Abrams Family World Travel

New Zealand: 19 Days On The Road With Two Children

IT didn't exactly start perfectly, with Zenchai throwing a tizzy in a car park in Christchurch (a case of being too hungry). But it only could get better from there. And, thankfully, it did.

Some 3,404km and nearly three weeks later, we'd explored New Zealand's stunning South Island, crossed the Cook Strait back to the North Island, and driven up to Auckland.

The landscape in NZ is overwhelmingly spectacular. Each day, when I thought it couldn't get any better, it did. Often we'd see ice-capped mountains, rolling green hills, blue lakes - all in the same location!

The roads, especially on the South Island, were practically empty. No traffic jams. There were occasional, though brief, roadworks. But it was a pleasure getting around.

However, we tried not to be on the road too long each day (between two and three hours) to save our children from boredom and confinement. Often we'd time the driving for when Kobra would take her nap. 

We did most of our camping in DOC (Department of Conservation) campsites. We received a booklet when we hired our Rocket rental vehicle and each night aimed for a DOC site near where we aimed to stop.

The sites are all relatively cheap (around NZ$15 per night) and in some extraordinary locations. The entry fee goes towards maintenance of the sites. Facilities are usually quite basic. We did most of our bathing in chilly but stunning, picture-postcard lakes or rivers. For shaving, I would try to find a public toilet en route or use the reflection of the car windows as my mirror. 

We were mostly fortunate with the weather. It was summer time after all. We hardly saw rain the first week and there were just a few days when we were washed out. 

The rain would also make it harder for sleeping. Not only did it sound loud pounding on the roof, but our canopy at the back of the vehicle would, in the case of a heavy downpour, leak a little. We just turned ourselves around, so our heads were in the middle of the vehicle rather than the back.

But, generally, we all slept reasonably well. We were tightly packed, but that was great on the few chilly nights when the skies were clear. 

In campsites there would often be children for ours to play with. We could see Zenchai's confidence growing in approaching other youngsters. He had a ball. So did Kobra. One day when we stayed by the amazing Lake Hawea, north of Queenstown, Zenchai just walked over to some children and the next thing we knew he was on a speedboat trip. He just took off on the lake. We laughed about how our son was off with some strangers we'd never met. But we felt sure he was safe and loving it. I heard him brag to one other child as he boarded the boat, "I've been on a ship called the Sea Shepherd. It's a real pirate ship, you know?" 

However, Kobra fell asleep while Zenchai was out on the water and, because we needed to get going, Jamie and I started looking at each other, thinking 'How long is he going to be out there?' 

In the end, I had to kayak to the boat (using a kayak our camping neighbours had kindly offered to us) to get Zenchai back. Like those neighbours, the people we met along our trip were always friendly. I found customer service in NZ to be outstanding, too. The Kiwis are a welcoming bunch. 

Starting in Christchurch, we headed south to Dunedin, where we visited this steepest street in the world and observed the endangered yellow-eyed penguins and seals at a special conservation.

From there we made our way across land, via Gore towards Te Anau, where there is a fabulous lake and we stayed the night. The following day we headed north to the unforgettably stunning Milford Sound in Fiordland, taking in the mountains, valleys and breathtaking scenery. 

There is just one road there, Milford Sound being the only fiord accessible by land. Make sure you fill your vehicle with petrol before you head there as there are no gas stations. 

We headed back towards Te Anau, camping by a river for the night at Deer Flat. The next day we ventured towards Queenstown, which was more spectacular than I ever imagined.

Although it's full of young people on adrenaline rushes (lots of adventure-type activities going on here) and a ski town in the winter, Queenstown is beautiful. The water, almost turquoise in parts, reminded me of Europe's fantastic Adriatic Sea. 

Queenstown can be expensive, so we headed out for our next stop at another special DOC campsite at Moke Lake.

The next day, after passing through sparkling Wanaka, we stayed at Kidds Bush at Hawea Conservation Park, again by the lake. It was also breathtaking.

We didn't feel disappointed until the next day, when we camped out at Paringa Lake and got ambushed by sand flies. We had been warned. But it didn't help. It was so severe they came through into the car during the night along with mosquitoes. We slept mostly with covers over our faces and then Jamie and I made an executive decision first thing in the morning - to sling everything in the back of the car and get out as fast as we could! 

On the next stage of our journey we passed through the gold-mining town of Ross, which is apparently sitting on NZ$700 million of the precious metal. Zenchai got his own mining pan and gave it a go in the nearby river, excitedly hoping he'd get rich. No such luck. 

By the time we reached Hokitika further up the west coast, rain was on its way. For the second night running (but for different reasons) our sleep was broken. But the kids didn't seem to be affected much. With rain lashing down, we took to the roads and, because we couldn't see a great deal, just kept driving, getting as far as Motueka.

