New Places visited this winter season

 

This season we travelled down through Portugal stopping at overnight aires.  The one at Embalse   Almendra was particularly beautiful.

 

 

After visiting our friends in Penalva we headed through The Sierra De Estrella, just after they had suffered severe fires.  A most upsetting time especially as most of the fires had been set maliciously.

 

 

Crossed the border into Spain stopping at the delightful Roman Bridge near Alcantara, found the quiet stop near a divers quarry.  Lots of young Griffon Vultures on the cliffs here.

 

 

We park up on our usual campsite at Zahora, Camping Pinar San Jose.  This winter we achieved several new walks.  The first and longest was the ridge walk from Picacho to Aljibe in the Alcornacales National Park.  Approximately 16 km mountain walk from one summit to the other.  Splendid views, good company and knackered legs.

 

 

Our next outing was the coastal path from Tarifa towards Algeciras in the Estrecho National Park.  Brilliant views of Africa and the geology of the coastline.

 

 

Next new walk for us was back in the mountains near Los Barrios called Valdeinfierno.  A short walk along the river valley and a climb up to the view point.  We came across a plant we had not seen before with a fruit that reminded me of a Chinese lantern.

 

 

Back to the Estrecho Park and two river walks in one day.  Rio de Miel with a small waterfall at the end.

 

 

The next river walk is up the Rio Guadalmesi.  The weather is threatening but still we venture on.

 

 

This winter we also took the opportunity to visit the cliff of Gibraltar.  A trip by cable car took us to the summit.  We visited the caves, had a look at the monkeys and then onto the siege tunnels.  A very interesting place to look around and we were surprised at the extent of it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Keralan Backwaters

 

After breakfast, we said farewell to the hills and began the long drive back down to the lowlands and on to Alleppey (210km). At Alleppey we boarded our private houseboat, and the rest of the afternoon was spent cruising through the peaceful backwaters before mooring up for the night.

 

 

 

The backwaters of Kerala is a labyrinth of shimmering waterways, sandwiched between the inland hills and the Arabian Sea, and we have come here to wind down after a very busy holiday seeing as many of the wonders of India in a months holiday. The pace on board this lovely reed boat slows drastically as we watch the daily life’s of the villagers from the open deck. Along the narrow canals you can see the women washing clothes, pots and pans, their hair. Every picture is full of colour, the greens of the trees and water lilies, and bright pinks, yellows, and blues of the saris. The canals open out into large lakes with open vistas and bright green paddy fields.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 We have three crew members on board our boat, the cook is amazing as is eating the fresh fish straight from the lakes.

 

 

 

 

 The birdlife is also wonderful, plenty to see and the hours in the day just slip away.

 



 Tuesday we disembark at Kumarakom, and the Coconut Lagoon resort. It is a beautiful tranquil place on the backwaters surrounded by lakes. The wooden lodges have private courtyards which house an outside bathroom and shower. Showering under the stars with the sounds of the nocturnal wildlife is an experience we won’t forget for a long time. The lodges are in gardens, our favourite one being the butterfly garden. Our stay here has been a fitting finish to our incredible Indian adventure.



 Tomorrow we drive back to Cochin airport to start our homeward flights. Indian has been so different from everywhere else we have been. It’s vibrant, hectic, calm, and tranquil, the people are friendly and generous, hardworking and laid back. So many variable ways to describe it because it is such a HUGE country. We feel that we only had time to scratch the surface of each region we managed to see, but one thing is for certain we will return to WONDERFUL INDIA.