After my year living and working as Dive instructor in the Maldives, I was dead set on doing a liveaboard in the country. The main reason behind this being the fact I would be on the flipside of my usual situation – no longer would I be the guide, checking my guests as they geared up and then guiding them underwater, but instead I would be the guest. Goodbye the worry and pressure of ensuring everyone was having a good time – I could just focus on myself and blowing bubbles and enjoy feasting my eyes on the beautiful marine fauna of the Indian ocean. Not that I wanted to have someone watch me, clean my gear or guide me, I just really wanted the chance to dive stress free and purely for fun to see some other areas of the Maldives. I was lucky that the Divemaster (DM) who I’d worked with on the island had some great connections and we ended up going as buddies on a week long liveaboard called ‘Ari Queen’. All the liveaboard companies in the Maldives meet their guests as they land at the Airport, so DM and I went to wait for the rest of our group as they flew in from Israel and Italy. When we all got coordinated together, I realised the average age of the group was probably 45, and English was not the main language being spoken – Hebrew and Italian were! Despite this, I still managed to meet some great people during the trip, especially one lady, Lauren, who originally hailed from South Africa but had since moved to Israel and raised her family there. I also managed to become adopted by an Italian dental surgeon aka my Italian ‘Papa’. A funny jolly man, he would often see me underwater and we’d share a sign language joke and a giggle. Such great people you meet when traveling, and I love that age, nationality and religion can be completely put aside when you connect with someone’s spirit. So, off we went from the Airport onto an old wooden Dhoni (Maldivian styled Dive boat) which was first to take us and all of our equipment to our mother ship, the Ari queen. The Ari queen gets her name after voyaging mainly around Ari atoll (which can be split into North and South). Being four storied with bedrooms below and on the middle floor, Ari queen was most definitely a little dated but none the less, comfortable and spacious enough to spend a week on. Once arriving at Ari queen, we were greeted onboard by the crew who would be our cooks, cleaners and dive guides for the next week. Quite swiftly we were walked through filling out the necessary paperwork, taking our luggage down to our rooms and then setting our gear up backonboard the Dhoni tied alongside. I was quite impressed with the cabins and even got a double bed to spread out on (thank goodness cos I was too tall for a single on that boat), my own bathroom and little dressing room – not bad when I was paying a local work permit holder rate which came in at less than half of what the overseas tourists were paying. What also impressed me was the fact the crew wanted to get us in the water pretty quick smart. A good chance to shake off jetlag, get into the water and relax. The crew infact use this opportunity to try and iron out any kinks there may be with divers prior to departing the harbour for the long journey ahead. Logistically it’s a great idea as it means should anything arise, the boat is still within the reaches of the capital, Male, where they can get replacement equipment (dive computer batteries etc) whilst there is still mainstream communications. The first dive for me, was a very basic house reef drop off/wall dive. Nice and simple and a good chance to check out the other divers and their skill levels. There was no need to worry about this affecting me however – as the crew knew I had been working in the Maldives for the past year they really didn’t pay too much attention to me and were happy for DM and me to go exploring for as long as our air would allow. Of course this was a unique situation and had I been landing fresh into the Maldives, even as a Dive instructor, I would’ve been made to stay with the group and be at the mercy of the air hogs and inexperienced divers.
I had made sure to buy sea sickness medication in Male, what exactly it was I wasn’t sure – I just got handed some foiled tablets over the counter at a pharmacy and instructed to take them daily. I did that and didn’t get sea sick at all, but whether that was due to the tablets or me having sea legs already we will never know. The seas weren’t excessively rough, and after 4 dives a day, anytime spent onboard was for eating or sleeping so I didn’t find the swell affected me at all. Ari atoll offers some of the most beautiful diving I’d seen in my short time in the Maldives. Although not as full of Manta rays as my home atoll (Baa) had been, I was finally able to get my thirst for seeing sharks underwater fulfilled. Absolutely saturated in fact. The first time I saw a shark during this trip, or rather, loads of sharks, was during our first channel dive, “Miyaru Kandu”. Quite an eerie experience, the Dhoni drives into what appears to be the middle of the ocean with a single breaking wave continuing off into the distance. Without stopping, but positioning the boat somewhat purposefully, the captain tells you to jump in and descend – quickly. Not a lot of information is put across aside from that and the briefing you’ve received back on the mother ship, but the excitement of the dive crew is evident and I remember hurriedly jumping in, waiting for DM and together we descending as quickly as our BCDs would deflate. With no bottom insight, and no surface to be seen either, it would be easy to become disorientated in such a situation, but DM and I had taken compass directions following the other guides and before I knew it, I saw the familiar silhouette of a shark swimming below me. Soon after that, was another one, and another, and another and then it became evident there were also divers there, hooked onto a reef edge, bodies drifting into the current whilst their hooks kept them anchored, wide eyes taking in the show before them. DM and I descended down into line, finding a slot between the divers already there and hooked into the reef following suit. I managed to glance quickly at my air whilst the ripping current tried to tear my regulator out of my mouth. Here I realised not only had I used up almost half of my air already, but we were at 32m, and were completely surrounded by sharks swimming back and forth effortlessly. Meanwhile the current continued to batter me, trying to blow me away with all its might from the show. What a rush! Grey reef sharks of all sizes stalked along the channel edge, patrolling as if bouncers outside a K road bar, and not fussed by our presence at all. Although I could’ve spent a lifetime watching them in their staunch glory, I felt a tap on my shoulder and DM motioned for us to ascend. Off came the hooks, and we succumbed to the current, letting it push us back into the channel we had just been on the edge of. The change from the edge, to the inner sandy banks of the channel was incredible, and after starting the dive wild and full of excitement, I was able to effortlessly drift along and watch the rays, turtles and beautiful corals pass beneath me. From the rush of sharks everywhere, to the grace of Mantas and docile Leopard sharks, my next favourite dive on Ari queen was at a site called “Manta point”. This site was incredible, what started as a slow, but interesting dive, suddenly became exciting as a huge Reef manta swooped over my head towards a cleaning station. Up until then, I had been happy with seeing my first Leopard shark! Soon after another manta joined the first and together the two of them circled and cleaned whilst a huge male Napoleon wrasse swam between the divers as if to say “Hey! Pay me attention too!”