Responsibility For Srebrenica Genocide Determined

In July 1995, 8000 Muslim boys and men were killed in a genocide in a tiny town in Bosnia, close to the Serbian border, as part of the Bosnian war. This past week, the Bosnian Serb leader at the time has been found responsible for this crime, and sentenced to 40 year jail.

Driving through this tiny town, and stopping to pay my respects, was a powerful end to my time in Bosnia, as the memory of these tragedies of the war hovered over much of the country, and stories shared about the nation.

Now perhaps, people can start to heal.

There were also many messages pleading to "Never Forget: and "Never Again". But then, the world does not learn. These horrors continue today, in Sudan. In Myanmar. In Syria. In Yemen. In so many places.

Tassie Big Things

Setting off on a roadtrip from Launceston to Hobart after a football game this Winter, Laura and I happened the have checked out the list of Aussie Big Things that are in the Apple Isle, and started making some detour suggestions as we set off. Not big detours, but a slight diversion that would have us collect THREE! Our co-roadtrippers thought we were mad, but they went along with it nonetheless. And loved the end result, I might add!

The diversion meant coming off the main highway, and joining the road that had us also go past the Great Lake. Which was very pretty.

But first on the Aussie Big Things trial were the Big Wickets! In Westbury, they are standing in the public park, next to the football/cricket oval, and stand tall to mark the achievement of the local Australian test player. We were pretty excited to have found these!

Next up, and just further down the road, was a refashioned silo, painted with a handle and spout addition to be the Big Coffee Pot. This was on a farm on the side of the road in Deloraine.



A little further up the road is Mole Creek, and given that we were on a roll, we were hardly going to stop now, so close to another. The Big Tassie Devil! He is sitting out the front of a Wildlife Sanctuary, and looks pretty menacing!

Three Big Things in one day, plus the gorgeous Great Lakes area - definitely worth the detour on our drive down the island state!

Lost In Wilderness

It was actually too hard to get lost in the little town called Wilderness along the Garden Route roadtrip in South Africa. However, working up the courage to kayak along the Touws River, into the forest areas, allowed some time and peace to lose myself, and escape the world.

Another stop I made on my return trip along the Garden Route, Wilderness captured my heart. The people were friendly, the air was fresh, the scenery of forest and river and beach was spectacular, the food was great, the pace was chilled, and there was loads to do, whatever you are in to.

Being a non-swimmer, I had to psych myself up for the little solo paddle along the river, but right from the first drive through of the town, I was keen to do it.

I needed to enter the National Park, before I got to the landing spot of Eden Adventures and arranged the hire of my vessel. Laughing at myself with the staff who helped me launch, I think they thought I was joking when I asked them to come find me if I wasn't back after a reasonable time.

The valley was still covered in thick morning fog at the mouth of the river, towards the road and ocean, which made everything seem still, eerie and quiet.

Heading off up the river, life jacket on, camera tied on to myself, I glided down under the bridge and through to the section of the river with forest-covered slopes towered on both sides. Once past the camping site on one side of the river, I was alone with all that nature, so dense all I could see was trees.

I turned back when my arms had had enough, which was well before the waterfall that could be part of such a day outing. On my way back, I passed couples and families paddling out to swim and picnic down further.

I was pretty impressed with myself for doing it, when I reached the landing point again - to a relieved looking staff member. It was a beautiful way to spend the morning, before returning to the road for the remainder of the solo portion of my Garden Route roadtrip.

Pulling out of Wilderness, I felt sad to be leaving the little town, and I am sure I will be back one day for another escape from the big, crazy world.

Rugged And Pristine Robberg

Mentioning on Facebook to me friends that I was in Plettenburg Bay for the evening, a South African friend replied to say I could not miss a visit to the pristine Robberg Reserve.

A quick little bit of research online, through mainly Google Image, I set myself an early sunrise alarm for the next morning.

This was part of my Garden Route roadtrip, and one of the stops I returned to for some more time on the way back, because it impressed me the first time.

Being so early, to beat the heat, actually meant that I was one of only a handful of people on the Nature Reserve that morning. Robberg is about a 4km jut of pristine land, featuring cliff faces, natural wildlife, and untouched beaches.

I started out from the carpark, and made my way along the high cliffs, facing Plett, the bay and the mountains beyond. From this initial trail, it wasn't long before I could smell, and then hear, the colony of Cape fur seals. Basking in the morning sun, they were just down below at the waters edge, on the rocks below.

Further along was expanse of Witsand, which was a bank of sand dune right across the jut of land. I took this path, as the warnings on everything I read talked about danger at high tide, and I had done minimal research!

