

    February 28, 2020 in Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C

    Another day exploring the streets of KL, but this time we were out the door by 7.30am in an attempt to beat the heat.

    We caught the monorail and metro to the city centre and arrived just before 8am, with the peak hour crowds. The area around the train station transforms in the morning into a temporary food court, as stalls pop up to feed the arriving workers with sandwiches, rice, drinks and the national dish, Nasi Lemak (rice, sambal, cucumber, egg, peanuts and dried fish, wrapped in a banana leaf).

    We spent most of the day exploring the area around Merdeka (Independence) Square, where the national flag was first raised in 1957.

    Kuala Lumpur (literal translation, muddy confluence), was built where the rivers Klang and Gombak merge. Along these rivers the locals once bathed, washed laundry, and buffaloes wallowed. Crocodiles were also sunning on the banks, prompting the British Administration to offer rewards to capture them, dead or alive. The capture of a crocodile measuring 15 feet would return $15.00 Straits Dollars in 1912. Looking at the rivers today, it's difficult to imagine.

    We returned for a late afternoon swim, before tea in the local food court (nasi lemak of course, $1.66 each)    Read more

  • Darren and JanetSingapore & Malaysia 2020Darren and Janet
    Fresh juice... delicious
    1Street art, Chinatown15th floor rooftop pool, between two 43 storey accommodation towers1Monorail, monorail, monorail (for The Simpson's fans)13D street art1Chinatown was very quiet - we were one stall's first sale at 1.30pm

    The streets of KL

    February 27, 2020 in Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C

    With nothing particular planned today, one of us had a sleep-in 😁... so we were a bit late getting going.

    We caught the monorail towards town, then walked a circuitous route toward Chinatown via a number of caches, Malaysian Scout Headquarters, coffee shops and numerous drink stalls.

    After navigating the metro and monorail, we arrived back at our hotel in time for a late afternoon swim, and a quiet night in.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetSingapore & Malaysia 2020Darren and Janet
    Batu Caves entrance
    Batu Caves, interiorKellie's CastleKellie's Castle (right), Kellie's original home which it was to replace (left)Kellie's Castle, what was to be the rooftop indoor tennis court and entertainment areaBatu Caves, gate detail

    Castle and caves

    February 26, 2020 in Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C

    We departed Ipoh at 9am and headed to Kellie's Castle on the outskirts. Kellie's Castle is a partially completed mansion built by a Scottish businessman in the 1910/20's, which has a six storey tower and was to have the first elevator in Malaysia, an indoor tennis court, rooftop entertainment area, and escape stairways and tunnels from most rooms.
    Unfortunately he died before it was complete, and his wife wasn't interested in living there, so it was sold and was neglected for decades, until it was opened to tourism.

    The road to Kuala Lumpur is mostly freeway, so apart from a lunch stop at a large outdoor food venue, we headed to Batu Caves, on the northern edge of KL. Batu Caves are a series of cave temples dedicated to the Lord Murugan, the Hindu God of War. It is one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside India, and is entered via a colourful 272 steps.

    Our accommodation for the next 3 nights is on the 33rd floor of Berjaya Times Square, the 12th largest building in the world (by floor area) 😁    Read more

  • Darren and JanetSingapore & Malaysia 2020Darren and Janet
    1Mural Arts Lane, Ipoh
    Cave temple, Ipoh1Barbershop, Concubines Lane, Ipoh- yes, that's the whole shop!1People's Park, old town, IpohNature fights back, IpohWaterfall, Lubak Timah... actually a silted up dam, now flowing around the edge

    Cave temples and concubines

    February 25, 2020 in Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    Our last day in the highlands and we started with more tea plantations. We revisited one from yesterday to do the factory tour, and pick up the 2 caches there!

    We began the trip down the mountain after a quick stop at a roadside market to buy some sweet potatoes for Rosli's mum (and had some for morning tea that they cook ready for the shoppers).

    We stopped enroute at a waterfall and hot spring, which isn't very popular with the locals as they charge an entrance fee (5RM = $1.66 each), so we were the only one's there... or it could be that hot springs aren't popular when it's 35 degrees and humid!

    Ipoh is the 3rd largest city in Malaysia and was built on limestone and tin mining. It still has an industrial feel, but they are trying to increase tourism by promoting the limestone caves and food culture.

