Explore with Fran

Deciding to walk the Camino Portugués

There are some activities that you have on your bucket list. And then there are items that are on your BUCKET List. Since I first learned of it over three decades ago I have wanted to walk the Camino de Santiago.  A pilgrimage route that ends in Santiago, Spain, the Camino is perhaps the most famous walk in the world. 

In fact, there are many walks. Whilst all ending up in the place that holds the remains of St James, there are now numerous routes covering various distances. 

To fit in with our travel plans we chose the Camino Portugués, walking from Porto to Santiago, crossing from Portugal into Spain. We were to cover 280kms over our 12 days of walking.  If we thought we had walked a lot in Paris, we were soon to discover what a long walk really was.

Starting out in Porto

Spending a couple of days back in the beautiful, and very hilly city of Porto, enjoying (perhaps too many) pasteis de natas, we visited the Pilgrims office by the cathedral to pick up our credencial (pilgrims passport) and a scallop shell. 

The credencial is for the Pilgrim to collect stamps along the way showing that you spent the time walking each day. The staff at the office in Santiago where the certificates are issued check over each credencial before issuing you with your certificate.  It becomes a little bit addictive finding fun and quirky stamps. To the point that we were in danger of running out of space before reaching Santiago. 

The scallop shell is borne out of the legend that Medieval pilgrims would walk all the way to the Atlantic coast at Cape Finisterre and collect a scallop shell as physical evidence that they had reached the end of the journey. It also doubled as a handy drinking and eating vessel, as legend has it.

It is a way of identifying fellow pilgrims. It forms a sense of belonging and community that is hard to describe and easy to feel.  Spotting a shell on a fellow walker’s bag lets you know that they are going through what you are. The tired legs and feet. The sense of accomplishment each day. The simplicity of being a pilgrim on the Camino. 

Which path to walk from Porto?

From Porto there are a few routes. And it can be confusing. There is the coastal path that is not coastal at all. In fact the path winds through the north of the city and through suburbia. A little uninspiring. We walked a short section a couple of weeks later when we were back in Porto. 

Then there is the Litoral. Which is coastal. You walk down to the river, across from the many historic port houses and walk towards the sea. And just keep walking. Right along the coast until you have done for the day. After 13.94kms it was time for a coffee stop.

By the end of that first day we had walked 24kms, 37,948 steps, and were spending the night in a very impressive new hostel called Beach House Angeiras. Victoria’s first experience of a dorm room. Eight bunk beds. We selected a top and bottom bunk with Victoria struggling to get up the tiny wooden stairs. Each bed had a privacy curtain, USB charging ports and reading lamp. Everything the tired pilgrim needs. After a couple of Super Bock beers in a small local bar we returned from the local supermarket with supplies for dinner, which included a €2.99 bottle of red wine, and joined the other pilgrims in the communal kitchen. 

This is a quintessential part of the camino experience. That first night a Spanish pilgrim shared his freshly caught fish with us. It was delicious. And from the photo on his camera that he insisted on showing us, the fish had only been out of the water for less than an hour. A 1016 day streak on Duolingo gave me enough Spanish to have a brief conversation.

Showered, and our hand washed clothes out to dry, we shared our bottle of wine (no vino, no camino became our motto) and reflected on our first day. It felt like a comfortable day’s walk. With stops for coffee, lunch, and beer along the way. From these stops we remembered many faces that we continued to see along the 12 day walk to Santiago. Exchanging a smile and a greeting with people we “knew” certainly added to the experience.

Sleep, Eat, Walk, Repeat

Day 2 saw us setting off around 8am. We had bought yoghurts for breakfast and the hostel had freshly brewed coffee. Only carrying a small bag helped with the packing. There is not that much to pack. We saw varying sizes of bags on the walk, ours being around the 30 litre mark with mine weighing 5.75kgs with Victoria’s only slightly less. 

Travelling light is taken to the extreme as you have to carry everything. Even small bags can feel heavy 5 hours into a walk. A couple of pairs of everything allows for a clean pair whilst the other pair is washed. You truly appreciate how little you need in life. That said, there are also services available that allow pilgrims to have their luggage transferred to the next night’s destination. This appeared to be popular with older pilgrims.

Which brings me onto the age demographics of the people walking.  You may think the Camino de Santiago is for younger people. You would be wrong. Over the whole 12 days I would say that we were in the younger age bracket of walkers. We saw a lot of people older than us, and looking sprightly, too. There were more solo females than men. And we even saw people walking with a baby, pushing a pram along the path. The Camino is truly for everyone.

The path will provide

Before heading to walk the Camino you have many questions. How will you know where to walk being one of them? This becomes very simple, very quickly. Allow the path to provide, it always will, and just follow the yellow arrows. And keep putting one foot in front of the other. The path has been walked for centuries by pilgrims. Crossing cities, towns, and villages, at times you are on the boardwalk by the sea, at times on a muddy trail through a hilly forest, and at other times on a cobbled street through a quiet village. And wherever you are your eyes scan the floor, lamp posts, the side of the road for both the official Camino markers, and the less official, but equally important spray painted yellow arrows.