Taking in the isolated, hidden cove with the extra jut of rock out past the end of the Witsand - where it was just me, the sounds of the ocean, and the birds - magical!

These footprints to the left are just mine, on that amazing little sand bank.

This recommended find really brought up the idea of the Garden Route to my roadtrip, with spectacular views at every step. Clean beach at one point, crazy jungle-like rainforest bush land at other sections of the walk.

Definitely worth the early morning wake up for this special morning, all to my self.

Remembering Mandela Around South Africa

Visiting South Africa not that long after the great man's passing, it was emotional seeing images and remembrances of Nelson Mandela almost everywhere. The man responsible for the birth of the Rainbow Nation, and it's constitution built on equality and human rights, the former President is remembered all over the country.

One of the most significant sights around the nation was the very new Mandela statue on the grounds of in Pretoria. The 9 metre bronze version of the great man, with arms outstretched, overlooks the gardens and then the spread of the South African capital, and is very impressive.

The temporary Nelson Mandela exhibit within the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg at present is powerful, and lays out the journey of the powerful work leader from his childhood, to his university and working days, into his political and activist involvement, before his imprisonment. It works through the history of South Africa's anti-apartheid movement, and the eventual election of Mandela as President.

Another significant vision of Mandela around the country  is the metal cutout of him in the Voting Line of people, standing strong on Donkin Reserve in Port Elizabeth. Representing the monumental vote in 1994, and depicting people of all walks of life within South Africa.

After the Port Elizabeth Test, I hit the road on my own on a mission to visit Qunu - the tiny rural town which was where Nelson Mandela spent his childhood, and where he is now buried.

It was incredible to see the small rural area, and the very basic village life, of the area where such a significant man to the world's understanding of equality came from. Such very humble beginnings.

The little village is not at all set up for tourism, and the Nelson Mandela Museum is not fully finished nor ready for visitors. When I made it up to the gates, after a harrowing drive through rain like I have never seen, the groundskeeper agreed to show me around nonetheless. The open space overlooks the N2, and the Mandela home was pointed out to me across the vast countryside. I had just unknowingly driven past it - it's not at all marked from the highway.

The Museum is Mandela's idea, and houses learning spaces and accommodation for conferences, in addition to 2 rooms displaying timelines of history and the Mandela story.

Robbin Island off Cape Town is another important place to visit, to gain an understanding of the life of Nelson Mandela - which I went to visit, including the cell in which he was imprisoned for 26 years, back in 2006.

His image is really everywhere - it adorns political and public health messages, is outlined on buildings in the cityscape of Cape Town, and is the inspiration of many brilliant pieces of street art around the land.

The death of such a man touched the world, and is remembered well all over South Africa.

The Garden Route

The true Garden Road is from George up until just before Port Elizabeth, along the South African East Coast. The stretch of road gives you mountain views on one side of the road, and for much of the way, sweeping white beaches and lapping ocean on the other. It is easy to see why it is labelled the most gorgeous roadtrip in the world!

Once we got onto N2 from our jaunt down the Cape, we realised that we would not quite start onto the famed Garden Route that first day of our roadtrip, based on the time. We started anticipating our location for nightfall, and pulled into Swellendam to find somewhere to stay for the evening.

Coming out of Swellendam in the morning with daylight, we discovered we were facing a great big mountain range, which was hidden the night before under the cover of darkness. From here, we followed the mountains on one side to eventually return to also having seaviews on the other.

We drove into and through each big town that appeared on the passing road signs, to have a look. We saw lighthouses, beach getaways, and regular cities. Then Wilderness came up.

I was keen to try and get lost in Wilderness, just to say we did, but upon dropping into the Tourist Information Centre, we discovered there actually was a lot we wanted to see!

We found the way through the bushland to get a vantage point of the Map Of Africa - a bend in the river below that actually looks like the continent. From this spot we also watched several skydivers take off from the mountain, and float down to the beach far below.

We then returned to the N2 with the wish to find somewhere beautiful for lunch. Knysna did not present anything for us and this desire, but Plettenburg Bay delivered!

Laura spotted a sign for a lunch spot, and we could not have asked for better - a great meal on the water's edge, with the mountains as the backdrop. Stunning white sand,

So many of the roads along this path were spectacular - sweeping views, breathtaking drops between mountains, steep climbs. And the very random abundance of pine and gumtree plantations!

We also got many laughs out of trying to pronounce the many town names along the way!

So impressed with this drive, I took the chance to do the return trip back to Cape Town along the same way, stopping at the places that stood out for me most the first time. This meant more time in Plettenburg Bay and Wilderness, which were both stunning spots for opposite reasons - one being the beach views, and one being the lush forest and sense of remoteness.

