Cape Town is a beautifully unique city of South Africa, best-known for the striking natural environment and the harbour. Table Mountain has recently been voted one of the new 7 Wonders of Nature, which is no surprise as experiencing a day on Table Mountain is nothing short of breath-taking. Table Mountain consists of a 3 kilometre long plateau, and features an exclusive abundance of flora and fauna, some of which are not found anywhere else in the world.

To get to the top of the mountain you can either take a long hike up through the natural landscape or catch a lift in the Cable Cars; which is a fun and exciting experience in itself. On the way up, you get to see an amazing and vast view of the coastline and Cape Town from above. From up there, you can also see the famous Robben Island served as a place of banishment, isolation and imprisonment and where Nelson Mandela alongside many other political prisoners were imprisoned for decades. The picturesque views and the uniqueness of Table Mountain make it a must-see in Cape Town.This photograph is a view of Table Mountain from Bloubergstrand, which was also a nice destination to visit for a walk along the beach and a meal or coffee.

Photo courtesy of Gita Zimmermann

The purpose of our visit to this beautiful part of the world was to visit Mama Lumka, the Charity of choice of my mother’s business Tell IT Media which offers Branding, Design and Website Solutions. For more about Mama Lumka and the kids visit www.mamalumka.org.au or the blog of our visit to Mama Lumka.

This week’s photo of the week is the spectacular view from the Freycinet Eco Retreat at Mt Paul near Coles Bay out over Freycinet National Park. As dusk approaches, the view also included many of the local wallabies.

Photo courtesy of @monstermashrna

One of the significant places we visited during our Vanuatu getaway, was the Cultural Village located on the eastern coast of Efate. We shared a small taxi/bus with a middle-aged couple who happened to be from Queensland, Australia (this was their first overseas trip) and their enthusiasm was contagious. The bus pulled off the main road which circles Efate and we drove for some 15 minutes along an extremely weathered dirt road. We soon pulled into a clearing, beside thick jungle and in the middle of nowhere, with the driver telling us to all hop out, adding ‘You can leave your bags in the bus!’. I suddenly felt dubious what was happening and was not going to leave bags behind. However, it turned out to be completely innocent.

The six of us headed into the jungle along the path we were instructed to take. It was quiet and beautiful but we were not sure where we were heading. Breaking the silence came the sound of the conch shell and then quite unexpectedly came tribal warriors out of the jungle towards us. Spears in hand, wide-eyed and yelling at us in a foreign aggressive manner, they charged. I got such a fright I swore!

Once they warriors realised we came in peace, we were escorted into the village and welcomed! We were shown how the traditional tribes lived and witnessed food preparation and preservation, fire walking and a tribal dance. The children were wide-eyed throughout. It was a wonderful experience.

Stripping the Coconut

Children in Traditional Dress

Spider

Preparing for the Fire Walk

Evidence of Past Sacrifices

On our recent family holiday to Vanuatu we spent quite a bit of time in the produce market in Port Vila. We had this recommended to us by regular reader Julie. The food is fresh, run by locals for the locals, making it very cheap by Australian standards. The market for most of the time was full of locals with few tourists. We chose to visit on days we knew the cruise ships were not visiting. Apparently on these days not only is the place swarming with tourists but the price of ‘everything’ gets trebled! So we visited on the quieter days and stocked up on tomatoes, pawpaw, mangoes and oodles of bananas. At this time bananas were very expensive at home with much of Queensland (the banana producing State) devastated from Cyclone Yasi. Bananas were a luxury item, so here we gorged on the most divine sugar bananas and one large bunch (bottom photo) was no more than AUD $1.70.

A close girlfriend of mine was fortunate enough to enjoy 4 weeks travelling France. She and her partner stayed in some amazing historical Chateaus, tasting the local wines and totally indulging! I get to write about it and share her photos! These photos of Maison Louis Richard near Saumur in the Loire Valley particularly caught my eye as these are the sites that are less well-known. Maison Louis Richard is a large, very elegant 15th Century manor home and also boasts a swimming pool. A perfect base to explore the wineries of the Loire Valley.

Photos courtesy of Australian reader Helen.

We enjoyed a pleasant day to Melbourne city last Sunday to attend RMIT’s Open Day for Miss 16 who is considering studying journalism, media or public relations. Other than visiting the relevant buildings and speaking with lecturers and volunteers students who make themselves available on the day, we meandered the grounds to take in the historic blue-stone buildings which are located right beside the historic ‘Old Melbourne Gaol’. Some of the RMIT buildings and images captured can be seen below.

The Hampton Court Palace Flower Show for 2011 has just wound up and a close English friend of mine was fortunate enought to attend with her husband.

