A Very Merry Christmas Down Under

Christmas in Sunny Sydney

Ever thought about spending Christmas in sunnier climates? It might not suit everyone to say farewell to turkey and stuffing and opt for a cheeky Barbie on the beach or an Aussie Christmas dinner complete with freshly caught prawns; but it is certainly something different to try. It didn't take me long to get over my fear of seafood and have a taste of               

everything - including oysters!

Relaxing in Sydney

Christmas is a wonderful time to visit Sydney. With temperatures hitting the mid-30s it's a great time to relax on one of Sydney's 37 beaches. From Bondi and Coogee beach on the south side of the harbour, to Manly and Palm Beach in the north; whether it's surfing, sunbathing or snorkelling you're into, you are sure to find the perfect spot! If the beach isn't your thing, the Royal Botanical Gardens are the perfect place for a picnic, sunbathe or stroll. You may even spot a lovely summer wedding as it is quite a popular spot to tie the knot!

Royal Botanic Gardens, a truly memorable place

Shopping in Sydney

You'll be spoilt for choice if you want to do your Christmas shopping in Sydney or pick up some treats for family and friends back home. One shopping gem not to miss is the richly decorated Queen Victoria Building (QVB), built in 1898. It is filled with stained glass windows and beautiful Romanesque architecture and even has an original 19th century staircase. The giant Christmas tree below is located in the central dome and is definitely not to be missed! If it's designer fashion you're looking for, the Strand Arcade is the place to be. It is the only arcade built in Victorian Sydney left in its original form today.

Giant Christmas tree in the Queen Victoria Building

Things to see and do in Sydney
If you're looking for waterfront restaurants, an IMAX cinema, aquarium or maritime museum then look no further than Darling Harbour. What used to be a dockside area, Darling Harbour has become a major tourist site. My top tip is to head to St. Moritz Chocolate Cafe and grab some Belgian waffles smothered in chocolate sauce! You may even get to see Santa and his elves surprise you by turning up on jet skis whilst you are listening to Christmas carols ...

Darling Harbour by night

St. Mary's Cathedral

Nativity scene outside St. Mary's Cathedral

Sensational Sydney

No trip to Sydney would be complete without visiting Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It is well worth climbing the 200 stairs to the top of the Pylon Lookout for some fantastic views (it is also a lot cheaper than the Bridge Climb, though perhaps not as exhilarating). Visiting the Opera House is a real treat. Whether you go on a tour, watch a performance or just admire it from afar, it will certainly be a highlight of your trip!

Christmas Eve at the Pylon Lookout

View of the city from Watson's Bay

Penguins and Polar Bears

I don't know how many of you have been eagerly sitting down for the evening to watch the BBC's Frozen Planet lately, but I have been watching with great interest. Most of us can only dream of seeing polar bears, penguins, wolves and other animals in their natural Arctic and Antarctic habitats; but whilst Sir David Attenborough is still doing what he does best, there's no need to break the bank with a flight to that icy wilderness. Instead, we can be treated to awe inspiring footage and documentary from the comfort of our sofas. 

Polar Bears in San Diego

Now it may not have been in arctic conditions, but I had the pleasure of seeing polar bears on a visit to San Diego Zoo in California back in 2008. It astounded me that despite the sheer size and weight of a polar bear - typically the head and body measures between 7.25 to 8ft (2.2 to 2.5m) and they weigh in between 900 to 1,600 lbs (410 to 720kg), the polar bears moved so effortlessly through the water in their enclosure. I was surprised to hear on the Frozen Planet that they can swim up to 50 miles per day through the Arctic waters. Due to the effects of global warming polar bears are forced to swim greater distances to reach land, which usually results in the unfortunate loss of their cubs. Earlier this year, the longest polar bear swim was recorded at 426 miles straight (687 kilometres). Click here to read the full story. 