There, we found a decent campsite, full of children for Zenchai and Kobra to play with. The next day we headed to Golden Bay in the impressive Abel Tasman National Park, where we had the beach to ourselves. The sun was out, but the wind fresh. Zenchai and I did some sprint training and then built sandcastles.

We moved on to Kaiteriteri, staying in the Bethany Park campsite where they offered a family deal for only NZ$20. Zenchai made friends again. He was playing football in the dark. The next morning, with the sun shining gloriously, we headed for the beach before hitting the roads, passing through Nelson as we proceeded north. 

Hours of driving took us to Rarangi, where we stopped at the remote Whites Bay. It took some finding, going up lots of winding roads. That night, before dinner, firemen came to our site to warn us of a possible Tsunami from the earthquake in the Soloman Islands. The beach was closed. But nothing happened. 

It wasn't far from there to catch the ferry across the Strait from Picton, where there is an excellent kids playground. Luckily for us the Strait was calm (ish). It was a glorious day. By 4.30pm we were in Wellington again. We didn't stop, instead heading onwards Otaki, where we camped at Otaki Forks, a gorgeous spot in the Tararua Forest Park. We had the place to ourselves and a glorious river to bathe in the next morning - though it was the coldest plunge pool I'd ever experienced!

We did a spot of shopping in Otaki at outlet malls, especially for Icebreaker clothing as we equipped ourselves for our next stop, Vancouver. Icebreaker clothing is expensive (it supposedly doesn't smell from prolonged use), but there were some great deals.

Our journey took us back to Napier, where we stayed with friends for three nights, having intended to be there only two. We just couldn't bring ourselves to leave and I got to revisit CrossFit Napier - three times!!

From Napier it was a two-hour drive to Taupo, where we stopped for lunch, and then another 90 minutes to Tauranga, where we ended up at a caravan park not typical of the places we had frequented on the rest of our journey. It was cheap (NZ$20), but the notice in the kitchen warning about theft in the area didn't exactly make us feel at home.

The nearer to Auckland we went, the more traffic we encountered. Tauranga, for instance, was surprisingly congested. We ended up racing the clock a little to reach our hostel in Auckland, buy food for dinner and our flight out of New Zealand the next day and then take our rental Rocket to a car wash before dropping it off by 4pm.

We made it without a hitch. The staff at Spaceship (Rocket) were friendly as ever. They didn't baulk at the broken tent either. It was a (standard) NZ$25 cab fare back to the hostel as we entered our final 24 hours in New Zealand. 

In terms of travel highlights since we departed the UK over three years ago, New Zealand is right up there at the top. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sydney: No Blues In The Mountains

FREQUENTLY we are asked how, financially, we are able to keep travelling the way we do.

It's a perfectly valid question, of course. But the answer is we have to be prudent with our funds and also find creative ways of making our bucks stretch further.

One way has been house-sitting, which we have been doing for nearly three years and involves caring for someone's home (and, usually, pets) while they are away, giving the owners peace of mind that their home is and animals are safe in their absence. In return, we get free accommodation, which is one of our biggest costs. 

We are members on two websites - trustedhousesitters.com and housecarers.com - and apply when we see house-sitting jobs become available where we are travelling or about to travel. We pride ourselves on doing a good job and leaving homes cleaner than when we arrived.

We have come to meet some genuinely amazing, gracious and generous people this way and see and stay in fantastic places from Notting Hill to Brecon to Huddersfield to Kuala Lumpur. Our most recent assignment was in the Blue Mountains, about an hour outside of Sydney. We stayed there - in a beautiful family home - 11 days, looking after a dog, rabbits and a hen.

It's a spectacular part of Australia, hence the advertising promo for the region which reads, "Easy to get to. Impossible to forget". The Blue Mountains is so called because of the density of Eucalyptus trees which emit into the atmosphere droplets of oil which, when combined with dust particles and water vapour, form rays of light that are predominantly blue.

There is so much to see and do in the region that you could live here years and not scratch the surface, so we took the more popular options, starting with the famous Three Sisters near Katoomba, which was about 45 minutes drive from where we stayed in Warrimoo.

The Blue Mountains covers some one million hectares and became a World Heritage site 12 years ago. In it you will see trees that have been around from before mankind and cave systems that have survived 350 million years.

At Echo Point in Katoomba is a large visitor centre and observation area where you can get the best views of The Three Sisters - three rock formations, each over 900m tall, that stand out side by side with a massive open landscape as a backdrop.

Aboriginal folklore says the rocks were three sisters who were turned to stone.

There is a walkway that extends for miles, it seems, around the cliff edge. It is all perfectly safe, spotless and perfectly maintained.

We didn't have time to see everything on our first visit, so returned to take in the Scenic Railway - the world's steepest incline railway - a cableway that takes you back to the top and a Scenic Skyway, another cable ride. You can purchase a ticket for all three with discounted rates for families and if you arrive before 11am.

Zenchai was particularly fascinated by the history of gold mining in the area and the log cabins for workers that have been preserved and some of the other equipment that was used.

