Mert
Meryl Dunton-Rose Joined: July 13th 2009
Logged in: February 7th 2012
Logged in: February 7th 2012
Looking to travel more extensively in the next few years and do some volunteer work too.
January 2012 off to Europe for a year with the Trans Mongolian and Trans Siberian railways being our choice method of travel from Shanghai to London.
Travel Blog Posts
Dogs awaiting
Ok that's it! Trepidation has returned. I did try – I promise. As those who know me will attest, extreme sports and I do not exactly have a happy relationship. Walking, fine; although I did draw the line at walking over the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge. 'You should challenge yourself', said an ex-brother-law. Remaining firm to other statements of equally subtle persuasion my resolve remained firm. I managed to steer away from extreme sports of any persuasion. Dog sledding. Now how dangerous could that be, I pondered? Visions of Lara, wrapped in furs, shushing softly through the frozen landscape led me to say, yes, that would be fun. Two surly Siberians and one slightly more genial youngster gestured at us to put on camouflage jumpsuits, jackets and pressed felt boots. Feeling ever more like Michelin men ... read more
Entering Terelj
The smoky brown haze of Ulan Bator disappeared behind us, trapped in its basin, as we headed southwards to Terelj National Park. The smooth rolling hills gave rise to fantasies of multiple blue runs on the wide treeless slopes. The snowed road unfurled before us and corralled camps of tourist gers (yurts) punctuated the clear white landscape. Eagle eyes spotted two black shapes, wolves we were reliably informed, racing along a hill's ridge, disappearing over the crest in pursuit of unseen quarry. Clumps of firs, possibly spruce, increased with the strange rock formations still visible under their snow caps. The van bucked and bounced over the rutted track as we veered off the road. A black dog wandered out of the trees, curious to see the source of disturbance in this otherwise silent landscape. The crunch ... read more
Beijing Train Station
Early morning in Beijing, still dark but a smart hop to the train station slithering a little on the icy pavements. The impressive station lit up like a Christmas tree emerging from the night mist. Slowly leaving the suburbs with a red yuan sun glowing over the wintry landscape. Bare trees, frost dusted, icy rivers and snow laying on neglected bare ground. Smog, mist and fog over all. The Chinese seem to have exchanged early morning Tai Chi for patiently sitting in traffic jams on expressways. In the obscene chase for luxury goods the old culture is swallowed up by the ever increasing demand of production at all costs. As part of the world's largest seasonal migration we left Beijing. Over the Spring Festival period the rail will handle 235 million trips averaging about 5.88 million ... read more
Waiting for speed
Whisked at the speed of 307kph between cities built and those yet to be built, we saw spanking new stations and infrastructure to support the burgeoning buildings rising like flightless birds from the land. Any small hill stands ravaged, chopped and carved for stone, slate or any other mineral which could be extracted. The remnants of a former life flung over the land but locked into a centrifugal force around the new cities springing up at the rate of at least one a month the size of Houston. Old tenements, shikumen, and hutong demolished and swallowed in the quest for new. Beijing was a place of happenstance. Thinking only of obtaining our Mongolian visa we stood in line outside the embassy for about 1 ½ hours in the bitter cold and having handed over the passports ... read more
Whisked off
Arriving in Suzhou our impression was of another city of high rises in the dusty afternoon so we jumped on a bus to Tongli where the unlucky recipient of 'Do you speak English?' was Alice (Xu-jia) a university student studying design at Nanjing with little enthusiasm, home for the holidays. We were fortunate that she had listened to the repeated propaganda of a TV ad at the bus station exhorting the population to be kind to the elderly, don't push, be quiet in cinemas and libraries and most importantly to help tourists! Her reluctant English improved and she kindly arranged a small hotel for us and once ensconced showed us the gated water village. Was this old China, or a Disneyland version? We wandered along the canals and narrow lanes and were told most adamantly not ... read more
The first taste of speed!
Your patience has been rewarded, o faithful readers! We are now in the former Nanny State of Russia (Siberia) but I am quite happily accessing blogs and Facebook. More than I can say for the Republic of China who block all social media sites probably as part of their drive to curb 'excessive entertainment'! A new legislation which has reined in the growth of reality TV programmes from 126 to 38 according to China Daily. But for a first time visitor to China the land presents itself as an absolute megalith of power and progress with a real danger of ploughing over its centuries old culture and traditions. That said, for those in search of the yin and yang of China Shanghai is not a bad place to start. Always on a journey one starts with ... read more
Well this is it folks! Just about to set off on an awfully big adventure-the grown-up gap year. The house is still in a chaotic state, the suitcases remain open, the boxes unpacked, Christmas upon us and the paperwork incomplete! I just love being prepared, it seems that the preparation time for a year out stretches and stretches. I just don't need snapped elastic or tempers! Follow us as we travel through China and then Mongolia and Russia, training all the way through from Shanghai to London. Not 'in training' but on the train. Once there we will sustain ourselves with a little supply teaching and lots more travel. Feel free to send us messages and love. I am sure we will need both! Meryl... read more
Back from the waves
A jewel of a campground. Very small, with the usual residents. Possums and goannas, that is. Twitching becomes second nature as the bird book and binoculars are overworked in this bird-filled haven. Bordering Lake Wapengo this National Parks site doesn't even have a camping sign off the main road. In fact a closed date nearly sent us skedaddling back the way we came until we spotted the green National Parks sign for Picnic Point. Still no camping icon - which was fortunate for us as there were campsites spare. We could have had ocean views but a resident camper told us that the rains ran down the track and flooded that site. Relieved to have the choice made for us we retreated back a site to where the banksias bloom and hammocks could swing. Oceans crashed ... read more
Picture perfect again
You're only staying one night?' Kerrie the ranger enquired as we paid up our money,'that's what the folks next to you said and they're up to their fifth night!' She went on to expound the virtues of this beautiful little campsite right on the estuary of the Congo creek winding its way behind the beach. Swimming in the tidal creek, canoeing up to the wetlands, surfing on two beaches and a 14km walk along the coast to Tuross Head. Don't camp here if you want luxurious amenities. Two pit toilets and a cold beach shower together with a few washing up sinks comprise the facilities. The view, however, is outstanding. We were lucky enough to sidle up alongside an old boat ramp area and settle ourselves with our table and umberella. Dining with a millionaire's view; ... read more
The death adder
'You really should come and see the black snake!' 'Black snake?' 'Yeah, just down the track to the lake. A red-bellied black snake, just sunning itself. It seemed pretty docile, they're not aggressive.' Reluctantly I took Graeme's hand and walked down the track. Yup, there it was, glaring at us, looking decidedly more aggressive than I had been led to believe. I stopped in my tracks whilst the intrepid wildlife photographer advanced a few paces. 'Don't go any nearer!' my hoarse whisper didn't deter the slow advance in his bushman thongs. Glaring apart, the snake did not move and we retreated the way we came. Leanne, Graeme's sister, camping with us for a few days, in all her fifty-odd years, born and bred in Oz said that she had never seen a snake in the bush. ... read more
