Hereandthereclaire.com

First a little update on my day yesterday. I had planned to go Galle Fort in the afternoon, so after my delicious Egg Hoppers, I spent the morning watching the wildlife and reading on the Terrace, we had a slight mishap mid morning when I asked for some water, I thought it was taking a long time, then I was presented with a large plate of Samosas!! 😁😁 Total miscommunication!!

After a lazy morning I got ready for my trip to Galle, headed down to the entrance to get the Villas Tuk Tuk, when the lovely lady,  Dilruksha, came  down and said with a beautiful smile “No Madam, you not going to Galle, it is raining and thunder, not nice. You go sit and relax, look at the birds, eat some lunch then you go tomorrow” it didn’t seem like I was being given the option so I was like, well, OK then! I think they worry about me as I’m a female traveling on my own, it’s very sweet.

I took her advice and watched the birds from the swimming pool, it was fantastic, there wasn’t a soul around, just me, it was so quiet. While I was in the pool I watched 2 gorgeous Kinkfishers hunting, one was sat on a low branch right next to the pool. I also saw another huge lizard, squirrels, and the monkeys came past in the trees! It really was like paradise. After this I went for a walk around the garden and ended up with one of the gardeners showing me round, they grow lots of their own vegetables and fruit here, also some spices, rice, tea and much more. They also have chickens for fresh eggs, this particular gardener had helped to raise 2 abandoned Peacocks, they followed him the whole time, it was so cute.

As it’s the low season they are not many guests here so it feels like I have the whole place to myself, which is fabulous. This has got to be one of the most amazing places I have stayed in.

I had a lovely dinner, Nasi Gorang, a beer then headed to bed pretty early.

This morning I did manage to get to Galle Fort! It is a really interesting place. I started by walking all the way round the ramparts, which offers great views of the sea. There are lots of shallow areas, where families where playing in the sea.

I came across one of the most wonderful sights, a large group of school children all flying kites! 😍 Some were shop bought but lots of them looked handmade, I saw one with a tail made of newspaper, it really was so fantastic to watch them all playing and flying these kites, some had managed to get them very high. I stayed for a long time just sharing their joy.

I walked all around the fort, visited some churches, and the post office. There are lots of high end shops here selling the same things you get elsewhere in Sri Lanka but for 3 x the price! I stopped in a lovely little place for a cold drink, and the manager chatted a little, turns out he spent 7 years living in Potters Bar!! Small World.

I arrived back at the Villa a couple of hours ago, went straight to the pool, once again I had it all to myself, it was a great way to cool off. I am now sitting on the terrace writing this whilst drinking a beautiful cup of tea (made from the tea grown here) and listening to the monkeys, and enjoying the breeze.

Tomorrow I am heading off early to start my 5 day tour, first stop Kandy. I will be sad to leave this little bit of heaven, but am excited to see more of this beautiful country.

Love and Hugs

 

 

 

 

 

I am now at my next stop, Apa Villa Illuketia. I arrived here yesterday lunchtime, having taken a Tuk Tuk from Hikkaduwa. I used the lovely Ali again, this time we had his Mother, Wife and children waving us goodbye!

The journey from Hikkaduwa to Illuketia  took approx 50 mins, so not that long but it is enough time to see, hear and smell some interesting things! You will be pootaling along and you suddenly smell wonderful spices, cooking and your mouth starts to water, This is the good bit as you can just as easily be overcome with an extremely pungent rubbish aroma which makes you want to hold your breath for a very long time!  We travelled along the coast until we reached Galle, a large city, which is where it gets a lot more interesting/scary 😳 the traffic is crazy, mopeds, Tuk Tuks, buses, cars, lorry’s, cattle (yes, cattle) people, bicycles all rushing around, there seems to be no concept of junctions, or right of way, more a case of who dares wins! Ali and I were heading down a duel carriageway and had gone about 100 meters past a Petrol Station, when He decided he needed petrol, so he pulled over on the hard shoulder then did a u turn and headed  back on the same side of the road into oncoming traffic, it was a close your eyes, clench your butt cheeks and pray moment! 😱 We arrived at Apa Villa shortly after this thank god.

The Villa is absolutely stunning, it’s an old Plantation House which sits on 10 acres of  gardens, paddy fields, Tea and Rubber plantations. It is lush and green with an abundance of wildlife. I was greeted by a beautiful Sri Lankan girl who took me through to the veranda where I had a gorgeous ginger and lime cold drink and admired the beautiful view. My room is in the main part of the house, but has it’s own private terrace, the room opens on to a courtyard with a lovely fish pond. I walked around the gardens and found the wonderful pool tucked away amongst the trees. While I was swimming I could see the monkeys playing in the trees and stunning butterflies going past,  it is idyllic.