. We did do a few night dives during the trip too – all of which were memorable for different reasons. One, because DM and I were down to 1 torch between us instead of the usual three, another because there were sharks everywhere passing right next to you whilst Lionfish used the torch light to catch unsuspecting stunned fish, but the last because it was off the back of the ship in shallow water with a sandy boring bottom. You’re probably thinking, how on earth did the latter make the best night dive? And to be honest, going into this dive I didn’t think it was going to be any good either. We’d come into a sheltered harbour for the night and anchored when the crew told us we’d be diving off the back of the boat. Being close to other moored boats, and in a relatively shallow harbour I was quite confused, and even more so when two huge lights were positioned at the stern facing right into the water. Despite my hesitation, I geared up and stood patiently at the back of the ship ready to step over and see whatever it was that was here. I didn’t end up needing to go underwater to see, as two Reef manta appeared and started barrell rolling in the light from the back of the boat. They were rolling so much that their big white bellies were within reach as they broke the surface! This of course only increased my excitement for the dive, and even had me questioning – can I get in without getting in their way!? As soon as I was geared up, I timed my giant stride perfectly just after one of the Manta had finished its surface breaking barrel roll and descended as quickly as I could to the sandy silty bottom – a massive 4m! From here, all we had to do was sit and watch with our torches as these incredible Manta swooped and danced and swam their underwater ballet in front of us as they gorged on the plankton attracted to our lights. This was one of my most memorable dives to date and one I would love to do again and again and again! Good to know; Be sure to check my previous blog on Resort diving in the Maldives, as much of what is written there applies. Remember the Maldives is essentially a strictly Muslim country so common sense and respect is expected for their Islamic culture. Tipping for Liveaboards is expected – and in USD too Food onboard tends to be quite generic, and for me as a vegetarian I found it tricky to get a balanced diet as much of the food is catered to a generic western diet of meat and carbs. If you give the liveaboard advance notice, I’m sure they’d cater for special dietary requirements. Take sea sickness meds – BEFORE you get onboard. I felt fine during the whole trip, but know there would’ve been nothing worse than missing out on the incredible cruising and diving on account of something as preventable as sea sickness. Even the most basic, simple dive sites visited on a Maldivian liveaboard, will blow most divers minds. Pack your sense of adventure, and be prepared to be thrilled and delighted by the incredible array of colour and marine life found in this beautiful corner of the world!
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Being only five hours away on a direct flight from Auckland, I am surprised more people don’t or haven’t visited Cairns and the surrounding Tropical north Queensland across the ditch. Having lived in Queensland for four years in my early 20’s, I fell in love with the place and realised how lucky we were as Kiwis to have such easy access to the warmth, sunshine and more importantly - the Great Barrier reef. It’s been over a few years since I lived and worked there, and I felt it was time to go back and visit my old haunts (particularly the Reef of course) after hearing how El Nino, flooding and the dreaded Crown of thorns seastar (COTS) had started to decimate the coral. I flew Phillipine airlines direct into Cairns on a Monday night. The flight left at 6.15pm, quite a respectable time to depart, and landed in Cairns a little after 930pm that night. Definitely an airline I would put on par with Jetstar or Virgin (no frills) but for a short flight I had everything I needed despite the smaller seat space. I stayed one night in Cairns, or rather nearby Kuranda with a friend before picking up my Apex rental car the next morning for the journey up to Cape tribulation. I had time pressure to make it up to the Jungle in time for an afternoon reef tour onboard “Ocean safari” http://www.oceansafari.com.au/ Funnily enough that one night in Cairns I happened to bump into a friend I’d met in Mexico last year, Tam. She had just finished an incredible trip in Indonesia studying Manta rays and we took the chance to catch up over dinner at the Cairns Marina. Her trip sounds incredible and is one I hope to do one day – check Tams story out here http://travelswithtam.com/a-funny-thing-happened-when-i-arrived-in-cairns/ I had been recommended Apex by a friend and found they had the cheapest car rental deals http://www.apexrentacar.com.au/RentalCarLocations/cairns-airport-rental-cars-branch.aspx I managed to get a zippy little automatic Hyundai accent for $41 per day and unlimited kilometres. I left Cairns pretty much bang on 9am, expecting to be in Cape tribulation not later than 11.30am, giving me plenty of time to grab a coffee and check in for my reef trip. Well, I forgot about the ferry crossing required to get across the Daintree river en route to Cape trib, and the fact that school holidays meant there was a huge line of cars waiting to get onboard too. An hour after meeting the end of the snaking line, I was on the ferry about to drive off the ramp and into the thick lush Daintree rainforest, worrying that I would miss the 12.30pm departure of the boat. Luck was on my side that day, and just as I pulled into the carpark of Turtle rock café (Ocean safaris base) had a quick catch up with the Operations manager Ollie (an old friend from my time in the Whitsundays) and joined the group of 25 snorkelers heading down to the beach with an enthusiastic snorkel guide – Kane. Kane is a true blue Jungle boy, or ‘Mowgli’ as I know him. Having grown up in the Rainforest, Kano, like most locals in the area, lives in an open house where Bats, Snakes and native Rats often cruise in and out of. In a town with no mains power source, running water or cell phone reception, Cape trib takes a unique type of person to live there. No power means no air con and in that humid hot rainforest, this means having windows with no glass panes and open areas where breeze (and animals) can come in. In my years of living in the Jungle, Kano would often walk to my place for our weekly