The Garden Route lived up to the hype for me, and with the knowledge that I only got to see some of the many treasures it holds along the towns along the way, there still remains a desire to return and do it again. I am sure I would never tire of exploring this roadtrip!

Good Hope And The Ocean Road

Hitting the road from Cape Town in our little hire car, Laura and I set out to take in the Garden Route, always labelled the most spectacular roadtrip in the world. But before we got to the section dubbed the Garden Route, we drove the Cape and frankly wondered how the Garden Route could top this stretch of beach and mountains and roads along cliff faces.

Making our way through little beachside towns, we navigated through Camps Bay and got to take in the South African 12 Apostles, part of the extended mountain range originating from Table Mountain, and appearing with 12 pillars within the ocean-facing section. Albeit, shrouded in cloud when we saw it, we could still count out the 12 as the clouds and sun would allow us to see.

The roads winding along this stretch were spectacular - the colours of the bays to the right, and the edge of the mountain range directly by the passenger window on the left. Driving on land's edge was hairy at times, but mainly because I wanted to take in the view too!

Taking our time, we kept following the road to get down to the Cape Of Good Hope. Stepping out into the hot sun, and blustering wind once we were within the National Park grounds, we waited patiently behind the tourist throngs to get a photo at the most South-Western point of Africa each.

As we headed away from the Cape, we spotted some colourful beach boxes along Muizenburg, which called out for a photo stop too.

We then put the foot down, and concentrated on getting to the actual Garden Route, and the task of finding more sensational scenery than we had just seen - seriously doubting that that was possible!

The Panorama Drive

Coming out of Kruger National Park, we were told we were off to the Panorama Drive as the route back to the city and the airport – and the sights actually lived up to the name! Sweeping landscapes of waterfalls, and canyon valleys were breathtaking! South Africa was so full of surprises!

This region is actually the Mpumalanga area, and it is dotted with spectacular stops and views. We saw just a couple of them on our return drive.

God’s Window was the first destination on this roadtrip back to Johannesburg, after a full breakfast stop at Graskop. This viewing point was the first glimpse of the Blyde River Canyon, and went on and on and on. The green, lush tropical-like foliage all across the valley is said to remind people of the Garden of Eden, hence the name of this viewing stop. Looking across the Lowveld, the mountains and valleys seemed to go on forever.

Lisbon Waterfalls were next on our drive. This is the longest, and most voluminous waterfall in South Africa, mainly because the lip of the falls is so wide. It's the highest in this region, at 94m, and pretty spectacular.

It also appeared out of nowhere, with the backdrop to this rocky shelf being a sheep paddock - a very rural, and ordinary scene.

The third largest canyon in the world, another vantage point within the Blyde River Canyon was the spot of the Three Rondavels - although our driver Eddie had just referred to it as the Green Canyon, after the vast Drakensberg Range coverage as far as the eye could see.

This breath-taking valley, with the Blyde River meandering through it and included the mass of the Blydepoort Dam below. It seemed to come out of nowhere, as the road had weaved along the outskirts of these mountain tops for sometime before we got to the viewing point. Rock formations making the unique shapes of each mountain-top and visible sediment layers which actually looked like a graffitied walls of colour, the mountain range went on and on, and was incredibly beautiful.

The Three Sisters And The Blue Mountains

The fact that I had never traveled to the Blue Mountains was repaired just after New Year's this year, after the end of the cricket gave us a few spare days before I was due to head home. A roadtrip day trip was a perfect Day 4!

On a perfect sunny Summers day, and after just over an hours drive, we were treated to the views across the extensive mountain ranges. We wound through little towns and found lookouts to get some incredible views.

It was pretty clear where Megalong Valley gets it's name from - it goes on forever! Deep, green and rugged, scattered with Aussie trees for as far as the eye can see.

This was one of our first stops, and gave us a great perspective of how vast these ranges really are.

We stopped for a typical pub lunch in Blackheath, before continuing on our way down to Katoomba.

There were a few places where the October 2013 bushfires were evident, with regrowth slowly returning the green to the land. But much of the landscape was Australian bushland, and spectacular views across the mountains.

Getting into the area where the Three Sisters are was actually the most touristy area within our whole roadtrip, with shops and cafes set up from the troves of buses that trek up from the city each day. Amazingly, we seemed to have timed our trip perfectly to miss all of these hoards, and had a chance to have a relatively quiet and crowdfree look at the three pinnacles they call Sisters.

The Three Sisters are so named after an Indigenous Dreamtime story, about a three women falling in love with three brothers from a forbidden, rival tribe. As a battle began over these matches, a witchdoctor turned the sisters to stone, here, to protect them. And here they stand.

