Our Own Piece of Paradise...

Looking down on North Smoky Beach from Captain Cook Lookout

For the day at least. About 25 minutes away from the Pacific Highway near Kempsey lies the Smoky Cape Lighthouse and surrounding beaches. Perched high atop the headland in the Hat Head National Park is this beautiful lighthouse which seems to burst from the seams of a desolate wilderness. Constructed in 1891, this working lighthouse is now managed by the National Park service and is home to one of the best located Bed and Breakfasts I’ve ever seen.  For a fee you can hire out one of the larger rooms on a weekly basis or stay in the B&B for the night. We didn’t stay here but would have loved to if our budget permitted.

From the parking lot of the lighthouse you are at Captain Cook Lookout with easy access to a picnic and BBQ area but more importantly you have access to the Jack Perkins Trail. This trail leads you eight-tenths of a kilometer down to our version of paradise, the North Smoky Beach.  Walking down the trail you’ll be treated to magnificent views of this unspoiled beach, the nearby Green Island, beautiful forest and some great looking spiders. For those arachnophobes, the spiders are off or above the track so you’ll be all good.

Down at the beach you’ll be treated to white sand, turquoise water and spectacular views of the lighthouse above. The sand is so clean that you won’t be able to stop your feet from squeaking as you walk along. Setup your towels, take a dip and soak up paradise. If you’re lucky, we were, you won’t see a single other person all day. We had this beautiful beach all to ourselves for the entire day and enjoyed every second of it. Your only company might be the kangaroos which may come down later in the afternoon to graze on the grass near the beach. We spent all day lounging on the beach, looking for shells and having a fish. One warning, we did notice some pretty strong rips in the water so it’s probably not a great place to bring small children who want to swim. We headed back to the car at the end of the day and were off, definitely missing our own little piece of paradise.

Here's a few of our pics from our little paradise:

Looking down on a long beach in Hat Head National Park

Pamela checking out the lighthouse

Looking towards Green Island from the beach

One of the few spiders on the way down.

Truckin it down the trail

Looking back up on the lighthouse from North Smoky Beach

Our lunch spot

Cheers for Now –

Pamela and Dave

South Asia – Done and Done

Sunset over the Betwa River in Orchha, India

We've just wrapped-up the 86^th day of our honeymoon with flights out of South Asia to Europe. So far we’ve traveled about 34000 kilometers (21000 miles) on our honeymoon. Much of the distance has been covered in the air but quite a bit in busses, trains, cars and countless tuk-tuks and rickshaws. We’ve spent the last 41 days in South Asia and have made some awesome memories and friends along the way.  Nepal, Maldives and India were all really good to us but we’re excited to move on to our next adventures.  The below is a brief summary of our last 6 weeks and a quick update on budget and health.

Nepal
We spent the majority of our time in Nepal and are definitely thankful for it. While in Nepal we trekked, rafted, jungle walked and relaxed; all the while trying to immerse ourselves in the culture and customs of the local Nepali people. Our second day in Kathmandu brought us to a Hindu temple where we witnessed cremation ceremonies on a river that flows to the Ganges, this was a bit of a culture shock but definitely very interesting and something that shouldn’t be missed.

Trekking in the Annapurna range of the Himalayas was one of the highlights of the trip so far and possibly one of the highlights of my life, at least so far. Unsurpassed beauty, decades old trails, welcoming villagers and amazing company are just some of the memories we’ll take from our trekking. Seeing how the local villagers lived in the mountain villages was really a source of inspiration. We passed so many kids on the trails who had to walk a long while to school each day, most with smiles on their faces. Spending some time in the Himalayas caused me to appreciate my own life and all of things we’re blessed with on a daily basis. This was the case for all of Nepal though. We really enjoyed our stay there and would definitely go back.

Maldives
There’s not much more I can say about the Maldives that I didn’t say in our Paradise articles one and two. We had an awesome time and want to go back sooner than later, preferably today if possible. Next time we’re going to shoot for an island farther away from the main islands as we want to fly on the floatplane. This was the “official” portion of our honeymoon and it was well worth it.

