We've been asked about what the best activities on our trip were. There are so many memorable things that we've done together in our year away, its difficult to distil this to just ten, especially with a 'late contender' from our recent time in Borneo.
As we talked about this as a family and also started trying to rank them, we found it very hard to compare, say, the thrill of swimming with a sea-lion with the wonder of staring in awe at one of the highest mountains in the world.
So we decided to just put a list together of the things we enjoyed the most, not to worry too much about the order of them and not to feel guilty about many other things we enjoyed doing that aren't on this list too.
Skydive Taupo, New Zealand
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| Ready to jump.....(as if you have much choice at this stage!) |
No doubt about the biggest adrenalin rush of all - Skydiving.
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| Whooooo-hoooo! |
Snorkelling with sealions at La Loberia, Galapagos, Ecuador
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| Sunset at La Loberia |
Amazingly, this is something you can do quite easily in the Galapagos - and it's free. La Loberia is a deserted beach on the small island of San Cristobal, with sealions everywhere - you are very much on their beach. The younger ones in particular are very playful, they swim right up to you at high speed, inches from your face, and then arch away, or they'll swim rapidly around you in circles. There is always a large bull sealion patrolling to remind you not to get too close!
Observing amazing wildlife by boat and on horseback in the Pantanal, Brazil
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| Horse ride at sunset along the river bank on obedient horses! |
We spent a few days in the Pantanal, and were amazed by the abundance and richness of wildlife there. It was a fantastic experience for the boys, already fascinated by animals thanks to Steve Backshall's Deadly 60, to have so many up-close wildlife encounters. The caiman, jabiru, great black hawk (especially the one with the water cobra in its talons!) giant otter, hyacinth macaw, piranha and of course toucan are just a few we remember seeing there.
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The caimen are so still, sometimes you don't
see them even if you are really close! |
Dolphin and whale watching at Puerto Pyramides, Valdes Peninsula, Argentina
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| One of the whales duly obliged with this classic pose |
The Valdes peninsula is famous for the orcas that beach themselves in February to catch and feed on unsuspecting young seals.
We were there in December so missed this (perhaps just as well...the boys might have been a little upset!) but did get to see the orcas from a distance, as well as marvelling at the majestic southern right whales passing directly under the boat.
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We were leaning out over the front and this 15 metre
beauty passed by directly underneath |
Buller Gorge Jetboat, South Island, New Zealand
The Shotover ride in Queenstown normally gets all the attention but this trip on Buller Gorge, also on the South Island, is longer, less busy, cheaper, just as fast and definitely very exhilarating!
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| High-speed thrills |
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| Did I mention you get a bit wet? |
Trekking to Poon Hill, Nepal
We did a five-day trek in the Annapurna region of the Himalayas. It was a real challenge (especially the going up part!) and gave the boys a strong sense of achievement, especially when we reached 10,000 feet and were rewarded with memorable views of some of the Top 10 highest mountains in the world.
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| Annapurna South, at 8,091m, 10th highest mountain in the world |
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| With our guide, Ratna and Dhaulagiri, 8167m, in the background |
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| Machupachare, the famous, sacred, 'Fishtail', just before sunrise |
White water rafting and "cool river running" in San Rafael, Argentina
We rafted a few times on the Atuel river, and Louis and I also went down in a kind of converted inner tube, which they call "Cool River". It kept you very close to the action! My father came over from England and celebrated his 80th by white-water rafting with us too!
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| Rafting on 31st December - great way to see out the old year! |
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| Louis and Frankie loved getting wet! |
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| Louis getting face to face with a rapid while "Cool river" running |
Tropical island hopping on Ovalau, Fiji
We spent three weeks in Fiji, mainly at Bobo's Farm. As well as introducing us to the wonderfully hospitable villagers of Rukuruku and guiding us on hikes into the jungle, Bobo took us to the the most beautiful local islands enjoying excellent snorkelling, drinking and eating fresh coconuts, and sampling the fish he'd just caught with his spear!
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| Approaching Mystery Island |
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| Just moored on our very own Moloi Island, only surfaces at low tide! |
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| Going home to Rukuruku |
Amazing wildlife in the tropical rainforests of Borneo
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| Frankie with a crested lizard |
In our month in Borneo, we stayed in jungle camps and wooden shacks to experience wildlife encounters we'll never forget. We saw orangutans, proboscis monkeys, silver-leaf monkeys, huntsman spiders, snakes, frogs, lizards, bats (over 2 million of them) and more - it's a very long list!
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| Proboscis monkey having a bad day |
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| The youth of today are so uninhibited..... |
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| 2 million bats head out of their cave each night here in Mulu, Borneo |
Icebergs and glaciers in Patagonia, Argentina
We spent three weeks in Patagonia and got up close to the amazing - and advancing - Perito Moreno glacier. We saw an enormous shard the size of a house slide into the water - and our treks took us to the windiest and coldest parts of our entire trip.
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| Ice crashing into the water at the giant arch that heads the glacier |
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| Real icebergs! |
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| Not surprisingly, the ice is very cold |
Travelling around Western Australia in an RV
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| Breakfast on the beach at Cape Range |
We spent a month - and 5,000 kilometres - working our way up the west coast and returned on an inland route back to Perth. The spectacular Cape Range National Park, the beautiful, rugged gorges of the Karijini, and the endless salt flats of Lake Ballard were three of the many highlights.
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| The unusual statues dotted around the vast salt flats of Lake Ballard |
Paragliding over Lima, Peru
A great introduction to alternative air travel, over the beaches, parks and traffic of Lima.
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| All good up here.... |
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| I'm loving this! |
Yes I know. There are more than 10. Sorry.