Jackass Penguins in Betty's Bay, South Africa

Whilst the Antarctic is home to Emperor and Adélie penguins amongst others, if you want to get up close and personal with penguins without having to get the thermals out, head to Betty's Bay in South Africa. Located at Stony Point on the garden route, Betty's Bay is home to the Jackass penguin (also known as the African penguin). African penguins are found in coastal areas from Namibia to South Africa. They are called Jackass penguins because they make a sound that is very similar to a donkey's bray. 

The colony is located on the mainland and can be easily seen from the viewing platform. I was lucky enough to get very close to the penguins and filmed a short video clip of them getting blown about by the wind!

Click the video below to see Mummy penguin & baby penguin! 

A breathtaking view of Betty's Bay, South Africa

Top 10 Feats of Engineering

From the Great Wall of China to the Pyramids of Egypt, Lonely Planet has compiled a list of what it thinks are the Top 10 Works of Engineering Genius. It's great to see that the UK have made the cut with the Falkirk Wheel in Scotland! Take a look at the link for further information on each of these feats of engineering...

1. Great Pyramid of Khufu, Giza, Egypt

2. Aya Sofya, Istanbul, Turkey

3. Indian Railways

4. Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain

5. Great Wall of China

6. Millau Viaduct, France

7. Lalibela, Ethiopia

8. Falkirk Wheel, Scotland

9. Yaxchilán, Yucatán, Mexico

10. Burj Khalifa, United Arab Emirates

Autumn in the Lakes

Tarn Hows

"nowhere else have I seen wood and water, hill and valley, greensward and purple heather, rugged crag and velvet slope, grey rock and bright blossoming shrubs brought under the eye at once in such magnificent contrast" - Alexander Craig Gibson (The Old Man; or Ravings and Ramblings around Conistone, 1849). 

When you think of all the colours of Autumn you think of reds, oranges, golds, yellows and browns. Walking along the path around Tarn Hows in the South Lakes you can see all these colours and many more. The Autumn reflections of the conifers creep across the water and cause you to take a double glance at which is tree and which is reflection. Between the seventh and ninth centuries when the Viking settlers arrived from Scandinavia, they left their mark on the Lakes through their language. The word 'Tarn' comes from the Norse word 'tjorn', which means 'teardrop'. 'Hows' comes from the Norse word, 'haugr', which means 'hill'. So Tarn Hows is 'a small lake set amongst the rolling hills'. In 1929 Beatrix Potter bought 4000 acres of land which included Tarn Hows, before leaving it to the National Trust which has preserved the area for us and future generations to see.

A bit of info...

It is easy to walk around the tarn as there is a relatively flat 1.5 mile circular path, making it accessible for wheelchairs, buggies and young and old! Although 600ft up in the hills, it is easy to reach the top by car via a narrow B-road. Then all you have to do is park up and off you go! Click here for a map of the area.


Don't miss...
Tarn Hows is located close to the tiny village of Hawkshead. You could easily spend the afternoon wandering around the lovely gift shops, taking a stroll up to the 17th Century Church of St Michael and All Angels which overlooks the village; before relaxing in one of the charming tearooms for a cream tea (one of my favourite things to do!) If that's not enough, visit the Old Grammar School where its most famous student, William Wordsworth once studied or take a trip to the Beatrix Potter Gallery. Just down the road in Near Sawrey you will find Hill Top Farm, home of Beatrix Potter - one of the Lake District's greatest admirers.

View from St Michael and All Angels Church, Hawkshead

St Michael and All Angels Church, Hawkshead

Hawkshead houses

Autumn Leaves

View from Sawrey House (next to Hill Top Farm)

The view from Sawrey House (next to Hill Top Farm)

Hill Top Farm (home of Beatrix Potter)

And finally, this blog wouldn't be complete without a hello from
Peter Rabbit and friends at Hill Top Farm!

Turtles and trees in Costa Rica

Raleigh Expedition - Costa Rica
I have adapted this post from an e-mail I wrote to friends and family whilst on my environmental phase in July 2011. I hope you enjoy reading about my experience!

