Don't expect the same old when dining at Mudgee's innovative Blue Wren Winery. #travel #food #restaurants #blue.wren.mudgee #australia pic.twitter.com/7Hb2ktmOzI
— John Maddocks (@zentipede) May 27, 2017
Tuesday 27 June 2017
Blue Wren Winery Mudgee - take the taste challenge.
Friday 2 June 2017
Lost in Lijiang
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| A Tibetan girl at the Yak meadow on Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. |
“I love you too,” I call back in response to her novel sales pitch. The girl’s friends giggle as I stop to look at the distinctive silver jewellery, prayer wheels and yak’s tails on display. Tibetans believe that brushing your bed down with a yak’s tail keeps nightmares away.
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| You can take a ride on these colourful yaks for a few dollars. |
But getting a yak’s tail through Australian customs seems like a nightmare itself, a point that I find difficult to explain to the enthusiastic Tibetan salesgirl. I buy some prayer flags instead and walk out onto the meadow.
I am feeling light-headed from the 20-minute chairlift ride that has carried me to an altitude of 3,700 metres. During the ascent we looked out over spectacular valleys and craggy slopes with stands of colourful rhododendrons, azaleas and wildflowers growing beneath towering spruce trees.
Nineteenth-century European plant hunters loved Yunnan because of its 13,000 kinds of plants, half of which can be found on Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
Wooden walkways on the expansive field lead you to outstanding views of the highest peaks of the majestic 5,500-metre mountain, which remains unconquered by climbers. After taking in the views, I opt for a yak ride to the nearby temple and watch Tibetans in traditional costumes dancing and singing.
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is near the ancient city of Lijiang, home to the Naxi (pronounced Na-shi) people. The Naxi are descendants of Tibetan nomads and have lived in the area for over 1,000 years.
On the way back to Lijiang we visit the Yufeng Buddhist monastery, famous for a 500-year-old camellia said to produce 10,000 blossoms every year. The camellia is actually 2 plants grafted together that supposedly represent a pair of lovers who were forbidden to marry and committed suicide rather than live apart.
Today Chinese couples believe that being photographed in front of the camellia will ensure that they will be together in the next lifetime.
The highlight of any visit to Lijiang is spending time in its old quarter, Dayan Town. This 800 year-old World Heritage site features ancient timber and earth houses with tiled roofs set on delightful canals. No cars are allowed in the narrow, winding streets, which are paved with large stones.
The idea is to get lost in Dayan’s quaint streets if you really want to discover the place. The old town attracts local artists and artisans, and there is plenty of high quality jewellery, clothing, pottery, paintings and carving on sale. And it’s very pleasant sitting at an outdoor restaurant beside the canal eating a Naxi delicacy such as goat’s cheese sprinkled with sugar.
At night the old town takes on a different character. Candles floating past on paper lotus flowers make dining alfresco beside the canals an enchanting experience.
The enchantment continues with a concert by the Naxi orchestra, which plays classical Taoist music on traditional instruments. Incredibly, the average age of the musicians is 80, and they still perform to enthusiastic audiences every night.
On the way back to my hotel I notice flames leaping up in the main square. As I get closer I hear music and realise that the crowd gathered around the huge fire is actually moving. This is a traditional Naxi style of dancing, with circles of people holding hands and taking rhythmic steps around the fire.
There is something irresistible about hundreds of Naxi, Chinese and a few tourists dancing around a fire in a historic town in China, so I join in. The dance, part of an ancient but living culture, produces an uncommon sense of harmony as we move together in the flickering light.
When To Go. The best time to visit Lijiang is from April to July to enjoy the temperate spring and summer temperatures. The flowers for which Yunnan is famous are at their peak in late spring, from the middle to the end of May.
Story and photos by John Maddocks
I am feeling light-headed from the 20-minute chairlift ride that has carried me to an altitude of 3,700 metres. During the ascent we looked out over spectacular valleys and craggy slopes with stands of colourful rhododendrons, azaleas and wildflowers growing beneath towering spruce trees.
