The last week in March my husband, 9 year old daughter and myself will be renting a car and taking a week to drive from Brive la Gaillard to Perpignan and then taking the train back to Paris. We will be checking out some caves and of course all the beautiful villages. If anyone has any pointers on things we can't miss let me know, including favorite restaurants-food we must try and interesting (not fancy) hotels. We are all adventurous eaters and very active. We are spending some time in Paris before this so we will probably stay away from any large cities. We live in a small town in Montana so we are used to mountain driving and long distances between towns. Any advice on things that are popular but that maybe don't warrant a lot of time is also appreciated. Thanks!!
Since you are going to Colorado Springs to see Seven Falls, you might as well see Garden of the Gods and drive up Pikes Peak.ce you are going to Colorado Springs to see Seven Falls, you might as well see Garden of the Gods and drive up Pikes Peak.<<
It’s about 1h30m from the airport to Colorado Springs and a bit less back to Central Denver in good traffic. I suggest that you spend your first night in Colorado Springs area after visiting the falls and the Garden of the Gods rather than returning to Denver. Manitou Springs is a cool place to stay just a few minutes from COS-lots of motels on the main road through the canyon.
On day two I suggest that you head west on Highway 24 which will take you around Pike’s Peak for a great view of the heavily forested west side of the mountain. Continue west on Highway 24 through Buena Vista. The best way IMHO to get to Glenwood Springs from this point is to take Highway 82 over Independence Pass to Aspen and on into Glenwood Springs. Independence Pass is typically open by the Thursday before Memorial Day. It’s been a very heavy snow-and avalanche-year, so check online before you head out. If Highway 82 is still closed, continue on Highway 24 to Leadville, one of the highest towns in the country, and on to I-70. Then take I-70 west to Glenwood Springs.
Enjoy the hot-spring-fed pools in Glenwood with the remainder of the day.
Day three: make this your rafting day. There are many rafting operators on the Colorado Rver in Glenwood Canyon. If you missed Aspen on day two, head back to Aspen with your remaining time. Take the gondola up the mountain. There are a number of easy hikng trails at the top.
Day 4: Back to Denver on I-70. Stop at Red Rocks on the way.
***If Day 4 is May 27. (Memorial Day), you might want to do this itinerary in reverse to avoid heavy “going home” traffic into Denver on I-70.
Title: Trekking to the Hidden Monasteries of Garni
Destinations Covered: Garni, Armenia
Theme: Hiking and exploring ruins in Armenia.
Style: Entertaining travelogue with informative how-to section
Synopsis: A hike from the pagan Temple of Garni to the ruined monastic complex of Havuts Tar turned into much more than I expected when I spontaneously decided to visit St. Stepanos Monastery as well. The trek took me nearly 24 kilometers through the mountains of the Khosrov Forest Reserve, encountering sheepdogs and snakes along the way. This piece is one part travelogue and one part how-to article, with helpful tips at the tail end of the post.
URL: http://openroadbeforeme.com/2018/05/trekking-to-the-hidden-monasteries-of-garni.html
Posted July 26, 12:50PM PDT
Carr Fire. Northern Calif. between Eureka, on the North Coast and Redding, inland on Highway 5
Cranston Fire, Southern Calif. in the mountains southwest of Palm Springs
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Carr Fire Currently 20,000 acres & growing fast. Fire incident page
See map The orange & red blobs are hotspots detected by satellite, not necessarily areas of raging fire. Highway 299 is the main route between Eureka on highway 101 on the Coast and Redding on Interstate 5, the big inland freeway that goes from Mexico to Canada. The urban area to the east of the fire is Redding. The irregular black blob to the north is Lake Shasta. The fire has overrun part of Whiskeytown Lake and is moving toward Redding & Lake Shasta.
Highway 299 is closed. There is a detour, but it's not great for RVs or trailers. If the fire gets into Redding, I-5 may close. It would also be a major disaster. Already there has been property loss including a marina on Whiskeytown Lake.
Cranston Fire Fire incident page. The fire is on the west side of the San Jacinto Mountains, which are south & west of Palm Springs. There are a number of small communities and it's a popular recreation area for Southern Californians. See map The orange circles represent mandatory evacuation areas.
This one blew up yesterday. It was caused by an arsonist, who has been arrested. Several homes have been lost and more are in danger.