Every corner provides its own surprise on the Camino

And following the arrows very often brings serendipitous surprises. Sometimes it was walking through an empty forest and stumbling upon a stall of provisions including hot coffee and snacks. Totally unmanned and working on an honesty basis. It warms your heart to see such trust. We loved walking around a corner on the path and coming across tiny little cafes. One such place was run by a single young gentleman and I guess from the time we were there he must have had every pilgrim that day stop and visit. We got a very tasty, and cheap, ham and cheese toastie (a staple of the Camino), and the all important stamp for our pilgrim passport.

Our walk on day 2 was a great example of how flexible you need to be. We had intended to walk and stay in the small village of Agucadoura. However, as odd as it sounds on a long walk, we felt that we had arrived too early. We decided to plod on another 8kms, to the village of Apulia where we managed to get a private room with a shared bathroom in the Albergue Santiago de Costa. For €17.50 each. In a village where the Super Bock beers were even cheaper at €1.50 a bottle. Showing just how cheaply you can do the Camino, our dinner that night was €9 from the supermarket which included a rather rough €1.99 bottle of red. Our reward at the end of another 30kms walk.

Another question is “where will you sleep?” And some days you don’t know in advance. It depends on how far you choose to walk that day. We averaged 25kms per day but you could walk as far, or not,  as you choose. When you know how far you plan to walk on a particular day, then you start looking for a bed. And there are always beds. Over our 12 days we stayed in hostels, guesthouses, and a hotel. The choices are (almost) limitless. Only constrained by availability and your budget.

The Camino, a lesson in mindfulness

Life becomes very simple. Get up, have breakfast, walk. Stop for coffee. Stop for lunch. Walk. Find accommodation. Have dinner (with your local vino), sleep. And repeat. Each day is a deep dive into mindfulness. Just focusing on the next step. And breathing in the scents of the flowers and eucalyptus trees as you walk.

The simplicity remains even through very different weather conditions. Our first couple of days, walking up the Portuguese coast were in bright blue skies. This all changed, ensuring that “day 3” will remain etched in our memories. We were still on the Litoral (along the sea) and the rains had arrived. Rains that meant even our rain coats and rain covers for our bags were ineffective. Visibility dropped to almost zero as we trudged along a section of path that took us onto the beach, across slippery shingle and pebbles. It wasn’t fun.

To the point that we decided to leave the coast, and the Camino for a few kilometers, and head inland to the Coastal path. Remember, confusingly, the Coastal path does not hug the coast. We knew that by walking to a section where we could join the Coastal route we would have better underfoot walking conditions, and importantly, more food and drink options. And so it proved to be the case. We shortly entered a small village and spied a cafe that provided shelter from the incessant rains.

Being only 10.30am I was surprised when entering the cafe to order a coffee to see so many locals knocking back the booze and engaging in raucous sing songs. The older American pilgrims sat nearby looked very perplexed. We were just happy to get out of our dripping rain jackets and escape the rain for a while with a hot coffee and a croissant, however loud the cafe was.

And out popped the sun, briefly

Lunch that day saw a break in the rain and we managed to stop at a little cafe in the village of Chafe, enjoying a toastie and a beer whilst the sun was out. Here we looked at where to sleep for the night and picked Viano de Castelo, some further 8kms down the path. This was a good idea whilst the sun was shining. As soon as we finished we hoisted our bags on our backs  and set off walking.  We soon encountered the worst hailstorm I have ever seen. Without anywhere to shelter all we could do was continue walking. Walking our longest day on the whole Camino for us. 34 kilometers. When we finally reached our accommodation I just flopped onto the bed. Facedown. I was spent. Would I ever walk again?

I did. Much later. After spending an age with a very ineffective hotel hairdryer, trying to dry out our clothes and walking shoes. Everything we owned was drenched. With clothes now hanging on the travel clothes line attached to the outside of the window we ventured out for dinner. An excellent pizza that probably tasted even better after the excesses of the day.

Walking back to the hotel I picked up a small bottle of wine to enjoy in the room. Only when we had bought it and were heading back did I realise we didn’t have a corkscrew. The fact that bottles of wine in Europe still use cork kept escaping me. So we did what travellers would do. We walked into a pastry shop to buy a couple of pasteis de nata and asked them if they had a corkscrew I could borrow. That night, never did the wine taste so good.

If you happened to see the video I posted you will notice that we were still smiling. All part of the experience.

The Camino will teach, if you listen

We had a few wet days. And they do dampen the spirits somewhat. This is all part of the complete Camino experience. It is there to test you. To teach you. As long as you are willing to listen, and learn. 

Our Portugal side of the walk ended sooner than we initially thought. We had planned to walk up through Portugal, crossing into Spain at Valenca walking into Tui. However, the Camino teaches you to be flexible. In the communal kitchen of Guest House Pereira one evening, sharing a plate of plump red strawberries, an American pilgrim mentioned that he and his wife would be walking to A Guarda the following day. Later, we Googled where this was and what the walk would be like. I even canvassed opinions in the Camino Portugues Facebook group.