curry night, collecting wild grown produce as he went. We would add things to the curry like lemongrass growing on the side of the road, to wild basil and kaffir lime. He knows the trees like he knows his family, and is so in tune with the Jungle – I wasn’t surprised to hear that when emergency services tried to find three backpackers that went missing up Mt. Sorrow last year (a day hike up a steep mountain), Kano went in and found them within a few hours. I was so glad when I showed up to Ocean safari that day (frazzled and worried I’d miss my only opportunity to head out) that it was Kano there guiding the group. Walking to where the boat launches from the main centre of town, firstly through the lowland Rainforest and then swampy mangroves, is a great way to appreciate the magnificent UNESCO wet tropics world heritage site – one of the few places in the world where “The Rainforest meets the Reef”. After the boardwalk where you can see mudskippers under your feet and stingrays warming themselves in the shallows, you burst out of the greenery and onto long stretching Myall beach with the Cape (the namesake of the town) jutting out proudly to the North. Being a nice calm day, the boat came in close to the shore and down went the boarding steps as the group excitedly removed their shoes and boarded the 12.5m bright yellow RIB that was to take us the 9.5miles out to Mackay reef. The trip was fast, a mere 25minutes out to moor up beside beautiful Mackay cay. It didn’t take long for Kano and me to gear up and jump into that azure blue, crystal clear visibility warm water. That desert island you want to be marooned on in your dreams? That’s Mackay cay, and the snorkelling around it (still) is just as incredible as I remember it from a few years ago. Being buddied with Kano was great, as like me he enjoys just relaxing in the water and watching the fishy business carry out below. We saw a juvenile blue spotted lagoon ray enjoying a munch on shellfish as a yellow Boxfish cruised past on his daily errands. A large Green Turtle lazily dozed next to a coral bommie and didn’t mind me ducking down to get a closer look, so close I could’ve stroked him! Keeping my eyes peeled we came across a ‘flying gurnard’ who spread her wings out and put on a show for us, and not long after we spotted the tell-tale black spots of an epaulette shark wrapped amongst a rock as it dug in the sand searching for lunch. To my surprise not one Crown of thorns (COTS) seastar was spotted – despite my practised eagle eye for them. During my time at Oceans, the team and I established a COTS cull program, and Ollie has ensured the legacy has continued on, ensuring it has become bigger and better and quite obviously incredibly effective. On arrival back to the beach, I was hankering for a feed and was more than impressed with the array of healthy, wholesome food on offer back at Turtle rock café. Gone are the days of roadside cafes only offering dry fat filled pies and fizzy – Turtle rock offered loads of guilt free fillers like hearty servings of corn fritters, smashed avocado on toast and even better - brilliant coffee (a mega bonus in the middle of the Jungle). I almost felt like I was in Ponsonby rubbing shoulders with the Lululemon soy latte vegan warriors with the calibre of the vegetarian, eco-friendly food (and packaging!) on offer. To top the day off, I was chuffed to see Ollie later to debrief the trip, with a hand delivered coconut. Nothing tastes better than coconut water served right to you after a shirtless man chops the top off with a machete! Now although it may not be the big, luxurious ships that ferry passengers out to Opal reef from Port Douglas, Ocean safari is a zippy, fun and efficient way to get out and experience the Great Barrier Reef in half a day. No one else offers trips from Cape trib, and although for some businesses in this would allow a certain ability to relax and let things slide, Ollie, ensures the Ocean safari outfit does not compromise ANY quality, running a ‘tight ship’ with rave reviews flooding in on the daily. I’m thrilled to see how the team runs the entire trip from start to finish, from the girls checking people in at Turtle rock, through to the guides and Skipper making sure guests are comfortable in the water, and even ensuring they get individual attention so don’t miss out on seeing Turtles, Stingrays and beautiful coral all in one trip. All in all, heading back to Ocean safari and an old stomping ground was like returning home. The people of Cape trib, the beautiful scenery of that stunning rainforest and the feel of calm it instils, is something I hold dear and will continue to return visit. I hope I can inspire you to do the same… Good to know; *The ferry is cheaper if you buy a return ticket ($26 at time of writing) and make sure (unlike me) you allow plenty of waiting time – it has a lot of vehicles to ferry back and forth! *Cape trib is quietly famous for the prehistoric looking Cassowary, a brilliantly coloured bird with the talons of a velociraptor FYI if you see one you are blessed, Respect the moment and don’t ruin it by getting too close and quite literally having your stomach ripped open as they can be fiercely protective of their young *Ocean safari also offers boutique rainforest accommodation which you can book at Turtle rock café or online http://www.oceansafari.com.au/jungle-lodge/ I highly recommend the bungalows, great for two people with your own verandah for enjoying a bevvy after the salty trip. *Take a torch – no mains electricity means no street lights. Not only will it help you get around at night in between Jungle lodge and Whet restaurant http://www.whet.net.au/ (my go to in the evenings, they also offer incredible Yoga upstairs every Wednesday night http://www.premashanti.com.au/ it means you have a chance of seeing the night time antics of the Jungle natives like Snakes, possums and even glowing fungi if you time it right. *Go tech free – no cellphone reception and limited wifi provides the perfect opportunity to sit back and relax, tune out from the world and embrace the moment. Smell the earthy Jungle, feel the salty breeze on Myall beach, take time to meet the locals, perhaps even a Jungle surfer… http://www.junglesurfing.com.au/ If one day out on the Ocean isn’t enough, head out with Pete on a Kayak tour www.capetribpaddletrek.com.au – I can honestly say this was one of the most adventurous activities I had during my time in Cape trib There is so much to offer in Cape tribulation, and although people only allow one day to visit, you’d do best to give yourself at least four. I feel I could write tonnes more on Jungle surfing, the Croc tours, Exotic fruit tasting, Campground pizzas, boutique Ice cream, the list goes on - but I only have 2000 words! For the entire year of 2015, I was privileged to live and work on an incredible resort island in the Maldives, known as "Amilla fushi". As a Dive instructor, the Maldives had always been top on the list of places to visit for diving, promising a multitude of marine creatures to keep me enthralled and I jumped at the opportunity to go. I was blessed to have a years leave of absence from my day