Katoomba itself is a quiant little town that has a giant screen cinema (six stories high) showing film of the region's environmental value, but we didn't have time to check this out.

Fresh and organic food-lovers should make a trip to the food co-op on Ha'Penny Lane, just off the main high street, though we also found other stores in the region offering a wide and good selection of fruits, vegetables and such items.

Another destination we visited was Wentworth Falls, which, like in Katoomba, has special views and dramatic trails.

Being in the mountains was cooler than in the city. It felt so much fresher and healthier. We took several local walks, on one occasion - foolishly as it turned out - trying to follow a 5km trail from the house we were sitting, but got lost as the sun started to go down.

Thankfully, we came across a family riding their horses and they kindly offered to drive us most of the way back. Only then did we realise how far we had come - with Zenchai on foot and me carrying Kobra - and that the shortcut back to our 'home' would have involved scrambling through a overgrown bush trail.

As serious snakes and poisonous insects live in the region, the local lady thought better of suggesting we try this and dropped off all of us - dog included - where we could make it back safely, which we did. But, as someone once wrote, "If everything always went to plan there would be no adventures"!

Chiang Mai: Falling Head Over Heels...Nearly

LIVING in a small apartment with two young children, we need to get out - and often. 

Kids, especially ours, have energy to burn. They need fresh air, active play and some stimulation.

So we try to plan day trips here and there. And one particularly successful excursion was to the Buatong Waterfalls in a national park in Nam Dtok, about a one-hour drive north of the city on highway 1001. It's in the Mae Taeng district.

We looked it up online before going and though the directions seemed somewhat vague, it was easy to find. As directed, it took us one hour. Signs are in English. We turned off the road, parked up and a short walk away were the splendid waterfalls also known as the "Sticky Waterfalls", because of how it feels underfoot, and "Spring of Seven Colours", referring to the colours from the reflection of the sun.

It's a glorious place with plenty to explore and little creatures, like spiders and crabs, all over the place if you look closely enough. 

However, it was pouring with rain when we arrived - it is the rainy season after all - but, luckily for us, the shower was coming to an end. The timing was near-perfect.

Before long the sun came out and we enjoyed the water. Zenchai couldn't wait to get in and took particular delight in scaling the muscular torso of the falls to the top and back down again.

A word of caution, though: some of the rocks, especially where it appears darker, are ultra slippery, almost like ice (most of the falls are safe). I twice went down - and that was treading carefully! Zenchai took a tumble, too. 

Thankfully, with Jamie carrying Kobra, that was the full extent of our mishaps. Otherwise we spent a delightful two hours playing in the gushing falls, which were the perfect temperature. There is more to see, though, like caves and springs. Make a day of it.

Zenchai made friends, too - with a little butterfly that landed on his head and wouldn't budge. Zenchai became quite attached to the insect. The butterfly remained perched there until we reached our car after having walked up the many wooden stairs that run alongside the falls. Then it flew off. You can imagine how a six-year-old with a vivid imagination interpreted the whole episode. Needless to say, though, he's now in love with butterflies.

Entry to the national park is free and it doesn't get too busy. There are toilet facilities and shops selling refreshments. We took our own, as did many other visitors, and preferred to stop on the way home at a roadside market in one of the many villages we passed through to top up our food supplies.

This was a real find for us. It's not especially well known to tourists, but the locals - and monks - go there often. If you get the chance, make the trip. It's worth it. 

 

World Travel: 200 Not Out

SO after nearly two-and-a-half years travelling as a family - about 850 days - we have reached our 200th blog.

We've been to many countries and places and often people want to know which ones stand out the most.

I frequently ask Jamie which locations she either misses most or would like to re-visit. Her list is much shorter than mine. 

While we haven't yet found the 'perfect' location and don't even believe such a place exists, here are my top 5 hot spots, in no particular order. 

 

KUKLJICA

A picture-perfect village on the island of Ugljan off the coast of Zadar in Croatia. It holds special memories for us. We lived there for two months in the summer of 2010. We could never get enough of the deep blue Adriatic Sea and local, fresh food. We found the locals so friendly and welcoming. The weather was perfect, too. Jamie doesn't even like me mentioning the place, because she yearns to be there. We shall return one day with Kobra, part of whose named was derived from the village and country.

 

BAHIA

WE lived in Piracanga, an eco village south of Itacare, Brazil, for nine months in 2011. Kobra was born there. That makes the place unique in our memories. Our life there was basic. There were no shops. We made our entertainment by visiting the ocean and river and using what was natural around us. We played on the long, deserted sandy beaches. Sharing a home with us were spiders, bats, a rat and, occasionally to steal our fruit, monkeys. Jamie found our existence there too limiting after a long period. But I miss many aspects of the lifestyle, especially just living in a pair of shorts (nothing else required). Zenchai still talks fondly of the place, too, because he made friends there.

