"I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move." RLS
Just prior to entering the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) we entered what I would describe as a sort of compound area. Here we were asked to get of the bus and attend a briefing session prior to continuing on into the DMZ. At this point the bus was searched (I imagine for stowaways) and our local guides and the driver surrendered their identity documents to the military. Continue reading “Reunification Murals”
The majority of our trips outside Pyongyang involved travel of less than a couple of hours. There were a few exceptions and apart from the trip between Pyongyang and Kaesong/Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) we were exhorted to ensure we had taken care of ablutions and other needs we might have as the bus would not be stopping en-route. Continue reading “Dining al fresco en route to the DMZ”
Time to contemplate or speculate.
Getting to Panmunjom, the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) and the border with South Korea requires a 175 kilometre trip from Pyongyang along the Reunification Highway (also called the Pyongyang-Kaesong Motorway). While the highway continues on a further 70 kilometres to Seoul it is closed at the border and a through journey in either direction is not possible. Continue reading “The Reunification Highway”
At the end of World War II, following an agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union the Korean Peninsula was divided, roughly in half, along the 38th parallel north.
Continue reading “If war resumes leave the area as soon as possible!”
Most of the resorts on the Ile des Pins would have some form of gift-shop/ boutique selling the same sort of stuff you would find at similar resorts anywhere else in the world. One such can be found at the Hotel Kou-Bugny on Kuto Beach, a short walk from the jetty. Continue reading “Souvenir Shopping on the Ile des Pins”
Having completed a wonderful island tour, walked the length of Kanumera Bay and relaxed a bit with friends on the gorgeous Kuto Beach there were still a couple of hours left before our cruise ship was scheduled to leave the Ile des Pins.
I had planned on hiking up Pic N’ga, the highest point on the island and easily accessible from Kuto Beach. While I felt I could have fitted the walk in (advertised as 1.5 – 2 hrs max duration) I had read that the track was not wonderfully well marked so there was a risk that I would arrive back too late. Continue reading “Climb It Or Admire It From Kuto Bay”
This is the stuff that picture postcards from the South Pacific are made off.
Kuto is a crescent shaped, white powder sand, beach over a kilometre in length. It is lapped by the warm, transparent and turquoise waters of the South Pacific and flanked by swaying palms, and many of the island’s endemic columnar pines, providing ample shade between swims, sun bathing or strolls along the beach. If you are into beaches, what more could you possibly need? Continue reading “A Postcard From The South Pacific”
One thing you will notice on the Ile des Pins (and indeed on Maré which we also visited) is the number of stray dogs that congregate at places frequented by tourists, particularly where they think they can get some food – i.e. on the beaches. Continue reading “Horrid And Stray Dogs”
Having completed a 2 hour island tour there was still more than sufficient time for a walk along a significant part of Kanumera Bay which, if forced to pick a favourite between it and Kuto Beach, I would rate it higher – because, at least when I visited, it was less busy and there was more shade, from a combination of palms and the Auracaria columnaris pines from which the island takes its name, for those wishing to linger. Additionally, I found the Bay to be a lot more photogenic and I trust I have managed to capture some of its beauty in the images attached. Continue reading “Kanumera Bay – Stunning”
Most visitors sunning themselves, snorkelling and otherwise enjoying themselves on Kuto Beach would be totally oblivious to the fact that most 19th century visitors to the Ile des Pins spent their time here locked up in cells with no opportunity to enjoy the island and its beaches as today’s visitors do. They would be oblivious to the fact that the island’s main colonial prison was a short distance from the beach. Continue reading “Prisoners In Paradise”
The Rambling Wombat 