Swapping Bom Caminha for Buen Camino

This is how we ended up walking to Caminha in Portugal and jumping in a motorised dinghy across the river. A 6 minute ride and we had crossed the border with Spain and had lost 1 hour on our watches. Looking back, we would not have made the same decision. Firstly, it was the end of our daily Portuguese tarts. Secondly, the stretch of walk through Spain was not as beautiful as I had expected from other walker’s comments. What we came to realise was that a walker from the desert in America has different expectations of what “amazing coastline” means than that of someone who has spent the last 6 years exploring the coastline of South West Australia. You live and learn. That said, the food changed and I got my first delicious bocadillo tortilla.

And continue to learn we did. With each day walked we got ever closer to Santiago. Now in Spain, at a guesthouse in A Guarda we noted that we now had 154kms until we reached Santiago. We better get some sleep.

Keep following along for Part 2 as we continue walking through Spain. Smiling.

Relaxed and ready to explore

Leaving Bali we were feeling very relaxed. Sounds a little paradoxical. To be leaving somewhere so chaotic in a relaxed frame of mind. But we did get to spend two hours in the bathhouse at Samanvaya in the village of Sideman. We had the place to ourselves and spent the time circling between the steam room, the sauna, the ice bath and the warm plunge pool. A perfect way to spend a morning in Bali.

Arriving in Paris on a warm spring afternoon we still luxuriated in this relaxed feeling. Which was good as we were to walk many many steps whilst exploring the City of Light. The Emirates chauffeur collected us at Charles de Gaulles airport and dropped us at our hotel in the city. A hotel that advertised our room as having a “view of the tower”. This was true. It is just how you define “view”.

Paris, explored

Paris is a city that I had visited once before, many years ago, so this felt like a first visit. It was definitely Victoria’s first visit. It was a city that I never thought I would get her to. She always had this pre-conceived notion that she didn’t like Paris. A notion that was thoroughly dispelled over the three days we spent exploring.

Hotel 12 was located in the 8th Arrondissement and our room with balcony did indeed have a view of the tower. Sat outside on the balcony, with a glass of French red and a baguette felt very “French”. Some may say cliched. We were here for the cliches. Which is why on day three, exploring Montmartre, we had onion soup and steak frites for lunch. Can you get more French?!

French is what we were here for. Travelling from Australia, or even Bali, to the UK is a long haul. Literally. Breaking it up with a stop in Europe makes sense and so we found ourselves in Paris. An iconic city with iconic sights. And over the three days we walked the length and breadth of the city. The queues and the price to enter were both enough to ensure we stayed outside the glass pyramid. Giving Victoria a chance to try and lift it up.

Travelling on a budget

The travel budget also prevented us from shopping along the famed Champs Elysees although we did stroll up and visit the Arc de Triomphe. How drivers navigate the dizzying array of options on what could be the world’s largest roundabout is beyond me. I need a glass of Cotes du Rhones just thinking about it.

One of our first stops just had to be the Eiffel Tower. We may have been able to see it from our hotel but it was still a heck of a walk. All good practice for the Camino that we would be walking in a couple of weeks. We got there and took a lot of the obligatory photos and made all the obligatory jokes about it being Blackpool Tower.

Whilst there, Paris, not Blackpool, we noticed there were food markets and so headed back on our final evening to kill two birds with one stone. Get dinner at the markets and see the tower illuminated. Vik had the biggest, and most expensive hot dog, she has ever had. A raclette and ham sandwich for me.

When in France…

Way before dinner, on our first morning, we had one job. Find our “go to” breakfast spot whilst in France. Paul’s is a chain of bakeries that served us so well on our 2022/2023 travels. We breakfast light in Europe and knew from past experience that we could pick up a coffee and a couple of croissants on the cheap at Paul’s. As luck would have it there was a large branch with indoor seats just a few minutes from the hotel.

With caffeine and food sorted we went exploring this amazing city. A visit to Notre Dame was high on our to do list and then across the Seine to Shakespeare & Co bookstore. Possibly the most famous bookstore in the world. Just walking amongst the shelves of the store created by Sylvia Beach I could feel the spirits of all the writers that had passed through.

In the footsteps of Hemingway

Before coming to Paris I re-read Hemingway’s “A Moveable Feast”, an account of his time as a struggling, unknown writer living in Paris with his wife and child. Hemingway would often visit Shakespeare & Co. and Sylvia Beach would loan him books to read.

It wasn’t just the ghost of Hemingway that haunted us on our Parisian visit. Walking to the tower we came across a small memorial to the late Princess Diana who tragically died in Paris in August back in 1997. Speeding through the Pont de l’Alma tunnel her driver crashed into a pillar and the bridge now becomes the place that people leave flowers every August.