 

BRECON

OUR Christmas of 2011 was spent in the Welsh valleys. We did a stint of house-sitting and looking after cats and ducks in a beautiful cottage. It was mostly cold and wet, but the house was so cosy and the scenery spectacular. We liked the people very much. Both Jamie and I felt a strong affinity for the region. 

 

BUENOS AIRES

THE bustling capital of Argentina is a place I'd like to go back to more than to stay or settle. It has so much going for it - loads of places to visit; lots to do; cheap and efficient transport; lots of restaurants; nice people. I got to know it well during the near-three months we lived there in late-2010/early-2011.

It ranked as one of Zenchai's favourite spots, too, because he loved seeing all the classic old cars scattered on the streets. 

 

VARKALA BEACH

ALTHOUGH we were only in India a few months ago (Jan 2012), I look back affectionately on our time there. The weather was perfect and the people so glowing, inquisitive and almost overwhelmingly friendly and helpful. Being by the beach offered our kids a great playground every day. We felt very safe there. Although it was more touristy than we like and India in general is overpopulated, noisy and polluted, Varkala Beach has a great charm about it. Living and being there is so easy. 

 

Chiang Mai: Back With A Difference

WE are back in Chiang Mai. It feels different. It's still hot, but the sweat doesn't roll off me here continually as it did in Kuala Lumpur.

We have found a place to call home for the next month or perhaps longer. We are still assessing. But it feels more peaceful in our new abode, set away from the often noisy streets.

We don't hear any traffic - only the sounds of insects and creatures in the forest or nearby dogs barking. It's nice to be surrounded by nature. But this comes at a cost. I'm frequently removing spiders and scorpions and various other bugs/insects. But that's life. We got used to that in Brazil, where the critters were tarantulas, bats, rats and monkeys.

Slowly, we are settling in to Thai life again, minus all the pollution that convinced us to leave several months ago. We have a car at our disposal, which allows us much more freedom to explore. Getting around in rickshaws and taxis is fun to begin with, but, in the heat, soon loses its appeal, especially when you have young children.

Chiang Mai isn't so large that getting lost presents a problem. If you have a sense of direction, you can easily get back on track. Kuala Lumpur would have been a nightmare to drive in. I'm finding my way around Chiang Mai quite quickly and easily, though you always have to have your wits about you with so many scooters around.

With our own wheels, we can check out the rich variety of organic produce they have in Chiang Mai. There is a big initiative here to provide pesticide-free goods and our diet has improved substantially. Each day (for about £1 per kilo) I buy Jamie a durian (she's addicted).

We eat in much more. Our garden has jackfruit, mango and banana trees and an organic garden. We have purified water from the tap. The children have space to stretch their legs and play and raise their voices heartily.

Jamie has slowly started her yoga again and I'm happy back at Crossfit Chiang Mai. Each week we try to have a Thai massage (it's painful, but great - and only £11 for two hours!)

We're working on finding outlets for Zenchai and have made contact with several groups in town who are educating their children in a way we'd like to have Zenchai learn about the world and life. We'll see how that goes.

So far, so good. 

 

Alleppey: Testing The Backwaters

A TRIP to Kerala without exploring the backwaters is like passing through Agra and avoiding the Taj Mahal. 

Everyone we know who has experienced a houseboat trip along the miles of canals that were once - before the road infrastructure improved - the main highways in this region, has lauded the 21 hours you get to spend casually perusing the waterways.

It is said that for visitors to Kerala there will be no greater expense than a houseboat trip and this certainly has proved to be true, Tour operators in Varkala Beach offer houseboat packages for approximately R7,000 (around £100), but we were advised to instead go to Alleppey and negotiate directly with the boat operators. So this is what we did.

I spent close to an hour going from one boat to another, asking their best price, inspecting the facilities and trying to get a sense of the crew's hospitality. I couldn't get anyone to take us for less than R5,000 (£66) - and this was on the worst-looking boat I had visited!

Then Bob, my friend, told me he'd spoken to a girl at the desk of the Houseboat Prepaid Counter inside the large white building of the District Tourism Promotion Council, which is situated where all the boats are docked. They guarantee you a double room on a boat for R6,000 or two doubles for R8,500 (£112).

I had R500 deducted for choosing no air conditioning, but had to pay that amount for an extra bed (for Zenchai), which, in reality, turned out to be nothing more than a thin cushion on the floor with a fresh sheet on top.

The way the purchasing system works is that you show up at the DTPC office at 9.30am the day you want to depart and they show you the boat/s available. If you like it, you pay and return for the start of the journey at 12pm. That's precisely what we did, but as we headed for the boat, a female Russian traveller stopped to ask Jamie about going on the backwaters. We liked her and invited her to join us (we had a two-bedroom boat). 

She declined, though, saying she needed to head further south. So we boarded our boat, but then a few minutes later Zoya, the Russian girl, turned up again, saying she'd changed her mind. The man in charge of organising the boat for us asked if we minded. He then told me we would get R1,500 back, which I thought was fair. 