job, and jet across to the middle of the Indian ocean to live a dream life. Amilla fushi roughly translates to "Home island" in Divehi, the Maldivian language, and I spent my days living on this sandy rock and diving the balmy waters surrounding it. Located in Baa atoll, Amilla fushi is one of the newest resorts in the area, with a modern design and a concept different to the standard Maldivian resort islands. I worked for Dive Butler International, a boutique dive company that is based not only on Amilla, but also dotted around other Resorts throughout the Maldivian atolls. Closely aligned with Amilla fushis modern concept, Dive Butler Amilla, saw me being quite literally a Dive "Butler" to people from all over the world, from fellow Anzacs, through to European millionaires and even American celebrities. People are attracted to Baa atoll for many reasons, of course the sun, the picturesque islands and the azure waters, but a huge part of what makes this particular atoll so incredible, is something absolutely unique to this part of the world - the largest seasonal aggregation of Reef Manta rays, feeding en masse in a place called Hanifaru bay. Although diving isn't allowed, snorkelers visit daily with the resorts in the area between May and November when the bay is open. Hard to put into words, swimming with these gentle giants is something one must experience, and the close proximity of Amillas dive sites to Hanifaru bay, meant that on most dives at nearby sites, we encountered Mantas cruising past, feeding or cleaning. Diving in the Maldives is different to the diving I'd experienced before - both in the logistical structure of the operation and also in the prices. Our island had its own fleet of boats, which we would take out with a maximum of four divers to one instructor/guide. Daily we would do a two tank morning dive, and an afternoon single dive usually followed up by a night dive on the house reef the same evening. Guests pay for each dive, their gear and the boat ride all separately. Most avid divers travelled with their own gear so would only need to cover the dive and boat costs, but one thing that was unanimous with all dive centres, was the need to have diving insurance. Being an Instructor I was insured up to my eyeballs annually, but what was great about the dive centres is that they could insure guests on a day by day, or week by week basis. Not that I ever had a situation where we had to use it, but it was great to know we could give guests that piece of mind when diving in sometimes very remote locations only accessible by boat. I dived 40 sites throughout the year whilst based on Amilla, and even still there were so many sites I never managed to get to in that atoll, let alone the other 25 atolls. Not once did any dive site disappoint. I encountered critters like leaf fish, ghost pipefish and frogfish as well as chilled out Turtles every dive. In season Manta would pass us like they were cars in traffic on Dominion road - constantly and without a break in between. Never did I ever get accustomed to them, and I always had little shrieks of delight everytime their shadow would be spotted far off in the distance as they swam directly for our dive site. Its so easy to get lost in their eyes as they whirl around you, gracefully flicking their pectoral fins in the current like a great eagle soaring on the wind. I began to recognise individuals, smaller males that had scarring, larger females who had remora tag-alongs in tow, but never did I become jaded or sick of their presence on a dive. Another megafauna who periodically made an appearance underwater, were Dolphins. Spinners and Bottlenose would often bow ride the dive boats en route to the sites, and one site in particular was great for seeing them hunting. I remember ascending with my 12 year old Discover scuba diver guest, and seeing a lone Dolphin shoot past as he chased a school of needlenose fish. Next minute, before I'd even managed to point him out to the other divers, he had turned and used his tail to smash the school of fish out of whack, and then shot around picking up the dazed fish as he filled his belly. If only I'd managed to film it, but even if I had a camera, the moment seemed to pass so quickly that by the time I would've started the video it'd be all over. I'm sad to admit it, but I never came across a Whale shark in my time in the Maldives. It is an absolute hotspot for the Sharks, but I guess my sheer bad luck meant I never timed it right to see them. Luckily for me, I was able to saturate myself in Whale sharks in Mexico that same year, but that blog is for another time... (stay tuned). The Maldives is a paradise for anyone and everyone who likes the Sun, Sand and Sea, but more so for any of my fellow Ocean lovers out there. An underwater photographers dream, whether you go to Baa atoll for Manta, or Ari atoll for Whale sharks, any atoll affords a rich diversity of life and colour that will have you so excited in encaptured that you'll be down to 50bar before you know it. So, make sure to make diving top of the priority list when you get there. Good to know;
The Maldives is an Islamic country. Although the religion doesn't have much affect when you are at the Resort, landing in Male the capital and transiting to the island begs a sense of respect. For women, don't expose any skin unnecessarily. When I would travel I would wear long shorts and a t shirt, just enough to look respectable but also not overheat in the 30degree environment. Being Islamic, alcohol and pork are prohibited when you land so don't go buying up large in duty free in the way there. Resorts have ample stocks of both booze and pork so don't worry-it won't need to be a dry holiday! All pricing is in USD and has a catch-the "+ +" rule. Basically, any price you are quoted will be an amount with + + behind it. The first one is to cover gst which isn't included in an advertised price, and the second one will usually be a service charge/mandatory tip that goes to the resort. On my island a single dive, excluding the gear or boat ride was USD$75++. This meant the final cost was infact $75 + $7.50 for service charge (10%) and another 12% for gst. Best to be aware of this when planning your budget. There are many airlines that fly to Male, and so many different routes thanks to its close proximity to Dubai, Singapore and China. I flew via all three of them, and found the cheapest was usually ex Auckland through Guangzhou. The nicest would have to be a toss up between Emirates or Singapore airlines - similar in pricing at the higher end of the spectrum too. Being so small, (population of about 300,000 when I lived there) and so spread out, there are many places that are still very much third world. There is a lot of support for locals to start their own BnB's so if you are wanting to do it on the cheap look for Maldivian Guesthouses. You'll be sure to have an authentic cultural experience but if opting for this, be sure to be extremely respectful of their religion and also that you won't get access to booze or bacon but you will have incredible insight to their beautiful Mosques, untouched Beaches and simplistic way of life. Destination: Beijing, China
