7/31/2019 The Australian_Surfing Coffee Bay, S. Africa

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DESTINATION AFLOAT 9THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN, MAY 26-27, 2012www.theaustralian.com.au

FOR A BROCHURE AN D FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT

WILTRANS INTERNATIONAL1800 251 174

www.wiltrans.com.auWILTRANS

south americajanuary february 2013

seven seas mariner

BUENOS AIRES

MONTEVIDEO PUNTA DEL ESTE

SANTOS

PARATY

ILHA GRANDEILHABELA

PORTO BELO

LIMA (CALLAO)

PISCO

MATARANI (AREQUIPA)

ANTOFAGASTA

VALPARASO

PUERTO MONTT

LAGUNA SAN RAFAEL

PUERTO MADRYN

PUNTA ARENAS

USHUAIA

PORT STANLEY

PUERTO CHACABUCO

COQUIMBO

SALAVERRY

GUAYAQUILMANTA

CARTAGENAPANAMACANAL

ORANJESTAD

WILLEMSTAD

MIAMI

RIO DE JANEIRO

SALVADORDE BAHIA

FORTALEZA

MACAP DEVILS ISLAND

BRIDGETOWN

GUSTAVIA

SAN JUAN

ALTER DO CHO

BOCA DA VALERIA

MANAUS

PARINTINS

SANTARM

(AMAZONRIVER)

(AMAZONRIVER)

(AMAZONRIVER)

(AMAZONRIVER)

(AMAZONRIVER)

(AMAZONRIVER)

RIO GRANDE

DATE NIGHTS FROM/TO

PER PERSONFARES FROM*

SHIPBOARDCREDIT*

SEG. 1 07 Jan 14 Miami to Lima (Callao) US$8,637 US$600

SEG.2 21 Jan 24 Lima (Cal lao) to Buenos Aires US$14,907 US$600

SEG. 3 14 Feb 12 Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro US$8,703 US$500

SEG. 4 26 Feb 22 Rio de Janeiro to Miami US$12,773 US$700

CIRCLE 07 Jan 7 2 M ia mi to Mi ami US$42,023 US$1,000

enjoy...FREE Unlimited Shore Excursions* (up to 196 FREE on the 72-night Circle)BONUS one-night, pre-cruise Luxury Hotel Package*

Complimentary beverages including fine wines, premium spirits, sot drinks, bottledwater, speciality cofees and tea served throughout the ship

Complimentary Pre-Paid Gratuities

Butler service in Penthouse Suites and higher

Complimentary in-suite mini-bar replenished daily

Complimentary 24-hour room service and no a dditional charge or specialty restaurants

THE MOST ALL INCLUSIVE CRUISE EXPERIENCE EVER

Encounter South Americas ever-changing landscapes in a continent of sublime contrasts. Silver-blue Chilean Fjords give

way to lush, emerald Amazon rain forests. The searing hot rhythms of Buenos Aires and Rios Copocabana echo the shaded

cool whisper of Perus colonial Spanish cathedrals. The mechanical marvel of the Panama Canal passage stands with the

natural wonder of Iguaz Falls draped in rainbows. Here is fire and ice, the wild pampas, indigo mountains at the bottom of

the world, ancient empires in the clouds, and the down-to-earth pleasures of vibrant, inviting ports.

JoinSeven Seas Marinerfor the full 72-night circle of South America or select one or more of the four segments.

*Cruise-only ares are quoted per person double occupancy in US

dollars, accommodation categories as indicated and REFLECT

ALL SAVINGS. Booking deadline 30 June 2012. Accommodation

is subject to availability at time o booking. Terms and conditions

apply. Licence no. 2TA 5386.

Hearty adventures, ahoyMemorablemoments on

waterways greatandsmall

ALAMY

With anarm anda legloopedarounda longoar,the fishermen onBurmas InleLakepropelandsteertheirboats

MATTHEWCROMPTON

Thegentlemorningbeachbreakat Coffee Bayis oneof thebestin South Africaand perfectfor novicesurfers

TOURISMNEWZEALAND/DARTRIVERSAFARIS

Funyakingon theDartRivernearQueenstown

ALAMY

IstanbulsThracianCastle overlooksthe BosphorusStrait

KERRYLORIMER

Kayakersonthe lookoutfor killer whalesoff Vancouver Island

Funyaking, Dart River, Queens-town: Whoever put the word fun

infunyakinghas atenuousgriponreality. I can find nothing enjoy-able about my struggle to ma-noeuvrean inflatablekayakalongthe swirling Dart River just northof Queenstown, the so-calledadventure capital of New Zea-lands South Island. Waterborneactivities and over-exertion arenot my idea of a good time so itsunderduressthatIvesignedupforthis excursion offered by BlanketBay lodge on Lake Wakatipu, 35minutesfrom Queenstown.