We were all greeted on board with a fresh coconut. Zoya then said there was a misunderstanding with the price and that she wouldn't be going after all. We continued sipping our coconuts, waiting for her to depart, but some negotiating followed. The boat representative returned to tell us Zoya couldn't pay the full price, but was still going and, therefore, we wouldn't be getting any reimbursement!

While we were happy to have Zoya on board, I told him he had made an agreement and that they, the boat, were making money from an extra passenger, not us. The crew went into conference and came back, offering me R1,000. I agreed.

I don't know, however, whether this transaction had anything to do with our service, which wasn't quite what we expected and didn't make for an overly relaxing trip. While the food was good and better than I expected, one member of the crew was seriously intense to the point that when we had our meals he was rushing us to finish so he could clear the table. We all looked at each other, partly astonished and partly amused.  

Even when Zenchai asked if he could steer the ship, this crewman initially declined, but then, after some persuasion from Zoya, changed his mind. The second driver was much friendlier. He allowed Zenchai to drive the boat the next morning from where we were docked. 

Sunset and sunrise were the best moments of this experience, though even for the former we were parked for the night on the wrong side of the waterway to get the best view. We got off the boat for a while, went for a walk and chatted to some locals who, of course, were super-friendly and took an interest in Kobra.

We had our dinner around 7pm, though the moody crewman had wanted to serve earlier (around 6pm, when we weren't really hungry) and then said he couldn't, for whatever reason, make dinner for 8pm. We compromised. 

Before dinner, though, I'd noticed an old man in a canoe make his way to our boat and climb a coconut tree. In the tree he'd placed big bowls over old roots. I had never seen this before. He removed the bowls and then extracted a liquid from the root. I asked the moody crewman whether it was milk. He asked if I wanted to try. Instead, I got a large bottle and had to pay R100 (£1.50).

It didn't look particularly nice and smelled horrid - rancid actually. I took a sip and was utterly disgusted. I gave it to the moody crewman as a present as he seemed to regard it as some kind of delicacy. I don't know whose smile was widest - his for receiving the drink or mine for getting rid of it!

I thought the drink might lighten him up a bit, but almost straight after dinner he ushered us to our rooms and to bed for the night. It got buggy and humid at night. We showered as best we could with the gentle trickle of water that emerged from the taps. I didn't mention to Jamie the large cockroach I saw emerge from behind the toilet, though she spotted a dirty sanity pad sitting outside the toilet window.

Jamie pointed out it was the quietest night's sleep we'd had since arriving in India. In the morning it was stunning - peaceful, scenic and fascinating watching the locals who lived by the water go about their business. We had our breakfast - some fruit and bread (Zoya was disappointed there was no hot water for tea) - and Zenchai, at the helm, started us on our way.

Mind you, having left London and big cities to avoid traffic, I slowly watched one boat after another converge until there was a procession of them - like some kind of animal migration -heading back to where they all parked, ready for the next customers. It was disappointing to see so many boats, not to mention all the advertising boards placed en route. Nowhere, it seems, is too sacred for consumerism.

Houseboat trips end around 9am and the next train to Varkala wasn't until 3.30pm. The DTPC won't store luggage. We headed to the railway station, dropped off our bags in the locker room (for a small fee) and went back into town for a walk around and then another boat trip, this time along the canal. 

Alleppey, though, is loud and busy, just like any other Indian city or town. By around 2pm - with two young kids in tow - we'd taken enough and decided to retreat to the station and wait for our train on the platform. 

The whole experience, combined with the heat, had knocked the stuffing out of Kobra and Zenchai, who both slept nearly the entire way back to Varkala. 

 

 

Piracanga: What I'll Miss And What I Won't

10 Things Claude's Going To Miss

1. Outdoor Life

Regardless of the weather, getting out of the house each day was never a problem. Even if it rained, we often went out. There was fresh air, beach, river, forest, garden and most of the houses were built in a way that the air flowed through. Since returning to England, I've appreciated more just how fortunate we were to be able to experience the joys of being outdoors so much and with nature.

2. People

We made so many friends. People visit Piracanga from all over the world. It's an international community. We met so many visitors and residents who were alternative-minded, travelling like us and who took a similar approach to child-raising and education. The people were nearly always friendly and so many adults took out time to be with and nurture Zenchai. Also, I don't think I've been anywhere in the world where I've got to know so many people so quickly and easily.

3. Letting Children Roam Freely

Once you are back in a city, you understand and value how fantastic it was to have a child and feel comfortable allowing your child to come and go without us parents having to worry for his safety or whereabouts. Piracanga felt safe from that perspective. There were few cars and everyone seemed to know everyone. Often Zenchai would go for walks by himself and be gone for an hour or more. Frequently, he went to the houses of other children by himself. We were never concerned and nothing ever happened to him that gave us cause for worry.