Itinerary: 4 days 4 nights Tian’anmen Square The centre of Beijing, and essentially the political heart of China. The equivalent of the Beehive in Wellington, Tian’anmen square is a large open court, with a massive colourful historical gate at the Northern end, a museum on the west, the ‘Peoples Hall’ on the East and the gate to the Forbidden City on the south. Having recently been to Red square in Moscow, I felt this really was the Chinese equivalent. Chairman Mao watches over from his portrait overlooking the whole square, and the centre is home to his tomb which is open for viewing (yes you can see his dead corpse lying there – for a fee). There’s also a monument in the centre paying homage to soldiers who died during Chinas historical wars, and I was impressed to see statues of people in military dress that included women. Military personnel patrol often and it makes for great shots against the backdrop of the monument or the north gate. There is so much history embroiled here, it is the site of the June 4th 1989 Tiananmen massacre where pro-democracy protestors were killed by armed gunmen on tanks as they tried to march against communism. It is now where International political leaders meet with Chinese government. To have a real appreciation for the place I recommend reading up about it before hand or taking a guidebook or interpreter with you. The Great Wall One off the bucket list. My dream is to walk the entire length of the great wall, but due to degradation of the wall, that really isn’t an easy feat nowadays so this was a great little taster for it. We had a whole day trip that included the bus fare, a buffet lunch, a gondola and the wall. The road in takes you past the winding wall and its twists its way through the mountainsides that suddenly appear as you leave Beijing city behind. The area of the wall where we toured was 800m high, and had it not been for the Gondola ride, it would’ve taken most of our 2 hour time slot just to reach it. It was just like in Queenstown when you go up the gondola to get to the luge and see stunning views of the town, but this time the view was of a never ending wall and Beijing city in the far distance. The wall is pretty much exactly as it was when it was built – hard uneven rock and incredibly steep in some areas. It really is so important to wear good footwear if you are going to visit the wall! I was so blessed in having an absolute pearler of a day with not a cloud in the sky, but I imagine no matter what the weather, the scenery would still be as breath taking. Seeing this incredible wall, built with blood and sweat, and now bodies of those who helped build it in the Ming and Qing dynasties, spanning hundreds of years. Something that impressed me was the “gutsiness” of the elderly Chinese people. Walking up a 45 degree wall in the heat of the day was something I was coping with ok, but to see an elderly woman charging up behind me was something else. The Chinese have such a great spirit and can do attitude. It’s not even an attitude I guess, as they just do it with no fuss. We managed to get the whole day tour on a student ID discount, for 218rmb (NZD$140). Really quite a steal when the Gondola ride was 100rmb alone (NZD$22) and the Bus ride was around 2 hours one way. Other tours were offering 380rmb, not including the Gondola. The Forbidden City If you want to see the lavish lifestyles Chinese emporers and their cliques lived, you need to come here and/or the Summer Palace. The architecture and sheer size of this place is mind boggling and for those who are snap happy – you will have endless opportunites to photograph the incredible architecture here. Do not expect to do this in an hour or two, or even half a day. You need at least a day if not two (unfortunately the tickets are only sold per day) and expect to be seeing your Fitbit go crazy as it counts all the steps required to circumnavigate the city. As much as it’s a ‘city’, after learning about the history you realise how it’s really just a boss as palace for the emporer to spend his days. He's got multiple bedrooms, a room for his consummation night, a room for changing, a room for greeting officials, the list goes on. Whilst most rooms (and when I say rooms I mean what we in NZ would call a moderate sized house) are closed, there are some that have been converted into shops, or have glass panels so you can get a look inside. I couldn’t help but think of how the engineering behind it all must’ve been pretty impressive for the time, and on top of that the artwork and painting is amazing with intricate detail in door frames and painted on pillars. It’s definitely a day where you need loads of water, and luckily there are reasonably priced stands inside the city selling all sorts of refreshments. Worth bringing a hat for this one too as you won’t see any trees until the very end when you discover the only garden. There are some added extras you can see inside the city, where most of the throngs of people don’t go. For that reason alone I recommend paying an extra 20rmb to go and see the Hall of Clocks/ the Jade collection/ the Ceramics hall and the 9 dragons. The crowds are smaller and you will have ample opportunity to get that great shot you’re picturing, without someones head or selfie stick ruining the picture. It’s also a chance to take a breather and just be, enjoying the history seeped stone walls. Most signage has English translation on it, but there is the chance to get an automatic electric ear piece where a pre-recorded voice can give you the history of the area you are in. Otherwise, guides are hawking themselves left right and centre, ready to give you a tour. Wangfujing street - aka “The Bug street” Being vegetarian this street was a struggle for me. I was torn between wanting to tick it off my tourist list and sticking to my morals. Not just because of the dead insects and animals on sticks, but the live ones. To have some sort of difference amongst the other stalls, the cooks spear live scorpions onto skewers to display to punters before deep frying them - live - to eat. It’s horrible to see the little critters desperately trying to get off the stick shoved through their back, but I know most wouldn’t share in my abhorrence here being that they’re creepy crawlies. They do cater for us vegos though – with a signature dish of “Chaodoufudoufu” or ‘stinky tofu’ in English. Boy does it reek! Walking down the street the smell hits you like it does the first time you go to Rotorua. I already had a case of Beijing belly that night so didn’t try any, but I picture needing to peg my nose if I ever attempted to. You want to try Snake on a stick? It’s here. How about some other reptile like a gecko or Lizard? That too. Tarantulas, multiple species of Scorpion, dried Seahorse (…heart currently wrenching as I type this..). Then of course is the more standard seafood and pork meat – crab legs, pig intestine and stomach, they even cover the poultry food group by having deep fried pigeon and partially developed birds fresh out of their eggs. I applaud anyone who can stomach walking down the street, and have nothing but awe for those who manage