Ratanakiri

Situated in the north east corner of Cambodia, this region is famous for its natural beauty.  I spent 4 nights here.  The highlight was a stunningly gorgeous crater lake and getting to see wild gibbons.

Local waterfalls

Boeng Yeak Lom 

This is a beautiful emerald-hued crater lake set amid the vivid greens of the towering jungle.  It was most peaceful and beautiful place I visited on my whole trip.  The water is the perfect temperature for swimming and so clear.  I spent half a day here lazing and swimming and becoming friends with 3 lovely German backpackers.

Image taken from the internet.  Such a beautiful place.

Hans was a master with this device which I had never seen before.  He's planning to teach the local kids how to use it when he does volunteer teaching.  A wonderful, friendly guy.

Getting to know the locals

I spent 2 fantastic days with Sok (Mr Free), my local guide.  He drove me around on his motorbike and his English was good so we got to know each other very well.  Such a beautiful guy and devoted Buddhist, so very interesting to hear about aspects of the religion.  This was probably my closest connection on the whole trip.

Sok (aka Mr Free )

Sok introduced me to some of this friends.  They were very friendly, but didn't speak much English except for the expression "I'm single and available!"  If I ever need a wife, this is the place to come !!

Sok paying respects at the local temple, up on a hill.

The beautiful sunset from the hill

Tree Top Ecolodge 

This was yet another wonderful hostel with a great deck overlooking a lush valley.  Great food and atmosphere.

Gibbons

After crossing the river on a rickety ferry and a wonderfully hair-raising motorbike trip into the jungle through swamps and rivers, and over narrow bridges, I arrived at the jungle camp.  Here I met up with 2 friendly female zoologists from Australia who are studying the gibbons.  

I chilled out at the camp, drenched in mosquito repellant and the next day, after waking at 4.30 am, we hiked deep into the jungle to where the gibbons live.  It was hard to get good photos as they stayed high up in the canopy but they did their wondrous territory calls which sent goosebumps down my spine.  

It was fascinating to watch the zoologists work.  Every second of their sightings are recorded in a notebook including exactly what the gibbons are doing and eating down to the very last detail.  This is then fed into a computer later.  I loved the morning but don't think I could do this everyday for 6 months.  I've always kind of regretted giving up my Zoology degree after a year so this was actually a wonderful realisation ! 

It was an absolutely unforgettable experience and I'm so glad I did it.

How is this for a car ferry !!  

Trekking deep into the jungle.

Male Yellow Cheeked Gibbon (source: Internet)

Female Yellow Cheeked Gibbon (Source: Internet)

My photos of the male.

My photos of the female

Listen below to their amazing calls which I recorded with my phone.  Amazing !!!

A photographic escapade in Tokai Forest with Jo

It's so amazing sharing a passion like photography with my wonderful sister. Our two hours strolling, pottering and snapping in Tokai Forest was one of the highlights of my whole holiday.  Jason loved it as much as we did!

Away with the Fairies at Hogsback

Legend has it that Tolkien, the author of The Hobbit, visited the town of Hogsback as a very young child and its forests and mountainous valleys inspired his future visions of The Misty Mountains, home of Smaug the dragon.  It is a gorgeous place with great hiking but in winter, it's important to come warmly rugged up!

Highlights of our two nights in Hogsback ...