The features include show gardens, floral marquees, pavilions, talks and demonstrations. It is the second major national show after the Chelsea Flower Show but has a different character, focusing more on environmental issues, growing your own and cookery, while also opportunities to buy a whole range of gardening accessories, plants and flowers.

Being a keen gardener, I had the photos shared with me and decided to brighten up my blog by adding these splendidly, colourful photos.

A splash of colour!

The cottage garden

Weird and wonderful designs

Photos courtesy of Lavinia from Dorset.

Arctic Foxes

Arctic foxes have stunning coats which tend either to be white or a beautiful blue-grey. As well as being attractive, these coats act as very effective winter camouflage and are the warmest fur of any mammal – even warmer than that of the polar bear. The foxes also have furry soles, short ears and a short muzzle, all of which are important in helping them survive the chilly climate. They are amazing creatures to observe, as the basic social unit is a breeding pair who will remain together in the same territory and den for up to five years.

Polar Bears

The main highlight of an Arctic cruise is often spotting the iconic polar bear. Only in the Arctic can you see this amazing creature in its natural habitat and view their full personality. You’ll be impressed by their amazing adaptations to life in the harsh Arctic environment and dependence on sea ice. However, while they look cute and friendly they’re actually incredibly strong and ferocious, measuring up to 3.1 metres long and weighing up to 1,200 pounds. Sadly, these giant beasts are becoming highly vulnerable, threatened with the increasing effects of global warming, which is melting their habitat.

Svalbard Reindeer

Svalbard has a unique subspecies of reindeer, the Svalbard reindeer which is the smallest species within the deer family. The deer have characteristically short legs but still carry impressive antlers. They spend their days concentrating on eating as much as possible creating large fat reserves to survive the long Arctic winter. These reindeer are not shy and can be more commonly spotted than the polar bear.

Ice Seals

The Arctic is home to several unique and extraordinary, beautiful seal species, such as: ribbon seals, bearded seals, ringed seals, spotted seals, harp seals, and hooded seals. These seals are often called ice seals because they spend the bulk of their lives either on or near sea ice. They can be spotted along with walrus on ice floes or off-shore islands and so make perfect photographic subjects.

Whales

Whilst some whales may migrate over the severe winters, the bowhead, beluga and narwhal can be seen in the Arctic all year round. The bowhead feeds by swimming with its huge mouth open, taking in enormous amounts of water and trapping copepods and other drifting crustaceans. This is because it is a baleen whale and so instead of teeth, it has several hundred fringed plates, called baleen, that hang down from its upper jaw and filter small prey from the water.

The beluga is a very beautiful creature which is also known as the white whale due to its distinctive white colouring. Belugas are a sociable bunch, often gathering in large numbers so once you spot one, look out for others nearby. You may only need to listen out for them as belugas are quite loud and can often be heard whistling, clicking, and grunting.

What distinguishes the narwhal from the beluga is its magnificent spearing tusk which can extend up to half of the whale’s body weight. Nicknamed ‘unicorn of the sea’, the tusk is actually a long, twisted tooth that is projected up to three metres in front of the whale.

Arctic Birds

There is also a variety of birds which can be seen in the Arctic. If you cruise during the summer months you may spot the Arctic tern which is famous for its migration, flying from its breeding grounds in the Arctic 44,000-miles to the opposite pole the Antarctic. Here it will spend September to May before flying back again for summer in the Arctic. This is by far the furthest migration by any known animal and ensures that this bird sees two summers per year and more daylight than any other creature on the planet.

Other birds you may spot are puffins, eider ducks, skuas, sandpipers and auks. The birds in the Arctic are also feeling the effects of climate change; from difficulties in flying in foggy weather to avalanches and new threats such as mosquitoes.

Unspoiled Wilderness

In addition to unique wildlife, an Arctic cruise enables you to sail round some one of the world’s last great wildernesses. The dramatic scenery ranges from ice covered seas, fjords with breathtaking mountain scenery, rarely visited bays and inlets and glaciers flowing into the sea around you.

A trek into the Sahara Desert by camel whilst in Morocco was experienced by Travel Tips Plus reader Julie. The trek was just a small group and allowed for many peaceful moments to enjoy the complete solitude the desert environment creates. The camels lumbered up and down the rolling dunes, passing only the odd tussock of grass and as evening came, the red, rolling dunes were replaced by a deep, black sky dotted with zillions of twinkling stars.

Photo courtesy of Australian reader Julie.

Johnston Ice Canyon is located in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada. My English friend Lavinia was fortunate enough to have her first trip to Canada recently and shared with me a couple of fabulous shots she took of the area. I particularly liked the photo below, with the angle of the canyon displaying icicles hanging in place of water-falling and in the background, the pines towering upwards.

Photo courtesy of Lavinia from Dorset.