to eat the food. I’m glad I went, it really is a hubbub of activity and how traditional Beijing shopping streets used to be like. I’m also glad for taking a face mask with me that night! The Summer Palace I’d seen the Forbidden city and thought my biggest day of walking was done – but the Summer Palace saw me walking loads AND climbing. Designed for the Dragon empress (or *Bitch lady as we came to refer to her), the Summer Palace is an amazing city with a huge manmade lake and water way set amongst more stunning towers and temples. The highlight here for me was the Buddhist temple, nestled amongst forestry looking out over the lake. Built on the earth that was excavated to make the lake, the Temple is up a fair few steep flights of stairs which are incredibly steep but over pretty quickly. Historically it was known as an arduous trek to get to the top, but there is a Chinese saying that goes ‘those who climb the 100 stairs to the temple, are sure to live 100 years’ or something to that effect, so wicked as – I’m going to live to 100! The view from the top is pretty sensational, and it’s again got that juxtaposition of the old Beijing dynasty in the foreground with the smoggy Beijing skyscrapers in the distance. Just like the Forbidden city, the Summer Palace was pretty packed and so again, it was worth buying the extra passes to get in to see the rooms full of treasures on display. Again an entire day is needed, and to finish it off there is a boat ride down the man made water ways and back into the Beijing cbd. It reminded me a bit of the Avon river in Christchurch but on a much bigger scale - Still the same beauty though – with Willows dripping into the waters off the grassy banks. It was quite comical to see too, as we motored down the river, little haggard men fishing. I couldn’t believe they would actually catch anything in the muddy coloured, lifeless water but after asking one of them, apparently Koi carp are common. Figures too – the water quality is less than desirable, a great environment for Koi carp to thrive. *Bitch lady was actually “Cixi”, Chinas only female ruler for 48 years who saw herself equal to male emporers and made sure to let everyone know she was the boss dog (how’s that for some early Chinese feminism). In Chinese symbolism, the female form is the Phoenix and the Male the dragon, but Cixi had dragon effgys put in her Palace to send the message that she was as good as any man. As great as it was to have a female ruler in my eyes (girl power), she is seen as the demise of China and it seems the general population don’t particularly revere her, hence our nickname for her. I could go on of course, but the point of this blog is to get you excited to go to these places and find out about all this incredible history for yourself! Shi mao tian jie A big screen/digital canopy erected above a shopping centre. Big as in 220m x 27m. This screen is incredible, and the largest in the world. It sits above “The Place” shopping mall (a very upmarket one) and has you looking up craning your neck to see the amazing pictures displayed on the LED screen. When we visited, the French open was winding down, so there was a clay tennis court set up below the screen with aspiring local players playing a match for public viewing. A cool novelty technological place to visit, but really only worth it if you combine it with some shopping or dining simultaneously. This trip was a special trip with my good friend, a Chinese born New Zealander. If I’m really honest, I would say don’t bother going to China without a translator, or a really thorough understanding of Mandarin/Cantonese and Chinese culture. Although English is taught at school, there is not a lot of practise as the language of business is Mandarin and so, aside from gesticulation and broken English conversations, communication can be really difficult. I never say never though! Perhaps having gone with a local, I was lazier than usual and didn’t make much of an effort. If you have the gumption to give it a go, coupled with their interest in foreigners, I am confident it would be even more of an adventure. Good to know: Get ready to work those quads – Squat toilets are the go in Beijing, as well as no toilet paper. I got in the habit of grabbing serviettes and napkins at restaurants and stowing them in my bag for such occasions. People are friendly. There wasn’t one day that went by that I didn’t get stopped and asked for a selfie or a photo with someone. Foreigners are such novelties to them and they love it. Once you realise that for the most part the culture is a kind and helpful one, you start to see the beauty of every interaction with these kind people. I was treated better by people we asked for directions in Beijing, than I am when I buy my morning coffee! Language - Ni hao (Hello), Xi Xi (thankyou) and Bu ke qi (You’re welcome/No worries) came in very handy. I whole heartedly recommend having a smartphone and even getting a Chinese sim card to help getting around. Face masks – Beijing pollution wasn’t obvious to me at the time of year I visited (late May/early June), and infact the streets were tidier than downtown Auckland. Thanks to the Beijing Olympics back in 2008 there are cleaners employed to clean and tidy the streets daily. However, as silly as it looks with one of those doctors masks on your face, it is worth at least trying to protect your lungs. The smoggy haze that is seen over the city is trapped putrid air that is less than desirable to breathe. When I got back to NZ my first priority was to *detox and exercise to get my lungs working and get rid of any toxins I’d ingested. Its probably an over-reaction on my part - but I feel better for having done it! *My choice of detox/cleanse post holiday is pHd – cold pressed juices and salads. Check out their plans at www.phdhealth.co.nz Social media – Everything is so connected in China, people were paying for coffee with their phones, we paid for our taxis with an app and used Baidu (the Google equivalent) to navigate the side streets. China ‘officially’ boycotts American social media (despite being a country where everyone has an iPhone, go figure), so WeChat is the FB/Insta/Twitter equivalent all rolled in to one. Worth downloading if you have friends who also use it but otherwise you either need to give up social media while you travel OR invest in working out how to use a VPN (virtual private network). These use other countries internets to reroute your device as if you were in that country, and therefore can use blocked Social media freely. I was using a Singaporean VPN to update my Social media accounts. Like anything, there is an app so have a look in your app store for anything ‘VPN’. Warning – they are pretty sketchy and won’t hold a secure connection for long. Don’t waste your time scrolling, just do what you need to and save yourself the frustration of the dreaded ‘loading’ symbol. Tourists are everywhere – and are mainly Chinese. It was an interesting concept to think that it was other Chinese people visiting their own country – something I feel us Kiwis aren’t accustomed to as we have the ability to see most of our relatively smaller country much