My 10 Top Travel Photos of 2011
By · Comments2011 has again been a good year for me to discover wonderful new places in the world. Rather than bore you with a very brief and inadequate description, I thought I’d rely on the old saying of “a picture paints a thousand words” or rather in this case a photo. Here are my favourite photos I took during the last year.
Kronborg Castle
My first trip of the year was to the Danish capital of Copenhagen. I’ve been there many times and decided to head up the coast to Helsingor and the famous Kronborg Castle. It is said to be the setting for Shakespeare’s famous play “Hamlet”.
Kronborg Castle - One of Northern Europe's finest Renaissance castles
Sveti Stefan
I spent a couple of days on the Montenegro coast at Sveti Stefan overlooking this iconic iselt.
Sveti Stefan - Famous visitors here include Elizabeth Taylor and Sophie Loren.
Mandarin Fish
My first diving trip to Manado was extremely rewarding. On a night dive I managed to capture a couple of pictures of the elusive Mandarin Fish on a night dive.
The elusive Mandarin Fish on Bunaken Island, Manado, Indonesia
Queens Colours 1/24th Regiment
The Battle of Isandlwana in 1879 was the greatest defeat a British force ever suffered at the hands of a native army. On that fateful January day, the Queens Colours of 1/24th Regiment were lost in the Buffalo River. Two weeks later, against all odds they were recovered. Queen Victoria added a wreath of immortals around the crown as reminder of what happened to those colours at Isandlwana. Today, they are hanging in the Havard side chapel in Brecon Cathedral, Wales.
Queens COlours of 1/24th Regiment that were lost and later found after the Battle of Isandlwana in January 1879.
Burning Bush / Fire Extinguisher
High in the Sinai Mountains in St Catherine’s Monastery. It is a hugely significant religious site and this picture is of the Burning Bush. I found it slightly amusing that there is a fire extinguisher next to it…just in case.
In 2011, the Burning Bush is less of a safety risk that back in the days when it was described in the book of Exodus thanks to a fire extinguisher.
Soldier on guard, Hall of Valour
The Battle of Stalingrad was an horrendous fight to the death for hundreds of thousands of Russian and German soldiers. Today at the Hall of Valour at Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd, there is a permanent guard.
A soldier stands guard in the Hall of Valour, Mamayev Kurgan, Volgograd
Petra through the Siq
The Siq at Petra is a long passage all visitors have to travel through to reach the famous Red City. As you approach the end, you get your first glimpse of the Treasury in Petra.
Nearing the end of the Siq and catching a first sight of the Treasury at Petra.
Kotor – cruise ship
The old walled town of Kotor in Montenegro is a popular cruise destination.
A cruise ship docked at Kotor, Montenegro
Pufferfish
This photo isn’t so much a favourite, I just want to highlight a problem (excuse the blurriness). When threatened, Pufferfish expand their bodies. Its a rare sight and is incredibly stressful for them. On this night dive in Aqaba, the guide annoyed this Pufferfish enough for it to puff out it’s body. I was really annoyed that someone meant to educate and protect the marine environment could do this. It was at a 5* PADI centre in a marine park.
This poor Pufferfish was annoyed by our dive guide and felt it had to expand it's body to defend itself.
Ma’In Hotsprings
If you want to visit a fantastic spa resort in a stunning setting, the Ma’In Hotsprings 260m below sea level in Jordan will not disappoint.
The main waterfall at the fabulous Ma'In Hotsprings in Jordan.
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Thats all from me for 2011, now I’m looking forward to 2012 which will take me to more new places and the Euro 2012 Championships in Ukraine.
Perth – The Heartbeat of Western Australia
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Western Australia is often forgotten about as a destination for visitors to Australia. It is right across the country from the ever popular Sydney, Melbourne and the Gold Coast but the territories captial Perth is a wonderful place to visit. The metropolitan area has a population of around 1.7m and dates back to 1829 when it was founded by Captain James Cook.
Today, it is considered one of the most remote cities in the world as the closest city with a population of more than 500,000 is Adelaide which is over 2,000km away. This has not prevent Perth from becoming a vibrant, modern city. The city sits on the Swann River which winds its way down to the port of Freemantle and the coast. Virtually all the visitors to Perth arrive at the airport just outside the city. There are excellent connections with the rest of Australia as well as direct flights to cities such as Hong Kong and Singapore.
Hong Kong - A stop over city en route to Perth
I’ve been to Perth twice and on both occasions I stayed at a motel and had a hire car for the entire trip. This afforded the freedom to explore this fascinating part of Australia. Perth itself has some wonderful attractions. The Perth Mint is one of the most popular and they had a number of exhibitions, a gift shop and I also saw a demonstration of gold pouring.
My favourite place was just north of the centre at Hillarys. AQWA or to give it it’s full name, the Aquarium of Western Australia is a place I could visit every day. Regular readers know I love scuba diving and it was at AQWA where I was able to take part in an unusual experience. Certified divers can take part in a dive in the shark tank. Its actually more of a crawl than a dive but you get to spend time close up to a variety of sharks, rays and turtles. Its an amazing experience to be so close to these magnificent creatures and if you look carefully on the bottom of the tank, you can find sharks teeth. Sharks shed their teeth regularly so they always have sharp ones. During their lifetime, they will usually have around 32,000 teeth. Apart from the shark tank, there are a wide range of exhibitions of marine life found along the 12,000km coastline.
Perth is blessed with a superb climate and there are plenty of beaches both in the city and in nearby seaside towns. Rockingham is probably my favourite of these little towns. I’ve been there a number of times but I never managed to meet the most famous residents; the dolphins.
Sunset in one of Perth's many parks
In the late afternoon in Perth, it was always nice to take a stroll in one of the many parks. The lakes attract a wide variety of bird life and along with the grand old trees and colourful flowers, these parks are beautifully serene places to visit. The excellent weather means that there are usually people out in the parks jogging and you can also find exercise equipment such as cross trainers in some of the parks.
Australia is well known for it’s diverse wildlife with the kangeroo probably being the most famous. Perth Zoo is an ideal place to see animals such as Dingos, Emus, Koalas, Quokka, Cockatoos and more. There are also animals from other continents as well as various walks and presentations throughout the day. I always like to visit good zoos where the animals are well looked after and Perth Zoo is an excellent example.
A Tasmanian Devil at Perth Zoo
In total, I spent around 5-6 weeks in Perth and I hardly scratched the surface. It is definitely a place I would happily go back to time and again. Aside from the endless list of things to see in and do in Perth, it is also the ideal base to explore the rest of Western Australia including the spectacular Ningaloo Reef. Sadly, I didn’t make it that far north as neither of my trips coincided with the annual Whale Shark migration. I’ll have to add it to my bucket list for my next trip to WA.