4. Fresh Coconuts

They grew on the trees in our garden and were everywhere. There is a plantation next door and each week Alex, who works in the restaurant kitchen, sold and delivered them to your door. We would usually buy about 30 each week (at R30) and bolstered our supply with ripe coconuts from the garden. We drank the sweet juice and used the flesh for puddings, smoothies, soups, granola and just eating raw.

5. Beach And Ocean

Few days passed when we didn't visit one or both. The beach, especially at low tide, was brilliant for enabling children to let off steam and burn up some energy. We often had it entirely to ourselves. Whilst the waves were powerful, the water was usually warm. Zenchai would enjoy jumping waves.

6. Local Fruits & Vegetables

The choice wasn't exactly immense, but we will miss the size of the papayas, mangoes and avocados for certain. By British standards, it was all very affordable. The passion fruit was delicious and, when in season, Jack Fruit so delicious we would sometimes devour one in a single sitting. I shall miss other fruits like plantain, that are harder to get elsewhere, and vegetables such as mandioca.

7. Year-round Sunshine & Warmth

Only for maybe a few weeks of the nine months I was there did I need to where anything with long sleeves. Much of the time I had on just a pair of shorts and, at most, a t-shirt. In the summer it can get really hot, which makes sleeping uncomfortable, but I would take the heat and sun over cold and rain every time.

8. Clean Air & Limited Pollution

Piracanga had some cars and a tractor that was used by the workmen. But there was no traffic to speak of and, because of the forest, all the trees and being by the ocean where there was a constant breeze, the air was clean and fresh.

9. Living In Shorts & Bikinis

As an extention of No. 7, you don't have to pack much to visit here. The climate suits the minimalist. I had only two pairs of shorts and Jamie a couple of bikinis.

10. River

Zenchai preferred the river to the ocean. That's where he learned to swim and kayak - by himself. It's shallow at low tide and the perfect place for a child to begin swimming. Caution is needed when the tide rises and the current strengthens. We went to the river as a family all the time. When the water was warm it was like taking a bath.

 

10 Things Claude Won't Miss

1. Bicho De Pe

These little fleas, which are spread through the urine of animals, get into your feet (and sometimes hands), causing a slight stabbing pain and the only way to remove them is physically. Bichos are actually a type of flea - so they can jump, too. Kobra got one on her toe after only a few weeks of being born. We removed ours using a needle. I had about 10 in the nine months I was there. Zenchai had two and Jamie, somehow, avoided them all. Even though the first one I had taken out knocked me out - yes, I fainted - subsequently, I got good at removing them by myself and without fuss.

2. Poor Internet Signal

Having internet costs R50 per month or R5 per day. Where you live will have an affect on how strong your signal is, as will the weather. The internet signal is transmitted by radio. It's not fast. Some days we got nothing from our house and would have to go to the centre. On occasion the signal would be down everywhere. But in terms of using Skype and doing research online it was quite frustrating for us.

3. Driving On The Piracanga Road

This was a really bumpy journey, taking about one hour to Itacare going through deep puddles and large pot-holes. Zenchai threw up almost every time he made the trip. The road has recently been improved and the drive isn't as bad, but it remains a rally-type experience.

4. Humidity

Nearly all the clothes we took with us got ruined - they turned mouldy. The climate makes it difficult to keep clothing fresh, especially when it rains.

5. Mosquitos And Matukas

As much as you can get used to mosquitos, they can still drive you nuts at times. We certainly didn't react to bites as much at the end as we did when we first arrived. But outside of a mosquito net they would often swarm around you at night and, with a young baby, it wasn't fun. The bite of a matuka fly was more severe and matukas don't leave you alone. To clobber them, you have to let them land and sink their teeth in first!

6. Long Community Meetings

We got invited to many meetings during our stay, but soon found that most of them lasted two to three times longer than necessary.

7. 'Cold' Winter Nights

It did get chilly, relatively speaking. Some nights during the winter, with the homes open to the elements, we needed to wrap up under four or five blankets and snuggle together to stay warm.

8. Dusty, Sandy Houses When The Wind Blows Hard

It was hard keeping a house clean. Sand, dust and leaves would end up everywhere, especially on windy days.

9. Waiting For Laundry To Dry During The Wet Season

Sometimes the rain would last for days. With no washing machine, dryer etc, you have to either pray for the rain to stop or hang your clothes indoors. But even with the latter, it would take time for clothes to dry when the sun wasn't shining.

10. Insecurity

At first, we thought Piracanga was wonderful because there was no need to lock up your doors when you went out. Crime was almost unheard of. And then, as more houses were being constructed, workers came in from outside the village and the crime rate increased. We had a computer stolen during a burglary. Life never felt the same.

Serra Grande: Living On Light (Week 3)

I CAN see now why the final seven days are described as the ‘Mental Week’ more so than ‘The Resurrection’.

