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It was a frigidly cold New Zealand winters morning. We’d left the eerily mist-covered Lake Taupo pre-dawn and were now whistling our way 200 miles north. Colm, my travel-buddy was asleep in the double-bed above my head and I was humming ‘The Fields of Athenry' whilst driving our RV in the direction of the Waitomo Caves.
Tomorrow I will visit the Jesuit Missions of Trinidad and Jesus in southern Paraguay and I am unsure of what to expect. I knew that undertaking this challenge would take me to some places that I wouldn’t ordinarily be interested in, this seems to be the case here.
After a long drive from the Northumberland Coast, where I’d spent a day exploring its coastal castles, I arrived at the miserable and sodden Herding Hill campsite. As I sat in my car, waiting for a gap in the weather so that I could pitch my tent, I wondered what life must have been like here nearly 2 millennia ago when the Romans were in town.
Grouse Mountain towers over the North Vancouver skyline. It has a rich history, a huge range of activities and an extreme fitness challenge. Sounds like the place for me.
Come out of the car park and turn right to head south along the Pacific Rim Highway. Walk along the hard shoulder, being careful of oncoming traffic. Start counting the telegraph poles as you walk and turn onto the path just after the 15th pole.
As I surfaced at the top of the magnificent 10-sided Eagle Tower, looking out from a perfect vantage point over the Menai Straits, I was struck by one undeniable truth - Wow, my legs hurt! Caernarfon Castle is a wonderland of turrets, towers and magnificent gates but having now traversed its entirety, I was really wishing I hadn’t climbed Snowdon the day before.
Snowdon is a liberally accessible mountain nestled in the spectacular Snowdonia National Park in North Wales. At 1,085m high, its mountain environment needs to be respected, and the appropriate clothing worn - certainly you’ll need more than just your underpants!
Portmeirion is many, many things. It’s a personal crusade. It’s a sought-after filming location. It’s an architectural masterpiece. It’s a natural wonderland. It’s a home. It’s a tourist attraction. It’s a collection of Mediterranean inspired buildings on Wales’ west coast. But most of all, I think, it’s a curiosity.
Goa in February is a wonderful place. Temperatures are in the high, balmy 20’s and it’s possible to collect the total rainfall in a small Balti dish. The contrast to the Northern Hemisphere winter is absolute. When you add the fact that it is Goa Carnival during this month then surely there are few better places to be on earth at this time of the year.
I had mentally prepared to witness some difficult scenes. Cramped living spaces, lack of hygiene and malnutrition were some of the things to be braced for. Mahim Junction train station was the location and I was about to embark on a walking tour of Dharavi - the third largest slum in the world.