Itsdescribed as anopportunityto paddle to paradise in yourinflatable canoe, but instead Ivearrivedin hell.

Led inblustery winds down thechoppy waterway by an eccentricKiwi guide, dark clouds loomingoverhead, I am contemplatingdivorce from my adventure-minded husband, now behind meinthe two-personcraft,forgettingmeintothis mess.

Ru d de r r i gh t , r u dd e rriiiiiiight, he shouts as, red-facedandoutof breath,I rudderleftand

maroon us once again on therocky shore. It seems like daysbeforethe ordeal is over(althoughitmustbe anhouratmost sinceweset off) and I head directly for thecomfort of the Blanket Bay bar

where, i t has to be said, one canhave much more funyakkingoveranice glassofpinotnoir.More:blanketbay.com.

MICHELLEROWE

Fishing on Inle Lake, Burma: ItsearlymorningonInleLake andanextraordinarywater balletunfoldsin slow motion. Fishermen in

broad-brimmed hats glide acrossthe lake surface with one arm anda leg looped around a long oar.With silent grace they slice theirpaddles through the water, simul-taneously propelling their boatsforward and steering them acrossthestillexpanse.

Occasionallythey willstopandhaul a huge, cone-shaped fishingnet from the floor of their flat-

botto med canoe s, t hen l ower itinto the reedy waters. They areefficient anglers, using a spear to

scarefishintotheircobwebbynetsbeforereturning them andtheircatchtothehull.

The balance managed by theseguys is astonishing. Its the mostefficient use of four limbs yourelikelytosee.

Visits to the Intha peoples stiltvill ages , flo atin g vege tabl egardens,tribalmarketsandgoldenpagodas round out a morning inthis special place. Longboat cap-tains in the lakeside villages aremore than happy to take touristsout for a fee. Aim to set out atdawn, when the light is lovely.More:to urismmyanmar.org.

KENDALLHILL

Kayaking, far eastern Russia:I have known waterman Al Bak-ker for 20 years and hardly have Iseenhimondrylandorevenspot-ted his legs. Whether on a Fijianlagoon or amid Arctic ice-floes,you usually see just the upper halfof this wiry Canadian-Australian;typically,hellbetuckedintoa sea-kayak that hes paddling faster,farther and more effortlessly than

anyinthe grouphesleading.

On this occasion, we are offBering Island, which in turn is offthe wild Kamchatka coast of fareasternRussia.Theseaandfogarepearlescent as six of us paddleaway from the mother ship.

Suddenly, four sleek dark headsperiscope up, checking us out itsarompoffursealcubs.

Simultaneously curious andcautious,theysurfacefleetinglytodisappear, then rapidly pop upagainbehindus.

Such is morning in the Com-mander Islands. Jutting from thePacific like a grand, green moun-tain range, the archipelago isnamed for commander Vitus Ber-ing, the Dane who charted thiscoastforthe Russiantsarand whoperishedherein 1741.

WeglideashoreatCape SeveroZapadnyi, spotting eagles, sealsand sea lions on the deserted

beach. Its a realm still so remotethat the only paths are, as JohnMasefield wrote, the gulls wayandthewhalesway.

This morning, mercifully, thewindslike asheathed knife.More:southernseaventures.com.

JOHNBORTHWICK

Kayaking with killer whales,Johns tone Stra it, Vanc ouverIsland, Canada: Nobody knows

why the wild whales come to rub

theirbelliesonthesmoothpebblesin the shallows of Robson Bight,

butconsensus is theydo itbecauseitjustfeels good.

Drifting in a sea kayak, eaves-dropping on their conversations

viahydrophone, itshard tobelievethe whales high-pitched callsarentsquealsof delight.

Overfourdays ofpaddling,ourgroup of 12 kayakers spies,through binoculars, pods of 20 ormore killer whales hunting, sleep-ing and playing, the adults 2mdorsalfinsrhythmicallyslicingthe

wateras youngsterscavort aroundtheirmothers.

We never come really close tothese orcas, but we find ourselvesnear enough to smell the fishy

breath of a breaching humpbackand, on another morning, floatmotionless in our kayaks a fewmetresfromshoreasa brownbearforages along the waters edge,obliviousto ourpresence.

Our little flotilla is blitzed by apod of 40 Pacific white-sideddolphins, speeding past so fast theseasizzles.

