Last autumn, we found ourselves coming out of a very tough year. Our 3rd wedding anniversary was an opportunity to celebrate the fact that we’d somehow got through it all. As it’s a bit of a tradition to spend our anniversary somewhere in the UK, I took my wife to one of my favourite cities: York.
A wise use of 20p, York Castle Museum
Last week, I went llama trekking in the traditional environment for these hardy Andean pack animals: Northamptonshire. Of course, llamas are by far the best animals in the world and it was a pleasure to get close to them.
You can’t ride llamas – they carry baggage but not people – so llama trekking is, in effect, taking a llama for a walk. Once trained, they’re friendly and calm walkers and will follow you quite happily. They have a leash, but it remains slack – you don’t need to drag them along, you just give a gentle tug and start moving off when you want to go or to turn, and a gentle tug backwards if they don’t want to stop but you do.
My llama was called Napper. At first he was a reluctant walker, but we soon got to know each other and he stayed just over my right shoulder, allowing me to stroke his neck every so often.
Sadly it was the one day of the week with pretty constant rain, but the countryside was stunning and it was very restful couple of hours, man and llama in beautiful union with each other.
I can highly recommend a day out with the lovely people at Catanger Llamas. They have 65 of these beautiful animals, and taking one of them for a walk is a rare and enjoyable delight.
One day, when I have an acre of land, I will own a pair of llamas.
Brighton’s glamorous Churchill Square has been taken over by terrifying, rampaging, pre-historic monsters!
There even baby triceratops, and we all know how dangerous a mother can be when protecting it’s young…
Check out the video for the full, thrilling, horror!
Pollo Campero is Guatemala’s favourite fast food chain. On our honeymoon, it was everywhere. Every small town had a branch and every city had several.
We generally avoid fast food, but given our general travel rule of eating as much local cuisine as possible, not trying the fried chicken delights of Pollo Campero seemed silly. It is, after all, popular Guatemalan food.
It was, of course, delicious. Not dissimilar to KFC, but nicer with a warmer chilli bite to the coating. Greasy but good.
And now, unbelievably, surreally, it’s here. In Brighton. In Churchill Square. Very, very strange. And strangely exciting.
A big part of our festive trip to Iceland was the opportunity to get away from the city for a couple of days. Our original plan was to stay out for a night in a mountain hut on the South Coast but by heading south for one day, going back to Reykjavik for the night, then driving north for a second day, we realised we could see a lot more in the same time.
Our guide, Stefan, picked us up before sunrise for the 2 hour drive down to the South Coast. His vehicle was a white modified Land Rover, with huge snow tyres and raised suspension. We bundled into the back, not really knowing what to expect. We’d heard that the massive storm that blighted our first Golden Circle trip had washed bridges and roads away, so we were really unsure as to how far we’d get.
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The Golden Circle tour is a must-do on everyone’s list for Iceland. Not seeing Gullfoss, Geysir and Thingvellir would be like visiting London and not bothering with the Houses of Parliament, and this day tour is the easiest way to visit all three.
We normally try to avoid coach tours, preferring to go under our own steam rather than being shepherded from one place to another by a harassed guide, whilst other party members and the inevitable Australian complain that the monuments aren’t big enough. But in this case, the natural wonders speak for themselves and the vast open spaces allow you to explore each of the sites away from anyone else. Essentially the tour acts like taxi service with a knowledgable driver.
Having said that, we deliberately chose a company that does the trip in a minibus rather than a 52-seat coach. And we weren’t at all disappointed by Iceland Horizon and our excellent driver and guide, David. David is English but has a deep love of Iceland and has lived there for more than a decade. His humour, hospitality and knowledge were second to none.
Happy New Year from Reykjavik!
Blogs and photos from our trip to follow…
Brighton’s Pavilion Ice Rink looks really magical.
Can’t wait to strap my skates on and slide face first across the ice…
Things from my Posterous MiniBlog