In the late afternoon I walked up the road to a large Buddhist Temple, which apparently holds the largest Wooden Buddha in Sri Lanka. On the way back I saw lots of chickens, ducks and a beautiful Kingfisher. I had a lovely Curry for dinner and headed of to bed for an early night, and also to escape the mossies, the only downside of being somewhere this lush and green is that the mossies like it as well!

This morning I was up early and had a wander through the gardens then sat on the veranda eating a tasty Sri Lankan breakfast of Egg Hoppers whilst watching the monkeys playing in the trees. Later this afternoon I am heading into Galle to visit Galle Fort. The Fort dates back to remarkably different historical eras where successive conquerors and rulers have left their mark, including the Dutch, Portuguese, British and the post independence Sri Lankan’s. It looks fascinating and I’m told that the sunset from here is great, so hopefully I’ll see that.

Peace and Love.

 

 

I have been here in Hikkaduwa for 4 days. It’s a really beautiful place.

The hotel I’m staying at is very small with only 10 rooms, and it is especially quiet at the moment as it’s the Low Season, everywhere is quiet and some place, bars/restaurants are closed. This hotel seems to be popular with young couples and what appear to be honeymooners! It isn’t also staffed entirely by men, all of whom are kind and considerate.

The beach is stunning, but due to the season and the wind it isn’t great for swimming in, which I don’t mind at all, I’m happy to swim in the pool but I do love listening to the sound of the crashing waves. 

While I have been here I visited the Tsunami Museum and Memorial. It was incredibly moving. Hikkaduwa was the site of one of the worlds worst rail disasters. The Galle to Colombo train was in Hikkaduwa when the first wave struck, it was derailed but standing, many of the passengers and lots of villergers then hid behind the train, approx 1,700 people, they were all killed when the second and more devastating wave hit. The Japanese people donated a Memorial Statue of Buddha. The Statue stands 18 meters high, the same height as the second wave and it stands just in front of the railway line. Over 30,000 loss their lives to the Tsunami in Sri Lanka. It is a testimony to their enduring spirit and courage that they have rebuilt and moved forward with faith and love.

On the drive down here from Negombo we drove through large areas of plantations and greenery. It was so lovely to suddenly spot kites flying and to see groups of children in the fields flying their kites and playing. Flying a kite is such a simple but wonderful thing to do.

The Plantations that we passed were Rubber trees and Palm Oil Trees. The Rubber trees are not native to Sri Lanka, they were bought here by the Chinese, likewise the Tea plantations the Tea bought here by the British to replace the coffee bought here by the Dutch! Now one of the countries biggest exports is clothing and fashion items made in large garment factories in Colombo and exported to the West.

From my hotel I can see all the traditional fishing boats returning to port at around 5/5.30 and I wanted to see them up close so yesterday evening I visited the port. I got a Tuk Tuk from the hotel. once I arrived an older man asked if I wanted to buy some fish, when I said no I just wanted to look round he appointed himself as my official guide! Off we went down from the street in to the port, when I looked round my Tuk Tuk driver was right behind us, which was a relief! (He lives opposite the hotel and his family had all waved goodbye when we left 😍) I was stopping to take photos and as the sun was setting my guide decided I needed better light, so off we go through all the boats and detritus floating about heading towards the huge rock breakwater. He thinks I would be best standing on top of the rocks!! Clearly  mistaking me for an Alpine Ibex!! Still, never one to disappoint, I climbed the rocks and took my pictures then slowly climbed back down with the help of Ali the driver! It was a fascinating place, the boats are so narrow and ingeniously designed. It is a hard living for the fishermen. Apparently lots of huge fishing ships from India and Japan are coming into their waters and taking vast numbers of fish, making their already difficult lives even harder.

I met a beautiful English guy here called Lyndon, he has lived here for many many years with his family and is a Yoga teacher and Zen master. We sat and chatted for a couple of hours, I’m just sorry I didn’t get to take part in one of his yoga sessions.

I am leaving Hikkaduwa tomorrow and heading a hour down the coast to Unawatuna, but I’m going inland to stay at an Eco Lodge. I will keep you posted!

Be calm, be strong, be happy. 💖💖

I have been in Sri Lanka now for 4 days, although I nearly didn’t make it at all!