Wishing I was back here

India
You don’t just visit India, you smell, taste, touch, hear and feel the subcontinent. It really is an assault on your senses (some not all good) but a place not to be missed. We spent 16 days in India, managed to see a wild tiger, saw quite a bit of temples, palaces, forts and ate some very good food.

Our overall time in India was great but we did have some rather unpleasant experiences. From the few unpleasant experiences we’ve learned quite a bit for next time. We’ve learned that India train travel is probably not for us. We’ve learned that tourist police are not to be trusted as one stole some money from us, the only theft we’ve had on our entire trip. We’ve learned to stay away from the corn flakes in small hotels. We’ve learned to try and be a little more patient and understanding of individuals despite leering, rude comments, hygiene and just overall nastyness of some people. Of course unpleasant experiences are to be expected with any long –term travel and we try to take them in stride.

Our Tiger Crew at the Jehangir Palace in Orchha, India
From left to right, Pamela, Dave, Carol, Linda, Steph, Liz, Yaddu

The food here was great in India and we had many-many good and big meals. Had you told me that I was going to gain weight here in India I probably wouldn’t have believed you. We didn’t eat much western style food while in India but we sure pigged out on the local cuisine. I’m going to miss the daily curries and naan. We also didn’t get any type of food borne illnesses, no case of the Delhi Belly or anything resembling…I know that’s a bit too much information but hey.

Pamela having a big jump in front of the Taj

What’s Next
Europe and the Middle East is next on our agenda. We’ll be making some short stops in Athens and Paris before heading to Turkey, Jordan, Egypt and the U.A.E.  In between all the sightseeing we’ve booked ourselves a week at a Dead Sea resort in Jordan for some rest and relaxation.  We have quite a bit on our agenda in the Middle East and will probably be exhausted by the time we board our plane for Los Angeles a few days before Christmas.

Budget and Health
We’re still pretty much on track with our budget. Booking the extra days at the Dead Sea resort put us a couple dollars above our daily average target but we think it will be worth it. Otherwise we did really well in the Maldives, considering it was the Maldives and didn’t spend too much on souvenirs in India.

As for health, we are both doing well considering we’ve been on the road for a while.  Unfortunately I (DW) have some small eye infection, supposedly caused by dust, which I have to use eye drops for the next two weeks and can’t wear my contact lenses. Nothing to be concerned about though.

Thanks for reading and we hope you enjoy! Stay tuned…

Cheers for Now -

Pamela and Dave

Paradise - Part Two

Having leaps of fun in the Maldives

It’s with a sense of sadness that we report our “official” seven night honeymoon in paradise is over! We’ve had a wonderful time here in the Maldives and feel it’s definitely been the best part of our trip. Time went by so-so-so-so fast as it always does when having such a good time. Sitting here in the Malé airport (eating chocolate candy bars for breakfast) we miss our island already. We smile though because the memories we’ve made will last forever in our hearts and minds.

Enjoying our private pool.

We spent our seven full days on the island very-very comfortably. Whether it was chilling in our plunge pool, lying on the day beds at the Anchorage Bar, snorkeling around the island, playing pool, or just watching the rolling waves of the ocean from our deck, we loved every minute of it.

Ready for a night out on the island.

We did have a few  special events worth writing about. I (DW) held the first annual Villa 407 hermit crab races from our backyard. The winner got itself a new shell if they wanted it, none of them took the prize.  Pamela participated in a two hour cocktail mixing course at the Anchorage Bar on Sunday. During the class she got to make a Passion Mojito, Apple Martini, Chocolate Martini and a fourth which eludes our memory. I had a good time taking pics of the course and smoking a nice Cuban cigar.

Dinner out on one of the daybeds at the Anchorage Bar.

On Wednesday night we were treated to a really nice dinner at Sea Salt restaurant with our new friend Ursula who also happens to be the resorts General Manager. We each had mouth-watering lamb cutlets accompanied with awesome potato puree, an astonishingly good fried beetroot and goats cheese starter and an apple crème brulee to top it all off. We were very impressed with Sea Salt’s atmosphere, the food and especially the company.