On the walk from the carpark to the viewing platforms, there were pillars of stone with quotes from people long ago, who had come across these Three Sisters. The one that caught my eye was:

...as romantically beautiful as can be imagined...

Indeed! A stunning piece of Australia.

The Golden Temple Of Amritsar

Hearing that we were to do an 11 hour bus trip day from Chandigarh to see one of the most beautiful temples in the world loomed as one of our most anticipated days on our India tour - to see the Sikhs' holiest shrines. A really special place to see, and take in.

Once our bus arrived, a little behind schedule, we walked through the bustling streets to get to the entrance, and figured out pretty quickly what we needed to do to enter, respectfully. Each of us needed to cover our heads, and remove our shoes and walk through a foot bath for this very religious site.

Stepping down to the marble walk all along the holy water tank and drinking in the stunning view of this temple square was breathtaking. So beautiful, and unique. A feeling of peace, and a hustle of prayer, reverence, with the contrast of the chants and songs of prayer broadcast constantly floating across the complex.

Given the eventual timing of our trip, and the plan for the whole day, many of us used the time of our visit to this special place by wandering around this holy pool, and taking in the view, the feeling and the significance of the site. Observing families in prayer, and visiting this most important temple to them, was incredible, and a lesson in a religion that I know little about.

One of the other features of the Golden Temple - and one which Fi and Dave made a concerted effort to experience in our short visit - is the meal served every day to 60,000 to 80,000 pilgrims and visitors alike. The notion that the Sikh's invite one and all to eat together, as a mark of unity, to people of all religions, creeds and nationalities, is a beautiful idea, and surely one the notion of religion should be about.

This special visit drew the envy of so many people for the rest of our time in India, and will always be etched in our groups' collective memories as an amazing moment of our travels, and a powerful lesson in the people, peace and humanitarianism of the world.

The Charm Of Pondicherry

Even since being swept away with imagery when reading Life Of Pi, I have wanted to visit Pondicherry in India, where the story begins, and the inspiration for the zoo was found. The test match being scheduled for Chennai meant that a roadtrip was possible on our last day in the area, and after finding Mamallapuram and Auroville on the way down, Julie and I made it to the oceanside French Colonial town.

After a much needed lunch facing out over the sea at Le Cafe - and the treat of a Western French inspired meal as a break from Indian food - we checked out the Ghandi Statue, before having our driver take us to the Botanical Gardens.

Here is where Yann Martel's story started. This overgrown garden is meant to be where the idea of the zoo came from...and I almost expected Richard Parker to slink out of some of the jungle areas!

You can even see the little railway tracks that were mentioned in the book.

We then plotted out a wander through the French Quarter of Pondicherry, to take in the pretty buildings. The quaint sights of women in saris against the colourful background of the buildings, and the cobbled streets.

Some rundown buildings, some beautifully restored.

We started on the edge of Bharathi Park and walked past the Pondicherry Museum. North of Nehru Street we interacted with a group of women who were all coming out of the ashram, before we came back towards Government Square, and then down and Romain Rollard and Suffren Streets for more gorgeous building viewing.

As part of our discovery of this little town on foot, we happened upon the Sri Manakulu Vinayagar Hindu temple with an elephant out the front. For some rupees, the elephant dedicated to Ganesh would pat the head of the giver, which had us entertained for some time.

We were both so buoyed by our trip down to see Pondicherry, and this was one of my favourite days in India.

Auroville – Home of Human Unity

Hearing about an ashram temple and community with a big gold dome, and unusual creed, on the way to Pondicherry as a recommended stop from another traveller with our group, piqued our curiosity, and we were keen to try and check it out on our roadtrip. Luckily, we spotted the dome from the road on the way into the Southern Indian seaside town, and managed to get our driver to take us in. Gold, indeed!

Through paddocks of trees, we could see the Dome, but it took some time before we got anywhere near it. Once we found the carpark, and walked the distance to the entrance, we got to see the sections that were open to the public of this "universal township".

The Visitor's Centre outlined the idea of human unity, and the vision of The Mother, who was behind this township.

The Mother's vision is lofty, and universally hopeful. According to the website:

Auroville is recognised as the first and only internationally endorsed ongoing experiment in human unity and transformation of consciousness

along with sustainable living, research, and "needs of mankind". Fascinating!

The Centre also outlines The Mother's life, and her specific vision, about meditation and self-sufficient living, and the notion of many people from all over the world, living as one.

Onsite there is a university, and a residential area, in addition to the Dome and it's gardens, with the ampitheatre.