I was happily relaxing in Singapore Airport, I visited the Butterfly Garden (how cool to have that in an airport!) had a wander around the shops, had some yummy vegetable fried rice, checked where my boarding gate was (thank god!) then I sat and had a coffee and chatted to the kids, meanwhile I have checked my paperwork several times and I keep seeing 21.30 but I think subconsciously I knew this was not correct because at 19.50 I went to have another look at the information board and it says that my flight gate is closing in big red letters! Shit, shit, shit! I leg it down the corridor arrive at the gate where there are no passengers, the staff rush me through more bloody security scanners and I finally board my flight at 20.00, which is scheduled to leave at 20.10! 😳 it is due to arrive in Colombo at 21.30…..😬 luckily for me they were running about 20mins late, still I made it.

I arrived in Sri Lanka at night, which is always a shame as you can’t really see anything. My B & B in Negombo was lovely, I had a glass of water and headed to bed.

After a restless nights sleep, and an early morning due to my alarm going off at 5am (time difference) I was awake and feeling tired and a bit emotional, missing my family, also still feeling a little apprehensive, I was back to traveling on my own. My travel plans for Sri Lanka have changed several times. Everyone who has been here and lots of people I have met on my travels, have offered thoughts and ideas of where I should visit, what I should see, best way to get there etc etc, I felt a little overwhelmed with it all. I had my first wobble of the trip and started to feel anxious and upset. I had breakfast, spoke to a couple of people, went for a walk, took some deep breaths and calmed down. I changed my plans again, and felt more settled.

Negombo is an interesting place, it’s close to the airport which has meant it become popular with people just arriving or just leaving the country, it has a beach which at first glance looks nice, but is actually quite polluted and covered in rubbish, apparently this is due to the lagoon which feeds into the sea here and brings debris from Colombo the capital.

I spent my time walking, or sitting by the beach reading and people watching, it was great!

The lady who runs my B & B,  Sriyani, is wonderful she is so kind and helpful. She got very upset that I had been ripped off over some cotton trousers I bought, she wanted to go and speak to the lady, but I said it was fine. She walked me to the beach on my first day so that I didn’t get lost (it is right next door to a big graveyard!) and just generally looked out for me, she also made the most gorgeous curry’s!! Sriyani arranged a massage at a spa, which was beautiful, very restful, she also organised a driver to take me to my next stop. The driver was her husband, Buddi, he was also really lovely, he runs tours throughout Sri Lanka. He was great during our drive down to Hikkaduwa, giving me lots of information, answering all of my questions. He took me to a Moonstone mine just outside Hikkaduwa, which was fascinating.  Having met and liked Buddi and discussed the sort of tours he does I have now changed my plans for the 200th time! And am going on a 5 day tour with him, going inland, doing a safari, visiting Temples, forts and also going to the east coast! I feel very happy with this decision! (at the moment! 😁)

Hikkaduwa and the hotel I am staying at are gorgeous! The sea comes right up to the hotel and when I arrived it was wild, with huge thunderous crashing waves! I love it!

I saw my first Sri Lankan sunset last night, it was simply stunning.

I am here for 5 days, so I’m going to do some trips out and about, relax and enjoy this beautiful part of the world.

Stay chilled. X

Sadly my time in Australia had almost come to an end, I’m writing this while sitting at Perth Airport waiting for my next flight.

I had a really fantastic last week in Bunbury with Rebecca, Chris and Georgia. I got to visit the Wildlife Park that Georgia has spent her summer working at, it’s small but really lovely, Georgia has really enjoyed her time there and she has been a valuable member of their team, she has developed a love for the birds, who,she says have very distinct personalities!

We all spent time together cooking, watching films and just chilling. This last weekend was particularly brilliant! We all went out on Friday night, we walked along Back Beach, watching the sun set and headed to a lovely bar/restaurant called Mash, where we all had a few cocktails! Then we met up with Chris and Rebecca’s friend Glen and his little boy Alex, had a few more cocktails, then made our way down the road to get Fish and Chips, the best fish and chips I’ve had in a long time! Pink Snapper, seasoned fries and a little salad and the best bit, homemade Tartare Sauce…yummy!

On Saturday while poor Georgia got up and went to work, we headed south down to Yallingup and Margaret River. I have to say that Yallingup has got to be one of my favourite places in WA, the coastline is stunning, the surf is epic and the colours are awesome! It’s kind of round the corner from Geograph Bay, which is where Busseleton and Bunbury are, so they are protected from the big surf, then Yallingup is like….Boom!! 🌊 . There is also a Fabulous Cafe/coffee shop,in Yallingup which kind of reminded me of Coffee on the Corner! Which I miss lots.