We leave Paris tired and energised. Big vibrant cities have a way of doing that to you. A change of pace is on the horizon as we head on the train, then bus to Paris-Beauvais airport. Used by Ryanair it couldn’t be any further away from the city before it would need a name change.

Our next stop will be the UK and will give us a chance to use our shiny new UK passports. Passports we had to buy whilst in Australia due to the UK immigration rule changes that now prevent us arriving in the country on our Australian passports. Sometimes you just have to scratch your heads and get on with it.

See you in Yorkshire.

The importance of food on culture

Having been out of Australia for a few weeks now there are some quintessential Aussie foods that I could crave. If I thought about it for too long. 

Our last week in Western Australia I had one such craving and so found myself enjoying something so Australian it would be remiss of me not to indulge.

The meat pie. It is an institution in Australia and the one I had at the French Bakery in Cowaramup satisfied the craving I had. I knew that for quite some time the cuisine would be very different. For the next two weeks we would be travelling around Bali.

Back to Bali

Bali is somewhere that we have spent quite some time exploring. It is an island that keeps drawing us back for many reasons. The people. The enduring culture. The food. And yes, dare I say it, the chaos. It is vibrant. Alive. And lots of fun. To start our 2026 overseas travels we would be spending a couple of weeks indulging in nasi goreng and Bintang.

We flew into Bali, arriving late as appears to be the norm for us. Over the years the airport in Bali has improved no end. At one time all arrivals were met with huge lines at immigration. Undergoing the laborious process of obtaining your visa on arrival. Taking a very long time. 

Now the arrival visa, giving you a 30 day stay, can be applied for online and with the dozens of electronic passport gates we are now through within seconds. Literally. On our last few visits, as today, there are lots of free gates so we just walk up, scan our passports and we are in the country.

Chaotic Canggu

The benefit of landing at 12.30am is that the traffic on the roads is a little quieter than the usual chaos. This resulted in our anticipated hour plus ride being less than than 45 minutes. A record and we were pleased to get to bed just a little earlier than expected. A quick check in and we were in our room and in bed by 2am.

Our first week was to be spent in Canggu. A place on the west coast that we have previously visited. We even stayed at the same hotel as it is central, close to so many restaurants, and a ten minute walk to the beach for those Balinese sunsets. Breakfast was included and was typical of hotel breakfasts in larger Asian hotels. An egg station, warm Asian dishes, and a buffet of cereals, breads, fruits and yoghurts. 

This is where being strategic pays off. Working out what foods to have and how many trips you will make. I tend to have “3 courses”, starting out with noodles and curry, moving onto fried eggs, and finishing with a few small bakery items and a final coffee. By this point I feel I have had an elegant sufficiency and should be good through to lunchtime.

A typical day would see us finishing breakfast and spending the morning around and in the pool. This is something we learned over the years as the weather in Bali is tropical and often rains in the afternoon. That said, in the two weeks that we were on the island we saw very little rain. Then, before lunch it would be time in the gym to maintain the balance that is so important when you are on the road. Some cardio to raise the heart rate, a few weights, and ending with a little stretching.

If you have travelled in Asia you will know that scooters far outnumber cars on the road. And walking anywhere in Bali is to be aware that scooters come from all directions. Not always in the direction that traffic is flowing. At times the pavements, what there are of them are, also full of scooter riders trying to shave seconds off their trip. It pays to be alert at all times.

Alert, not just for the scooters but also for where the pavement suddenly disappears. Yes, it is common to look down and notice that the pavement has disappeared leaving a yawning great hole that it would be easy to do yourself a lot of damage with. Having negotiated the tricky pavements and had a busy day on our feet it was bliss to end the day with a foot massage, a very common pastime across South East Asia.

To celebrate our final night in Canggu we had a dinner reservation at Yuki. A Japanese restaurant that we had thoroughly enjoyed in the past here in Canggu. On a different Bali trip we discovered that there is an outlet of Yuki in Uluwatu and we enjoyed dinner there too. In even better news, we were to discover later in the trip that their third restaurant will open later this year, in Ubud.

Serenity in Sideman

All part of the charm of this beautiful little island. An island that we love exploring and after five nights in Canggu we were off to the middle of the island. To a village that was new to us. Sideman. A two and half hour taxi ride away. The distance wasn’t too far but the roads are so busy that it takes a long time to get anywhere. 

It was worth the drive. Sideman is stunning. High in the hills, surrounded by resplendent green rice fields and sat in the shadow of the hulking Mt Agung, Bali’s highest peak. An active volcano that last erupted in 2019 we were hoping she remains sleepy through our visit.

Our accommodation was called Samanvaya, a collection of villas around a number of swimming pools. Amazing views in every direction. My mornings started with hot strong Balinese coffee sat outside in silence taking in the expansive views. Paradise.

Being a small traditional village there was not much to do other than enjoy the tranquility. It really was a side of Bali you don’t often see. A local stopped us and asked if we were enjoying Bali “from the 1970s?”