The 19^th day was testing for me in so far as my mind began to lose focus and I started looking ahead to the finish with it being so near.

Only on this day did I lose my sense of being centred, though. On the whole, the last week was a coming together of all the elements I had experienced.

The ‘process’ had given me a clearer definition of my sense of happiness and fulfillment, the experience of being in a deeper and prolonged state of stillness and of living in the moment, without wanting or needing.

I didn’t realise how much pleasure could be had from doing so little and simply enjoying whatever experience came along.

When silence and emptiness becomes uncomfortable often the impulse is to get busy. Mine was to remain quiet and still.

There was something therapeutic about observing and being with nature, especially surrounded by forest. I was certainly very alert and switched on. All my senses seemed to be operating on what felt like a higher frequency. Often I couldn’t sleep as my mind was so active.

I noticed I had become gentler and kinder to myself. I felt mentally very strong, as if the whole experience had expanded my mind, nourished my soul and lifted my spirits.

The final two days were stormy (lashing rain and then a fierce, chilly wind) but inside I maintained calmness. I stayed in the tent mostly, warm under my blankets. What a contrast, I thought, to how I’d felt not too long ago in Piracanga, where outside it was sunny and gloriously beautiful, but in my head space the clouds were gloomy.

It confirmed to me that any situation or place is only as happy or beautiful as the thoughts you have about it. Even mosquitos buzzing around my head!

Everything is a projection of our thoughts. The mosquitos eventually became my playmates. I’d sit in my hammock, they’d try to make me their acupuncture cushion and I’d attempt to clap them. Not very Zen-like, I admit – only if you do it with anger. But I noticed my sight, timing and speed of hand improving quickly. I observed the different types of mosquito, how they moved and their patterns. I got to know them well.

Little could dampen my spirits, it seemed. I really started to comprehend more fully author Byron Katie when she says ¨Everything is perfect as it is.” The more you accept, the more perfect you see the world for what it is. So I looked to the present moment, which is where life is really happening – always!

I realized I had been fighting reality every time I opposed my circumstances and the result of this was stress. Now I try to graciously accept where I am and what is taking place.

I recognize for me that happiness and healthfulness come when there is an absence of stress (the worrying, conflict type). I’d had 21 largely stress-free days and that in itself made this experience worthwhile. I accepted that my happiness is solely MY responsibility.

The sense of feeling ‘lost’ no longer resides in me. I don’t feel at all directionless even though beyond England for Christmas I haven’t a fixed destination for where I will be. But tomorrow I might. Or the day after. I trust in myself and life. As scientist Alan Kay once said, "The best way to predict the future is to invent it."

I’m happy to be in Piracanga, London or wherever. And now when I think of the last two years travelling with my family, I see it as the best time of my life.

However, while the ‘process’ was for me powerful on so many levels, physically, it was very weakening. I was not even close to the level of fitness at the end as when I started.

I did my best to accelerate my physical revival by working out daily, doing push-ups, chin-ups and squats. I swam, practiced yoga and walked. I was always mindful not to do too much. My routines were short, but intense.

I got progressively stronger, but my body was thin and often drained. I felt less thirsty than in the second week and drank less. Hunger was never a factor. I didn’t think of food. The fresh juices were more concentrated, perhaps explaining why I consumed less. But on some days I woke up having had nothing for what must have been 14 hours or more and felt fine. I now know I won’t ever starve.

I liked that I was able to enjoy living in a natural bodily rhythm. I didn’t drink because ít was time’. I realize how much my desires to eat and drink are mental rather than physical.

However, I have no desires to stop eating even though I feel sure that I could – at least in the short-term – and that drinking juices never gave me that heavy feeling you get when eating too much and the digestive system is overloaded.

I enjoy food – the preparing and sharing, the taste, smells and social interaction around it. I will seek to find a healthy balance. I realise the wrong foods can make you sick, too much food can leave you tired and not enough makes you weak.

Living on juices only, I peed more than ever in my life. This made sleeping problematic as on average I would be up five times every night. Often, though, I’d sleep in the mornings, by when my bladder was empty, and towards the end of the week my dreams became clearer and more vivid. Although I didn’t sleep well, I felt rested.

The ‘process’ felt like a long and short experience at the same time. It’s hard to explain fully, but I am sure we have all had that sensation. I came to really enjoy sitting in the forest house for hours in my hammock cross-legged. I never picked up a book or, surprisingly for me, tried to do any drawing. I spent time just watching.

This was a transformative journey I can’t imagine I will ever forget. I hope – and trust – it lives on in me. Little would I know how much the day after I finished my resolve would be thoroughly tested. More on that in a blog to follow.

I owe special thanks to my beautiful wife, Jamie, who not only lovingly takes care of my family, but supports me, shares my visions, gives me the freedom to be myself and opportunities to explore my potential. I love you.