    On the outskirts of town we visited one of a number of cave temples, before heading in to Concubine Lane for lunch. The town has a large Cantonese population who came for the mining boom, and many of the businessman housed their second wives in this street to visit when they were in town for business.

    After a walk around the old town, we visited Mural Arts Lane, an otherwise drab alley that's been transformed by local artists, before walking back to our hotel.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetSingapore & Malaysia 2020Darren and Janet
    Heading down from the Mossy Forest
    1New growth, Mossy ForestOliver among the tea plantsKeah Farm marketMossy Forest... the path's starting to get soggy!Butterfly Farm resident

    Mossy Forest and Butterfly Farm

    February 24, 2020 in Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    We had a full day touring the highlands today, with a second night at the same hotel.

    Our day began with a drive to the Mossy Forest, on a road not for the fainthearted! Apart from being steep and winding, large sections of the road were in disrepair, and most of the journey was single lane - on blind corners drivers sound their horn on approach and if they hear a return beep, someone has to pull across to let the other pass.

    The Mossy Forest is a high altitude region where low cloud means the area is usually covered in mist and moisture, and today was no exception - the view from the top was non-existent, but we found the path was closed just after the peak because of recent rains... all in all, not the most successful outing 🙄

    By the time we journeyed down the mountain the weather had cleared slightly, so we stopped at some of the lookouts again to view over the tea plantations.

    We had lunch in Brinchang, then visited a butterfly farm, strawberry plantation, cactus outlet, local market, waterfall and Buddhist temple on our way back to Tanah Rata for the evening.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetSingapore & Malaysia 2020Darren and Janet
    Tea plantations
    with Michael Jackson1Blue Mosque, Shah Alammore tea plantationsIskander waterfallView from the hotel balcony, Tanah Rata

    Up to the highlands

    February 23, 2020 in Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Today we are headed to the Cameron Highlands, a popular holiday destination for locals and international tourists, as the temperature rarely gets to 30 degrees, and humidity is low.

    On the way out of KL we visited the Blue Mosque: capacity 24,000, claim to fame: the largest religious dome in the world.

    The Cameron Highlands is a collection of small towns which became popular among the British in the 1930's as an escape from the tropical heat, but is now famous for it's tea plantations, strawberry farms and honey production.

    We stopped at an indigenous local's house on the way, a friend of Rosli known as Michael Jackson, for his uncanny resemblance... he invited us into his single room house for a chat, and his brother was happy to demonstrate his prowess with a blowpipe and poison dart!

    We visited a couple of tea plantations (quite touristy, so we didn't stay long), but did a short hike to lookout with spectacular views over the valley.

    After a late lunch we checked into our hotel before a dusk walk... and put a jacket on for the first time this holiday, as the temperature dropped below 20 degrees!    Read more

  • Darren and JanetSingapore & Malaysia 2020Darren and Janet
    Rosli and Oliver, Tanjung Bidara beach
    Mangosteen, inside and outSteps to Cape Rachado lighthouseForest Reserve, Cape RachadoWalk along the beach to Fort Supai1Armoured Wickham Trolley (train), Port Dickson Army Museum

    Walking the cape

    February 22, 2020 in Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    We took the road less travelled today, from Malacca to Kuala Lumpur via the coast road.

    The coast road is an almost unbroken string of connected villages for 80km, with countless local eateries, and small scale rubber plantations. First stop was Tanjung Bidara beach, a popular local recreation spot, where we had morning tea of roti and pulled tea (tea with condensed milk, poured with a high arm action to aerate it, and cool it slightly).

    Next stop was Fort Supai, an abandoned Dutch fort at the mouth of the Linggi River. The fort is difficult to access now as a local developer has put a gate across the road to build his resort, so we walked along the beach to view what little is left.

    The main walk for the day was at Cape Rachado, a sweaty trek through a forest reserve to the lighthouse, the oldest still operating in Malaysia. Our shortcut on the way back turned out to be anything but... as they usually do, but we saw plenty of great scenery.

    Lunch was at a roadside restaurant, 3 mains and 3 drinks for 22.50 ringgit ($7.50), followed by dessert of mangosteen and jackfruit from a roadside vendor (both delicious)

    Nearby Port Dickson is a resort town for locals, and home to the Army Museum, an interesting collection of motorcycles, planes, cannons and an armoured train.