We were. Immensely. In the more built up areas of Bali modern hotels and restaurants now predominate. Here in Sideman it is all local homestays and warungs (a local restaurant). A true step back in time and more reminiscent of my first visit over 30 years ago.

Whilst in Sideman we celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary with a great meal at the hotel. We even managed to splurge on a glass of wine, forgoing the customary Bintang lager. Pre dinner saw us enjoying the 2 for 1 cocktails and a few games of UNO. The less said about the result the better.

Closing out the Balinese adventure

Our final four nights were to be spent in Ubud, the spiritual centre of Bali. A favourite spot of ours. We stayed at Kano Sari, home to six villas in a traditional Balinese compound. Whilst Ubud remains a chaotic place in terms of the traffic, a mere ten minute walk north and we were enveloped by just the sounds of nature.

Each morning and evening we had a very strange noise outside our villa. I initially thought it was a large gecko but it made the strangest noise, almost like a little bark. It became our “nature’s alarm clock” without us establishing what it might be.

Our last day in Bali saw us visiting the Sacred Monkey Forest, me making my traditional visit to the tattoo shop before we both went and had an hour long massage. A perfect end to a perfect couple of weeks in Bali. A place we know we will return to.

For now, it is time to check into our flight, find the business class lounge and relax until our 12.35am flight to Paris, via Dubai.

When we returned from our round the world adventures in 2023, back to Perth, we didn’t know what the next chapter had in store for us. We had enjoyed our three years exploring the big old state of Western Australia, even running off to Margaret River in 2021 to get married.

Having enjoyed almost every restaurant, brewery, and over 70 cellar doors across Swan Valley and Margaret River we knew it was time. Time to travel again. When you are living a values aligned life, and when you know two of your strongest values are adventure and travel, making big decisions seems so much simpler.

Where else to start our travels?

Knowing we would be travelling again, and that we were leaving Western Australia, we knew there was only one place to start. In our spiritual home.  So when we decided to hit the road again it was only natural that we planned to start in the Margaret River region. 

With the lease of our most recent apartment expiring at the end of March we had a natural break. Sell what we can. Put the rest into storage. And hand the keys in. A couple of nights in a hotel in superb Subiaco, one of our favourite suburbs, whilst we dealt with the necessary life admin and we were off to pick up the hire car.

Our destination was just over two hours south of Perth. Busselton to catch up with our good friends Ali and Fran and talk all things Camino. They spent part of last year doing the Camino Nortes. Across Northern Spain. Whilst we will be doing the shorter Camino Portugués we got some valuable advice and tips over great food and even better beer at Rocky Ridge Taphouse, a place we will certainly miss.

Bliss in a tiny cabin

A twenty minute drive out of Busselton is Whicher Ridge winery, a place we highly recommend you visit for a wine tasting and a walk through their sensory garden. We were staying at one of the tiny cabins they have on the large working vineyard. One of three cabins, each out of sight of the other in such a way that you start to believe you are the last human inhabitants of earth. With just our sister, nature for company.

Waking up on that first morning, just as the sun was rising, Victoria had lain silently watching the many kangaroos that were feeding right outside our oversize bedroom window. She was transfixed for a couple of hours. That is until I woke and starting plodding around the cabin. The ever alert kangaroos. with their ears twitching a full 180 degrees were soon bounding off. 

Back to civilisation

After two nights of isolation we were heading back to civilisation. Our next stop was three nights in an AirBnB in Margaret River town. A location that allowed us to walk to two very different eating establishments and not worry about who was the skipper (what Australians call the designated driver). Settlers Tavern is a must visit when we are in town, simply for their chicken parmi. We have enjoyed a lot of parmis over the years and this is one of the best. When we had family stay with us a couple of years ago this was one of the first places we took them to.

Our second walkable restaurant is the excellent Miki’s Open Kitchen. Quite possibly the best Japanese restaurants in Australia. We have been fortunate to have eaten here a number of times, always the “Complete” degustation. We have never been disappointed, and with matching wines on the evening we left very happy.

Not walkable but only a 30 minute drive from another favourite meant we were booked in for the excellent “Farm Feast” at Glenarty Road in Karridale. We have been here a number of times now for both wine tasting and the paddock to plate restaurant and it always leaves us wanting to visit again. And we will, I am sure. 

It would be remiss of me not to mention Vasse Felix winery and vineyard. One of the originals in the region it is a place we keep returning to over and over. We had our first meal as a married couple here back in April 2021. As then, the leaves on the trees were turning autumnal and we called in for a couple of glasses of their rather quaffable wines.

Farewell beers at some favourite breweries

Our third, and final stop whilst down South was at Littlewood Chalet. We were finishing with an off grid stay. No phone signal. No wifi. Just our Uno cards and bottles of wine. Perfect. As we were just down the road we called into CBCo Brewery for a cold beer. A very impressive brewery that we hadn’t been to in a number of years. We even had some fun with the “selfie pole” out the front.