There are road closures and closures of hiking trails & recreation areas. Palm Springs is not directly affected by the fire, but smoke is an issue. There is an air quality advisory for possible unhealthy conditions."The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is operating normal business hours. There is no camping in the State Park and no hiking beyond Long Valley due to the Cranston fire."
1) No, there are no sleeper trains in Indonesia. There are night trains, but they are just normal trains without beds. But in the executive class trains you may still be able to sleep well.
2) The trains from Jakarta to Yogyakarta take the route via Cirebon and Purwokerto. There is nice scenery on the way, but also a large part is rather boring. The more interesting train route is from Bandung to Yogyakarta (i.e. through the mountains via Garut-Tasik-Banjar), but to take that route you would have to take another train from Jakarta to Bandung first.
3/4) I think the estimates by richiavo are just doable, assuming there is no traffic congestion, no waiting time at the ferry port, and the bus doesn't stop for restaurant breaks. You should count on almost a full day and night for your trip. Taking a plane is much easier and faster and if you book in advance not much more expensive.
Keep in mind: if you take the train, the only direct train Yogyakarta-Banyuwangi is an economy class train. For a more luxurious train you would need a transfer in Surabaya.
6) Usually booking a few days in advance is still fine, if it is no national holiday period.
If your goal is to visit airports and train stations one day is perfect. If you want to see the city it's borderline madness.
Instead of making a list of cities . Make list of the things you want to see and do in each city. For example
Rome
Coliseum and surrounding area? At least a day
St. Peter's at least half a day if you ignore the museums.
Wander the historic centre? A lifetime
Take your selfie in front of the Trevi Fountain?
etc
etc
Beating a dead horse...
Turkmenistan is the fly in the ointment. You either MUST join a tour, or get a short transit. That transit needs to be a true transit showing evidence of enter requirement for Country A and Country B. Otherwise the tour is disproportionately expensive.
Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are super easy to travel. Most places of interest are linked by train and their used to dealing with foreigners. Kyrgyzstan is a little more difficult. And if you want to get into the mountains, engaging a local tour agency (ie CBT) is the best way. Tajikistan is lacks tourism infrastructure, particularly the Pamirs. On the bright side, there's only 1 road you're likely to use, so it's directionally simple.
I visited Argentina (and, briefly, Uruguay) over 4 weeks in September and October 2018.
The following are some observations on my time in Argentina (and Uruguay) that I hope may be of assistance to other travellers in planning their trip.
My journey commenced in the west of Argentina in Bariloche. I went south from there (to Tierra del Fuego), up the east coast and then north, concluding in Puerto Iguazu. In particular, I spent nights in Bariloche, El Chaltén, El Calafate, Puerto Madryn, Buenos Aires and Puerto Iguazu. I also spent 2 nights in Montevideo (Uruguay).
The highlight of my trip to Argentina was a visit to Iguazu Falls (accessed via Puerto Iguazu). This is undoubtedly one of the natural highlights of the world. The sight of massive volumes of water plunging over a plateau (especially at the Garganta del Diablo) is simply mesmerising. The incredible booming sound of the water adds to the visceral feast. Of course, you will have to share this experience with a large number of fellow travellers - many of whom will be selfie-obsessed and may not have the same interest in soaking up the experience as you. I recommend arriving at the park when it opens at 8am, or, alternatively, scheduling a visit later in the afternoon, in order to experience this spectacle when the hordes will be smaller. I also visited the Falls from the Brazilian side. While it is true that the perspectives are a little better on the Brazilian side (given that majority of the falls are on the Argentinian side), you don’t get the same experience of the raw power of the water on the Brazilian side - which, in my view, is the really impressive element of the experience. If one was short on time and/or money (the cost of entry on the Argentine and Brazilian sides is equivalent) the experience from the Brazilian side could be skipped without great loss. That said, the Parque das Aves, which is opposite the entry gate on the Brazilian side, is a worthwhile excursion - a great opportunity to experience a significant number of birds from across Brazil and South America. In particular, this park was a significantly superior experience to other bird parks that I have visited in South America (at Otavalo and Cuenca, in Ecuador) - although, all are doing admirable work in caring for rescued birds.
