Jordan's epic work of art

Jordan, the amazing artist who came with us to Antarctica and Iceland, has just finished a enormous mural that he's been working on for months.  Totally epic !

 

Reunited with Jo at the airport

We took our photo in front of a photographic wall mural which caused a bit of confusion when we shared it on Whatsapp!

 

The Silver Pegola (Phnom Penh)

Within the Royal Palace compound is the extravagant Silver Pagoda, also known as Wat Preah Keo or Temple of the Emerald Buddha. It is so named for its floor, which is covered with five tons of gleaming silver.

It was a sweltering and humid day so the highlight for me was finding a tree shaded temple of Buddha statues where I could sit and recover.  Mum, you would definitely struggle with the heat!

I also loved the old murals that stretched along the walls.

Beautiful murals of ancient scenes on the walls.

The shaded temple where I took respite.

Another temple not far from the compound.  I loved the red colour.

Away with the Fairies at Hogsback

Legend has it that Tolkien, the author of The Hobbit, visited the town of Hogsback as a very young child and its forests and mountainous valleys inspired his future visions of The Misty Mountains, home of Smaug the dragon.  It is a gorgeous place with great hiking but in winter, it's important to come warmly rugged up!

Highlights of our two nights in Hogsback ...

• A fascinating drive to Hogsback from East London with Dan, the owner of Away With The Fairies, the hostel where we stayed.  He regaled us with story after story about the Frontier Wars between the British and Xhosa people that greatly influenced South Africa's history.
• The amazing open air bath at Away with The Fairies, perched on a cliff with extraordinary views across the valley. The bath even comes with hot water straight from the tap if you have the patience to wait for the 2 hours required to heat it up with a real fire.  I lay in the bath for over an hour (without any water!), meditating and filming the shifting light and clouds with my iPhone's time lapse camera.  Extremely peaceful. Except when my phone fell over and nearly fell off the cliff!
• Lazing by the fire in hostel's lounge in the cold evenings, admiring the murals of fairies on the walls, drinking great red wine and munching on the best pizza I think I've ever tasted.  
• Meeting up again with Jarred and Kate (who we'd met at Buckaneers) - a lovely South African couple on their honeymoon.
• A beautiful but chilly hike through the forested valley, oggling at some immense trees and exploring a plethora of waterfalls along the way.  The one waterfall required a steep climb and constant searching for little blue ribbons to find the way. It felt a bit like a treasure hunt! 
• Max, the local border collie, came for the walk and insisted on swimming in the river at every stop, despite the freezing temperatures.  He was a gorgeous, friendly fellow; until we arrived on the road, and then he turned into a psycho demon.  At one stage, he launched himself off a small cliff in order to rush up to a car driving past.  I had visions of telling the hostel their beloved dog was no more!  Thankfully, he survived it.
• Great sighting of Samango Monkeys, a speciality of Hogsback. They are apparently very closely related to Vervet Monkeys but look very different.
• A stunning, early morning walk to The 39 Steps Falls past bushes and trees aflame in berries and autumn colours.

Away with the Fairies, the backpackers where we stayed.

Beautiful wall murals at the hostel.

The view across the valley from the bottom of the garden ...

... and this amazing outside, hot water bath. A bath with the best view in South Africa!

Fairy sculptures around town.

A lovely walk through the forested valley ...

... past enormous and ancient trees ...

... exploring waterfalls along the way, with Max, our very energetic companion.

More beautiful waterfalls.

Sightings of Samango Monkeys, a speciality of Hogsback.

Rameron Pigeon

A lovely early morning walk to the 39 Steps Falls ...

... loving the sublime Autumn colours ...

... and the morning sun coming through the trees.

Playing with time lapse

Hiking up a storm in Grand Canyon and Govett's Leap

I did an awesome and extremely wet hike down into the Grand Canyon and around to Govett's leap with Meet Up (Sydney Explorers).  Due to the weather forecast (90% chance of storms!) and train issues, only 6 of us arrived for the hike out of 30 who originally signed up for it.  We were well rewarded as the hike was absolutely stunning.

Highlights of the day included:

• All my favourite Meet Up people together in one group; Dave, Yen, Cloris, Kenny and the incorrigible Srini.
• Dunking our heads in a waterfall and walking behind it to get down into the canyon.
• Extremely slippery rocks at the bottom of the canyon. In fact, I slipped and took a hard fall which gave me quite a shock. I didn't seem any worse the wear for it, but time will tell!
• The rain starting to bucket down half way through the canyon. Thankfully, it wasn't cold though. 
• The way the rain made the vegetation in the canyon seem all the more lush, and the beautiful fresh smell of it.
• Hiking in the rain, with the feel of it on my skin, feeling intensely alive.
• Some beautiful flowers and plants I hadn't noticed before.
• A lovely, refreshing swim in the rain.
• Some stunning rivers, streams and rock pools all bordered by lush ferns.
• Arriving at the bottom of The Bridal Veil Falls which was in full flow and having another dip, although the wind was strong and there was quite a nip in the air.
• Crossing the river at the falls with mighty winds and strong torrents making it an adventure.
• The steep climp up the side of the valley, including some steep metal stair cases with dripping water off the overhangs keeping us cool.
• Absolutely stunning views of The Bridal Veil falls as we neared the top of Govett's Leap.
• The gorgeous whisps of mist and cloud that hung over the valley; such a great sight.
• Changing into dry clothes when we got to our cars.
• A drink and delicious pie at The Ivanhoe Hotel after the hike.

All in all, a super and memorable day. Sometimes it pays to brave the elements!!

The view from Govett's Leap where we left the car.

Having a dunk in a waterfall on the way down into The Grand Canyon.

At the bottom of the canyon.

The clouds starting to look ominous.

Beautiful flowers, some of which I haven't noticed before.

Dave, Cloris, Kenny, Yen, Srini

Srini dealt with the pouring rain differently to me.

Despite the rain, we had a lovely dip. Warmer in than out!

Some beautiful streams and rock pools...

... and beautiful rivers too.

Our first view of Bridal Veil Falls, very windy with lots of spray and an exciting crossing.

Gorgeous whisps of cloud across the valley

Climbing up the steep steps of Govett's Leap.

As we neared the summit of Govett's leap, we got an awesome view of The Bridal Falls.

Our final view over Govett's Leap before heading by car back into Blackheath for a drink and pie...

... but not before Srini had one final leap!

A colourful mural in Blackheath