    The drive to KL was mostly freeway, passing Sepang Grand Prix track on the way to our accommodation on the outskirts of the city.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetSingapore & Malaysia 2020Darren and Janet
    1Malacca Straights Mosque
    Malacca river frontJonker St night marketOur hotel, old town, MalaccaChrist Church and Stadthuys, main square, MalaccaThe only surviving gate, A Famosa fort (1511), Malacca

    Road to Malacca

    February 21, 2020 in Malaysia ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    We got picked up at 8am for our drive to Malaysia. Our Malaysian driver is officially a taxi driver, so he can't drive in Singapore, so we were collected by one of his colleagues who has a private limousine licence and can drive both countries.

    The border was very busy with workers on motorbikes travelling home to Malaysia after working nighshift in Singapore - the bikes have their own lane and they were lined up 3 abreast for over a kilometre! We got through in 30 minutes, but it can take up to 2 hours at peak time.

    Our driver, Rosli, was waiting in the border city of Johor Bahru. We made a brief stop at the Sultans palace (to find a cache of course), then travelled via the motorway to Malacca.

    Malacca has a rich trading history and mix of architecture, with Indonesian and Chinese influence before being colonised by the Portuguese, Dutch then British, before Malaysian independence in 1963.

    Our hotel is in the old town, one street from Jonker St, which turns into a night market after dark.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetSingapore & Malaysia 2020Darren and Janet
    Hawker Chan's Michelin-starred soya sauce chicken rice
    1Chinatown, view from a cacheChinatown accommodation1Emerald Hill Straits Eclectic style housingStreet art, Chinatown

    Michelin Star restaurant - tick!

    February 20, 2020 in Singapore ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Our last full day in Singapore began with an MRT trip to Chinatown, perusing the many stalls, architecture and street art (and finding some caches on the way), before heading to the hawker stalls for lunch.

    One otherwise non-descript stall in the middle of the market generates a lot of attention - Hawker Chan was awarded a Michelin Star in 2016 for his soya sauce chicken rice, and is the world's cheapest Michelin-starred meal, at $2.80 a serve. We only had to line up for 20 minutes (the wait can be as much as an hour), and it was melt-in-the-mouth delicious. He marinates 180 chickens overnight in his secret soya based marinade and sells out every day.

    After a bubble tea and egg tart, we headed back to our apartment via Emerald Hill, an area of of double-storied terrace houses off Orchard Road built in the 1920's by Chinese immigrants. The style is known as the Straits Eclectic Style, combining components of Malay, European and Chinese architecture - half doors outside the main door to allow ventilation within the house while still maintaining privacy, European half-columns and Chinese-inspired reliefs.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetSingapore & Malaysia 2020Darren and Janet
    Boarding bumboat to Palau Ubin
    Palau Ubin cyclingDinner at Clarke QuayIce cream wafersMamam Campsite, Palau UbinMonkey on the bridge, Palau Ubin

    Palau Ubin by boat and bike

    February 19, 2020 in Singapore ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    We headed north today to Changi Village, about 1 hour by bus. After lunch in the hawker centre, we caught a bumboat to Palau Ubin, an island off the north coast of Singapore (10 min boat ride, $3 each - there's no timetable, just wait at the ferry terminal until a full boatload is ready, 12 people).

    During World War Two, Palau Ubin was a landing point for Japanese troops, which drew a huge influx of Allied troops to defend Singapore. This was a decoy move by the Japanese who then invaded the west of Singapore with ease.
    Previously home to a granite mine employing 2000 people, Palau Ubin is now one of the few undeveloped areas of Singapore, and home to just 38 residents.

    On arrival in Palau Ubin there are bike hire places lining the main street, so competition is keen. All day bike hire is $8 each. We got our bikes and spent a very pleasant 4 hours riding and walking the hills and dirt tracks of the island, collecting a number of caches on the way. We saw wild boars and monkeys close up, but only spotted otters and hornbill from a distance (much to Oliver's disappointment).

