Category Archives: Travel Articles

Articles, stories and advice on travel.

Sri Pada – Climbing Adam’s Peak

August 16, 2012 Red Hunt Leave a comment

Lured by the footprint of Buddha, pilgrims make the trek to the top of this sacred mountain in Sri Lanka every year from December to April.

But, so do Muslims, who believe the footprint is from Adam, while Christians believe it is from St. Thomas and Hindus believe it to be from Lord Shiva.

Adam's Peak in Sunlight — View of Adam’s Peak in Sunlight, after a midnight climb in Sri Lanka

Whew! Whose footprint is it? Really, that doesn’t matter as Sri Pada has been a pilgrimage site for thousands of years, and no mater what your belief, there is a sacred aura that surrounds the mountain.

I climbed the peak in January and even with my 3am start, there were plenty of people already climbing the stairs to the top.

First Light - Sunrise at Adam's Peak — First Light – Sunrise at Adam’s Peak in Sri Lanka

Along the way, little teahouses dot the trail, offering hot tea and sweets to power you on further. It’s very tempting to jsut stop and relax, but then you’d miss the show at the top – as the goal is to arrive at the peak in time for sunrise.

Prayer Flags in Sri Lanka — Prayer Flags blowing in the early morning sunlight on Sri Pada

Watching the sun slowly rise from a top a mountain is always a special experience, but when you add the ‘holiness’ element of this mountain to the morning glow, it was really a special experience. it was also my final day in the country, I was leaving later that afternoon, so it was the perfect way to cap off a great adventure in Sri Lanka.

After ringing the bell at the peak, the most magical moment happened shortly after, with the shadow of the mountain peak slowly creeping over the cloud-covered forest below.

Adam's Peak - Shadow over Forest — Adam’s Peak – Mountain Shadow over the Forest below

It was a quiet, peaceful few minutes watching the shadow crawl across the country, eventually fading away as the sun rose higher and started to burn off the morning clouds.

I had taken may great hikes around Sri Lanka to tops of temples, through rain forests and across grassy plains. But being amongst the pilgrims ascending Sri Pada was easily the most memorable trek I took in the country.

Adam's Peak - Forest — Sri Pada – View of the Forest after Sunrise

It is a bit of a challenge, but by going slowly and pacing yourself the climb up the many many stairs should be doable by almost anyone. Just know that the reward at the top is well worth it!

Travel Articles

Tasty Gozleme in Turkey

July 22, 2012 Red Hunt 4 Comments

One thing I really enjoyed about Turkey was the food!

I’m not really a foodie traveller, but I do enjoy some good sweets, meats and treats. After many kebaps, Turkish delights and an amazing Iskender meal, Turkey surprised me once again with another fun food – Gozleme.

Cooking Gozleme in Selcuk — Cooking Gozleme over the open fire griddle in Selcuk, Turkey

We were in Selcuk and had spent a long day hiking and exploring the scenery. We were hungry and getting a little cranky when we arrived at a little house with two friendly ladies working away at a wood-fired brick oven.

The open-air room was full of classically bright coloured Turkish rugs and decorations, a welcome place to sit and relax after our day in the hot sun.

Bright Colours of Turkey — Sitting down for some tasty Gozleme in Selcuk

As darkness began to fall, it was Gozleme time! These are tasty pastries, which are often filled with cheese, meat, eggs and potatoes. You have to make them by hand then cook them over a hot griddle.

The ladies made it look easy, but when some of us tried to roll our own, things got messy – not as easy as it looks! Being too hungry, I didn’t mess with trying to create my own Gozleme, I just wanted to eat! It was a fun experience though, seeing how a traditional Turkish meal was made.

Making Gozleme Pastry – Not as easy as the Turkish Ladies make it look!

Travel Articles

Capture the Colour: From White Boobies to Red Geckos

July 18, 2012 Red Hunt 16 Comments

Colour makes pictures pop and the TravelSupermarket Capture the Colour Photo Contest is responsible for many amazingly bright and beautiful image posts right now. It was Mariellen Ward at Breathe Dream Go who tagged me to participate in this contest, so I’m happy to share these five photos with you.

If you want to check out all the rules and details for this fun contest (yes, there are prizes to be won!) visit: http://www.travelsupermarket.com/c/holidays/capture-the-colour/

Alright, let’s get to the fun stuff…my humble entries into the world of capturing colour.

Green

This is one of the Emerald Lakes, which come into view after passing Red Crater on the Tongariro Alpine Crossing in New Zealand.

Emerald Lake - Tongariro Crossing — An Emerald Green Lake – Tongariro Crossing, New Zealand

Red

Well, hello there little lantern gecko. The gecko inside this lantern had it’s own private buffet of bugs. Flying insects would be attracted to the light and he’d be quick to gobble them up.

