Decided to take a different route back which took us through more mountainous and forested areas but the road was very tortuous. Stopped at viewing points and did a short hike to a Gorge and stopped at Entally Lodge in Hadspen for a superb lunch of salmon starter and prawn fettucine- one of the best lunches so far. In Launceston we stayed at the Pepper's Seaport Hotel next to the River Tamar. In the evening had dinner at the Youjing Chinese. The Indian restaurant next door was heaving but the Chinese was practically empty. We wondered if people were worried about the Coronavirus even though there have been no cases in Australia. The clams in chilli sauce were divine and the roast duck excellent so another great meal today. We had arrived in Launceston in beautiful ... read more

Coles Bay is situated on the Fraycinet Peninsula which is a National Park We had nice cabins at Edge of the Bay Resort, which had a lovely view from the restaurant. Later in the evening the stars were out and it was wonderful to see Orion and the Milky Way. Helen actually went in the sea here but soon came out again ! The following day we went into the National Park and hiked up lots of granite steps and track to a lookout point over Wineglass Bay. No wine here though! We also stopped at Honeymoon Bay. There are lots of little bays here which all look out onto Great Oyster Bay- very pretty area. Later we had a pit stop at a winery to buy wine and have a glass of course. Helen has ... read more

It is only 1and half hour flight from Sydney to Hobart via JetStar an economy airline therefore restrictions on baggage etc. We left unwanted stuff in Helen's car at a secure car park. We stayed in a two bedroomed apartment in The Old Woolstore Hotel, which is close to the centre and harbour and is well appointed. It is a short stroll down to the Harbour, where we had a pleasant light lunch at Pearl & Co. A special Mona Rova ferry takes you on a short ride to MONA, the Museum of Old and New Art. The ferry ride includes tickets for the Gallery, which is very new and very weird. We were given devices which you point at the art work when you are close and it says what it is. There were one ... read more

It is 25 degrees and rising and it is only 8am. We are in Oman at the huge port of Salalah. We stood on the quayside as the waiting coaches and cars pulled away. We had booked this tour ourselves on line in the UK and were worried no one would come. Our driver and guide for the morning, Abdul, finally arrived at 9am. He whisked us through the port and drove down town to the heart of the city which is being slowly modernised by a progressive Sultan who has introduced free education and health care for all. Since he came to the throne in 1970, he has achieved a lot and is loved by his people. Our first stop was at the Grand Mosque which is only 8 years old and took 4 to ... read more

,Here we are racing across a desert in Egypt in a jeep towards the Red Sea Mountains. It is a bit of a bumpy and hair raising ride but Magid our driver has assured us that he has spent the last 15 years being a desert driver. He drives very fast and we hang on for dear life but I do note that he does, even at this high speed ,avoid the rocks on the way. We are in a convoy of four jeeps supported by a police vehicle. We are already way ahead of the others but our guy goes for it and soon we arrive at a Bedouin encampment at the base of the mountains. Our guide Abdhulla who was in our jeep takes us down to a well where a lady has just ... read more