    We caught the bus and MRT back to the city and had dinner on the riverfront at Clarke Quay, followed by a walk around the area, and our first ice cream wafer from a street vendor.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetSingapore & Malaysia 2020Darren and Janet
    Fountain of Wealth
    1Long Bar, Raffles HotelPink FrangipaniLittle India, very quiet today

    Big fountain and Little India

    February 18, 2020 in Singapore ⋅ 🌧 29 °C

    With 80% chance of rain today, we had a plan up our sleeve to do some indoors activities, but as the morning looked promising, we caught the local bus to the Fountain of Wealth.

    The fountain is built among five tower blocks which represent the fingers and thumb of a left hand emerging from the ground, and the fountain is the palm of the hand. With an area of 1680 square metres, it was the largest fountain in the world until 1999. During certain periods of the day, the fountain is turned off and visitors are able to walk around a mini fountain at the centre of the fountain's base, three times for good luck. We were there during one of these downtimes, so did our laps.

    Next stop was Raffles Hotel, home of the Singapore Sling. They quite often have a queue out the door of punters keen to hand over $44 for one drink, but at 11am on a Tuesday you could choose your seat. We wandered in for a look, but didn't partake (a local beer was $28 if you prefer!)

    The rain still hadn't arrived, so after lunch and a quick look around the National Library, we headed to Little India, an eclectic mix of restaurants, temples, churches and mosques. We caught the bus back to our accommodation and had a swim, before tea at the local outdoor cafe again.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetSingapore & Malaysia 2020Darren and Janet
    1Lotus, Marina Bay Sands and Merlion
    View from the top of MBS - infinity pool is for guests only1Foreground Lotus, and Float, the world's largest floating stage, capacity 27,000Supertree Grove, Gardens by the Bay1Cemetery headstones, Fort Canning ParkSculpture, Gardens by the Bay, MBS in the background

    Day by the bay

    February 17, 2020 in Singapore ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    With fine weather forecast today we decided to walk around the bay area. We caught the bus to Marina Bay Sands, passed the obligatory temperature check (most public buildings undertake temperature checks when entering) and headed to the rooftop observation deck for spectacular views of the bay area. Most of the people up there were cruise passengers from one of the few cruise ships still plying Asian ports.

    We then headed into Gardens by the Bay, had lunch at Satay by the Bay (but had falafals instead of satay), and walked a circuitous route following the caches, visiting the waterfront, drinks at the Fullerton Bay Hotel, the Merlion and National Gallery of Singapore.

    On the walk back to Orchard Road we detoured via Fort Canning Park. The park is the highest point in the city centre (48m elevation) and was formerly home to a Christian cemetery. The cemetery continued to be used until 1865 when it was declared full and closed, but by the 1970s it was in such a state of disrepair, the cemetery was exhumed and many of the surviving tombstones were embedded in the surviving walls.

    Dinner was at a 24 hour outdoor eatery near our apartment.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetSingapore & Malaysia 2020Darren and Janet
    National Orchid Garden
    Walk of the Giants, Singapore Botanic GardensAfternoon dip... spot the Marina Bay Sands in the background!Colonial style housing now surrounded by skyscrapersSatays for tea, hawker centre, Orchard RoadPark at the site of the birthplace of Singapore's first PM (of course there was a cache there!)

    Caching and the Botanic Gardens

    February 16, 2020 in Singapore ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    First activity for Sunday morning was a caching event we were hosting in a park across the road from our accommodation. Given there's so few tourists here, and only about 6 active cachers in Singapore, we weren't expecting a big turnout, so 1 person was ok!

    After a bit of a chat with ZacharyKZH, a local cacher with 130 hides, he offered to accompany us to a few caches, and we ended up having lunch with him and caching until 2pm. He led us down some shortcuts and backroads we would never have found by ourselves.

    After lunch we ventured into the Singapore Botanic Gardens, the most visited botanic gardens in the world (5 million visitors a year), which also has the world's largest display of orchids (1,000 species) and 250 species of ginger on display.

    It turned very humid late afternoon so we caught the bus back to our apartment and had a dip in the pool, before a thunderstorm rolled in.

    Dinner was at a small hawker centre on Orchard Road, with only a handful of other diners.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetSingapore & Malaysia 2020Darren and Janet
    1Rain Vortex, Jewel at Changi
    1Hibiscus Resort, Pt Dickson, Malaysia (zoom in on the white buildings over the water)1You know your connection's tight when you get a Hot Transfer label!1Chips anyone?

