Queenstown: A picture of adventure

For a remote town in lovely, pristine New Zealand Queenstown is sure a busy little place. It was here – billed by tourism booklets as the ‘adventure capital of the world’ – that I tried my hand at bungee jumping. To tell the truth, as the cords were being tied to my feet I couldn’t help feeling my heart stop near my throat. Sue went off into peals of laughter watching my semi-blanched face. Did I make it finally? I am happy to report that I did. Of course, Sue managed to jump more gracefully than I did off the Kawarau Bridge, the world’s first commercial bungee-jumping site.

Just walking about in the town was proving to be an eye-soothener. There were blue lakes, snow-capped mountains and green trees whichever way we turned. The air smelt delicious as we moved with our backpacks towards the Winnie Bagoes Gourmet Pizza Bar in the Mall. We were pleasantly surprised by the interiors- a massive bar, billiards tables, a cheerful fireplace and comfy chairs. Not like a pizza place at all, in a sense. The pizzas are thinly-crusted with a variety of toppings. I liked my mini Italian pizza while Sue raved about her smoked-chicken served with Brie and cranberry sauce.

One of the highlights of the trip was visiting Bob’s Peak on the cableway Skyline Gondola. Suspended atop the breathtaking beauty Lake Wakatipu we thought nothing could be better and then we beheld the Remarkable’ peaks. The blue-green mountains with their vanilla toppings were too riveting to the eye to be dismissed lightly.

Although we were tired out we still managed to make our way to one of the world’s best luxury hotels, hotel Novotel Gardens – on foot enjoying the scenery on the way. Close to some beautiful local gardens and well-manicured lawns, it is one of the most picturesque hotels in town. We were lucky enough to get a room on the ground floor with a walking trail right outside the door. The next morning we took a walk on the trail. That itself was an adventure in itself.

The place has my strongest recommendation

Christmas Island: Close to heaven

Christmas Island is one place where nature colludes with the elements to create magic. Neither Sue nor I had beheld before such a variety of birds in all the colors imaginable under the sun. We saw a mind-boggling range of imperial pigeons, silver bosuns, emerald doves and thrushes that we found ourselves breathless and agape at the same time.

Flying in from Perth we stayed at this lovely place called the Captain’s Last Resort which is one of the best lake spa resort. Staring down from the balcony we saw schools of exotic fish in the crystal clear waters of the Indian Ocean.

Sue’s alarm clock woke me up early the next morning. She was still asleep when I went out into the balcony to soak in the refreshing morning air. Not a soul was in sight, but the birds were up and about chirping overhead in the trees. I saw a seagull flying out into the ocean and disappearing. I resolved to visit one of the many beaches on this island with Sue. In the little kitchenette I prepared a hot cup of lemon tea for myself. Sue had woken up in the meantime and was making enquiries about renting a four-wheeled drive at the Christmas Island Tourism Association.

An hour later we drove down to the remotest part of the island- Dolly Beach. Its sandy softness and thick rainforest were a sheer visual extravagance. Swaying coconut palms and live marine turtles made our day. The area also has a fresh water spring, which makes it a favorite with picnickers. On our way back we came across a tour group from Sydney enthusiastically diving into the azure ocean waters.

Christmas Island is not a shopper’s haven; reason enough for its limpid beauty. Opposite the Christmas Island Visitor Centre we came across this small grocery shop where we bought bread and tea leaves. We also espied a supermarket opposite but we didn’t go in.
That evening we had coffee as we listened to the waves of the Indian Ocean lapping at the shores of the Flying Fish Cove. It was the closest to heaven as we could get.

Mussoorie: Of greenery and sunset

“You know, I don’t feel very self-conscious here,” Sue was saying as we made our way towards Kulri in Mussoorie. I could appreciate that. In India she had been at the receiving end of (often unsought-for) male attention. My olive skin and dark eyes, on the other hand, had kept me ‘safe’. In Mussoorie she no longer felt like an ‘alien’, there being so many foreigners. We were dragging our luggage up to a bed and breakfast joint called All Seasons recommended and booked by a friend from India.

The main town was a disappointment; especially after the drive up from Dehradun, the valley-town of the new-born north Indian state of Uttarakhand. Too much traffic, dirt, smells of cow dung and tourists from the Indian capital Delhi. And yet it was all quaintly unique, so rustic although Mussoorie was developed by the British into a hill station.

All Seasons is an unpretentious guest house cheek-by-jowl to a couple of swanky five star hotels. Yet it manages to hold its own thanks to its cozy, homely interiors and warm staff. Run by ‘Winkie’, a turbaned Sikh gentleman, it is the acme of hospitality. He gave Sue and me the best room with a huge king-sized bed, bath, walk-in closet, TV, fridge, and Wi-Fi access. My favorite feature, however, was the balcony overlooking the hills?

The guest house doesn’t provide lunch so we decided to eat Thai and Chinese food at The Tavern which was close by. The egg noodles that Sue ordered were pretty nice but I loved my Thai chicken curry and iced tea.

That afternoon we booked a taxi to take us to Kempty Falls, so named by the Brits thanks to their love for tea. ‘the word Kempty’ happens to be a corruption of ‘Camp Tea’, a 19th century colonial tradition. Kempty, frankly, was a disappointment with the water having thinned and the trash. The drive back to All Seasons was far more entrancing. But nothing to beat the sun spreading its orange resplendence while slipping behind the mountains- a sight that caused us to down our teacups in the evening.