Our journey from Split to Kotor driving along the Adriatic coast was breathtaking, and even the border crossing went smoothly. Finding accommodation right on the shores of Kotor Bay was a fantastic choice, providing both beautiful views and easy access to the water. I put a lot of effort into selecting the perfect spot, and it paid off with a relaxing and enjoyable stay. Swimming in the bay, savoring gourmet local food, and enjoying fine wine with such a stunning backdrop. Today we drove to Lovćen National park where we visited The Petar II Petrović Njegoš Mausoleum is the highest mausoleum in the world, sitting at 1,657m. While you can drive most of the way, you need to scale 461 steps to get to the mausoleum. This sounds like a lot, but in reality it’s a 15 minute walk, and it’s very easy to use the expansive views as an excuse to take breaks ‘to enjoy the view’ as you climb. We could not drive all this way without visiting Njegusi. This historic village is renowned for its traditional Montenegrin cuisine, particularly the famous Njeguski prosciutto and cheese. You visit local restaurants and farms to taste these delicacies and learn about their production. A great end to a perfect 5 weeks holiday with only 1 day of rain. Tomorrow evening we depart for home and we cannot wait to give our beautiful pooch Rain a cuddle.
Our journey from Split to Kotor driving along the Adriatic coast was breathtaking, and even the border crossing went smoothly. Finding accommodation right on the shores of Kotor Bay was a fantastic choice, providing both beautiful views and easy access to the water. I put a lot of effort into selecting the perfect spot, and it paid off with a relaxing and enjoyable stay. Swimming in the bay, savoring gourmet local food, and enjoying fine wine with such a stunning backdrop. Today we drove to Lovćen National park where we visited The Petar II Petrović Njegoš Mausoleum is the highest mausoleum in the world, sitting at 1,657m. While you can drive most of the way, you need to scale 461 steps to get to the mausoleum. This sounds like a lot, but in reality it’s a 15 minute walk, and it’s very easy to use the expansive views as an excuse to take breaks ‘to enjoy the view’ as you climb. We could not drive all this way without visiting Njegusi. This historic village is renowned for its traditional Montenegrin cuisine, particularly the famous Njeguski prosciutto and cheese. You visit local restaurants and farms to taste these delicacies and learn about their production. A great end to a perfect 5 weeks holiday with only 1 day of rain. Tomorrow evening we depart for home and we cannot wait to give our beautiful pooch Rain a cuddle.
Yesterday we left Bentota and drove along Sri Lanka’s stunning coast to Colombo which is the business and commercial area. Colombo was a small seaport, which came into prominence in the 16th Century with the arrival of the Portuguese in 1505 and the development of it as a major Harbour during the British period and became the capital in 1815 after Kandy was ceded to the British. After our city tour we enjoyed a delicious lunch at the Barefoot gallery and of course we fitted in a little retail therapy. Last night was our final evening with our fabulous guide Ash, Kamila our very competent driver Kumara our friendly helper. Today a relaxing early morning swim, breakfast and more shopping and thankfully a late night check out and dinner then off to the airport for our red eye flight home.
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Learning how to stilt fish in Sri Lanka
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Learning how to stilt fish in Sri Lanka
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How not to pick tea in Sri Lanka
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En-route to Yalla we had a brief stop at Ravana Waterfall and the Ancient Buduruwagala Temple. The complex consists of seven statues dating back to the 10th century. The gigantic Buddha statue still bears traces of its original stuccoed robe and a long streak of orange suggests it was once brightly painted. Arriving at Yala and our fabulous hotel. Time for a swim before going on a 3 hour safari.
Yala is Sri Lanka’s most known National Park is popular for Elephant, Leopard, Bear, Crocodile and Wild Boar. 97,800 hectares in extent. This time we were not lucky enough to spot the elusive leopard but we did see an abundance of birdlife, crocodiles, elephants, wild boar and buffalo. We even saw a peacock in flight and another showing a magnificent display of its fan.
Yesterday we departed Kandy for Ella.
On the way we stopped at a tea factory to learn the art of black tea manufacturing. The machinery is of traditional British design and as old as 100 years. The tour ended with a tea tasting and in the garden. Later we drove to Nanuoya station to take the train to our next destination of Ella. As the train travels along the winding trail we witnessed the stunning vistas of Sri Lanka’s central hills dotted with tea plantations and farms of vegetable gardens. Ella draws tourists from all over the world to hike the 300 klm Pekoe trail. Today we did 9 klms of the Pekoe trail which took us to the famous Nine Arches Bridge. The bridge is hauntingly beautiful and the views across the valley were stunning. We continued our climb to the Demodara Tea Estate where the trail then meandered through the tea gardens. We saw people plucking tea and farmers harvesting rice it was a great hike that we all enjoyed tremendously.