    Hot transfer and humid Singapore

    February 15, 2020 in Singapore ⋅ 🌙 28 °C

    We had a delayed flight from Adelaide to Kuala Lumpur, so our already tight 1 hour transfer window was squeezed to less than 30 minutes. Luckily we made arrangements on board and were moved to the front row of economy so we could be first off the plane.
    We were met at the gate by an airport official to escort us to the next gate... they were holding the flight for us, so he took off running! We jogged halfway across the airport, caught a shuttle train to the other terminal, and made it to the gate 10 mins before take-off. Good service Malaysian Airlines 🙂

    We arrived in Singapore and had some caches to find at the airport before we headed to our hotel - one was at Jewel, a $1.7bn entertainment and retail complex between the terminals, and home to the world's tallest indoor waterfall, the Rain Vortex.

    The train into the city must be the best value airport transfer anywhere - $1.87 each! When we got to the hotel we were temperature checked before we could go in (and every subsequent time we enter), then wandered down Orchard Road for dinner and supplies. There's still plenty of people on the street after dark, with the temperature still around 30 degrees , and rather humid.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetBulgaria & Romania 2019Darren and Janet
    1Big British Bucharest Quiz
    View from the Fireman's Tower, suburban high rise in the background1Puzzle cache that required solving to get to the log bookFireman's TowerOne of the new apartment blocksHaving a break in a small park

    Big British Bucharest Quiz

    June 12, 2019 in Romania ⋅ 🌫 30 °C

    Our last full day in Romania was the hottest of the whole trip, with 32 degrees forecast.

    We left the hotel about 9am for a walk to the east of the city. We bought some apricots from a street seller and continued through the backstreets until we reached the Fireman's Tower. Originally designed as a fire lookout tower and water storage, it was never used for the latter because there were no pumps in the country strong enough to pump the water up, so it was used as lookout tower until the buildings around it got taller and blocked the view.

    We had tea in the old town, before attending the Big British Bucharest Quiz Night, Europe's largest quiz night, held every fortnight. It's held over 2 floors in an old town bar, with big screen and cameras used to relay the action upstairs. There were 37 tables competing (200 attendees). As I'd emailed the quiz master to register our attendance, he gave us a goodie basket of Romanian souvenirs and included a number of Australian questions... which thankfully we got correct! We were a table of 3, with Marina, the host's girlfriend... and we finished 10th overall !☺    Read more

  • Darren and JanetBulgaria & Romania 2019Darren and Janet
    Street art
    2There's a house under there somewhereXenofon Street, a shadow of it's former glory2Trams stop in the middle lane, passengers cross a traffic lane to alight, and the cars stop for themPiata UniriiProposed Academy of Art and Literature (abandoned 1989), new apartment building on the left

    Bucharest backstreets

    June 11, 2019 in Romania ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    We spent the day walking the backstreets in the south of the city, discovering more great street art, parks, palaces, churches and abandoned buildings. And finding caches of course (including a First to Find on a newly published cache).

    We had a coffee break in a cafe opposite what was to be the Academy of Art and Literature, which was under construction before it was abandoned in 1989. New apartments now adjoin it on both sides.

    We also visited Xenofon Street, a narrow street of steps that was one of the most visited streets in Bucharest because of the painted waterfall cascading from top to bottom. It is now in such a state of decay that it is barely recognisable - we were there in search of a cache, but we chatted to an American tourist who made a special trip across town to see it! She was so disappointed! You can see what it used to look like at https://www.trover.com/d/1EMhz-strada-xenofon-b…    Read more

  • Darren and JanetBulgaria & Romania 2019Darren and Janet
    Park bench with city logo, Cismigiu Garden
    A pair of abandoned partly constructed Communist era buildingsHolocaust Memorial5Picnic lunch, Cismigiu GardenCaru cu Bere restaurant, interiorAbandoned theatre

    Back to Bucharest

    June 10, 2019 in Romania ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    It's the final day of our Romania tour, so we departed Curtea de Arges at 9am in order to arrive in Bucharest around lunch and avoid the afternoon traffic.