After spending time at Yallingup and further down the coast line, at another gorgeous spot, we headed down Caves Road, one of favourite Roads, ever…..it is lined with Wineries, breweries and gorgeous places to eat! It looks pretty nice as well. We stopped and had some wine at a stunning place called Vasse Felix, the winery had an Art Exhibition on, which was incredibly moving and powerful, all about displaced people, immigrants and trying to reach a safe place. We had a beautiful bottle of wine, some yummy cold meats and just chilled in the sunshine, perfect.

When we got home we had dinner….chicken pie, my favourite ! And played Taboo, I am the Taboo Queen!! We also drank perhaps more wine than we should…..oops 😬

My last full day in WA was on Sunday, and Rebecca had booked for us to go to another Winery, Hawksley, in the Ferguson Valley to have a meal.  The meal was a taster menu of seasonal food and was absolutely delicious, the setting was also stunning. We had a really wonderful time, the only thing missing was Grantley!

All in all I have had absolutely the best time here with my family, Rebecca and Chris have looked after me, and it’s been so good spending this time together.

Grantley is having a blast in Italy, keeping us updated daily, the photos are stunning, so proud of him.

I am now heading off on the last part of my adventure, Sri Lanka! I’ll admit to feeling a little apprehensive, I’m doing a fair bit of traveling round and it will be a completely new country, which I have no,experience of. I’m confident it will be awesome, but still, those butterfly’s are there!

Right that’s it’s folks, I’m off to have a Bloody Mary and put in my comfy pants!!

💖💖

 

Georgia and I got back from Bali yesterday afternoon.

We had a really wonderful week relaxing and enjoying the sunshine! Bali is a beautiful place to visit, the people are incredibly friendly and the country itself is beautiful. Although Georgia and I decided not to go out and about touring on this occasion.

Our Hotel was lovely, with lush gardens, fish ponds, beach front and a fabulous pool! We were quite lucky with the weather with only a few clouds and a little bit of rain. Georgia and I enjoyed the food, lots of yummy noodle and rice dishes! 😁

We managed to return to Australia without any smuggled felines, but it was a close call!

I will definitely return to Bali again.

I am now back in Bunbury for a week with Rebecca, Chris and Georgia. Grantley has been in Venice for the last 5 days and looks like he is having an amazing time, despite the heatwave! ☀️☀️

I’m looking forward to spending more time here with everyone, before heading off on the last leg of my trip!

Just a short little update this time. Keep reading, keep smiling.

Love life. 💖💖

Georgia and I have now been in Bali for just over 4 days, and we are loving it!

There has been one scary moment, yesterday we felt the echo tremor from the large after shocks in Lombok, there is a Just Giving Link on my Facebook for those suffering in Lombok.

Bali is beautiful, the most beautiful thing about it is the people, who are so incredibly friendly and welcoming. Georgia and I have not been on any tours so far, Georgia wanted to have a week relaxing in the sun and I’m happy to keep her company!

Our hotel is gorgeous, once you are in here it feels like a secret oasis with lush gardens, fish ponds, birds and gorgeous trees and flowers, Georgia is still feeding the stray cats, I’m not convinced we won’t have 1 or 2 stashed in our cases on the return journey!

We have spent our days chilling by the pool, reading, (yep on the reading front, I found a book I wanted to read on the bookcase here, but it was a total mission! The pages were all lose and unstuck, they blew away in the wind! Cue Georgia and I running around like demented loons! Then a page blew away and landed in the pool, I debated whether to retrieve it or not, thank god I did as it was the last bloody page! I finished the book and it was good, thank god, imagine the disappointment if after all that it had been shit!! 😬)

walking across the road to the restaurant and pool on the beach, eating gorgeous Indonesian food, walk back, more chilling! 😁  Possibly a drink or 2! It has been just what Georgia needed. 💕

We have been lucky so far on the Mossie front, no bites! Although I have been bitten by a bloody Ant 🐜 on my toe and it fucking hurt like buggery! I also got a sting stuck in my finger from swiping away some evil insect I felt land on my back! That also hurt like hell! I seriously think they hunt me down!

Grantley is now in Italy, he has arrived at his first stop Venice and is having a great time, despite the heat! It feels strange having my child alone in a totally different hemisphere! We have chatted and he is having a fab time! 😍

I have had a couple of amazing foot massages (your worst nightmare Kathleen!) a back and shoulder massage and a pedicure all for such fantastic value and really wonderful.