Comments on other places in Argentina:
Bariloche. Bariloche is all about views - the scenery of the lakes and mountains surrounding the city is spectacular (these views are superior to those around Puerto Varas and Pucon in neighboring Chile). A good place to appreciate the views is Cerro Campanario (a short bus ride north of town) - one can either walk up the mountain or take the cable car. Another (albeit more expensive to access) vantage point for the views is Cerro Catedral. (The “Circuito Chico” offers similar, but less spectacular, views). Bariloche is famous for its chocolate and every 3rd shop along the main street seems to be a artisanal chocolate-maker. The largest chocolate emporiums (particularly Rapa Nui) have refined the retailing of chocolate, in all its forms, to a fine art. The ice cream in Bariloche is also good (although great ice cream is a feature of Argentina). Another thing that is immediately striking about Bariloche - it throngs with teenagers - Bariloche is one of the key destinations for school leavers (Argentinian, as well as teenagers from other countries in South America) for end-of-school trips.
El Chaltén. Your experience in El Chaltén is likely to be weather-dependent (use the website windguru for forecasts). Surprisingly, I didn’t find the prices in the supermarkets to be too dissimilar to those in El Calafate - despite some commentary that I had read to the contrary - although, understandably, the range is more limited. El Chaltén is promoted as the trekking capital of Argentina. I was surprised, therefore, to discover that the trails were relatively poorly maintained. I was also surprised by the non-existence of any shelters on any of the trails - as the weather can change rapidly in the area (eg trekkers may face sudden snow), I would have thought that shelters were essential on all trails. When the weather is good, the views on the trails are spectacular. The advantage of trekking around El Chaltén (vs nearby Torres del Paine in Chile) is the considerably lower cost - both accommodation and transport (not required in El Chaltén as you begin trekking when you leave the door of your accommodation). The views in both places are similar.
El Calafate. The only reason to stay in El Calafate is the proximity to the nearby Perito Moreno glacier. On a sunny day, the glacier is an amazing sight. Note that the timings on the trails around the glacier (as per the National Park map) are wildly excessive for any moderately fit person - even stopping to take copious photos, it will likely only take you half the listed time. If you take public transport to the glacier (departure 9am, return 4pm) you will have ample time to walk all of the trails, have lunch and take the 2pm boat ride to get a close-up view of the glacier. (Note that there are two boat companies offering rides - one takes passengers on tours to the south of the glacier and one to the north. If you take public transport you will only be able to access the boat that takes tours to the northern face as the departure point of the other boat is further south than you will want to walk, but, in any event, the northern face is probably the more interesting). Is a boat ride worthwhile? Seeing the glacier is all about perspectives, the boat gives you a different, closer perspective. For that reason, I think that undertaking a trek on the glacier (which I didn’t do) might also be interesting.
I also visited the Glaciarium near El Calafate. I thought that it was OK, but not amazing - I was hoping for more, given the price. There was a lot of interesting material, but I left feeling that it could have been better presented.
El Calafate boasts several “Don Luis” confiterias. These are a good place to try out that staple of Argentinian culture - mate. Upon ordering mate, one receives a mate (cup) containing Yerba mate leaves, a bombilla (straw), a thermos of hot water (for refilling your mate) and a selection of pastries.
Puerto Madryn. Wildlife viewing is the reason to visit Puerto Madryn - there are 4 iconic animal species to be seen - southern right whales, Magellanic penguins, sea lions and elephant seals.
Whale viewing - Whales can be seen from the beach at Playa Escanteras - a short drive (or a longer cycle) north of Puerto Madryn. At high tide, these views can be amazing - and make you wonder whether you need to take a boat trip for closer views. It is relatively expensive to take a boat trip and, in my experience, the views that you get may not be any better. If you do decide to take a boat trip from Puerto Piramides, my advice is to book your boat in advance. I took the public bus to Puerto Piramides and sought out a boat when I arrived. The first two companies that I approached were booked out for the day ... and I was lucky to get a place, in a very full boat, with the third company I approached - you may not be so lucky! The public bus to Puerto Piramides leaves Puerto Madryn at 9.45am and returns at 6pm. These are not particularly friendly times and will leave you with quite a lot of time in Puerto Piramides after the boat trip (which lasts for only about 1 hour). You will be left with plenty of time to walk to the sea lion colony at Punta Piramides - if you are lucky, there may also be good whale watching from there.
LP word limit reached. Commentary continued in Part 2.