    Gabriel dropped us at our hotel in the city centre, and we went for a walk in search of lunch and caches. We found the former at a lunch bar packed with locals, so we figured it must be good. We took ours to the park and enjoyed it amongst the pigeons and a team of gardeners sprucing up the park ready for summer.

    The caching took us to the Holocaust Memorial, commemorating the lives of Romanian Jews who died in the Holocaust, and acknowledges Romania's role.

    There are numerous abandoned buildings across town, the two most striking occupy an entire city block and were under construction when Communism ceased, and haven't been touched since 1989.

    Dinner was at the oldest beer house in Bucharest, Caru cu Bere, which has at least 100 tables and was booked out later in the evening (Romanians generally eat tea from 8pm, so we could have a table for 1 hour). It has a striking wood and stained glass interior and is popular with tourists and locals alike... the Communist style service fell somewhere between amusing and offensive - perhaps that's part of it's attraction!    Read more

  • Darren and JanetBulgaria & Romania 2019Darren and Janet
    "Electricity Man", symbol of hydro electric power, providing 70% of Romania power
    Cozia Monastery, on the banks of the Olt River2Curtea de Arges CathedralCurtea de Arges Cathedral, interior1Closed due to bear action in the area...Poienari Citadel, 1480 steps away

    Vlad's real castle... just up that hill

    June 9, 2019 in Romania ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    We headed south today, down the Olt River Valley Road, stopping at Cozia Monastery on the way. Being Sunday morning the church and grounds were very popular, especially as it's also a pilgrimage site for Romanians as Mircea the Elder (Vlad Tepes' grandfather) is buried there. Vlad and Mircea were both leaders of the Wallachia Region, although Vlad is now more connected to neighbouring Transylvania via the Dracula stories.

    We were also scheduled to visit Vlad the Impaler's real castle (Poienari Citadel), which can only be accessed up 1480 steps through the forest, but it's currently closed due to recent bear attacks. So we just viewed it from below...

    We then drove along the southern section of the Transfagarasan Road (not the famous bit) to Vidraru Dam, before heading to Curtea de Arges, the former capital of Wallachia, and visited the cathedral where the last 4 kings of Romania are buried (the last King of Romania, Michael I abdicated in 1947 when the communists took control, and died in 2017)

    After a walk around town we had a farewell dinner with Gabriel before our tour ends tomorrow.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetBulgaria & Romania 2019Darren and Janet
    2Sibiu is watching...
    1Sibiu city walls and towersSibiu old townSibiu eyesBridge of Lies, local legend if you tell a lie while standing on it, it will collapse1Sibiu lower town

    The eyes of Sibiu

    June 8, 2019 in Romania ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    After returning to Sibiu we spent the afternoon walking in the old town and city walls, had some tea in the main square (currently hosting a food festival), and hosted a caching event at a local cafe.

    Many of the houses in Sibiu look like they are watching you with eyes on their roof, but it's actually a venting system for their attics. Most were built between the 15th and 19th centuries, when the attic was used to smoke meat. The fireplace in the house vented into the attic where the meat was hanging and the eyes allowed the smoke to escape.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetBulgaria & Romania 2019Darren and Janet
    1Transfagarasan's famous switchbacks
    Frozen Lake Balea1Oliver standing on the road, near Lake Balea. The entrance to the tunnel is on the right.1The reason why it's closed!1The road cutting back and forth across the mountain1Plenty of snow on the road

    Not driving the Transfagarasan Road

    June 8, 2019 in Romania ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    With a shuffle to our itinerary, had a free morning today, so Gabriel suggested a drive to Lake Balea, and a chance to see the famous Tranfagarasan Road, rated by Top Gear as the best road in the world.

    The road is only open a few months a year from July to October (weather dependent), so if you can't drive the road, the next best thing is to see it!

    We drove from Sibiu to the base station of the cable car to take us to Lake Balea, arriving just after it opened at 9am. This was a good move, as queues later in the day were huge.