Thank you, too, to Silvia, who supported me, welcomed me to her home and on to her land and provided me with the gift of this chance to grow, evolve and understand myself and humankind more fully.

*Anyone interested in doing the ‘process’with Silvia can contact her by email - [email protected] - to discuss it further. She speaks Portuguese, English, French and Spanish.

Piracanga: Indigenous Medicine Woman (Part 1)

I REALLY haven't had (until now) the opportunity to tell my tale of how Nadia, the indigenous medicine woman, came to me.

It all started with an innocent puncture wound on my heel and an insect bite on my ankle. The two wounds quickly became infected and our Piracanga doctor promptly taught me how to clean them with hydrogen peroxide and iodine.

However, after about a week there was no improvement. In fact, they had become much worse. In my very pregnant state this was a major concern for all of us.

On the day Nadia appeared I had stayed home instead of going up to the restaurant for lunch. I was laying in our hammock feeling sorry for myself. Tears were pouring out of my eyes when I recalled a certain passage from the popular book, Eat, Pray, Love.

In the book the author had injured her knee while in Bali. Like here, the humidity can make most minor wounds difficult to heal. Anyway, to cut a long story short, a medicine woman helped her recover with the use of local plants.

As the tears rolled down my cheeks all I could think about was how there had to be a way to heal my wound using plants. It just did not make any sense to me that there wasn't a leaf somewhere in my garden or the forest that could help.

Literally five minutes from having this thought Claude and Zenchai arrived home telling me an indigenous medicine woman was coming to help clean my wounds.

I wiped my wet face with the back of my hands, pulled myself out of the hammock and by the time I got down the stairs there she was - with about five other people from the Piracanga community. 

Nadia had come to Piracanga to do a massage course. She had been told about my situation and immediately came to me. Nadia had a lot of experience treating staph infections in her community.

After assessing my infections, she sent the various people out to collect plants and supplies so she could begin the cleansing process.

As we sat there waiting for the people to return with the bits and pieces, I fell in love with her.

I felt safe, protected and nurtured immediately upon meeting her. She had an amazing presence that was enhanced by the tribal paint on her face, the colourful feathers in her hair and the handcrafted jewelry that bedecked her.

Each day that she was here (in Piracanga), she took time out of her course (even though the tutors were not happy about it) to care for me. 

She prepared a herbal bath for my foot using arueira leaves then she would clean the puss from the staph using cotton or gauze and the auira water. This was almost always very painful. 

On one occasion she performed what could only be described as finger surgery. In the most sensitive way possible Nadia would pull the infected flesh off. 

This was by far the most excruciatingly painful thing I have ever felt. After all the cleaning, she would apply an aloe vera cream her mother had made. Nadia had also prepared a tincture using resin from a tree producing mescaline, which had to brew for a minimum of seven days before it could be used.

By that point my infections weren't getting any better, but hadn't got any worse. I was at a crossroads on my journey to regaining my health and with so many factors to consider, I finally decided to use antibiotic cream.

The antibiotic cream and cleansing regime was no walk in the park either. By the time Kobra arrived, both wounds were nearly closed. My midwife finished the process by cleaning them with a nailbrush and coconut soap, followed by pure tobacco and an Amazonian tincture.

However, when I found out Nadia was returning to Piracanga to teach a course on medicinal plants, I knew I would attend.

Piracanga: Starting From Scratch

I CAN'T stress seriously enough the importance of not scratching mosquito bites when you live in the tropics.

For some reason no-one tells you this before you arrive. Or, more to the point, no-one warns you about how severe the consequences can be.

Instead, you are told to pack sun cream and keep your hair short to combat lice. But the real problem is staph. 

Dealing with four staph infections at the same time isn't fun. And it's worse when your wife, about to give birth any day, has two on her legs and your son, who loves digging in the sand and generally getting dirty, has fought off four (on his arms and legs).

It got to the point when recently I had to cart around my wife (who had to keep her wounds free of sand) in a wheelbarrow to attend a community function.

Staph infections are common, highly contagious, potentially fatal and, like many bacteria, come in various strains. Getting rid of them is hard work - and tougher still if you, like us, prefer the natural options and to avoid antibiotics (especially the oral ones).

Here in Piracanga many people have had it, even the locals. The secret, though, is to avoid scratching bites (and thus opening the skin). If you do, though, keep the wound clean and take action quickly. Cut your fingernails short.

Preventing children from scratching is most difficult. But at least kids, particularly those over four, recover faster than adults.

Maintain a healthy diet that boosts your immune system and try to reduce stress.

There are many recommended solutions and ointments. But if you're about to travel to a tropical country, I'd suggest you take with you some hydrogen paroxide, gauze, tape, propolis, tea tree oil, iodine, manuka oil (if you can get it), oregano oil capsules, colloidal silver gel, probiotics and aloe vera. 

There are other powerful and useful lotions, oils and ointments, but these are just a few we think could come in handy for a variety of accidents and infections.

You won't regret it.