more easily. I barely saw any other Western tourists, and those I did were in tour groups or were Russians who come down to work in China. Not that I understood, but Jimmie did say that a lot of people would consider whether to try to talk to me in English, as they thought I could be Russian! Transport – Taxis can get busy and were quite hard to book if you didn’t know your way around We Chat or the other Chinese transport apps. Learn to use the Subway and Electric bus systems. Most of the station names will be in Pinyin English to help with getting around, and if you miss your train there is literally another one in 5 minutes time. Crowds – Get comfortable with having no personal space. It just doesn’t exist in China and the sooner you accept it, the easier it gets. I never felt like I had someone breathing down my neck, but it did take me a while to not be offended by the pushing of crowds as they hurry to get onto a train or in a queue. Realise they don’t mean any ill towards you, it’s purely how they do things having to get around in a city of 21 million people. Security is everywhere – Security cameras are common place and it would be easy to get anxious when you realise big brother really is watching 24/7. I was surprised to see cameras watching in Tian’anmen square on historical lighting fixtures, through to cameras at the subway. Security in and out of anywhere is usually by way of a security guard and an x ray for all your bags. They’ll make you take a sip of any liquids (water etc) you have with you to prove it’s not something untoward. Try travel as streamlined as possible as it wont take you long to get frustrated taking everything off (backpack, hangbag, camera etc) and having to put it all back on. Accommodation: We stayed in an old Beijing styled street in what would be called a motel by NZ standards. It was totally sufficient, and what I loved was the authentic Chinese fittings everywhere and the friendly staff. As much as it is in an old styled street, the city is literally a stones throw away as this style of road is common place around Beijing as the old and the new have merged. We would wake up in the morning and have our street food breakfast, then walk 300m and down under the CBD office buildings to grab Starbucks. Really ironic and crazy to be amongst. It doesn’t have its own website but is available for booking on the standard websites. Head to booking.com and search for “Xiao Yuan Alley Courtyard Hotel”. Being the capital there are loads of options if you have a large budget and everywhere/everything is super accessible by way of subway or taxi. Journey: Departing from Auckland, I flew China Southern to Guangzhou and then onwards to Beijing. I have no complaints with the airline and have flown them multiple times. If you are transiting in an airport be aware they are over the top ridiculously priced (I fell into the trap and ordered myself a flat white for 60 yuan which at the time, was the equivalent of about NZD$18). AirNZ, China eastern, Air Asia, Singapore airlines. There’s a multitude of airlines, I recommend shopping around and don’t be put off by flying a Chinese airline – they have great service and have English speaking crew. If you are staying less than 72 hours you will be granted a transit visa on arrival allowing you to enter the country long enough to have a look around. Longer stay visas are not granted on arrival so pre arrange through the Chinese Embassy in Auckland; NB: Be prepared to get there early and spend up to 4 hours waiting to hand in your application. Make sure you grab a ticket from the machine as soon as you get in the building – there is a limited amount. They’ll then take your passport and give you a scheduled day/time to come back to collect it. Again, give yourself plenty of time, it is a busy office! www.chineseembassy.org.nz Liveaboard boat/company: MV Pawara with West coast divers http://www.sunrise-divers.com/similan_islands_pawara.php Destination: Similan Islands National Park, Thailand Itinerary: 4 days 4 nights with 14 dives. Cruising around the Similan islands, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and Richelieu rock At a relatively cheap price, and with Thailands reputation for pumping out Scuba divers en masse, I am not shy to say I wasn’t expecting much in the way of professionalism or safety when it came to diving the Similans. I am happy to report however, this trip was a pleasant surprise. The renowned Islands did not disappoint, and MV Pawara has been one of my favourite liveaboard trips to date. I arrived in Phuket a day before the boat was scheduled to depart, giving me some time to adjust to my surroundings and get over the dreaded air-conditioning cold/sniffle I had developed after being on planes and in Singapore airport transiting. Somehow I had managed to book my trip smack bang in the middle of Chinese New year, and Phuket was absolutely full of Chinese families celebrating the holiday. Until the trip departure, I stayed at “Secret cliff resort” in Karon (officially in Karon, but on a hill in between Patong and Karon beaches) and found it was quite accessible by Tuktuk to the markets and restaurants. It was obvious the local businesses and hotels in Phuket were struggling to absorb the load from the holiday and so, I was happy to be able to look forward to getting on the liveaboard and heading out to Sea away from the congestion. The day the Liveaboard was due to begin, I was to be picked up from my hotel at 4pm for a 5.30pm boat departure. The van showed up 10 minutes late, but Phuket traffic can be as fun as Aucklands, so it wasn't really too terrible. I jumped in, dive gear and backpack in tow, and off we went to collect more divers booked on the trip. After 2 hours of driving Phukets highways, our driver pulled up to Tablamu Pier, a jetty full of boats lit up and bustling with excited divers. I was apprehensive at first, noticing all the dive boats looked pretty much the same, old but tidy, colourful but paint chipped, tired but working. All the boats looked similar, aside from one that was lit up, bright and proud with fairy lights down the centre. It looked like it must’ve been one of the top of the line boats, with an immaculate paint job, no rust stains and a warmness to it, and immediately I dreaded having booked the cheapest trip I could find. I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered the fairy light boat was in fact the MV Pawara, and my spirits immediately lifted. We were greeted by “Fernando” one of the dive guides along with some of the boat boys who lowered our gear over the side of the jetty and down into a dinghy. We followed our luggage and headed out amongst the dive boats. It was a fun way to begin the adventure, calmly “putting” around the other dive boats in the dinghy until we arrived at the stern of our boat, our home for the next 4 days. As I was helped onboard by Brian, another of the dive guides, I was shown a spot at the rear of the boat which would be my set up area for all of our dives. Unlike a lot of liveaboards where there is a ‘mothership’ and a dinghy or RIB to take you to the dive sites, boats in Thailand are designed to take you