To close out the brewery side of things we also had a farewell beer at Margaret River Brew House. Always seemingly at capacity we did manage to get one our usual small tables out in the garden to toast a wonderful couple of weeks.

Our final morning down south started with eggs benedict at Sea Garden cafe. Somewhere we visit every time we are down here. Is there a more quintessential Margaret River cafe? This also allowed us to do our walk along Gnarabup Beach for the final time. Oh, the memories.

The three hour drive back to Perth was mostly done in contemplative silence. We love the South West of WA and dont know when we will next be back. We are taking away so many memories and leaving behind a piece of our heart.

It was time to drop the hire car off, squeeze in ANOTHER farewell beer, or two at Found brewery in Subiaco, then jump on the train to the airport. An airport that has been going through quite a transformation. It looks as though Perth airport is being dragged into the 21st century. We said cheers to this as we prepared for our exit from Australia.

For part two of the 2026 travels, Bali beckons.

Who remembers the pandemic?

As we concluded our travels around Sri Lanka we shared how we enjoyed the South West coast. This led us up to Colombo, the island’s capital where we had the opportunity to stay in the historic Galle Face Hotel and explore the sights of this old colonial city.

Now, we were about to make up for lost time. If you have been reading along for a few years you will know that we packed up our lives in Sydney to head overseas for some travel and adventure. In March 2020. We got as far as Perth and were here for two years. There was a small issue of a pandemic that we were all going through together. Across the globe.

A pandemic that saw us confined to the state of Western Australia. A very big state, mind. And whilst making the most of the beautiful South West we eloped in April 2021 and got married in Boranup Forest. Two witnesses and a celebrant. A perfect day. And being, well, the pandemic, we couldn’t have an official honeymoon. Since then we have always said that one day we would.

Arriving at Male

A short flight from Colombo and we had wheels down at Male International airport in The Maldives. The smallest country in Asia, yet spread over one of the largest geographical areas, Maldives consists of 20 natural atolls, which are ring shaped islands. Islands surrounded by pristine sea and beach. Known to have been inhabited for over 2,500 years, you will no doubt know of it as a luxury holiday destination. And luxury it is.

Not that you would get that impression on arrival in the capital, Male. The queue for immigration was long, the building a little ramshackle, and the process for a visa laborious. Unlike other countries in the world where you can apply for your visa before you leave your home country, The Maldives is a visa on a arrival destination. Meaning we all had to queue, answer questions, complete all the necessary rigmarole before our passports were stamped.

I don’t know, it just wasn’t the arrival I expected when I visualised visiting The Maldives. Once the formalities were complete we were through to arrivals where we were met by a representative of the resort we were staying at. With almost 190 resorts to choose from, scattered across the various atolls, picking the one to book was not a simple, nor quick process.

Our home for our honeymoon

We eventually choose Varu by Atmosphere, and their rep guided us to an outdoor area in the airport whilst we waited for another couple. With no air conditioning the hour we had to wait felt much longer. It was a relief to be walking the short distance to the harbour where our speedboat was waiting for the 50 minute ride to the resort.

Zipping across the water as the sun slowly set in the West, I had a pinch me moment. We were in the Maldives. It had never been that high on my travel bucket list. That was until we got married. Then, it just seemed the right place to be. And once we started planning our Sri Lanka trip, and realized just how close The Maldives were we knew it was happening. It took us a few years to finally get our honeymoon, and now we were here. Greeted on arrival at the island with traditional music and a glass of chilled champagne. These were going to be four very enjoyable days.

We were driven to our over water villa in a small electric golf buggy. Other than bicycles, the only transport we were to see on the island. The villa was amazing. Being all inclusive I shouldn’t have been as excited as I was to see that we had a temperature controlled wine fridge in the villa with a bottle of red and a bottle of white. Across the other side of the room was another small fridge, this one containing local beers, chocolate and soft drinks.

Dining in The Maldives

Having only experienced all inclusive twice before, once celebrating Victoria’s 40th birthday on safari in South Africa, and a second time on a cut price cruise from Lisbon to New York, it always blows my mind that you can drink whatever you feel like and the next day it is all replenished. It is like magic. And that you can rock up to a bar and select any drink you want without having to reach for your phone to pay.

Our villa was huge with a bed that faced the ocean. Double doors opened onto our private deck and plunge pool. With direct access to the warm, inviting sea from our own set of steps, many hours were spent snorkelling. Off the bedroom we had a large bathroom with freestanding bath. It was a lovely surprise to come back to the villa after a (couple of) pina coladas by the beach to see the bath run for us and full of rose petals. Accompanied by a “happy honeymoon” display on the bed. We hadn’t planned to take a bath before dinner, but how could we not pour a glass of wine, climb in and enjoy it?

The resort had a number of restaurants offering different cuisines. We tried almost all of them and the quality of the food was excellent. You may think that after three weeks travelling around Sri Lanka I would be over curries. No. Breakfast, lunch and dinner in The Maldives I started with a curry. Often traditional Maldivian, and sometimes a favourite or two from Sri Lanka. The hard decisions then started. What to eat next. With a literal smorgasbord of offerings I left every meal having eaten too much. And very happy.