• A fascinating drive to Hogsback from East London with Dan, the owner of Away With The Fairies, the hostel where we stayed.  He regaled us with story after story about the Frontier Wars between the British and Xhosa people that greatly influenced South Africa's history.
• The amazing open air bath at Away with The Fairies, perched on a cliff with extraordinary views across the valley. The bath even comes with hot water straight from the tap if you have the patience to wait for the 2 hours required to heat it up with a real fire.  I lay in the bath for over an hour (without any water!), meditating and filming the shifting light and clouds with my iPhone's time lapse camera.  Extremely peaceful. Except when my phone fell over and nearly fell off the cliff!
• Lazing by the fire in hostel's lounge in the cold evenings, admiring the murals of fairies on the walls, drinking great red wine and munching on the best pizza I think I've ever tasted.  
• Meeting up again with Jarred and Kate (who we'd met at Buckaneers) - a lovely South African couple on their honeymoon.
• A beautiful but chilly hike through the forested valley, oggling at some immense trees and exploring a plethora of waterfalls along the way.  The one waterfall required a steep climb and constant searching for little blue ribbons to find the way. It felt a bit like a treasure hunt! 
• Max, the local border collie, came for the walk and insisted on swimming in the river at every stop, despite the freezing temperatures.  He was a gorgeous, friendly fellow; until we arrived on the road, and then he turned into a psycho demon.  At one stage, he launched himself off a small cliff in order to rush up to a car driving past.  I had visions of telling the hostel their beloved dog was no more!  Thankfully, he survived it.
• Great sighting of Samango Monkeys, a speciality of Hogsback. They are apparently very closely related to Vervet Monkeys but look very different.
• A stunning, early morning walk to The 39 Steps Falls past bushes and trees aflame in berries and autumn colours.

Away with the Fairies, the backpackers where we stayed.

Beautiful wall murals at the hostel.

The view across the valley from the bottom of the garden ...

... and this amazing outside, hot water bath. A bath with the best view in South Africa!

Fairy sculptures around town.

A lovely walk through the forested valley ...

... past enormous and ancient trees ...

... exploring waterfalls along the way, with Max, our very energetic companion.

More beautiful waterfalls.

Sightings of Samango Monkeys, a speciality of Hogsback.

Rameron Pigeon

A lovely early morning walk to the 39 Steps Falls ...

... loving the sublime Autumn colours ...

... and the morning sun coming through the trees.

Playing with time lapse

The giants of Mount Field

The swamp gum, Eucalyptus regnans, is the tallest flowering plant on Earth and on the tall Tree circuit walk in Mount Field National Park, we got to meander through an impressive forest of these giants.  

I did this walk with Ally before in 2008, and once again, I was filled with wonder when standing at the foot of the trees and looking up.  

It amazes me to think that the largest of these trees were growing when Abel Tasman first sighted Tasmania in 1642!  It saddens me to think that some of these trees in Tasmania are at risk from the threat of proposed logging.

The Swamp Gums of Mt Field are so high that we had the opportunity to use a clinometer to calculate the height of the trees.

While doing the walk, we gave some impromptu assistance helping a couple find a geocache. Lauren's experience came to the fore and she found in minutes what they'd been struggling for ages to find. 

This is my favourite photo of the day. Liz always sets up the best tree photos!

Here's an inscription written on a board in the forest that resonated with me ...

Using all your senses 

Take some deep breaths and relax for a while.

Have you noticed any wildlife in the forest?  Have you heard the sound of the wind in the treetops or savoured the fresh air?

Our lives are not lived at the pace of the forest.  In our culture there is too little time for contemplation.

Why not take a seat?  Or lie down and watch the clouds drift past the tops of the highest trees.  Be silent.  See yourself as part of the forest.

In search of platypus

After our forest walk, we drove to a secluded spot with a river because we'd heard there were platypus there.  However, by then it was mid morning and they were nowhere to be found.  They like dusk and dawn.  Instead, we were welcomed by these gorgeous flowers. And some nice old abandoned buildings which I always love because they are a reminder of the impermanence of things.

Next stop

• For our next adventure, we moved onto Freycinet.

Places in Tasmania we visited

• Cradle Mountain National Park
• Lake St Clair National Park
• Mount Field National Park (The Tarn Shelf)
• Mount Field National Park (Tall Trees walk)
• Cathedral Peak (Mount Wellington)
• Freycinet
• Leaping in Tasmania
• Daily life on our trip
• Previous Tasmania visit (2008)

Photos by others in the group

• Lauren
• Liz
• Srini
• Zante