Nineteenth-century European plant hunters loved Yunnan because of its 13,000 kinds of plants, half of which can be found on Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
Wooden walkways on the expansive field lead you to outstanding views of the highest peaks of the majestic 5,500-metre mountain, which remains unconquered by climbers. After taking in the views, I opt for a yak ride to the nearby temple and watch Tibetans in traditional costumes dancing and singing.
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| There are numerous Naxi villages in the valley below Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. |
On the way back to Lijiang we visit the Yufeng Buddhist monastery, famous for a 500-year-old camellia said to produce 10,000 blossoms every year. The camellia is actually 2 plants grafted together that supposedly represent a pair of lovers who were forbidden to marry and committed suicide rather than live apart.
Today Chinese couples believe that being photographed in front of the camellia will ensure that they will be together in the next lifetime.
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| The tiled rooftops of the World Heritage Dayan town at Lijiang. |
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| Picturesque canals are a feature of Dayan town. |
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| The delightful Black Dragon Pool at Lijiang. |
The enchantment continues with a concert by the Naxi orchestra, which plays classical Taoist music on traditional instruments. Incredibly, the average age of the musicians is 80, and they still perform to enthusiastic audiences every night.
On the way back to my hotel I notice flames leaping up in the main square. As I get closer I hear music and realise that the crowd gathered around the huge fire is actually moving. This is a traditional Naxi style of dancing, with circles of people holding hands and taking rhythmic steps around the fire.
There is something irresistible about hundreds of Naxi, Chinese and a few tourists dancing around a fire in a historic town in China, so I join in. The dance, part of an ancient but living culture, produces an uncommon sense of harmony as we move together in the flickering light.
When To Go. The best time to visit Lijiang is from April to July to enjoy the temperate spring and summer temperatures. The flowers for which Yunnan is famous are at their peak in late spring, from the middle to the end of May.
Story and photos by John Maddocks
Thursday 1 June 2017
Ireland - Six of the Best
Visit the Emerald Isle’s Most Exciting and Enchanting Destinations
With over one third of Australians claiming some Irish ancestry, Ireland has become one of the most frequently visited countries for travellers from Down Under.
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| Dublin's Temple Bar is always lively |
Start your trip in Dublin, rightly described by Lonely Planet as Europe’s most vibrant capital. It has been voted in the top four most popular city destinations in Europe along with London, Paris and Rome. See the Book of Kells at historic Trinity College, go to Oscar Wilde’s house, have a drink at the magnificent Guinness Brewery and Storehouse and wander around the ancient cobblestone streets of Temple Bar to visit magnificent pubs.
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| A valley on the Beara Peninsula |
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| Colourful streetscape in County Cork |
Ireland’s west coast is the country’s scenic heartland. The Beara Peninsula in County Cork is a place of stunning beauty. Green valleys, rocky mountains, rugged coastline and picturesque villages with multi-coloured houses feature in a breathtaking landscape.
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| The picturesque Dingle Peninsula |
Travel further up the west coast through Kerry to the legendary Dingle Peninsula, once described by National Geographic Traveller magazine as the most beautiful place on earth. Little wonder that David Lean set his film Ryan’s Daughter here.
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The peninsula is peppered with ancient stone buildings and prehistoric stone circles. The pace is so slow here that you can hire a horse-drawn caravan for a week or two to get around!
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North of Dingle lie the truly spectacular Cliffs of Moher, undoubtedly among Ireland’s most famous sights. The views of these sheer, absolutely vertical cliffs that stretch for eight kilometres are tremendous. Bird watchers come to see the Puffin birds that make the cliffs their home.
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Connemara in County Galway has one of the most memorable, hauntingly beautiful landscapes on the planet. It is a patchwork of idyllic bog wilderness, wild valleys, sweeping beaches and dark lakes that shimmer in the sunlight. To many it is the most enchanting region of Ireland. Connemara affords great hiking, biking and driving opportunities. It also has idyllic coastal villages such as Roundstone, where you can enjoy a Guinness after walking on the fabulous Roundstone Bog and watch the lobster fishermen come and go in the harbour.
Words and images by John Maddocks
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