Gecko Lantern - Borneo — Red Gecko Lantern at Royal Mulu Resort in Borneo

White

A bird known for it’s blue feet, being chosen for a white image? Indeed, sometimes you have to look beyond the obvious to find a fun, or different, photo. A little fact about the blue-footed booby bird: Males have smaller pupils than the females! (This is a male.)

Blue

No boobies here, just a lone snorkeller passing by in paradise. A fairly classic image – bright blue skies and brighter blue waters in the Maldives.

Snorkelling near Vashugiri Island, Maldives — Blue waters, blue skies. Who wouldn’t want to snorkel in the Maldives?

Yellow

Some Canadian colour. The Boreal forest turns into a blanket of red, orange and yellow during the autumn. A beautiful time of year for hiking and enjoying nature.

A Sea of Yellow Leaves – Autumn Hiking in Quebec, Canada

Now for the extra-fun part. Nominating some other photo-friendly bloggers. Show us what you’ve got guys!

Cristina at thetravolution.com

Ian at wheresidewalksend.com

Allison at thetravelingbard.com

Dani at danicarlucci.com

Karin & Kieran at kandkadventures.com

Wildlife and Nature

Zodiac Cruising the Zhupanova River in Kamchatka

June 22, 2012 Red Hunt 4 Comments

After spending a couple of weeks in Far East Russia (Think Siberia, but further east), one of the places that stood out above the rest was the Zhupanova River in Kamchatka.

Zhupanova River - Zodiac — Zodiac Cruising in wild Russia, Volcanoes looming in the Background

Kamchatka is one of those rugged places with no road access to the rest of the country and cities and towns largely looking like they did back in the Soviet era.

Salmon fishing and hunting are common along this part of Kamchatka, yet the Zhupanova River boasted a huge array of wildlife and bird life, which attracted most of the people on my ship trip run by Heritage Expeditions.

Russian Fishermen, Zhupanova River in Kamchatka, Russia

In one short visit, I saw more than 20 Steller Sea Eagles, somewhere around 100 Largha Seals, a handful of Sea Otters and plenty of other bird species. With snow-capped active volcanoes in the background (some of them smoking) it was one of those surreal landscapes, the type of nature paradise that I prefer to seek out on my travels.

Steller Sea Eagle - Kamchatka — Steller Sea Eagle flying above the Zhupanova River in Kamchatka

Steller Sea Eagle in a Tree near the Zhupanova River in Far East Russia

Nature rules here and I was lucky to visit an area that only sees handfuls of tourists every year. Even the local fishing town was happy to see some visitors for a change and welcomed us in for some fish and tea.

Spotted, or Largha Seals in Kamchatka — Largha Seals lounging around in the water of the Zhupanova River, Russia

I even learned a little about birding in this part of Russia, after spotting the elusive Aleutian Tern. For someone who once disliked all birds except those that couldn’t fly, travelling to remote Russia with a boat of birders was an eye-opening experience. I dreamed about birds for a week after the trip and can now tell the difference between Tufted and Horned Puffins and also know that there is no such thing as a ‘Seagull’!

Fishing Village, Zhupanova River in Russia

Looking for Wildlife – Zodiac Cruising the Zhupanova River in Far East Russia

Wildlife and Nature

Piranha Fishing in the Pantanal

June 11, 2012 Red Hunt 3 Comments

Whenever I mention going fishing for Piranhas, people seem shocked.

I suppose they envision me fighting off a school of man-eating fish with my bare hands. It’s not quite like that, it’s really more of a laid-back afternoon in the sun, using long fishing poles while dangling morsels of meat in the water.

It seems the Piranhas are smart little things too, as they don’t all go crazy at the first sight of flesh. Heck, when I was safely fishing from a top a bridge a local Pantanal fisherman was wading through waist high water nearby. So, really, how dangerous could they be?

What most people don’t know is that there are anywhere from 30-60 different types of Piranhas in the world!

The Pantanal Wetlands – A Pretty Place even if you don’t catch Piranhas

One type, the Red-Bellied Piranha, is the one that is most aggressive and frequently resorts to cannibalism. As far as I could tell, the Pirhanas I was fishing for were one of the much lazier, less scary species. But – they still had damn sharp teeth!

It was a fun day, despite not really catching anything. A few people I was with had better success, so we were able to dine on some Piranha for dinner. What I enjoyed most was just being out in nature, in the world’s largest wetlands. Birds, fish, caiman and all sorts of wildlife live in the Pantanal in Brazil.

It’s a place I’d love to return to in search of more wildlife like otters, anteaters and jaguars. Perhaps I’ll fare a little better with my Pirhana fishing skills next time too. If you’re wondering where my photos of the actual Piranhas are…well, the only photo of the too0thy little things I took came out blurry. Another reason to return…

Red Hunt Travel