    The cable car travels up the valley, over the closed section of the Transfagarasan Road, and it was easy to see why it is still closed. When we reached the top, there was still enough snow to ski on (and it had a number of hardy takers, given there are no ski lifts operating), and Lake Balea was still largely frozen over.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetBulgaria & Romania 2019Darren and Janet
    3Corvin Castle, Hunedoara
    Corvin Castle courtyardAlba Carolina Citadel entranceAlba Carolina Citadel gate detailCorvin Castle, detailCorvin Castle

    Hunedoara, home of fairy tale castles

    June 7, 2019 in Romania ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    We began the day with a walk around the star shaped citadel of Alba Iulia, known as Alba Carolina Citadel (fortress, fortification... the names seem to be used randomly!). It's the largest citadel in Romania and only contains museums, churches and grand buildings... and swathes of food stalls, cafés and souvenir stalls of course. It was never used for housing and is now used like a town square, for socialising and public events.

    We detoured to the town of Hunedoara, an industrial town formerly kept afloat by coal mining, now one of the poorest towns in Romania since the coal mines were shut overnight in 1990.

    Despite being surrounded by factories, Corvin Castle (1440) is a classic fairy tale castle with pointed turrets, drawbridge, moat and bear pit! The interior has been left mostly empty, but there are a number of rooms over various levels to explore, with plenty of information boards to explain the use and history of each room.

    We drove to Sibiu and did a late afternoon walk of the old town with Gabriel, before having dinner at a traditional Romanian restaurant.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetBulgaria & Romania 2019Darren and Janet
    1Salina Turda, lower chamber
    Biertan Fortified Church1Biertan Fortified Church, sancristy doorBiertan Fortified Church interior2Salina Turda, underground amusement patkSalina Turda ferris wheel

    Deep in Turda

    June 6, 2019 in Romania ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    We left Sighisoara early to arrive in Biertan when the fortified church opened.

    We were greeted by a group of locals discussing the issues of the day over a beer at the street cafe... and it was 9.30am!

    Biertan Fortified Church (1493) is a huge Lutheran Church, surrounded by 3 levels of fortifications, and only has a handful of buildings within the defensive ring. It's unique feature is the door lock system on the sancristy, the room to protect the village's valuables. It has 19 locks, 4 activated by one key, and 15 by a rotating removable handle.

    The drive to Turda was much slower than planned, as we got caught in some major traffic jams caused by road works on the new Transylvanian Highway.

    The main attraction in Turda is the salt mine, Salina Turda. It was an operating salt mine from the 16th century to 1932, then opened as a tourist attraction in 1992. It now contains an underground amusement park at a depth of 112m, with ferris wheel, row boats, mini golf, a playground, snooker and table tennis tables and ten pin bowling.

    Overnight in Alba Iulia.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetBulgaria & Romania 2019Darren and Janet
    2Viscri Fortified Church
    Viscri village features German style architecture1View from the tower, Viscri ChurchSighisoara, clock tower and entrance to the citadelColourful buildings, Sighisoara citadelSighisoara Cemetery

    Viscri to Sighisoara

    June 5, 2019 in Romania ⋅ 🌫 23 °C

    Early departure from Brasov with only one stop at Viscri on the way to Sighisoara.

    Viscri's claim to fame is that Prince Charles owns, and restored a house there...oh, and they have a spectacular 13th century church, fortified in 1500.

    The church and fortifications are much smaller than Prejmer, as the villagers only fled here in times of attack and lived for short periods, but the church and village are both incredibly well preserved. The chuch has an austere interior with an all wooden gallery, with a stone tower with sweeping views across the village and surrounding farmland.

    The Lard Tower in the perimeter wall was used to store the village supplies of cured meats up until the early 1990's, as the village had no electricity for refrigeration. Each family marked their meat with their house number and the tower was opened each Sunday at 7am when families would take their meat supplies for the week. An overseer would ensure they took only their own meat, and the tower wasn't opened again until the following week.

    We arrived in Sighisoara eatly afternoon and had lunch in the main square of the citadel before doing a walking tour. Sighisoara features the only continuously inhabited citadel in Romania, with a small number of families still living in the walled city atop the hill overlooking the city. A majority of the city walls, the clock tower and 9 of it's 16 towers are still intact, along with most of the colourful houses.

