Another overnight train from Xi’an to Beijing and a visit to the Forbidden City and The Great Wall.
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Another overnight train from Xi’an to Beijing and a visit to the Forbidden City and The Great Wall.
We caught an overnight train from Chengdu to Xi’an to see the ancient walled city, and to visit the site of the Terracotta Warriors.
Chengdu in Southern China was all about the Panda Research Centre.
Having the privilege of visiting Tibet was the highlight of our whole 8 month trip. The scenery and especially the people were amazing.
After leaving Africa, we had to stop in at Hong Kong to collect our travel visa for Tibet from the embassy.
Our safari ended in Johannesburg, South Africa, but not before needing to do some repairs to the starter motor of the truck in the middle of nowhere.
We ventured into the Okavango Delta in mokoros, dugout canoes made from tree trunks. We also took a flight on a tiny plane over the delta.
We got up really close to the animals on a 4WD Safari through Chobe National Park in Botswana.
We stayed in the town of Livingstone and took a helicopter flight over the magnificent Victoria Falls, and whitewater rafted down the Zambezi River.
In Zambia, we stayed on a houseboat on Lake Kariba. The highlight was watching a couple of elephants swim across in front of us from one side to the other.
After being held up at gun point, we crossed the border into Malawi and relaxed for a few days at Kande Beach, on the banks of Lake Malawi. We had a tour of the local school and enjoyed the laughter of the children.
It was just south of Dar es Salaam where our truck was stopped by guys in balaclavas carrying guns and machetes. They shot at us, hit us with machetes, and robbed us. Thankfully nobody was too seriously injured.
We caught the ferry across to Zanzibar and stayed in Stone Town, then ventured up to the northern part of the island and stayed on a beach resort.
We left Kenya and entered Tanzania. We went on a 4WD tour down into the Ngorongoro Crater, a 20 kilometre wide crater which is the perfect wildlife habitat.
Before leaving Kenya we stopped in at the David Sheldrick Wildlife park in Tsavo and saw firsthand the amazing work that they do in rescuing orphaned elephants.
We travelled to the Masai Mara National Park, and spent some time with the Masai people in their village.
We commenced our African safari in Kenya. It would take us through Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, and eventually South Africa..
Our tour along the Nile through Egypt had to be cancelled because of how sick Shaggy got. But we still got to visit the Sphinx and pyramids of Giza, and experienced the craziness of Cairo.
After spending time at Anzac Cove we took the car ferry across the Dardanelles to Canakkale, and then down to the ruins of Troy before the long drive back up to Istanbul.
We visited Anzac Cove on the Gallipoli Peninsula which was a pretty moving experience.
We flew into Istanbul in Turkey and took in the kaos which was the famous Kapalicarsi Grand Bazaar. Then spent a pretty quiet New Year’s Eve.
From Casablanca we travelled north to Rabat, and then to the port town of Tangier where we caught the ferry back across the Straits of Gibraltar to Algeciras in Spain.
Back to the coast and to Casablanca, with a wander through the local markets, and a tour of the Hassan II Mosque, the largest mosque in Africa.
The Medina and courtyards of Marrakech were an amazing sight, with snake charmers and alleyways full of little stones.
We caught a ferry across the Straits of Gibraltar and into Morocco, where our bus tour took us to Fes, Meknes, Marrakech, Casablanca, Rabat, and finally to Tangier.
We caught a bus in Portugal and headed through to Spain, stopping on the way in Seville. Our destination Malaga, where we explored the region and the spectacular town of Ronda.
We flew from Lisbon down to Albufeira on the Algarve Coast and spent a week exploring the coast and taking a break.
We flew from Nice down to the Algarve Coast in Portugal, but because of a plane strike we had an unexpected stop over in Lisbon.
After being pick-pocketed in Nice, we packed up and stayed in Villefranche, then took day trips to Monaco and the Fragonard perfumery in Eze.
We based ourselves in La Spezia, then walked and explored the 5 towns of the famous Cinque Terre.
We travelled by train through the Swiss Alps and into Italy, and spent the night in Milan.
We ventured into Switzerland and to the idyllic riverside town of Lucerne.
Another overnight to Munich, and then the journey to Fussen to visit the magnificent Neuschwanstein Castle, which the Disney Castle was inspired by.
Another overnight train from Amsterdam took us to Berlin in Germany.
We took an overnight train from Paris, travelled through Belgium, and arrived in Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
We flew from London to Paris, and arrived to catch the celebrations of Bastille Day.
We spent a week just walking around London, and finished off watching Chelsea play Birmingham City at Stamford Bridge.
We stayed in a B&B in Doolin, then drove through to Galway before heading back to Dublin and flying out to London.
After driving around and exploring the Ring of Kerry, we headed north to the Cliffs of Moher.
We drove through to Cork and to Blarney Castle, where we kissed the Blarney Stone.
After leaving Dublin in the rental car, our first stop was to the quaint little town of Kilkenny, and then through to Cashel.
We flew from New York to Dublin in Ireland, where we hired a car and drove around the country, including the Ring of Kerry.
We returned to New York City, and before flying out to Ireland we took in an ice hockey game and watched the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
Before heading back to our final destination of New York, we stopped in Philadelphia and got to take a close up look at the famous Liberty Bell.