On that first evening, strolling back from dinner I decided to call in to the bar and get my customary whisky nightcap. As I was taking it back to the room the bar tender poured it into a takeaway coffee cup. I could tell from the weight that it was a healthy double of the 12 year old Glenfiddich. Little was I to know that each night they would get healthier. By the end of our stay my whisky was poured into the cup with a knowing smile. As it was passed to me it was obvious I was now getting a cup full of whisky so see out my night. Sat out on the deck of the villa, gazing into the very clear night sky, sipping whisky, very grateful for the life we choose to lead.

And it wasn’t just the bar staff. The service right across all the venues on the island was impeccable and the staff so friendly. Even in the short time we were there we felt like we got to know them a little. I smiled one day, returning to the villa to see that they had dropped off a pink lilo for us in the plunge pool. They must have been reading my mind. And that afternoon I spent a leisurely few hours floating on the water, drinking cold beer, wondering where it all went wrong.

All this eating and drinking has consequences. Which is why we live a life of balance. Each day found us in the air conditioned gym keeping up with our daily exercise routine. Time on the treadmill seems to pass so much faster when you have a view of the ocean between the trees. Showered, cooling down from the excesses of the gym, with a cold beer and another round of the Maldivian Uno Classic. Can anybody remember the score?

So hard to say goodbye

It is always hard to leave a great holiday destination. It is even harder to leave The Maldives. Walking around to Lime and Chilli for our final breakfast, a couple of black tipped reef sharks swam in to say goodbye to us. Today, we were headed back to Colombo for a couple of days sightseeing and to close out an amazing trip.

We had two nights booked at our hotel in Colombo, only one of which we will be sleeping. Our flight back home leaves Colombo at 1.45am so we paid for the extra night allowing us to go for dinner and then come back to the room for a nap, to freshen up, and be somewhat ready for travelling at such an ungodly hour.

At least I got to finally try my very first string hoppers for breakfast. I would call that ending on a high.

Heading to Ahangama in the mood for Xmas

We left Mirissa in Sri Lanka’s south singing xmas carols in the sun, as we rode a taxi the 40 minutes up the coast to Ahangama. Headed to a hotel called “The Find”. And indeed, it did look quite the find and I soon discovered why. When booking travel it is always important to check the currency you are booking in. What looked like a fair price to Victoria in $AUD cost quite a lot more when converted into the actual currency of US$. The fact that it is adults only more than made up for the cost.

Uttering our familiar refrain of “sunk cost” we put the spent beer money behind us and checked into what turned out to be a very swish hotel. Looking like something in the desert of Palm Springs, The Find only has 9 rooms, all with ocean facing views. With a pool and an open air bar and restaurant, it whispered “luxury”. The breakfast was the best we had on our trip, even if it veered more towards a Western style of breakfast. It was here that I had my very first bircher muesli and the jury is still out for me.

The Find, found

The town of Ahangama is much like a lot of the towns along this south west coast of Sri Lanka. Built on either side of a roaring and hectic main road. Yes, this is the main road through to Colombo in the North so we again had the kamikaze local buses hurtling through. What this design does make for though is that one side of the road has uninterrupted sea views. So, whichever bar or restaurant you go into you get the same million dollar views. 

We had these views for our first lunch in Ahangama. A kottu dish at Popeye’s that Victoria still dreams of. Sat with our toes in the sand, the waves stopping just short of our feet, with a cold Lion beer. This is Sri Lanka. We slept lunch off with a chilled afternoon on the sunloungers at the hotel, waking in time for happy hour cocktails. Cocktails that cost as much as the previous day’s food and drinks combined. On our travel budget we wouldn’t be spending our afternoons like this too often.

Enjoying Sri Lankan curry and rice in Ahangama

Budget order was restored at dinner, eating in a very popular local restaurant called “The Townhouse”. All the sandals at the door told us we had to enter barefoot, and the menu suggested we had to have the very good Sri Lankan curry and rice. It was delicious and was served with a “cutlet”. Not the pork cutlet I was expecting. In Sri Lankan cuisine a cutlet is akin to an Italian arancini. It was very tasty. Washed down by my daily fix of mango smoothie. For our after dinner stroll we mingled with the locals as they shopped at night markets and mobile bakeries.

Our time in Ahangama consisted of early morning beach walks before an excellent breakfast. Did I just have the best banana pancakes in my life? Lazy days around the pool, reading and surreptitiously checking the cricket score. The Ashes were not going well. Cheap and tasty rotis from streetside vendors and prices so low I was scratching my head. For our final dinner we walked to a restaurant called “The Bus Stop” which had excellent Google reviews. 

We were the only ones there. Yet, as we always choose to do, we stayed and ordered. And we were glad we did. Very friendly service and very good food. They also served alcohol so we treated ourselves to a large can of Lion beer.