directly to the site, drop you off and wait at a safe distance until the divers surface. All divers onboard the Pawara had their own specific gear up spot, where you could sit down, slip on your BCD, take a few steps and then be in the water. After setting up my gear, it was down into the hull to check out my cabin. Having booked a budget room, I was stoked to find I had been upgraded to a standard room due to the uneven ratio of male to female divers onboard. My Japanese roommate and I shared our own little bathroom, and were greeted with a sweet arrangement of flowers on our beds. The rooms are designed with maximum efficiency, so I was glad I had left my suitcase back at the hotel and only brought the essentials – there wasn’t much room for clutter! After traditional Thai prayers for a safe voyage at the bow of the ship, complete with fire crackers and incense burning, the Pawara was off heading north to take us up to the Similan islands where our dive adventure was to begin. There was a great international mix of cultures onboard from fellow Anzacs, Frenchies, Brazilians, Americans, Chinese and British. We all seemed to come together nicely despite the huge age ranges from the youngest at 12 up to the mid sixties. I suppose it was our shared love of diving that made us all get along. Day one and dive one at “Anitas Reef” was a chance for everyone to ease in to diving, and I was impressed at the patience Fernando had for one diver in our group who was trying out new gear, whilst another one was overcoming the dustiness of not having dived for a while. With the focus of this first dive being based around getting comfortable, I was happy to still be able to see some great critters like Stonefish and Morays whilst checking my buoyancy and weighting was on point. The following dives proved even more interesting, with one site having this crazy current that would randomly come up from the depths. Suddenly the balmy 29 degree water would instantly drop to 24 degrees ( I watched it on my dive computer astounded ) and you would be kicking against a mild current. It wasn’t unpleasant, just something different, and the site was great for diving as we got to see a myriad of species of frogfish – a fish that up until then I had only seen at depths more than 30m, here we saw our first one at 12m! I was so impressed by the diving in the Similans, from that first day with shallow sandy bottoms, through to pinnacles with wisp like cold currents, to sites where it seemed like Stonehenge had been flooded and covered in tiny beautiful nudibranchs. Having dived Palau, the Maldives, Vanuatu and the Great barrier reef I thought it’d be hard to further impress me but here I was, totally delighted by the fact that I was privy to seeing such beauty in yet another part of the world. It was here in the Similans that I realised I needed to, I must, take everyone I knew diving, whether they were interested in the ocean or not – the beauty of the underwater world needed to be shared, and the Similan islands were proof of this! How could people deny themselves visiting this beauty? You’d expect the crew to have the best dives saved for last, but it was on day two that I had my most memorable dive of the trip – my first encounter with an Oceanic Manta ray. 'Koh tachai’ pinnacle rises up from the bottom of the ocean and attracts schools of Barracuda and Giant trevally who (when we dived in the late afternoon) were preparing for their dinner. Amazed by the huge school of Barracuda silently swimming in formation, it struck me suddenly that someone was banging their tank excitedly. Hurriedly looking around, I saw my buddy, Charlie wide eyed and looking right behind me (never a great feeling) and I whipped around to see what he saw. Immediately I was breathless as I looked into the beautiful black eye of a huge female Manta ray, effortlessly gliding past me as Cobia and Remora followed her. The elegance she had, the graceful way she swam around the divers, eyeing us up individually as if to say “Hey, haven’t seen you around here before” was a something I’ll never forget. The great dives kept on coming, and I came to realise I never wanted to get off the Pawara. Richelieu rock was next on the list, and although no Manta appeared here to check us out, the sheer richness of lush colours and mass of marine life was phenomenal. Another first for me, was seeing an Ornate ghost pipefish disguising itself amongst some soft coral. Had it not been for Fernando pointing it out as he took a photo, I never would’ve seen it being so well camouflaged in its environment. Along with Frogfish, Turtles, and female Cuttlefish laying their eggs – Richelieu rock had it all! Even in my dive log that evening I wrote “could dive it a gazillion times”. Winding off the trip on the last day we were taken to the ‘Boonsong’ wreck, a shallow yet incredibly diverse site where the animals have taken a once floating vessel as their own, and created an artificial reef. Pufferfish and Honeycomb morays litter the wreck and its crannies while Cuttlefish blend into the rust coloured sand as they find crevices to deposit their eggs in. A couple of easy dives here to finish off what had been a fabulous trip. If you’ve always put off the idea of diving in Thailand like I had, I urge you to think again! Being relatively cheap to get to and having such great access to the Similan Islands, getting on a Liveaboard gives you a chance to see Thailands amazing coastline and experience small dive groups with attentive dive guides. Good to know: Max dive times were 60 minutes, or when the first diver hit 50bar. Great if you can buddy with a diver and guide who have a similar air consumption rate to you. Nitrox is free and after doing 4 dives in a day, you will notice the difference to diving air. Make sure to bring your Enriched air diver certification as proof, or better yet - book to do your course during the trip with the onboard Instructors. As there can be many dive boats at a site at any one time, it is great to carry your own SMB (all guides do). The boats will lend you one for a fee, or make sure to bring your own. Let them know any dietary requirements during the booking process – they will bend over backwards to feed you well. Being vegetarian I am used to going without any decent form of protein and carb loading on trips like this, but I was treated to amazing tofu and mushroom dishes, and traditional thai dishes made especially for me without meat. The cooks went above and beyond any expectations I had. Aside from the ex-pat crew onboard, most of the Thai locals surprisingly don’t speak much English. Learn your basics to show your appreciation – the crew work hard and always smile, there isn’t anything they won’t do to make your trip more enjoyable. Price range: Budget cabins 25,700 THB twin share up to 35,700 THB master cabin twin share + Park fees 1800 THB, free nitrox, free wifi in certain areas, all meals included (you will not go hungry on this trip!) Journey: Departing from Auckland, there are no direct flights but options to fly via Singapore with Singapore airlines or via Melbourne with Jetstar. New Zealanders are granted a visa on arrival. |