Tomorrow is our last full day here, I have loved being back in Bali and more than that I have loved spending quality time with my best baby girl! ❤️

Love Life! 💖

i have had an amazing week in Bunbury with my family. We have just been chilling out, pottering and enjoying being together. Rebecca and Chris are fabulous hosts and have us all in hysterics! The weather has not been kind to us! There has been a massive cold/wet snap for the last few days, even the locals and shopkeeps keep apologising for the shit weather, however it is winter in WA and we were warned by Rebecca and Chris, hence why I bought practically no warm clothes…Dooh 😬

We all went to the Ferguson Valley on Saturday afternoon to an award winning Pizza restaurant, it was gorgeous, it was on a small wine estate in the valley, we did a little wine tasting while we were there…be rude not to! 😁 The Pizzas were yummy and the place was beautiful. We then visited Wellington Dam and reservoir, a huge lake that was surprisingly low despite the torrential rain we have had, I guess there is a fair bit of winter still to go. We saw our first Kookaburra!! 😍

I love driving through the Australian wilderness/countryside there are barely any cars.

On Sunday we had our Bushtucker Wine Tour around Margaret River. We got picked up from the house (result!) and headed to Busseleton and Dunsborough to collect more people, then off to our first Winery; Fermoy, it was gorgeous. We then had a quick visit to a wonderful artisan olive oil and condiment place….more tasting, yummy 🤤 Then the next Winery; Woodynook, Fab! Then the next Winery; Knottinghill, where we did more tasting, had our lunch with a large glass of wine 🤪 We then headed to The Grove to try Liquors, presented by a very funny guy with a great line of banter. After this we made our way to the chocolate factory which sold fab chocolate and even more delicious ice cream. Then our final stop a brewery, it’s fair to,say we were all a little tipsy at this stage, everyone on the tour are now great buddies and getting on famously 😂 It was a really fantastic day and so wonderful that we got to do it all together. The journey home on the bus was interesting, I was the only one who managed to stay awake……

The following day, Monday was D Day for Grantley who is heading off on his own to tour Italy I’m sure he will,have an amazing time, Rebecca and Grantley have worked out a fantastic itinerary in Venice, Florence, Rome and Naples. He has been given a whole heap of safety advice, which I’m sure he is sick of hearing in stereo from Rebecca, Chris and I! I just hope he manages to check in with us occasionally.

Georgia and I also headed off on Monday and are now in Bali, our Hotel is massive and very beautiful with lots of gardens a pool in the hotel and one on the beach. Georgia has already made friends with the resident cat family, achieved via bribery with several sausages!!

We are currently relaxing on the sun beds, by the pool, with a cat beside us under cloudy sky’s with not a soul around patiently waiting for the sun 🌞

All is Good. 💖

 

 

 

 

I am loving being here in Bunbury wit he my beautiful children!

Rebecca, Georgia and Grantley met me at Perth airport, it was so weird seeing all of them together when I got to arrivals! There was lots of hugging, smiling and a few little tears (from me)

Australia obviously agrees with them as they all look amazing.

Chris had been over in the UK but got back on Tuesday, so it’s great to have everyone together.

Georgia has been volunteering at the local Wildlife Park, she cycles there everyday and gets to interact with lots of different animals and birds, she is loving it.

Grantley has been busy working out and planning his forthcoming trip to Italy, he leaves on Monday, first stop Heathrow then Venice, Florence, Rome and Naples, with a few others thrown in! It is going to be fabulous.

Rebecca and Chris have moved since we were last here and have bought their own house. It’s gorgeous, it is a lot bigger than it looks on Skype and they have made it look amazing, really individual, modern and quirky! There are lots of old photos every way, and in one room a whole photo wall, it’s been great looking at all the old pics!

Its winter here in WA and although we had a nice few days early in the week, a cold front has now come in and it’s a bit like winter in England, cold, wet and cloudy! But it’s still warm when the sun comes out.

I have spent my time relaxing or popping into town, going for a bike ride, chilling with my wonderful Family.

Georgia has been a bit sad that she missed the heatwave in England, so to compensate she and I booked a last minute deal on a week in Bali 😬😳😁 we leave on Monday! Obviously I haven’t been to enough countries on this trip! 😂

Lots planned for the weekend, award winning Pizzas in the Ferguson Valley, a Margaret River Wine Tour and being together.

Loving life right now. ❤️❤️

 

I have had an amazing few days in Sydney, I really need to return and spend more time here, there is so much more to see and do. It is an absolutely beautiful city.

Yesterday

I headed back into the CBD to meet with Julie Gentry, we had a lovely day mooching about, catching up having a drink or 2! Australia suits Julie, she looks beautiful.

Julie and Andrew have been completely amazing, kind and generous and they have made me feel so welcome, thank you very very much.

Today I am flying to Perth to see my Gorgeous family! Can’t wait to see them all.

Till next time people. Love 💖