Working in La Cangreja ('the crab') National Park was a real treat. Looking up through the sky high trees in the rainforest was really something. They looked as if they were touching the clouds as the rays of sunshine crept through. It was so quiet and as it isn't a tourist hotspot since it is quite out of the way, it was lovely wandering through with no one in sight. The rangers worked closely with us to clear the trails running through the Park and ensure that they don't get waterlogged. It was hard work digging trenches and I'm pretty sure I never want to see a rake again but it was all really worthwhile. Originally the plan had been to build a wheelchair accessible path through the Park but unfortunately the planning permission fell through at the last minute so we had to adjust our project. This is very common over here, things change from one day to the next...even more so in Nicaragua. You just have to go with it! I spent my spare time getting stung on my back by a scorpion in the middle of the night and not being able to find it- only to wake up again when I felt something crawling on my arm; and waking up in the middle of the night swaying backwards and forwards as a little earthquake decided to strike. Apparently Costa Rica gets so many earthquakes but most of them are so small that no one ever feels them....well, I did! We were lucky to get some fresh fruit and vegetables from the rangers in the jungle so we had a few really scrummy dinners. I've never eaten so much watermelon in my life! On our last evening they cooked us dinner and we ate it at the ranger station whilst watching the stars.       
        

Arriving at Playa Hermosa ('beautiful beach') was spectacular. It really was paradise and for a second I forgot we were here to work rather than go on holiday! The black sand and driftwood made the beach look so rugged and wild. I really loved it, it was so different to other places I've been. During the day we helped out with the upkeep of the area for the rangers and during the night we went on patrols in search of turtle eggs and poachers. I was lucky enough to see 6 Oliver Ridley turtles during my time at the beach. I'm thinking of taking up midwifery after I delivered over 90 eggs for one turtle! I held out my hands and as she lay the eggs they dropped into my hands. It really was the most incredible experience being so close to nature. We were also lucky enough to release three baby turtles into the ocean. They were so tiny and very cute! The rangers were keen to teach us how to spot turtle tracks and the differences between the different species of turtles. The last time a leather back turtle was seen there was in 1999. It is endangered and the numbers have been falling for a long time. On one of the night patrols at about 2am we came across a stranded dolphin on the beach. It was injured so there was little we could do but we poured water on it and tried to make it a little more comfortable by getting it to drink some water. Watching nature take its course was very upsetting and I had no idea that dolphins cry! We carried it into the ocean

Community living in Nicaragua

Raleigh Expedition - Nicaragua                                                                   

I have adapted this post from an e-mail I wrote to friends and family whilst on my community phase in Nicaragua in July 2011. I hope you enjoy reading about my experience!

I spent the first phase of my Raleigh expedition living and working in the remote community of Quebrada Honda, Nicaragua. We were 2.5 hours away by foot from the nearest town, Achuapa. I lived in a small house made of mud, wood and corrugated iron. It was very basic but I loved it. We had no electricity so we ate with a bit of candlelight or our trusty headtorches. It was hard to adjust at first but I soon got used to it. I lived with another venturer and our lovely family. Our new Mum, Jesenia, her husband and their two small boys, Ever and Harvin. They gave up their beds for us (they wouldn't have it any other way), looked after us and fed us lovely meals three times a day......granted it was rice, beans and tortilla three times a day which got ever so slightly dull after 19 days! The family would walk the very hilly 30min walk everyday to our project site, where we worked, to bring us our lunch. We left for work at 6.30am and worked until the afternoon when our work was normally halted by a terrential downpour complete with the loudest thunder I´ve ever heard and fork lightening! Twice we got caught in it and I had to ring out my socks and put my boots by the stove to dry them out! Our group, Alpha 7, got on really well and worked hard to build a water filtration system, dig trenches, lay water pipes and build a water tank. The aim of the project was to provide clean water to all 12 houses in the community.  The families had to walk to a well which for some was quite a trek. One woman was 6 months pregnant having to do the walk so this project helped people like her so much. It was bloody hard work and I now have guns and buns of steel! 

On a rare day off we walked to Achuapa to visit a cooperative to find out about a trade partnership it has with the Body Shop. Local farmers in the Juan Francisco Paz Silva Co-operative produce sesame seeds which