Galle, revisited

Friday saw us having our final breakfast at The Find and ordering an Uber for the ride to Galle. As circumstances dictated we had already visited Galle when we left flood ravaged Kandy. This time we were back in a hotel Victoria booked, say no more, and we had plenty of time to visit the sights in this UNESCO heritage enlisted city.

Galle also had a train station so the first order of the day was getting a refund for our cancelled Kandy to Ella train. For which we had to find a tiny shop that offered a photocopying service and get copies of our passport. Thankfully, this was close to the train station and the whole refund process was quick. Second order of the day was lunch and I had a tasty chicken curry with paratha and Victoria, a trusty kottu. Drinks? Yes, I had a mango smoothie. 

Galle is a very popular stop on this side of the Sri Lankan coast. Many tourists and holiday makers come and walk along the walls of the fort, visit the lighthouse, and meander through the charming narrow streets checking out the old architecture. The town has a very good feel to it. And you soon get used to the constant flute of the snake charmer.

Yes, snake charmers still exist, and tourists still seem to pay them to rouse their soporific cobras from their wicker baskets. Animal welfare is not top of mind in a lot of countries, and in Sri Lanka we saw quite a few monkeys on chains being paraded for tourists to take photos. A part of me dies inside every time I see it.

Walking back to the hotel I picked up a new nightcap. The local whisky had served me well and now I am going to try the local Arrak. Supposedly a mix between whisky and rum. Distilled from coconuts this sounds like my kind of drink. I nursed a couple as we continued our “UNO Sri Lankan Championship”, not that I remembered which of us was winning after the Arrak.

Not our first rodeo, high tea in Galle

Saturday dawned with the realisation that we left Perth a whole two weeks ago. I am not quite sure where the time has gone. Reflecting on this we made our way down to breakfast. The breakfast was a let down after the ones we had at The Find. In truth, most breakfasts are a let down after that. We were back to cold toast, tasteless jams and the ubiquitous fruit plate. We made up for it later in the afternoon with a decadent high tea at the luxury hotel, Amangalla, a stylish colonial inspired building.

I was initially drawn in by their claim of clotted cream. Sadly, this did not prove to be true. That said, the high tea was excellent, as was the service. We whiled away a wonderful couple of hours sipping bubbles, drinking tea, and eating scones on the terrace of the hotel. 

Manifesting a scoring run in Galle, sadly

With no need for dinner in the evening we enjoyed a couple of cold beers and watched the Premier League football in the Taphouse pub. Victoria got into some banter with a Leeds Utd fan and shared her opinion that Calvert-Lewin “couldn’t score in a brothel”. I am sad to report that he hasn’t stopped scoring since. Be careful what you wish for.

I wished for a better breakfast. Alas, it didn’t appear. As our next destination was only 30 minutes away we made the most of the morning in Galle. Victoria had a very good massage and I had a good coffee. We were both relaxed. Ordering an Uber we were on the move again. Next stop, Hikkaduwa.

On to Hikkaduwa but who with?

Our Uber driver actually looked like the person in the Uber app. This hasn’t been the case many times on this trip. The first time it happened I was very thrown. What do we do? Get in? State the obvious, “this is not you”? As they have the app open, and have my name and booking on their screen, we always just jumped in. With the passing around of the Uber credentials this could explain why some of our drivers appeared not to be able to drive very well. I wondered, is this a way of avoiding the need to have a driving licence?

I put this to the back of my mind as we approached Hikkaduwa. We received a warm welcome at the Saffron Robes hotel, presented with a cold King Coconut as the welcome drink. The hotel looks and feels modern, in the concrete style that appears to be gaining in popularity. Situated down a quiet laneway off the frantic main road it had an air of tranquility.

Not the locals we want to meet in Hikkaduwa

Our tranquility was shattered as we walked to town along the river. Seeing something large out of the corner of my eye we turned and saw a huge lizard like creature that I first took to be a Komodo Dragon. Researching later we discovered that it was in fact a Water Monitor Lizard. It was huge and thankfully didn’t move very fast.

We moved faster, heading to the nearest cafe for lunch. Cool Spot was another empty restaurant. Small and family run, we sat down and ordered a kottu each. They even served beer so we treated ourselves. The young man working there was “kind” enough to put the cricket on the TV. Hearing our English accents I think he did this on purpose. The Ashes was not making for enjoyable viewing as an Englishman.

What was more enjoyable were the sunsets that were beyond superlatives. We headed to a local bar, one of many along the beach that have uninterrupted views as the sun slowly sets. Truly million dollar views for the price of two Lion beers.

Our thoughts turn to the next phase of the holiday

Sipping my Arrak nightcap, which is tasty and even better with local ginger beer, we reflected on the upcoming part two of our trip. Which will be our first visit to the Maldives. Before then we needed to find a hotel for tomorrow night in Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital. I left this to Victoria and as always she knocked it out of the park. We were to stay in what is now one of my favourite hotels in the world.

Keep following to find out more.