Beautiful sunsets

 Thursday night the Sheraton treated us to a romantic private honeymoon dinner on the beach. We sat by candlelight about 2 meters from the water’s edge while the staff at Sand Coast restaurant served us a nice piece of tuna, a Maldivian specialty, following by a wonderful chocolate cake for dessert. It was a really nice way to spend the evening.  Also of note is the awesome breakfast buffet at Feast restaurant. For just $24 USD  you get enough food, good food, to fill you up for the rest of the day!  At least we did…

Our candle-lit private dinner on the sand.

Pamela enjoying dessert during our honeymoon dinner.

The Friday morning departure came way too fast. We woke-up for the sunrise, had a last minute dip in our pool then caught the 7:15am speedboat to the airport. It’s so cool taking a boat right to your departure area. Although we were very sad to leave, we take solace in knowing that we’ll come back, hopefully many times. To sum our honeymoon up , we’ve felt incredibly lucky and spoilt each and every day on the island. It’s just a shame we had to leave so soon.

We had a lot of fun.

A lot of fun indeed.

Click this link for Paradise – Part One: http://pamelaanddavertw.blogspot.com/2011/10/paradise-part-one.html

All of our pics (there’s a lot) from the Maldives can be found here: https://picasaweb.google.com/117257906652666550268/Maldives?authuser=0&feat=directlink

What’s Next
We’re off to Delhi, India for a 15 day Tiger Safari. This adventure will take us to three different national parks so our chances of spotting wild tigers are high. While in India we’ll also stop at the Taj Mahal, the palaces complex of Orchha,  Kama Sutra temples, Jaipur and many other interesting spots along the way.

I’m sure we’ll have heaps to write about from our next adventures so please stay tuned.

Cheers for Now -

Pamela and Dave

Paradise - Part One

 

Endless ocean vistas with breathtaking sunrise and sunset opportunities . Private pool villas. White sand beaches  to yourself. The clearest water you’ve ever seen. Falling asleep to the sound of lapping waves. Bubble baths with plenty of room for two.  A hammock swaying in the wind. Candle-lit dinners in the sand.

Seriously, this place is that beautiful.

For Pamela and I any one of the above could mark a special occasion or unforgettable memory. Here in the Maldives we are lucky enough to get it all and more, a lot more. It has been a lifelong dream of both of ours to visit the Maldives. We both know our seven nights here will be the highlight of our 12 month honeymoon and we're enjoying every second of it.  Our stay is just half over but the reality of this place has surpassed even our best dreams.

Taking a twilight walk along the beach.

We're lucky enough to be staying at the Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort and Spa. The resort sits on a private island encircled by the beautiful Indian Ocean. Our room type is an Ocean Villa which comes complete with a very private plunge pool and deck backing right-up to the ocean. The deck faces East and the sunrise views are outstanding, definitely worth drawing the curtains to watch. Much more on the resort in part two of this article.

This is the view from our bed.

Our five days here have been filled with nothing but relaxing activities. Whether it’s lounging in or beside our pool, snorkeling around the island, eating excellent and sometimes exotic food, playing billiards in the bar or just strolling on the beach, we’ve done nothing but relax and take it easy. Although I think we have about another thousand pictures to go through before we leave on Friday.

Pamela in front of the over-water bungalows at our resort. Walking around the island can take a while as there are so many awesome picture opportunities.

The Shine Spa at our resort is on it's own island.  

Nuts and bolts about our experiences here (and getting here) will come in the next article. We just wanted to share some pics and a quick update from the Maldives. We feel so blessed and fortunate to be here and hope all our friends and family can one day experience this place. It’s been an amazing honeymoon with hopefully many more amazing things to follow.

Pamela decked out the very large free standing tub for a relaxing bath. She was in heaven!

Cheers for Now –

Pamela and Dave
Special Thanks - 
Thanks so much to our friend Justin Malcolm and the great crew here at Sheraton Maldives for helping us organize this amazing villa and making our stay so memorable. Also a special thank you to our parents for helping make this dream a reality.