Washington DC and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.
We travelled through Lancaster County and to the Amish settlements of Intercourse and Bird in Hand.
We travelled down through Pennsylvania and took in the haunting battlefields of Gettysburg.
We took in the sights of the Niagara Falls from the top of the revolving restaurant, and then ventured to the bottom of them on the Maid of the Mist boat. We then stayed on the USA side of the falls at Buffalo.
Toronto was a mix of the old and the new, with lots of new buildings built over and around the old ones.
We drove through the Thousand Islands region, straddling the border between Canada and the USA.
Continuing from Montreal, we entered the state of Ontario and onto Ottawa, the capital city of Canada.
After leaving Quebec City we drove to Montreal.
Leaving the New England region in the USA we travelled across the border and into Canada, and to Quebec City.
We departed New York City and travelled up the coast and into Maine, and to the beautiful little seaside town of Kennebunkport.
Our tour of Eastern USA and Canada commenced in New York City.
San Francisco was our final stop on our Western USA tour. The Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and Fisherman’s Wharf.
Traveling through Nevada, there was the contrast of the glitz of Las Vegas, and then the desolate Death Valley. Yosemite National Park then brought everything back in balance.
Still in Utah, we explored Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park.
Leaving Arizona we entered the state of Utah and the amazing Monument Valley.
Continuing on through Arizona, our next stop was to the southern rim of the Grand Canyon.
We left San Diego and travelled through Southern California and into Arizona. We spent a few days in Scottsdale and then Sedona.
Heading to San Diego we had a few fun days at Disneyland, and then a day at Sea World.
Los Angeles was the start of our South West USA tour, where we traveled through the states of California, Arizona, Utah, and Nevada.
Our final stay on our way to Calgary was at Banff where we wandered around the banks of the rivers and explored the national park.
We stayed at the magnificent Chateau Lake Louise, with it’s views over the turquoise waters of the lake, and the surrounding snow capped mountains.
We ventured onto the Athabasca Glacier at the Columbia Icefields.
Jasper National Park - beautiful lakes, an abundance of wildlife, and the largest Moose we’ve ever seen.
Traveling through the Canadian Rockies by train from Whistler to Prince George saw some stunning scenery.
When there’s no snow for skiing, Whistler Blackcomb becomes a world-class mountain biking course.
We returned to Vancouver, and the start of our bus and train journey throughout Western Canada.
Fairbanks, and Santa Claus House at the real North Pole.
We rode the McKinley Explorer with our destination, the Denali National Park.
Our Inside Passage cruise finished in Anchorage, which then became the start of our train journey throughout Alaska.
We entered Glacier Bay and sailed right up close to the massive Hubbard Glacier.
The wildlife and scenery around Sitka was stunning, and it was our first introduction to Sea Otters.
At Skagway we rode the Whitehorse Rail into the outskirts of the Yukon.
Juneau, the little known capital of Alaska, and the gateway to the Mendenhall Glacier.
Our first stop on our Holland America cruise through the Inside Passage was to the beautiful little town of Ketchikan.
Vancouver was where we embarked on our Inside Passage cruise to Alaska aboard the ms Statendam
Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. Everybody thought we were British and hated us, until we told them we were Australian.
On the border of Brazil and Argentina, the Iguazu Falls make up the largest waterfall system in the world. And hands down, the most impressive.
The sunshine of Rio de Janeiro was beautiful. From lazing on Copacabana Beach, to taking in the views from atop the Christ the Redeemer statue, the place was stunning. And don't get me started on the Churrasco!!
A flight over the snow-capped Andes from La Paz to Santiago in Chile. The highlight unfortunately was the $200 USD we were slugged for overweight luggage : (
Way up in the Andes mountains, Bolivia is home to Lake Titicaca and it’s capital city, La Paz.
We departed Cusco on the rattly old “First Class” bus and headed to Puno for an overnight stop, and then onto the waters of Lake Titicaca.
The amazing Machu Picchu, the “Lost City of the Incas”.
Cusco, the gateway to the mighty Machu Picchu
Our first stop on our 8 month trip around the world was to Lima in Peru.
A short flight from Hobart to Melbourne, then a long Business Class flight to LA, then another long flight down to Peru in South America.
The start of our big adventure. It was very hard saying goodbye to Charlie and Lucy.... and the rest of the family.
We finished off our honeymoon with a stop over in Singapore before returning home.
After the Maldives it was back to Sri Lanka to see a bit more of the country and a visit to the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage.
Male, the Capital of the Maldives. This is where we flew in and out of, and we took speed boats to get out to the other islands.
The white Sandy beaches of the Maldives were absolutely stunning. Our overwater bungalow was the perfect place to relax and take in the magnificent scenery of blue skies, turquoise waters, and white sand.
Our first stop on our honeymoon was to Sri Lanka, where we stayed in the capital city of Colombo. It was just a short stay, but we would return again after the Maldives.
Athens really was all about the amazing Acropolis, with leisurely strolls around the Ancient Greek ruins featuring the spectacular Parthenon.
The most spectacular of all the Greek Islands.
We flew into Crete for a few days, and explored the old castle walls of the docks.
The old town of Rhodes was an ancient walled city which was fun to explore with little shops and market stalls spread throughout.
After Syros, it was another ferry ride to Mykonos.