    We walked the citadel again by ourselves in the late afternoon, then wandered through the cemetery (in search of a cache), before returning to the citadel for a late tea - and another papanasi, this time made the traditional way and boiled instead of being deep fried.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetBulgaria & Romania 2019Darren and Janet
    Brown bear, Libearty Bear Sanctuary
    Wet afternoon, Brasov1Rasnov Fortress1Rasnov Fortress, interior1Rasnov Fortress, interiorBrasov, view through a break in the city walls

    Rasnov and bears

    June 4, 2019 in Romania ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

    Early start for the drive to Rasnov, so we were on the doorstep when Rasnov Fortress opened at 9am.

    Rasnov Fortress was built in 1225 as a safe haven for the villagers, who were forced to live there for extended periods. It was conquered only once, in 1612. The defeat was caused by the lack of water due to the enemy troops discovering the secret spring supplying the fortress. To remove this weakness, they began digging a well, finally striking water 17 years later at a depth of 146 metres!

    To replace the missed hike two days ago, we visited Libearty Bear Sanctuary, a retirement home for bears confiscated from captivity in Romania. Most are so traumatised after years of captivity and being forced to perform that they aren't suitable for release into the wild, so they live their days out in the 69 hectares of (fenced) natural habitat.

    We returned to Brasov for lunch and an afternoon walk, which was curtailed by torrential rain. We returned to the hotel until the weather improved, then went out for an evening walk and dinner in a backstreet bistro.    Read more

  • Darren and JanetBulgaria & Romania 2019Darren and Janet
    3Bran Castle, view from our lunch venue
    On the way up...2View over the Bran ValleyUp the secret stairs....2Looking over the courtyardBallroom / music room

    Dracula unpacked

    June 3, 2019 in Romania ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

    After lunch we visited Bran Castle, aka Dracula's Castle. But how did it become so...
    Here's all the pieces to the puzzle....

    The castle is a medieval fortress built in 1382 in Bran Pass, a strategic location only metres from the border of Transylvania and Wallachia Provinces. Its main function was customs duty collecting and defending the border.

    Vlad Tepes III (Vlad the Impaler) was the King of Wallachia and famed for his favourite method of torturing his enemies by impaling them on greased poles, ensuring a prolonged death and a graphic display to any other invaders of their likely fate.

    Vlad's father (Vlad Tepes II) was admitted to the Order of the Dragon and was known as Vlad Dracul (dragon in Romanian), so his son became Vlad Dracula (son of Dracul).

    Vlad the Impaler only visited Bran Castle a handful of times with his father when he was young. The most time he spent there was 2 weeks... in the dungeon as a prisoner after he was captured by enemy forces.

    In Romanian mythology, the evil part of a dead person's soul (the Strigoi) doesn't leave the body until it is exhumed, and a wooden stake driven through the heart to release the spirit.

    Countess Elizabeth Bathory was a Hungarian noble woman, whose family ruled Transylvania for a time, who reputedly killed 650 young girls and bathed in their blood in an attempt to keep her skin young.

    Bram Stoker never visited Romania but took the bits he liked from all of the above, added a vampire and garlic, and Count Dracula was born ☺

    Stoker wrote that Dracula "inhabited a decaying castle in the Carpathian Mountains" - the Romanian tourism authorities in the 1970's thought Bran Castle fitted this description and encouraged the link in the pursuit of tourism dollars... which continue strongly to this day!    Read more

  • Darren and JanetBulgaria & Romania 2019Darren and Janet
    1Brasov, Black Church and "Brasollywood" sign
    Prejmer Fortified Church interior1Prejmer, church and inner wallBrasov town square2Brasov town square2Rope St, Brasov, Europe's 3rd narrowest street

    Prejmer Fortified Church and Brasov

    June 3, 2019 in Romania ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

    Change of plans today due to the rainy weather - we were scheduled to hike to Seven Ladders Canyon, but it was closed because of the slippery conditions.

    We headed to Prejmer Fortified Church, built in 1240. When invaders entered the Buzău Pass, Prejmer was the first place they encountered and the village was destroyed over 50 times between the 13th and 17th centuries, but the church was never captured. The church is surrounded circular by a 12m high and 5m thick wall. On the interior side of the wall are four levels containing 270 rooms to housr the 1600 villagers in case of attack.

    After visiting Bran Castle, we had a walking tour of Brasov, the largest city in Romania by area. It is a walled city with a large town square and Hollywood style sign on the hill above.    Read more

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