Lyn Taylor's Adventure Travel Upcoming All Women's Sri Lanka trip bookings for our March 8 departure has been so successful that we have planned a 2nd departure for July 5, 2024. This trip is meticulously planned to focus on culturally women-orientated places. We soak up the local life with visits to workshops, textiles, cooking sessions, yoga retreats, UNESCO world heritage sites and even some quirky hotels for high tea. My goal is to add a female touch to ensure that these women who travel with Lyn Taylor's Adventure return home after having a fantastic Sri Lankan experience.
https://www.tayloradventure.com/trek/sri-lanka/
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On our voyage we visited a settlement at Scoresbysund.
Ittoqgortoormiit, is the largest settlement with approximately five hundred inhabitant although this number is reducing as the world of technology increases and the younger generation realise that there is a world outside of their remote village.
At the post office we can buy stamps for postcards to send home. As we strolled around we saw the sled dogs and drying skins of seals and musk oxen and polar bear. There is a beautiful church, gymnasium, school and even a swimming pool. I was lucky to see some of the children depart by helicopter to fly to another airport to catch a plane to Iceland. They were going for 2 weeks of swimming lessons in Reykjavik. On my walk around the settlement I also spotted an artic hare and husky dog with her 5 pups. On our afternoon sail south, we passed the picturesque landscapes of the Blosseville Coast where we boarded our zodiac for another 2-2/2 hour hike. Everyday as well as exploring the coast and sound on a zodiac we have had the amazing opportunity to stretch our legs on either a long, medium or short hike.
Today we are approaching Turner Sound and Romer Fiord where we may be granted the opportunity to sail far inland, as they have no glacier front at the head and are not clogged with ice. In this location, we have the best shot at spotting narwhals and polar bears on our last days exploration of Greenland before our crossing to Iceland. On Honduras last voyage of the season eight out of our 9 nights we have had the opportunity to see the Northern Lights and everyday we have been blessed with blue sky and calm seas. Our adventure begins with another chapter in Iceland. Watch this space!
Today we departed Fram and travelled by boat on a section of the Sognefjord Fjord Norway’s largest and deepest fjord stretching 205 klm inland from the ocean to the small village of Skjolden in the municipality of Luster. We continued west to Gudvangen which is the perfect spot for the ones who love high mountain peaks. Here we disembarked then boarded out coach which took us on one of the most scenic drives in Norway to the city of Bergen.
We woke this morning to another stunning morning in Flam. There is a cruise ship docking at the wharf every day so this little town which has six outlet shops and 5 restaurants certainly thrives on tourism. Nothing has changes since my las visit in 2019. We decided to get away from the crowds and took an excursion to a lookout which afforded spectacular views of the Aurlandsfjord and Flam. Later in the afternoon we hiked to Brekkenvegen waterfall returning along the valley floor passing quaint houses and farms along the way. The weather is certainly on our side.
Our first day in Oslo Norway took us on a hiking tour to 3 of Norways 240,000 islands. It was a beautiful sunny day of 20 degrees and we were fortunate to be on the last tour of the season. The islands are populated with very small yellow, red, green, white summer cottages. Norwegians love to return to the basics, natural elements and simplicity by often leaving their mobile phones at the front. The majority of cottages valued at approximately 2.5 million AUD do not even have a toilet so communal toilets are scattered throughout the island. It is a very close knit community and every cottage has a triangular red blue and white flag that is raised when someone is home. This is a sign for your neighbour to visit, sit in their gardens have a drink and admire their peaceful surroundings.
Norways has the 2nd longest costline in the world with the water temperature in summer ranging from an amazing 20- 28 degrees the warm temperatures are created from the Mexican Gulf Stream. Norwegian are known to be the 2nd most happy people in the world and on our first day in Norway we understand why. On funny note we were were not expecting such warm weather and even had an issue with our room being too hot because in Norway the hotels do not have air conditioning only air flow. The stocked bar fridges in the rooms are not even turned on. They are only insulated cool boxes and this is a beautiful 4 star hotel in the heart of Oslo.
Hopefully cooler weather to come as we travel towards the Arctic Circle.