The Visitor's Centre requires that you watch a video about the community, and the construction of the Dome - which is called the Matrimandir, and is a shrine to The Mother - before you are granted a pass to walk out to the observation point to see the Dome and it's carefully manicured surroundings.

The video shows the intricate details of the Dome, from the gold plates that make up the Dome, the twelve meditation rooms within the Dome, and the positioning of the crystal inside to capture the sunlight, and the lotus pond below.

To be honest, I think we came away bemused, and non-the-wiser about what the community living and devoted to the Dome were all about, but it certainly had us talking about it for the rest of the day!

Carved Temples of Mamallapuram

India is full of surprises! Driving south from Chennai for a day roadtrip, we explored the temples of Mamallapuram. Carving is what these little known structures are famous for, and with virtually no one else there looking at them, we got to be up close to 7th Century masterpieces.

The first such temple was the Shore Temple, which we walked up to from the carpark, as it stands on the shore, funnily enough. On a well manicured parkland, a jut of land on the coast, this temple is thought to be the last one standing of a series along this stretch of land.

The detail in the stonework is impressive - and worn. It's small overall, and supposedly in the shape of the perfect cosmic body. There is a reclining Vishnu, and there are terraces of cow statues around the outside.

Our next visit in this small town was to see the Five Rathas - made from a single piece of rock. This 5 temple complex was impressive, each so different and each dedicated to a Hindu god, and named after a family of four brothers and their common wife.

The shrines within the Five Rathas resemble chariots, with animal mounts of the gods at the entrances - lion, elephant, cow. We managed to take the details of each one...just before a huge group of school children arrived with their teachers!

The rest of Mamallapuram is a host of relief carvings - like the Arjuna's Penance here. Elaborate scenes of Hindu mythology are being played out on this stonework, as well as pictures of South Indian life.

The Trimurti Cave Temple, with it's columns and intricate carvings, was equally impressive - and the Krishna's Butter Ball is just along from both of these.

These temples were certainly not anything I expected to see in India, nor did I even have them on my radar to see. But they were certainly worth the stop, to gaze and wonder at the stories behind them, the skills required to carve them, and the cultural and religious value they hold to the area.

Five Aussie Big Things On Phillip Island

Inspired by a post by Don't Ever Look Back, Belinda and I have been talking about popping down to Phillip Island for some time to check out all five Aussie Big Things.  Last week, amid all the Grand Final madness and preparation, we managed to complete the roadtrip.  Carl, all suited up from an interview, joined us for the drive down to this island past the bay, being just a 2 hour drive from Melbourne.

The first Big Thing to be seen was actually just before we reached Phillip Island, being just outside the town of Bass. The Big Earthworm sits beside the highway, and juts out from the former wildlife park on site.

This attraction has been closed down this year, due to licencing issues with the animals that were kept here, and thus the worm looks tired and unkempt.  I wonder how much longer it will be here to be spotted, roadside.

The worm is here because around this area very long earthworms have been found! Eew! Ha!

Once we had crossed the bridge onto Phillip Island, we stopped for a late breakfast at the Big Wave. Here, surfer Carl demonstrated the moves on the board within the curl - suit and all!

The Big Wave has been here for about 20 years, and is sculptured concrete.  We did have some debate though, about whether it really is a Big Thing, given that it's dimensions are questionably bigger than the real thing - a crucial feature of a Big Thing!

Not much further up the road, on the other side, were the Big Cows.  Grazing in front of the Phillip Island Chocolate Factory, these milk producers are spoilt with graffiti markings on their side.  But otherwise, they are fenced into an enclosure, meaning that you can't actually get right up close and personal with them.

People sitting on the decking of the cafe of the Chocolate Factory, and indeed staff there, must get a laugh at people stopping roadside to get a snap with the Big Cows!

Once we had completed the drive past the Moto GP race track, and took in the beach, coast and penguin landing place at the bottom of the Island, we drove towards Cowes and found the Big Koala.

Better looking than his Dadswells Bridge brother, this Big Koala sits next to a brewery and in front of a holiday accommodation resort.  His claws are well defined, and he is surrounded by eucalyptus trees, as he should be!

We stopped in at Rusty Water Brewery for an afternoon pint to finish our day, after we had played at the last Big Thing for the day, just next door.

The last Big Aussie Thing on our list for the day was the Big Tap, and was the most novel of the five of our day.

The Big Tap sits atop of the entrance to A Maze'N Things, and the stream of water appears to be filling the room below it.  Through the windows you can see furniture floating in the room, filled with water.  We were pretty impressed!

Five Aussie Big Things in one day, just a two hour drive from Melbourne city, too good to be true for a couple of roadtripping junkies like us!

Which is your favourite of these?