On yet another silvery, stillmorning, we explore the garish

world of the intertidal zone, popu-lated by gelatinous violet starfishthesizeof dinner plates.More:kayakingtours.com.KERRYLORIMER

Elafiti Islands, Dalmatian Coast:Strungoutlikeatrioofemeraldsinthe dreamy Adriatic, the ElafitiIslands make a verdant diversionfrom the grandeur of nearbyDubrovnik. The closest island,

Kolocep, is given over to pine for-ests, olive groves and vineyardswitha scatteringof elegantlyruin-ed Romanesque churches, twohamlets and a couple of pebbly

beaches , one where you c an getyour kit off. Sipan, the largest ofthe islands at 16sq km, was afavourite of the 15th-century Ra-gusan ship-owning nobility, who

builthomes, churchesand monas-teries. The island was beset by pi-rates throughout history, buttoday its quiet coves and beachessee little swashbucklingactivity.

Loveliest of the Elafiti three-some is car-free Lopud. Visitingcraft moor at a picture-book

waterfrontlined withstone housesand cafes and bookended by adistinctively Dalmatian Fran-ciscanchurch tower.

Awalkacrosstheinterioroftheisland, amid wild blackberry, ani-seed, emerald pines and skittishlizards,leadsto thesandycrescentof Sunj Beach where old salts canputup theirfeetat abasic restaur-antspecialisingin grilledsardines.Tour boats and ferries from

Dubrovnikmakealeisurelyround

of the islands through summer.More:croatiatraveller.com.

WILLIAMGOURLAY

A ferry on Turkeys Bosphorus:My girlfriend Jo calls it the great

escape a jaunt by ferry fromIstanbul up the Bosphorus to theBlack Sea and back. No crowds,

nopollution,no shoeshinefellowswanting to p olis h yo ur D unlopVolleys. . . shesays.

Jo isnt always right. From thecrowdeddeck, theBosphorus,oneof the worlds great waterways,looksgreen,oilyand polluted.It isalsodizzywithboats,fromwoodencaiques to Russian tankers. Theair,though,is splendid.

The gale rises as Istanbulsdomes and minarets recede, spill-

ingourappletea andminglingthearomas of brine, diesel and tob-accoonthe gull-ladenair.

More like the drunken boat, Iremarkas, rollingand pitching,wericochet back and forth betweenEuropeandAsia,seeingthesights:the Beylerbeyi palace, FlorenceNightingales old hospital, castlesandbridges.

Therearevillages withfishres-taurants, crowds, and yalis, Otto-manmansionsconstructedof tim-

ber, at wh ich f ello w pas senge rsgapeandclicktheircameras.

T hi n gs a r e m o re r a ff i shupstream, where vegetation pro-liferates beneath an expandingsky. The Black Sea proves to begreen, while the wind discouragesa hike to the castle at AnadoluKavagi,our finalstop,meaninganearly lunch. We select an estab-lishment labelled fish restaurantin English where there are spreadnetsandcaiquesbut noshoeshinefellows.More: goturkey.com.

IANROBERT SMITH

Surfing , C o ffee Ba y, So uthAfrica: They call this place theWild Coast and its wild in more

ways than one. As I balance atopmyboard,waitingfortheswell,themorningsunflasheslikesparksonthe surface of the ocean and I canseecows loungingon thedeserted

beach of Coffee Bay. Come after-noon, the tide will change, andheavy cross currents will turn the

baysclean, predictableswell intoadizzy spin cycle; but for now thisgentlebeachbreak isone ofSouthAfricas best, perfect for beginnerslikeme.

I have come to love this placewith its green hills dott ed withtraditional stone rondavel huts,stray goats and chickens wander-ing the long and rough roads, andthe easygoing humour of theXhosapeople.

As a wave lifts me, I flatten mybody to the longboard and beginpaddling, feeling secure in my

balanceand certainthat Ivetimeditright.

Withasenseof triumph,Istandshakily, the African sun warming

myshoulders.More:coff eeshack.co.za.MATTHEWCROMPTON

MAWSONS ANTARCTICA - COMMONWEALTH BAY

18 Nights from $20,240pp twin share*Departing Bluff, New Zealand on 20 December 2012 & 7 January 2013

JOIN US THIS SUMMER IN

antarctica

*Fares are per person,twin share inAustralian Dollars.Chauffeur DrivenLuxury Car Transfer is limitedto35 kilometres from the relevant capitalcity airport.Offer for newbookings only.Freeflights are economyclass to jointhe ship from Sydney,Melbourne or Brisbane.Savings are subject toavailability.Itineraries are subject totide andweather andmay be changedwithout notice.Lic.No.2TA003131 ABN:24 003 026 369 OIHA1153

To make a booking call Ultimate Cruising on1300 662 943 or visit www.ultimatecruising.com.au